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With lockdown in full effect, large supermarkets have continued to operate as an essential service. Meanwhile, small farmers and vendors face harassment and confusion from authorities over whether they can still trade their goods. It’s been financially devastating, but is also affecting poor communities that now don’t have access to any nutritional food, writes Anna Trapido
In his update on the Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown on March 30, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “This is uncharted territory for us all. We have not experienced a situation like this before and a number of mistakes will be made, but we ask for our people’s understanding that all this is being done for the good of everyone, and we will continue to correct the mistakes wherever they are made.”
In the spirit of constructive criticism, let us look at the ways in which the current application of lockdown regulations are unnecessarily damaging South Africa’s small and informal food providers and the communities they serve.
The food industry is defined as an essential service, yet self-employed people whose livelihoods depend on the growing and distribution of food are not being adequately recognised as such.
The damage to the business of food provision cannot be deferred because doing so will compromise the nutritional status of many South Africans, which will lead to a reduction in their capacity to fight infection.
Small food producers and vendors can and should be central to the fight against Covid-19, but a report by the University of the Western Cape’s Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (Plaas) sets out the ways in which the implementation of lockdown regulations is preventing them from operating effectively.
Government has shown a willingness to modify and clarify regulations, but the reality on the ground is that, even when the small farmers, fishers and vendors are within their rights to trade, they face widespread confusion, inconsistency and harassment on the part of law enforcement authorities.
In the hands of the few
This has caused emergency food provision to be concentrated around a few corporate supply chains dominated by a handful of vertically integrated agribusinesses and supermarkets.
This has had an immediate impact on what poorer South Africans are buying and eating.
Evidence from the first week of lockdown set out in a report by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group suggests a dramatic decline in consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat.
Food buying patterns have changed, with consumers opting to purchase only staple carbohydrates and nonperishables sourced from a single supermarket rather than shopping around for the best deal at a range of smaller township traders.
While the supply chains of big agriculture into supermarkets are being respected as essential within the application of lockdown regulations, the grower pushing a wheelbarrow of spinach from a Tembisa food garden to a spaza shop and the man selling fish caught by coastal communities from the back of a bakkie on the Cape Flats are being thwarted in their attempts to supply nutritious and affordable food to needy people.
Clearly farmers and vendors cannot trade as before.
There is a need to deconcentrate the food system spatially, but this does not have to prevent informal street traders from buying and selling produce safely.
The Plaas report reads: “Since traditional selling areas like taxi ranks, and bus and railway stations now lie still, new sites can be quickly set up using existing public infrastructure. School premises that have been closed offer shelter, water and sufficient space for social distancing to be safely practiced. Government should immediately make such spaces available for food vendors to trade from.”
The ideal situation is one that allows goods to circulate at a local level to ensure that the poor have sufficient access to food during the lockdown and that small producers are able to continue to safely sell their goods.
Nonprofit organisation African Spirit provides an example of how a community can create a win-win solution.
Shiyabazali is an informal settlement above Howick Falls in KwaZulu-Natal. The community is vulnerable, with many relying on casual daily labour for income.
The lockdown has made an already dire situation even worse.
African Spirit has established a sponsorship scheme where affluent Howick Falls residents donate money for vegetable boxes that are supplied and delivered to Shiyabazali by local grocer, Touchwood Veggies.
Touchwood sources its produce from small local farmers.
This initiative is not only helping small businesses to keep going during the lockdown, but also provides vulnerable people with good quality, fresh and nutritious food.
The tragic truth is that the pandemic is already resulting in a massive contraction in our economy.
Much of this contraction is unavoidable if we are to save lives.
However, the destruction of township food systems is not inevitable – we need to act now to shape the recovery in ways that will maximise the virtuous circular economy of these small producers.
. Want to help African Spirit in Shiyabazali? Contact Tshidiso Masopha on 078 828 9380 or facebook.com/africanspirithowick/
. In the Western Cape, Food Flow commissions small farmers to provide fresh food to families in communities whose children normally rely on school feeding schemes: foodflowza.com
. Studio-H continually updates a nationwide list of independent food businesses operating during lockdown: studio-h.co.za
Every Monday at 4.30pm, Studio-H also hosts G.URL GANG MONDAYS live podcasts to help women in the food industry with current Covid-19 issues. Follow them @fxxd_xx
. Johannesburg NOSH Food Rescue has joined forces with the team at Thava Indian Restaurant in Norwood for the Cooking With Compassion project. What was the restaurant space has been registered as an essential service site and nine chefs are cooking up a “plat du jour” from the NOSH-sourced supplies. NOSH will then distribute the meals to needy families in Alexandra township. To donate money or ingredients, go to noshfoodrescue.co.za/donate/
. Abalimi Bezekhaya has been supporting small-scale urban farmers in the Western Cape for more than 30 years. In response to the Covid-19 crisis, it is organising planting season manure runs that will take place daily for the next six weeks. Just R100 is enough to sponsor manure and seeds for one farmer to plant or re-plant 100m2 of garden area. R5 000 will cover the full cost of one manure run, which will reach 50 micro-farmers per day. Go to abalimibezekhaya.org.za
. In Orange Farm, Gauteng, The Ubuntu Project is working in collaboration with Our Social Kitchen and Green Business College to distribute seeds, seedlings, compost and gardening magazines to hundreds of needy families. Donations can be made at http://oursocialkitchen.co.za
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In A Big Win For HP, Wal-Mart Chooses Neoview Data Warehouse
Wal-Mart's choice gives HP a much-needed endorsement of its business-intelligence software play, and raises questions about the retailer's relationship with Teradata.
When it comes to getting an early endorsement of a risky product introduction, it doesn't get much better for a technology vendor than this: Wal-Mart has chosen Hewlett-Packard's fledgling Neoview data warehouse for business intelligence across its 4,000 U.S. stores, the companies announced Wednesday.
It's a huge win for HP, which entered the well-established data warehouse market with its announcement in April of Neoview, born in its research labs and built first for its internal use. HP CEO Mark Hurd, who ran NCR and its Teradata division before joining HP two years ago, drove the Neoview project.
Wal-Mart has been a marquee customer of Teradata -- its Teradata installation is one of the world's largest data warehouses and plays a key role in a data-sharing network with suppliers called Retail Link. It's unclear how the HP win will affect the Teradata relationship; it seems unlikely Wal-Mart will rip out all of its Teradata investments, yet any win by HP for data warehousing takes away potential business from Teradata. HP and Wal-Mart officials weren't immediately available for comment Wednesday morning.
HP CIO Randy Mott also likely played a key role in getting Wal-Mart's business. Mott was previously CIO of Wal-Mart, where he worked 22 years, before moving on to Dell as CIO, and finally to HP in July 2005.
"The HP partnership is part of a continued effort to drive innovation into every facet of Wal-Mart's business and IT operations," said Nancy Stewart, Wal-Mart chief technology officer, in a statement. Wal-Mart's experience with Neoview "has proven that we made the right decision to partner with HP for our next-generation business intelligence needs," said Jim Scantlin, Wal-Mart's director of enterprise information management, in a statement.
HP has been working hard in the past year to expand its software business as it faces slowing growth in the increasingly commoditized hardware market. Business intelligence is a hot market, but the data warehouse segment will be a particularly tough nut to crack. IBM, Oracle, SAS, Teradata, and Microsoft hold about 85% of the $5.2 billion market, a sector IDC projects will grow 9.5% annually through 2010.
How Enterprises Are Attacking the IT Security EnterpriseTo learn more about what organizations are doing to tackle attacks and threats we surveyed a group of 300 IT and infosec professionals to find out what their biggest IT security challenges are and what they're doing to defend against today's threats. Download the report to see what they're saying.
Digital Transformation Myths & TruthsTransformation is on every IT organization's to-do list, but effectively transforming IT means a major shift in technology as well as business models and culture. In this IT Trend Report, we examine some of the misconceptions of digital transformation and look at steps you can take to succeed technically and culturally.

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The africanexponent.com reported below, read our thoughts at the end in red
Why don’t we use these people [curvy women] as a strategy to promote our tourism industry?”
In Uganda, a plan has been mooted to promote tourism in the country, but this plan is pretty much unfriendly. The tourism minister in Uganda, Godfrey Kiwanda, suggested the use of “curvy women” as a tourism “product” and the ladies are not happy with this.
Kiwanda wants to champion this plan for the country, but he will need to be prepared for a lot of backlash. At the launch of a plus-size beauty pageant in the capital Kampala, the minister described the plan that the country would take in promoting tourism using full-figured women.
“Uganda is endowed with beautiful women. Their beauty is unique and diverse. That’s why we decided to use the unique beauty, the curves… to make this beauty a product to be marketed along with what we already have as a country ranging from nature, the language and food, to make it a tourist attraction,” Kiwanda said this to AFP on Thursday.
The beauty pageant for the “curvy women” is part of these plans. The pageant will be held in June. Kiwanda said that the winner of the Miss Curvy Contest would be part of the country’s tourism campaign, where beauty will be used as a proudct to promote tourism.
But these plans have already raised the indignation of many in the country. The arguments border on the objectification of women, treating them as some products and not as human beings.
It is due to this anger, that the comments have been labelled “dehumanizing” and “degrading.” Some want the beauty pageant to be scrapped off, and others are calling for the tourism minister to resign.
The executive director of the Uganda Women’s Network told AFP that the minister’s plans are a form of “perversion.” She said, “This is perversion. To think women can be used as sex objects in this age and time is an absurdity and we condemn it.”
Some said that the minister thinks women are “zoo animals” who are supposed to be put “in a cage for the tourists to see.”
An online petition on Change.org has been launched, with the intention of stopping the campaign. Primrose Nyonyozi Murungi, who is an entrepreneur and activist, is behind the petition.
“Women in Uganda have been attacked while on the streets. What happens now that the government is confirming a stereotype that women are sexual objects and can be touched regardless and more so made a product of tourism,” she said.
Feeling the anger, Kiwanda said that, “Diverse as we are as a country we have a message to put out there about the different curves our women have, which we believe is a tourism attraction.”
It is interesting to see whether the government will proceed with these plans, or whether it will give in to the anger of the people.
In retro respect we believe it’s an amazing idea and here is why. Social media is flooded with tonnes of popular girls who are only popular for being sexy. Yes most of them show a lot of skin but lets face it. there are many who are popular simply just for looking good and beautiful and curvy, even if they never get naked. These ladies make no money simply for being beautiful, in fact most of them are only putting themselves on blast so some random man will call them up to sleep with them for cash (I said most not all). It’s also hard to believe that many businesses are seeking such popularity to promote themselves yet girls with nothing to sell have managed to capture such views, what could be better than using them to promote their country and their nation? Yes, the arguement is that their promoting sex tourism, but just even if it was, no man will go to a country to sleep with a woman and not eat the food or pay for transport etc. So even if it was sex tourism it will still promote other businesses in the process. Now let’s deal with if it is sex tourism. Sex tourism is only made possible if there is much prostitution, a large part of prostitution exists due to poverty, if these girls who are serving their countries by promoting it amongst their followers who adore them because they are sexy, and then they are also getting paid by the state then atleast their beauty is being paid for and if they have aspirations that need finances they won’t need to sleep around for it. In simple these girls are attracting attention one way or the other, and a gvt will spend on tourism to attract attention one way or the other, and whether we like it or not, a big part of tourism is the women, so why not actually reduce sex tourism by giving the curvy women a job in tourism all whilst encouraging tourism? If you don’t get it, just enjoy your day. Let’s just put it this way, if that sexy girl wasn’t on our header image, 90% of people wouldn’t have seen this article.
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Start Date: 10:15am, 9th December 2021
End Date: 12:00pm, 9th December 2021
Location: University of Algarve - UAlg, Gambelas Campus, Faculty of Economics, Sala Atos,
EVENT POSTPONED to 2022 due to the new restrictions to start December 1 in Portugal. New date to be confirmed when the situation gets better.
The IPBN Algarve committee has partnered with the University of Algarve, Algarve STP and NEST Tourism Innovation Center Portugal to host an event entitled, "Scaling-up for Tourism: Opportunities for Innovation in Tourism and the Challenges to Adapt to Transformation," which will take place in the Sala Atos at the Faculty of Economics at the UAlg Gambelas Campus in Faro, Algarve on Thursday, December 9 from 10:15 am to 12:00 pm.
We are delighted to welcome the President of the Board of the Algarve STP Francisco Serra to introduce the Digital Innovation Hub and Roberto Antunes, Executive Director at NEST to lead attendees through the role of innovation in scaling up Tourism for the new reality in which we are living.
To further illustrate the future of the tourism sector, the IPBN, along with Hugo Barros of the Algarve STP have invited several Algarve-based tourism startups to present their businesses as a case study for what may be next on the horizon for the sector as a whole.
REGISTER TODAY and join us at this exciting in-presence event. We look forward to welcoming you!
The event is open to members and non-members and is free of charge.
10:15 – Registration & welcome coffee
10:30 – Welcome from the Director of the Faculty of Economics
10:40 - Talk with Roberto Antunes, Executive Director - Tourism Innovation Centre NEST.
Theme: Scaling-up for Tourism - Opportunities for innovation in Tourism and the challenges to adapt to transformation.
11:00 – Presentation of Algarve STP by Francisco Serra, as part of the partnership with NEST, and as a regional Digital Innovation Hub
11:15 – Presentation of KIPT (Laboratorio Colaborativo no Turismo) by CEO Antonia Correia
11:30 – StartUp - MTI – Managing the Intelligence by CEO Miguel Silva
11:45 - Q&A
12:00 - EndSold Out


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Organic Farmers & Growers has published a new manifesto to highlight the key advantages of the organic approach in response to the unprecedented transitional upheaval in the farming sector.
OF&G chief executive Roger Kerr believes that terms like regenerative and agroecological, which lack legally defined, whole-system standards, create increasing confusion.
“We are asking that organic, with its proven ‘real world’ evidence of delivery, is given clear and unambiguous recognition,” said Kerr. “Policymakers must acknowledge organic’s potential to contribute positively to the challenges we all face, in alleviating the social and environmental impacts of our farming and food system.”
Benefits of organic
The blueprint, entitled ‘Championing organic within agricultural policy’,sets out the case for why policymakers should consider organic and to help farmers, food businesses and consumers recognise the multiple benefits organic delivers.
“Time is running out for prudent decisions to be made within Defra,” he said. “A lack of detail and continuing uncertainty is hampering the development of agricultural policy and regulation which, in turn, means farmers are unable to make long-term plans.”
“OF&G has been lobbying continuously on behalf of our licensees to secure organic’s inclusion within future farming policy frameworks. Progress feels very slow when, in our opinion, the legal regulatory framework that already underpins organic farming, also offers a firm basis to help deliver on Defra’s stated aims for the provision of public goods in a substantive and cost-effective way.”
Establishing ten core reasons why organic deserves to be acknowledged, the manifesto covers key issues such as globally recognised standards, transformative farming practices, food supply chain, carbon sequestration, biodiversity enhancements and market opportunities. The manifesto also features a case study based on one of Defra’s Test and Trials, run on the organically managed Cholderton Estate in Wiltshire.
Kerr insisted that with decades of research supporting organic’s positive outcomes, the publication of the manifesto provides an opportunity to convey a concise and factual account of its advantages that will encourage wider recognition.
“We felt it important to strip the manifesto back to the essential truths,” he added. “OF&G is not suggesting every UK farm embrace organic conversion, but that a range of diverse approaches, including organic, will help protect our environment while delivering the resilience and adaptations necessary for UK farmers to continue to produce food in the face of the increasing climate volatility that we will see in the coming years.
“Everyone has a vested interest in supporting more benign, sustainable practices to safeguard the future. Environmentally favourable farming practices are undergoing re-invention and rebranding, however organic provides the only clear, current and verified solution.”


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Five things to start the day: Facebook's Slingshot, free cash in St. Pete, SunTrust lights up
What happens when a deal to acquire a popular app falls through? Make your own. Even though Facebook ended negotiations to buy Snapchat last year, the company still wanted in on the appearing/disappearing photos game. Enter: Slingshot. Facebook released the new app this week, one that emerged from a hackathon held late last year, according to the New York Times.
Not sure you can make money from Twitter? Think again. For weeks, anonymous tweeters have been sending out hints about cash being left in public places in St. Petersburg - envelopes with $100 bills inside, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Apparently it was just a coincidence that the lights atop downtown Tampa’s SunTrust Financial Centre displayed the colors of Ghana’s flag Monday night after the U.S. Men’s National Team beat the Ghanans in the first round of World Cup play. A swift and puzzled social media reaction had Jones Lang LaSalle officials explaining that the lights were pre-programmed to honor Shriners International. The lights on the building are regularly used to celebrate local sports teams, so fans were especially perplexed. The Shriners might also have been perplexed since the organization has not used red, green and yellow as its colors in years – now it uses “fez red.” JLL officials said the lights are programmed sometimes years in advance. They plan to display red, white and blue on Sunday when the Americans play Portugal.
"The great 'Frozen' consumer products shortage of 2014" - that sounds about right. Disney merchandise for the hit movie "Frozen" continues to be in short supply, according to Upstart Business Journal. Manufacturers are now playing catch-up as demand hasn't slowed much. The movie represented $121 billion in revenues last year, according to Upstart.
Pam Huff is Director of News Operations for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
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Apple to introduce new iPhone and iPad at March 21 media event
Apple’s rumored media event, where the company will introduce a new iPhone SE, a smaller version of the iPad Pro and minor Apple Watch enhancements, has been pushed back to the week of March 21, according to a report from Re/Code.
Adding more specificity into the mix, Buzzfeed’s John Paczkowski subsequently added that the upcoming media event will take place on Monday, March 21, likely at Apple’s Town Hall in Cupertino.
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While initial reports claimed that Apple’s anticipated media event was going to take place during the week of March 15, the festivities have shifted forward a week for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.
As Kara Swisher notes, “it is not clear if the event was moved or if this was the timing Apple had always planned.”
The main attraction at the media event will of course be Apple’s long-rumored 4-inch iPhone, a device we recently learned will likely be called the iPhone SE. While initial reports pointed to the device being a souped up version of the iPhone 5s, it now appears that the device will effectively be an iPhone 6s with a smaller screen. Equipped with an A9 processor, an M9 motion coprocessor, an NFC chip, support for Live Photos, a 12 megapixel camera and more, the iPhone SE may be a sleeper hit for Apple during what would ordinarily be a somewhat uneventful second quarter.
Additionally, Apple at the upcoming event will also introduce a 9.7-inch version of its iPad Pro, which is to say the device will come with Apple Pencil and smart keyboard support. And last, and perhaps least, Apple on March 21 will likely introduce some new bands for the Apple Watch as well.
Apple's new 4-inch iPhone to pack a 12 megapixel camera
Apple's upcoming 4-inch iPhone will have a different name than we first thought
Recent iPad Pro mini-scandal shows Apple is serious about keeping users happy
More from BGR: Amazon’s having a big sale on Bose gear
This article was originally published on BGR.com


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Consumers still plan to spend about forty percent of their tax rebate checks, sending $42 billion back into the economy, but what they plan to buy has shifted slightly from February, according to the findings of a National Retail Federation survey.
Because of the increasing prices of gas and groceries, consumers plan to spend more of their rebate checks on necessities like gas and food rather than on discretionary items like electronics and apparel, according to the survey conducted by BIGresearch. Due to the rising cost of fuel, the largest leap in rebate spending will come at the pump, as 17.2 million people plan to use some of their tax rebate check to pay for gasoline, up from 12.1 million people who planned to do so in February. The rising cost of everyday items like milk, bread, and rice also means that more consumers plan to spend the checks on groceries, with 21.2 million people using a portion of the check for food, up from 20.4 million people in February.
As a result, fewer people plan to spend rebate checks to buy furniture (2.7 million vs. 4 million in February), purchase a vehicle (2.4 million vs. 3.2 million in February), or use it for “me” time at a salon or spa (2.9 million vs. 3.5 million in February).
“The rising cost of groceries and gasoline means that discretionary spending is taking a backseat to necessities,” said Tracy Mullin, NRF president and chief executive officer. “For many consumers, struggling with rising bills and lowering home values, economic stimulus checks could not come at a better time.”
The survey reinforced February estimates on how consumers would spend the $105.7 billion being distributed in tax rebate checks, NRF said. According to the findings, consumers as a whole plan to spend 39.9 percent of their tax rebate checks, providing a $42.2 billion boost to the economy. Consumers will also use the money to pay down debt ($28.1 billion), save ($20.1 billion), invest ($3.4 billion) and pay medical bills ($4.9 billion). (Consumers said they will also use $6.9 billion in “other” ways.)
In February, President Bush signed H.R. 5140, the Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008. The $152 billion measure provides tax rebate checks of up to $600 per working individual and $1,200 per married couple, plus $300 per child for families with children and new tax incentives for job-creating business investments.
“Many retailers have already announced creative promotions to give consumers an extra incentive to shop with them,” said Phil Rist, vice president of Strategy for BIGresearch. “Some retailers are helping customers stretch the value of their rebate check further by tacking on an additional ten percent to gift cards purchased or holding special in-store promotions.”
According to the survey, women are more likely to spend and/or save portions of their rebate check, while men are more likely to pay down debt. Young adults 18-24 will spend more of their checks (43.5 percent) than any other age group.Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
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Macs are a relatively new tech.
They’ve been around since 2002 and have been around for decades, but the company that makes them has seen the popularity of the PC go from $600 to over $1,000.
They have become the standard in the home office, office office workstation, and even some of the big-name tablets, but there’s one major drawback: their cost has skyrocketed.
Nowadays, you can get an iPhone for under $100, while the new Macbook Pro costs more than $2,000, and the MacBook Air costs more like $3,000 or so.
In the case of the iPhone, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 Plus are even more expensive than the original iPhone.
If you’re going to spend $3K on an iPhone, you might as well buy a new Mac to make it happen.
If your budget is tight, you may be able to get a Mac Mini, but it costs $800 or so, which is not an option if you’re spending more than you need.
And with the iPhone coming out in October, Apple is going to have to do something to help keep the Mac up-to-date.
The company announced today that it will be releasing a software update for Macs, which will add new features like iCloud storage, a new “home” app for Mac users, and a new way to access iTunes backups.
The changes come as part of the new version of Apple’s Home app, which allows users to set up a home, including an alarm, to get things like email, calendar, and photos off of the computer, which are all on the Home app.
Apple said that the Home update will be available to Mac users through the Mac App Store and in the Apple Store for free.
The Mac update, which Apple describes as a “major upgrade,” will bring with it new features for Mac owners including an iCloud backup feature that will let users set up their Macs to store backup copies of their iCloud content.
This new feature will let them sync iCloud backups between their Mac and any Apple device.
The new feature, known as iCloud sync, is something Apple has been adding to the Mac for a few years now.
It’s a feature that lets Mac users automatically sync data between their devices.
This is something that you’ve probably used at some point in the past, but Apple’s new iCloud sync feature is going into its first major release as part, you guessed it, of the Mac update.
It will let Mac users instantly sync files and folders across multiple devices, as well as create and manage backups for multiple Macs.
iCloud sync works like a “cloud” feature, meaning that a user can set up multiple Mac devices and have them all sync up and synch up at the same time.
The more devices that you have on your Mac, the more sync options that you’ll get, but as Apple says, iCloud sync only works with the latest version of Mac OS.
For example, if you have an iPhone 6, then the Mac will sync with all the iPhones on your iPhone, but if you get a newer Mac with the same model number, iCloud will sync all the iPhone files and iCloud folders on your new Mac, and not the iPhone itself.
The feature will be free for the first year of the update, but will cost $5 per month for subsequent years.
Apple’s website says that the new Home update is a “mac OS update for macOS Sierra,” but we can’t confirm that.
Apple is also updating the Mac with new hardware support for the Retina MacBook Pro, which comes in at $1.49 million.
The update is the first time that Apple has added a hardware update to the macOS Sierra OS.
In addition to the new hardware features, Apple also announced that Macs will be able now to automatically download apps, so users can get things done when they need to.
Users will also be able share photos and videos between Macs as well.
This will be the first Macs that will automatically download these apps when they’re needed, meaning you’ll be able stream your favorite videos from your Apple TV or other Apple devices over to your Mac.
If Apple has something special planned for the Macs in the future, we’ll update you as soon as it becomes available.
The full release notes for the new macOS Sierra update can be found here.


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Shingles drug thumbs up is boost for GSK with analysts predicting it could reel in £750m a year
Glaxosmithkline’s breakthrough shingles vaccine has been backed by a European medicines panel, paving the way for approval by regulators.
Shingrix is seen as a potential blockbuster by the pharmaceuticals giant, with analysts predicting it could reel in as much as £750million annually.
It prevents shingles in adults aged 50 and over, with tests finding it is more effective than existing products on the market.
esterday GSK said that it had won the support of a European Medicines Agency committee, one of the final steps before it is expected to gain full approval from the European Commission in April.
The medicine has been described by GSK boss Emma Walmsley as one of the FTSE 100 firm’s flagship new drugs.
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Sometimes even beloved traditions get an update, like the Sacramento Ballet’s annual holiday production of “The Nutcracker,” which offers a new take on the classic story this year.
Whether due to toxic culture, ineffective leadership, poor results from an employee engagement survey, lack of trust or high levels of attrition, many organizations will find themselves asking how to strategize culture change at some point. But even the most well-crafted strategy is no match for entrenched cultural norms. As the popular saying goes, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Does the Capital Region have enough capital? One expert estimates there is about a half billion in funding with only have of that invested. So how are local startups getting funded, and is the pool enough to draw more of them here?
One of our employees is a vegan activist, and has started posting material on the “evils of eating meat” outside his cubicle or leaving them strewn around shared spaces (in the kitchen, near the copier, etc.). Is there anything I can do about this behavior?
The benefits of reading are extensive, and CEOs like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett read at least 50 books a year. Local leaders discuss why they read and, more importantly, how they find the time.
As a millennial and small business owner, you can expect to find me on the internet all day, most days. It’s how I find clients, communicate with my community and stay up to date on the lives of friends around the world.
For a typical day trip to Nevada County, a tourist might visit a few wineries, do some window shopping and then call it a day. But when Robert X Trent launched Outlandish Experiences in August, he wanted to use unique, unforgettable experiences to help visitors fall in love with the area he’s called home for 20 years.
You don’t have to be a licensed contractor to fix up a home, but it’s easy to sniff out quality work versus something an owner did after a weekend of binging on HGTV.
California has the highest number of veteran-owned businesses in the country. By contrast, there is a growing population of homeless veterans in Sacramento, and a declining percentage of the overall share of veterans who own businesses. But resources are on the rise.


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- Briefing Room
- Consumer Engagement
- Commerce 3.0
June 8, 2011
The Senate vote this afternoon on the Tester Bill to delay the Federal Reserve's proposed caps for debit card interchange fees failed to get the 60 votes needed for passage, meaning the new limits will take effect on July 21 as scheduled. The final vote was 54-45.
The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), suggested postponing implementation of debit swipe fee limits in order to allow for additional examination of the potential impact of the regulation. Just yesterday, Corker acknowledged that the bill likely did not have the votes it would need to pass.
“I realize we don’t have 60 votes in this body to just do away with price-fixing,” Corker told colleagues, according to The Hill. “A lot of people believe that there is a problem, if you will, with an almost monopolistic-type atmosphere as it relates to debit cards in general. “
The senators initially had suggested a two-year deferral of the Fed’s debit plan. The study period was lowered to 15 months and then to six months yesterday in a last-minute effort to gain additional support from lawmakers. The bill also received endorsement the day of the vote from Rep. Barney Frank, the leading Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee.
The Durbin Amendment of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill instructs the Fed to review debit interchange rules. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), who introduced the amendment, vowed Tuesday to oppose any swipe fee delays.
“This so-called compromise is written by the banks, for the banks, and it has no end date, there is no effective date as to when the rule is issued,” Durbin said in an interview. “There is a guarantee, the way they put it together, that the biggest banks on Wall Street are going to profit from this.”
The Federal Reserve Board staff has proposed two alternatives to debit interchange fee regulation. Both would set a maximum of 12 cents per transaction for debit cards with no apparent distinction between signature and PIN.
PYMNTS.com tomorrow will have exclusive analysis from leading legal and academic experts in the field on the impact of today’s Senate vote.
Please send all press releases and story ideas to Ben Carsley at email@example.com.
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Researchers at the Wake Forest University have created an exceptionally huge molecule with stability and superior electrical properties at a lower cost, which paves the way for the advancement of plastic-based flexible electronics field.
Former scientists envisaged that bigger carbon structures would have superior properties compared to their tiny counterparts. However, an effective method is still not available to produce these larger molecules with stability and solubility for study.
Dr. Oana Jurchescu, who serves as assistant professor of physics at Wake Forest University, and her team have developed a novel technology that could realize the production of scientific wonders such as electronic wallpapers, wearable electronics, smart windshields, flexible displays, smart bandages and artificial skin.
Jurchescu stated that organic or plastic semiconductors that are mass produced by utilizing spray deposition, inkjet printing or roll-to-roll processing characterize the future trend of ‘electronics everywhere’. Organic electronics made of plastic or carbon-based materials are easy to manufacture, inexpensive and lightweight as well as have a mechanical flexibility, she said.
Jurchescu further said that her team investigated field-effect transistors, which are the basic building blocks in all types of modern electronics. The findings of the study revealed that the electrical performance of the molecules gets affected by their structure.
Jurchescu team investigated the structure-property relations of the new organic semiconductor materials suitable for transistor applications at her lab. Organic semiconductors have conductivity property due to their unique structure. In contemporary electronics, transistors are used in circuits to harness the current between various spots of the circuit. The research findings pave the way for major technological advancements as the transistor performance controls the contrast details, switching speed and other important characteristics of the display.


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It looks like Apple really is planning to add more color to its next-generation iPhone. Unnamed sources tell both TechCrunch and AllThingsD that Apple will release a gold version of the iPhone 5S this fall but that it’s going to be much more of a subtle “champagne” color than a gaudy bullion shade. TechCrunch says that the gold iPhone 5S could be particularly popular in China and India, where gold-colored smartphones have traditionally been sought-after options. We’ll know a lot more about the iPhone 5S in just three weeks when Apple has its launch event for the device on September 10th.
Prior to joining BGR as News Editor, Brad Reed spent five years covering the wireless industry for Network World. His first smartphone was a BlackBerry but he has since become a loyal Android user.


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Baselworld’s Top Five Watches of 2019
Rolls-Royce Manchester named as Regional Dealer of the Year at Global Dealer Awards
Ecoventura’s MV Theory successfully completes first maiden voyage in Galapagos Islands
Hermès to launch makeup and skincare lines as profits increase
Formal dining without the formalities: Adam Reid at The French
Honda unveils its latest luxury private jet
Highly-anticipated Six Senses Krabey Island opens in Cambodia
Ferretti Group launches new Custom Line 106’ superyacht
Omega releases limited edition Apollo 11 50th anniversary Speedmaster
Plane-hailing ‘Uber of the skies’ app raises $10m to make chartering private planes easy
Geneva Motor Show 2019: the biggest and best announcements
Inside the Academy Awards 2019’s luxury £77,000 gift bag
Aston Martin reveals details for new hypercar ‘Valkyrie’
How 5G will revolutionise more than just your phone’s internet speed
Luxury group LVMH launches London hotel focusing on ‘experiences’
New technologies that will change the world in 2019 according to Bill Gates
Revitalised coachbuilder Hispano Suiza unveils stunning new supercar
Bugatti unveils 110th Anniversary Chiron Sport supercar
Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner exhibits at the MB&F M.A.D.Gallery
Ulysse Nardin reveals new Marine Mega Yacht Watch at Miami Yacht Show
The Executive Magazine speaks with Abbass Zadeh, the 29 year old CEO of AZ Luxe, on how he built his impressive...
Iconic American designer brand Ralph Lauren is hitting a milestone this year, and has been honoured at the CFDA...
The Executive Magazine takes a look at the brand-new SUV offering from Rolls-Royce: the luxury four-wheel...
Lisa Forte, partner at Red Goat Cyber Security LLP, explains why it’s important to include all professionals...
Rick Jesse, a serial creative entrepreneur and founder of design company Stkrs, shares top brand-building...
The Executive Magazine gets to experience the power and luxury of the latest incarnation of the Continental...
The MB&F M.A.D.Gallery presents ‘Sequential’, a fleet of seductive automobiles by French artist...
The Executive Magazine takes a look at some of the most expensive and exclusive mobile phones available...
The Executive Magazine looks at the best wireless headphones for 2018.
With Apple standing firm on their...
Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury powerhouse LVMH, has been named the richest man in fashion with a net worth...
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CHOOSE THE GREEK analogy, Sisyphus or Hercules. The first spent eternity pushing a mighty rock uphill, only to watch it tumble down for another day’s torture. The second, in one of his 12 labors, fought an eight-headed hydra, who would sprout two heads where one had been lopped off.
Either one applies to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund’s legal pinpricks to the bloated, million-dollar industry of unauthorized Diana merchandise. The fund has filed suit against Franklin Mint and others to stop a relentless onslaught of T-shirts, dolls, plates and silver coins. The items approved by the fund include a candleholder, candle, stamps, compact disc tribute, enamel boxes, a Beanie Baby bear and a margarine tub (available only in Britain and subject to much derision). The fund has raised $132.8 million from fees from sales of authorized Diana merchandise.
In turn, the fund must play defendant against manufacturers like the Illinois-based Bradford Exchange, which claims the fund has no right to Diana’s likeness. Furthermore, Britain’s Patent Office has objected to the fund’s application to copyright the princess’s image because it’s not directly linked to products on which it might be used.
In any event, Diana continues to be a worldwide commodity. “As popular as Diana was alive, the outpouring since her death has been mind-boggling, ” says Jay Coleman, president and chief executive at EMCI, a company in Stamford, Conn., that specializes in entertainment and celebrity marketing campaigns. “There’s a whole industry out there, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we see an ongoing Diana presence.”
By one estimate, sales of products inspired by Dianamania are running at $200 million annually. That is already equal to the yearly sales of licensed merchandise associated with Marilyn Monroe, another blonde whose sudden demise at age 36 drew international attention.
In the East Bay, though, the fervor seems to have cooled off. Random calls to gift shops, department stores and shopping malls unearthed little Diana merchandise. In the Sunvalley mall at Concord, Franklin Mint currently sells the memorial plate ($29.95) and the doll ($195).
In Orinda, Phair’s carries a $50 commemorative Stuart crystal votive that bears an etching of a rose and the words “Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961-1997, England’s Rose.” About 50 percent of the proceeds go to the fund but, said owner Tom Phair, who bought a dozen not long after the princess’s death, “People just haven’t been very receptive.”
“I don’t think we’ve sold half a dozen, ” says Phair, who has no explanation for the tepid responsive to the votive. “I thought it was a nice piece.” Phair, who had decided against items such as dolls because he found them unappealing, now avoids Diana products.
Stores such as David M. Brian in Walnut Creek sell Princess, the purple Beanie Baby bear made in memory of Diana. When the bear first came out, the store held two raffles and raised about $25,000 for Children’s Hospital Oakland. Owner David McCaulou says it’s their most popular Beanie Baby. The new ones, at $5.95, last for minutes on the shelves, and customers who don’t want to wait buy the bears on the secondary market for $40.
Neiman Marcus and J.C. Penney both carry the $25 “Diana” rose-scented candle and glass jar by Slatkin & Co. Beauty consultant Adriana Montoya, who works at the J.C. Penney at Richmond’s Hilltop mall, says sales have been slow, with about five sold since the May shipment.
“I just think people aren’t noticing it, ” Montoya says. She believes customers would be more inclined to buy it if they knew more of its history; for example, that Diana’s sons selected the design.
The most consistent sellers have been the biographies. The Walnut Creek branch of Barnes and Noble carries several accounts, with “Death of a Princess: The Investigation” (St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $6.99) leading the pack of nonfiction sales, followed by “Diana: Portrait of a Princess” (Simon Schuster Editions, $35), a glossy coffee table book published by the royal photographer Jayne Fincher. Even a handful of copies of a dress designer’s autobiography, with Diana’s picture on the cover, have sold.
Demand, though, doesn’t compare with last year. “People were looking for anything at that point, ” store manager Dennis McCaffrey recalls. Antioch’s Books & Books, which sells used titles, cleaned out its stock immediately after her death. While the August release of “Death of a Princess” prompted a few phone calls, the bookstore didn’t experience the same frenzy.
Diana memorabilia have been the stuff of collector’s periodicals, antique shops and Web sites. Commemorative stamps tend to be the most common, such as the ones sold through www.rosendale-stamps.demon.co.uk. Buyers can get a single stamp for $3.40, $68.25 for a set of 100.
One formidable collection up for bid can be seen at www.geocities.com/Wellesley/6417. You’ll find puzzles, masks, tea towels, dolls, thermoses and more bearing images of the royal wedding, princely births and the princess’s charity works. While an asking price isn’t stated, the estimated cost will probably be around $10,000.
The New York Times contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared in the Contra Costa Times


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GRANDVILLE — After searching for vacant sites in several other regions, the owners of Littlefoot Coffee Roasters LLC found space in Grandville that allows them to plant their roots back in Michigan and have room to expand in the future.
Two Ottawa County manufacturers announced major growth projects this week that are expected to generate $25 million in private investment and create more than new 140 jobs.
Here is the MiBiz Growth Report for Oct. 17, 2016:
• M&A: Grand Rapids-based Ranir LLC, a manufacturer of a variety of oral care products, has acquired Toronto-based BrushPoint, a maker of toothbrushes. In the deal, for which terms were not disclosed, Ranir will increase its product offerings and distribution footprint in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The BrushPoint acquisition comes on the heels of a deal in July of this year in which Ranir purchased the Rembrandt teeth-whitening brand from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Last month, the company also said it had purchased the 200,000-square-foot facility at 4701 East Paris Ave. SE where it had been a tenant for 20 years.


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Jonathan Yaged, v-p and U.S. publisher of the Disney Book Group, has been named chief operating officer of House Party, a consumer activation and experiential marketing company. Yaged has been with Disney since 2000, when he joined as director of business affairs.
“It wasn’t an easy thing to move on,” Yaged told PW. “But the opportunity is tremendous. House Party is a pioneer in this field, and the company tripled its revenue in the last year.” Founded in 2005, House Party (which is based in Irvington, N.Y.) creates and executes consumer activation campaigns—in the form of home parties—for a wide range of industries. And Yaged pointed out possible applications for book publishing, calling it “a great opportunity for publishers to reach their core audience.”
“We wish him well,” Jeanne Mosure, senior v-p and group publisher for books at Disney Publishing Worldwide, said. Disney will be looking to replace Yaged, and Mosure cited a strong staff already in place, with the editorial team headed by Stephanie Owens Lurie and Wendy Lefkon. “Percy Jackson had great results this weekend, and all things look good for this year,” Mosure said.
Yaged’s last day is February 26.


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Pokémon UNITE’s first seasonal event, Halloween Festival, is set to begin in just a couple of days on Oct. 20.
The Halloween-themed event will bring seasonal decorations to the game’s battlegrounds like pumpkins and decorations, along with costumes for several Pokémon, and the squirrel Pokémon Greedent as the game’s newest playable character.
Greedent is shown using some of its moves, including what looks like Bullet Seed. It’s unclear what role Greedent will have, but several diamond-shaped nodes underneath its health bar tease that it will have some sort of charge-up mechanic for its moveset.
The trailer above also revealed several new backgrounds and poses for Unite snapshots on player cards, as well as customization items for your trainer’s outfit, like a Pikachu pumpkin mask and much more.
The costumes in the teaser include ones for Charizard, Wigglytuff, Zeraora, and Lucario. They range from Halloween-themed and even fall-themed, such as Charizard’s beanie and scarf, making it almost look like a Harry Potter character.
The Halloween Festival in Pokémon UNITE starts this Wednesday, Oct. 20, and will run until Nov. 7.


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Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue, held a phone conversation with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin late Friday.
The two sides agreed to properly resolve their core concerns and confirmed completing consultation on some of the deal's text at the technical level.
The two countries agreed on equivalent supervising mechanisms for the import of Chinese-made cooked poultry and catfish. Additionally, the Chinese side will lift the ban on U.S. poultry exports and apply the Public Health Information System (PHIS) for meat products.
Working teams from both countries will carry on discussions, and the principals will have another call in the near future. Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, Governor of the People's Bank of China Yi Gang, and Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Ning Jizhe also joined the talks.
Following the high-level economic and trade consultations on October 10 and 11, the two countries said they made substantial progress in multiple areas including agriculture, intellectual property rights protection, exchange rates, financial services, expansion of trade cooperation, technology transfers and dispute settlements.


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While we reported about the Chromecast 2 earlier today, it sounds like that’s not the only Chromecast that Google will be debuting on Sept. 29. The tech giant is also working on Chromecast Audio, a separate device focused on “Wi-Fi-enabling the speakers in your home,” according to 9to5Google. Allegedly called “Hendrix” internally, the music-focused Chromecast will attach to speakers via a standard 3.5mm headphone cable.
The new device will allow users to listen to music and other audio like podcasts (and maybe even online radio?) via wi-fi from Android devices or the Chrome browser. Chromecast currently supports Google Play Music, Pandora, Rdio, and — as of recently — Spotify. It will have ‘multi-room support,’ which means that it may have the ability to play the same audio through multiple speakers.
The Chromecast’s support for Spotify is particularly notable, both because Google has its own music streamer (Google Play) and the Swedish music streaming company previously said it wouldn’t support Chromecast according to 9to5Google. In an explanation, Spotify said consumers should use its own system called Connect, which streams music to speakers through a mobile device or direct (as is the case with Sonos, and other speaker systems). Spotify Connect also offers compatibility with the Amazon Fire Stick.
As Slash Gear notes, the Chromecast Audio isn’t an original idea. Motorola made its own streaming audio adapter last year, called Moto Stream. That device, a $50 multicolored, polygon-shaped device that connects to devices via Bluetooth, certainly has a more appealing (but maybe less practical) build than this new audio-centric Chromecast. There’s also a competing streaming audio adapter that relies on Wi-Fi: the D-Link Wi-Fi Audio Extender, which also has a $50 price tag.
The Chromecast Audio will likely have broader availability than the two aforementioned products. Only time will tell if it catches on, though.
- Audible brings immersive Dolby Atmos to its audiobooks
- Why Sonos Era 300 buyers should switch to Amazon Music
- The best live TV streaming services: Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and more
- YouTube TV rolls out multiview: watch up to 4 NCAA games at once
- Pioneer Elite’s latest flagship AVR is jammed with new audio tech


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The team at Prince Albert Pulp Inc. was pleased to recently make a $4,000 to the Victoria Hospital Foundation! Thanks to Cody Barnett and all the folks at the VHF that are doing such excellent work for our community.
This year, Prince Albert Pulp Inc has contributed nearly $50,000 to support the Prince Albert community and area, through donations, scholarships, and community outreach.
Paper Excellence, headquartered in British Columbia, is a diversified manufacturer of pulp and specialty, printing, writing, and packaging papers. The company operates seven mills and a large-scale cargo distribution centre in Canada producing and shipping over 2.8 million tonnes annually with a workforce of more than 2,400. Paper Excellence is poised to continue to grow with its strategy of operational excellence and high-quality, cost-effective products.


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Today Russian users began to complain of incorrect operation of the Weather app. The first reported iPhone owners who have installed the second beta of iOS 12.4. However, later it became clear that the problem is more global in nature and the app doesn’t work not only in the test Assembly.
Judging by the reviews, the problems with the Weather app are observed in iOS 12.3, iOS 12.2. Users report that this morning standard Apple widget stopped showing the weather and find a new city.
Causes of problems with the Weather app unknown, but Apple has not yet given any comments. Themselves users report that the reboot and factory reset to solve the problem do not help.
It is interesting that almost all reviews of the Weather apps come only from the Russian-speaking users. For this reason, many believe that the problem is local.


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Debuted at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, the Filip looks just like a watch but is actually a GPS tracker and limited-use smartphone geared for parents with young children. It can be programmed with up to five different phone numbers that a child can call by pressing a single button and it can also be configured, via a smartphone app, to receive incoming calls and text messages from a list of parental-approved contacts.
Combining GPS, WiFi and GSM technologies, the Filip also gives parents the precise location of their child at any given time. Available in a range of colors, it is also water-resistant. Although some parents may find the idea of essentially tagging their children more than a little uncomfortable, the device does offer a valid alternative to giving a child, particularly one younger than 12, their own mobile phone — a decision that comes with its own potential concerns such as cyber bullying, unsolicited approaches or, more commonly, huge monthly bills.


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Company Seeks to Replace Towels With New Body Drying Gadget
Posted on April 4, 2014
A company is trying to replace towels with a new body drying gadget it calls The Body Dryer. The product is currently listed here on Indiegogo, where it has already exceeded its $50,000 goal. The startup calls its product "an environmentally safe, bacteria free drying system that eliminates the use of bath towels."
A person steps on the Body Dryer and ionized air is blown upward. The device also includes a scale. TechCrunch reports that it takes about 30 seconds for the device to dry a person. Shipping is expected to begin in September. The product video on indiegogo says the dryer will cost around $250, which may be a little too steep for the device to go mass market. You can buy a lot of towels for $250. The Body Dryer could also be useful in gyms and fitness centers.


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Today, companies are incorporating artificial intelligence into every corner of their business. The trend is expected to continue until machine learning models are incorporated into most of the products and services we interact with every day.
As these models become a larger part of our lives, ensuring their integrity becomes more important. That’s the mission of Verta, a startup that grew out of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).
Verta’s platform helps companies deploy, monitor and manage machine learning models securely and at scale. Data scientists and engineers can use Verta’s tools to track different versions of models, check them for bias, test them before deployment, and monitor their performance in the real world.
“Everything we do is to enable more products to be built with AI, and to do it safely,” said Verta founder and CEO Manasi Vartak SM ’14, Ph.D. ’18: “We’re already seeing with ChatGPT how AI can be used to create data, artifacts that look right but aren’t. There needs to be more governance and control over how AI is used, especially for enterprises providing AI solutions.”
Verta currently works with major healthcare, finance and insurance companies to help them understand and audit their model recommendations and predictions. It also works with a number of high-growth technology companies that want to accelerate the deployment of new, AI-driven solutions while ensuring the appropriate use of those solutions.
Vartak says the company has been able to reduce the time it takes customers to deploy AI models by orders of magnitude, while ensuring those models are explainable and fair, which is an especially important factor for companies in highly regulated industries.
Healthcare companies, for example, can use Verta to improve AI-powered patient monitoring and treatment recommendations. Such systems should be thoroughly checked for errors and biases before they are used on patients.
“Whether it’s bias or fairness or explainability, it’s about our philosophy of model management and governance,” Vartak says. “We think of it as a pre-flight checklist. Before the plane takes off, there are a number of checks you need to make before you get your plane off the ground. It’s the same with AI models. You’ve got to make sure you’ve done your bias checks, you’ve got to make sure there’s some level of explainability, you’ve got to make sure your model is reproducible. We help with all that.”
From project to product
Before coming to MIT, Vartak worked as a data scientist at a social media company. On one project, after spending weeks setting up machine learning models that processed content to display in people’s feeds, he learned that a former employee had already done the same. Unfortunately there was no record of what they did or how it affected the models.
For his PhD at MIT, Vartak set out to build tools to help data scientists develop, test, and iterate on machine learning models. Working in CSAIL’s database group, Vartak recruited a team of graduate students and participants in MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).
“Verta would not exist without my work at MIT and the MIT ecosystem,” says Vartak. “MIT brings together people at the forefront of technology and helps us build the next generation of tools.”
The team worked with data scientists from the CSAIL Alliances program to determine what features to build and iterate on based on feedback from those early adopters. Vartak says the resulting project, called ModelDB, was the first open source model management system.
Vartak also took several business classes during his PhD at the MIT Sloan School of Management and worked with classmates on startups offering apparel and health tracking, spending countless hours at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and participating in the center’s delta v to the summer accelerator.
“What MIT allows you to do is take risks and fail in a safe environment,” Vartak says. “MIT allowed me to have those entrepreneurial forays and showed me how to go about building products and finding the first customers, so when Verta came along, I was doing it on a smaller scale.”
ModelDB helped data scientists train and track models, but Vartak quickly saw that the stakes were higher when the models were run at scale. At that point, trying to improve (or accidentally break) the models could have huge implications for companies and society. That insight led Vartak to start building Verta.
At Verta, we help manage the models, we help launch the models and make sure they’re working as expected, which we call model monitoring,” explains Vartak. “All of those pieces trace their roots back to MIT and my thesis work. Verta really evolved from my PhD project at MIT.”
Verta’s platform helps companies deploy models faster, ensure they continue to work as intended over time, and manage models for compliance and governance. Data scientists can use Verta to trace different versions of models and understand how they were built, answering questions such as how the data was used and what explainability or bias checks were performed. They can also verify them by running them through deployment checklists and security scans.
“Verta’s platform takes a data science model and adds half a dozen layers on top of it to turn it into something you can use for, say, an entire recommendation system on your website,” Vartak says. “That includes performance optimization, scaling and cycle time, which is how quickly you can take a model and turn it into a valuable product, as well as management.”
Supporting the AI channel
Vartak says large companies often use thousands of different models that affect almost every part of their operations.
“An insurance company, for example, will use models for everything from underwriting to claims to back-office processing to marketing and sales,” says Vartak. “So the variety of models is really big, the volume of them is big, and the level of scrutiny and compliance that companies need around those models is very high. They should know things like: Did you use the data you should have used? Who were the people who checked it? Have you performed comprehensibility checks? Have you done bias checks?’
Vartak says companies that don’t embrace AI will be left behind. Meanwhile, companies driving AI to success will need well-defined processes to manage their ever-growing list of models.
“In the next 10 years, every device we interact with will have artificial intelligence, whether it’s your toaster or your email programs, and it’s going to make your life much, much easier,” Vartak says. “What will enable that intelligence are better models and software like Verta to help you integrate AI into all these applications very quickly.”


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July 2015 employment: small uptick in new jobs, unemployment rate steady
a release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate remained constant in July at 5.3 percent. About 8.3 million people remain unemployed, though 215,000 new jobs were created last month. Gains were primarily in the retail, health care and professional services industries. Over the past year, the previous average monthly gains hovered around 246,000 jobs, so July was a slower month for new jobs than expected. While 322,000 new jobs in retail have been created over the past 12 months, July only saw 36,000 new retail jobs. The bulk of those positions were in vehicle dealers and motor parts (13,000 jobs), though general merchandise stores saw small gains (6,000 jobs). Four hundred thirty-six thousand new healthcare jobs have been added since last July, and 28,000 healthcare jobs were added last month, with hospital jobs accounting for just over half of them (16,000). Food and drinking places saw 29,000 new positions, and professional services saw 27,000 new jobs last month with almost half falling in business management (14,000). About 376,000 jobs and 301,000 jobs have been added to those industries, respectively, over the past year. Financial activities, manufacturing and transportation saw gains of 17,000, 15,000 and 14,000 respectively, while the mining industry continued to see jobs disappear (5,000 in July). Since December, more than 78,000 mining jobs have been lost. The information, trade and construction sectors saw little change from June’s employment report.]]>
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The availability of fast-food restaurants along main commuting routes has been linked to unhealthy consumption trends. According to a study conducted by Adriana Dornelles, a clinical assistant professor in the ASU Department of Economics, people who passed a greater number of fast-food restaurants were found to have higher body mass indexes (BMI). The study sampled from 710 primary school employees in New Orleans also found that workers who lived near more full-service restaurants typically had lower BMIs.
Dornelles highlighted “the need to consider multiple environmental factors when examining contributors to BMI.”
“In our daily lives, we are exposed to several healthy and unhealthy food choices, which has an impact on BMI,” continued Dornelles. “The availability and variety of fast-food restaurants along out commute create endless opportunities for a quick, cheap and unhealthy meal, which results, on average, in higher body mass index.”


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Coles has launched its third annual Sustainability Week, with activities across the Group acknowledging the significant contributions of its 120,000 team members.
While sustainability is a key priority across the business throughout the year, the week is aimed at celebrating achievements and further embedding Coles’ Sustainability Strategy, built around the focus areas of Together to Zero and Better Together, which supports its ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.
More than 2,500 stores and sites across the Coles Group will each weekday focus on a key area of the Sustainability Strategy with team member videos, posters and discussions on how to prioritise sustainable ways of working.
Topics covered across the week include:
- Celebrating the equivalent of 174 million meals donated to SecondBite through our supermarkets and distribution centres to help Australians doing it tough. Our first choice for unsold, edible food from our supermarkets is to donate to SecondBite.
- Maximising opportunities to divert waste from landfill across Coles and celebrating the milestone of more than 2.3 billion pieces of soft plastic returned by our customers and collected through REDcycle.
- Highlighting achievements in reducing packaging, including that more than 87% of Coles Own Brand packaging can now be recycled.
- started to transition our in-store bakery bread tags from non-recyclable polystyrene plastic tags to recyclable cardboard tags (which are also made from 100% recycled materials)
- launched home compostable coffee capsules – a first for a major Australian retailer – as part of our award-winning Coles Urban Coffee Culture brand.
Greenhouse gas emissions
- Recognising that not only have we committed to be powered by 100% renewable electricity by June 2025 we already have the agreements in place to meet the commitment.
- Celebrating that in April 2022, Coles became the first major Australian supermarket to launch Own Brand Carbon Neutral Beef. The beef range, now available in Victorian stores with a national rollout planned over the next 12 months, is certified carbon neutral from paddock to shelf to the Australian Government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard.
Thinus Keeve, Coles’ Chief Sustainability, Property and Export Officer, said: “Sustainability continues to grow in importance for our team members, customers, suppliers and shareholders, across a range of areas such as climate change, packaging and waste, animal welfare, and partnerships. As part of our ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket we are continuously looking at ways to support our Sustainability Strategy.”
“This week is about highlighting the many ways we can all work together towards our ambitions, and we recognise that everyone at Coles has a role to play and together we can make a real difference.”


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The folks at Cars.co.za, South Africa’s leading online car platform, are putting together a search for their country’s next great sim racer. On Thursday (May 19), the Cars.co.za YouTube released a video announcing the search for a South African sim racer.
Now it seems that there is no real sim racing competition here, it seems that it is all about promoting your personal sim racing brand through social media. For example, participants must be a South African sim racer and two must build a profile on the MatchKit.co sports profile platform†
Three sim racers will be chosen by the Cars.co.za team and on June 3, 2022, the winner will be announced on the Cars.co.za Instagram and will become the paid partner of the brand.
Part of the quest is in marketing yourself. The hashtag #CarsSimRacerSearch is a requirement to share posts on Facebook and Instagram associated with the MatchKit profiles you create.
This all seems to be related to the Mercedes-Benz ATK Pro Racing Series† That particular sim racing series, which requires you to buy an eLicense to participate, seems to be using Assetto Corsa Competizione, Gran Turismo 7 and rFactor 2 in their virtual competitions.
Are there any South African racers in the Traxion.GG community out there? Let us know if you have submitted an application. Good luck to everyone who enters!


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With all of the major tech giants such as Apple, Samsung, Sony and Google all working on wearable computers in one form or another, Intel has decided that it would like to join the party. During a recent interview with Reuters, Intel's CEO Brian Krzanich confirmed that the silicon giant is actively developing a wearable computer.
Krzanich went on to say that the company is not only developing a wearable computer, but designing specific chipsets for wearable devices. He was careful not to hint at what type of wearable device we might see from Intel, but he did say that we can expect to see wearable technology featuring Intel hardware by the end of this year or early next year. It is still unclear if those chips will be repurposed Atoms or if the company has developed a whole new SoC line just for wearable computing.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Oculus' VR headset, Rift, is probably my most anticipated product of the year and I really think it could change everything when it's released.
Surgeon Simulator has a new build, which is compatible with Oculus Rift. It gives players control over the hand and arm only, with the field of view directly in the Rift headset, so you have a perfect point of view. This gives you the look (with VR) and feel (hand and arm) of a real surgeon. Bossa Studios announced both Oculus Rift and Razer Hydra support for Surgeon Simulator earlier this month.
The next couple of years are going to be filled with many different wearable technology devices being released, but most thought that Apple would be the first to the market with the most popular smartwatch - it seems we were wrong, as Foxconn have beaten Apple to the finish line, kinda.
Foxconn showed off their new smartwatch during a recent shareholders meeting, with the smartwatch capable of connecting to an iPhone wirelessly and displaying incoming call information as well as Facebook posts. The Foxconn-built smartwatch also had the ability of monitoring the wearer's heartbeat, respiration and other vital statistics.
If the device reports that your heartbeat is beating too fast, it can offer you steps on how to get it down. This news is important as Foxconn are one of Apple's closest partners, and if they've got a smartwatch out now, which seems pretty capable, what are Apple going to be saying behind closed doors right now?
Google Glass is slowly making its way into the mainstream, but this week during Wimbledon, pro tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands will don the wearable computing from Google. Mattek-Sands ranks as position 58 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
She will be wearing Google Glass at Wimbledon this week in London, something Google announced a few days ago now. Mattek-Sands is in the Glass Explorer program, which saw a handful of people around the world receiving the wearable product. Google have said that Glass is both comfortable and unobtrusive, weighing no more than a pair of standard sunglasses. Considering pro tennis players are moving from left to right so fast, even a couple of hundred grams would make a big difference - even more so with the money at stake here - so this is a big, and most of all, positive move for Glass.
Google has said that Mattek-Sands is already benefitting from Glass, elaborating:
Glass's potential in the sports realm is huge, and it can connect athletes, coaches, and fans in new ways. For Bethanie, it's allowed her to capture her strokes from her point of view during practice and share those with her coaches. It also helps her search recipes and perfect her cooking, something that's important to a professional athlete with dietary allergies and restrictions. Bethanie's fans can also see the world through her eyes as she embarks upon the road to Wimbledon, where she'll play her first match next week.
We have all heard about the rumors of a smartwatch from Apple and Samsung, but it appears that Sony is going to beat everyone to the punch with the first modern smartwatch. Today the company hinted at a possible smartwatch release next week during the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai.
Sony posted two teasers on its Twitter feed, both of which were accompanied by the clever and original hashtag #itstime and #MAE13. The first image shows a trio of human analogs with the middle one being highlighted and wearing a watch on its wrist. The second tweet shows off what looks to be a rendering of the actual smartwatch itself.
This watch looks quite similar to another watch released by Sony last year and it could just be a stock image Sony is using to keep actual device images from leaking. Either way, we are sure to see some kind of watch device released from Sony next week or you can rely on TweakTown as always for full coverage of the event.
In what seems like the most ironic post I've ever written, ten government policy and data protection officials have questioned Google over their wearable computing device, Project Glass. Officials in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Israel, Switzerland and the Netherlands have all expressed concerns over privacy.
The government officials didn't attack Google, but instead asked to learn more about Glass, requesting exclusive demos of the wearable tech. The New York Times has said that the letter to Google asked: "Would Google be willing to demonstrate the device to our offices and allow any interested data protection authorities to test it?"
I don't understand what all the fuss is over, considering the amount of cameras in all of the cities around the world - even the ones of the governments asking about Glass. What about the NSA PRISM system? Did the governments ask the NSA what is going on there? I'm sure Google will release Glass just fine, and the world will get used to it - just like they have with super high-resolution cameras on our smartphones.
Google aren't the only ones working on wearable computing, with Acer's smartphone boss, ST Liew, saying that the company will release their first wearable device sometime in 2014 during an interview with Pocket-Lint.
Liew also noted that wearable technology has huge potential for companies, which right now should be obvious to most. The Acer exec says that the industry hasn't exploded yet, but when it does it would be a multi-billion dollar market. I agree, and I think wearable technology is going to be the new smart device market. Smartphones will slowly fade away as they can't really get thinner or faster, or introduce anything that will make you go "wow, I want that", yet wearable computing (watches, eyewear like Glass from Google) are going to be the next big thing.
Who would spend $1500 on Google Glass only to tear it apart to see what makes it tick? SparkFun Electronics, that's who! During last weekend's Autonomous Vehicle Competition hosted by SparkFun, company founder Nate Seidel learned that two of his friends would be picking up their pair of Google's Glass after the competition. Being the good friend he is, Nate offered to pay for the glasses if he could reduce them to the individual components it is made from.
Luckily for us, friends Scott Torborg and Star Simpson agreed to the tear down, something I am sure any hacker worth their soldering iron would do! Good guy SparkFun posted the initial images from the teardown but opted to leave the meat and bones of the post to Scott to feature on his personal website. (source #2)
I won't cover the entire teardown here, but the hackers did note that while the tear down did require some specialized tools, and a high level of skill, if one is very careful and patient, they could easily teardown and rebuild Glass with no noticeable side effects. It appears that Glass is comprised of just 12 hardware sets, with the motherboard and camera / display mechanical assembly being the largest.
Technology just doesn't slow down, with researchers at multiple institutions working on a new technology that will see future smart contact lenses. The team has developed "transparent, highly conductive, and stretchy mix of graphene and silver nanowires" that gets attached to an off-the-shelf soft contact lens, giving it Google Glass-like features.
The technology was tested on rabbits first, as they have similar eyes to humans and were found to be fully functional. The researchers did note that the rabbits didn't try to rub their eyes, or did they grow bloodshot during the five hours of testing. Research leader, Jang-Ung Park, a chemical engineer at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology said:
Our goal is to make a wearable contact-lens display that can do all the things Google Glass can do.
Google's Larry Page says privacy concerns over Glass are being blown out of proportion and it's not really that big of a deal
Google's CEO Larry Page is once again attempting to reassure consumers that the concerns over privacy when it comes to Google Glass are unwarranted and being blown out of proportion by the media. Page said that privacy fears will fade as people become accustomed to the new technology noting that "it's not that big of a concern."
He went on to compare using Glass to take an image or video in much the same way one would use their smartphone to capture a photo or video. Page said "you don't collapse in terror that someone might be using glass in the bathroom just the same as your class in terror when someone comes in with a smartphone that might take a picture."
This reassurance beach comes on the heels of a month of numerous privacy concerns surrounding Glass. Google has said that it will not approve apps with facial recognition features, and even had to defend itself to the U.S. Congress who wrote a letter to Google asking if Glass "could infringe on the privacy of the average American"


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FTSE 100 down, but Dunelm leads mid-cap rise
The British blue-chip benchmark slipped on Monday after rallying at the end of last week, but mid-cap companies performed well, with retailer Dunelm leading the pack after publishing a strong set of results in its second quarter.
The FTSE 100 slid by as much as 56 points to 6781 on Monday, falling by 0.8%, with it hovering at 6804 levels as of 4:15pm GMT.
The index lost the gains it made on Friday last week, as fears of a global economic slowdown and yet more uncertainty over Brexit ahead of the parliamentary vote next week make investors increasingly cautious.
Dunelm lead mid-cap rise
But while UK blue chips struggled on Monday, mid-cap companies faired relatively well, with British furnishings retailer Dunelm leading the action outside the FTSE 100 after wooing investors after upgrading its profits forecast following a strong Q2 performance.
Shares in Dunelm are up 14% to £6.63 as of 4:20pm GMT on Monday – the highest the stock has reached in the last 11 months.
The company was able to buck the trend seen across much of the UK retail sector, reporting strong Christmas trading with like-for-like sales increasing 5.7% in the three months to December.
After a strong second quarter, Dunelm is expecting its pre-tax profit for the first half of the fiscal year to hit £70 million, representing a £10 million increase from the same period a year ago.
The company also increased its full-year profits forecast to between £108 million and £112 million, up from £102 million last year.
Mid-cap players rally
The FTSE 250 is up 1% hitting a high of 17976 as of 4:35pm GMT on Monday, with mid-cap players picking up the slack left by their blue-chip rivals.
Among the index top performers were British carmaker Aston Martin climbing as much as 2.45% this session, with its share price hovering at £12.10 levels, up 1.71%, near the end of trading on Monday.
Investors will be looking closely at other UK retailers this week, including Sainsbury, Tesco, Superdry, Marks & Spencer, Ted Baker and DFS, with all of them set to publish trading updates over the next few days.
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Retailers working hard to help consumers in a time of high inflation
Press release - Consumer protection
23 June 2022
23 June 2022
With the latest Eurostat survey showing inflation in the eurozone reaching 8.1% and likely to rise in the coming months, consumers are being hit by higher prices and higher energy costs while retailers face higher operating costs and rising prices for the products they buy in. Commenting on a new economic study by INSEAD giving further evidence on how buying cooperation can bring about price reductions for consumers, EuroCommerce Director General Christel Delberghe said:
“Retailers have been doing all they can to cushion consumers from the impact of increases in commodity, energy and other product prices, but with narrow margins of typically 1-3%, they can only do so much to absorb price increases imposed by their suppliers. Numerous studies have shown the value of retail alliances in offering high-quality products at affordable prices, and improving customer choice while not restricting competition. A study released today by INSEAD reinforces earlier studies’ findings that international retail alliances lead to a significant reduction in consumer prices. Being a member of an alliance operating in a properly functioning competitive market enables retailers to pass on the benefits to their customers. In the case of the study, this meant consumers paying 12% less for a wide range of everyday products”.
The INSEAD study examined 138,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) from 20 key food categories (such as cheese, confectionery, chocolate, dry fruit and vegetables or frozen food) over a 6-year period. Based on an analysis of over 6 million observations, the study shows that EDEKA’s customers paid about 12% less for SKUs sourced through the AgeCore alliance compared to what they would have paid for these products without being part of it. It also shows that, not least due to very strong competition in the food retail sector, and the low margins retailers have, EDEKA passed on these savings to consumers. This comprehensive study clearly demonstrates the benefit of retail alliances as a key element in increasing consumer welfare by passing on lower prices. This is of particular relevance in times of rising inflation and its impact on the sector.
The European Commission, in its ongoing review of the Guidelines for horizontal cooperation agreements, already recognises that negotiations between alliances and large manufacturers do not restrict competition. Rather they see it as part and parcel of free competitive markets, which can bring about better prices and more choices for consumers. This is also backed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, who found in their study that alliances can serve to usefully counterbalance the power of large manufacturers. This is important when such manufacturers adopt unfair industry practices such as territorial supply constraints that limit the ability of retailers to source products freely in the Single Market and offer consumers the full range of products.


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Epic Games Takes Legal Battle With Apple to Europe With Antitrust Complaint
Epic Games has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union, broadening its legal battle against the tech giant by attempting to appeal to the EU's differing interpretation of antitrust issues compared to those in the United States (via The Wall Street Journal).
Last September, Epic Games added a Fortnite update that allowed customers to purchase in-game currency directly from Epic, skirting Apple's in-app purchases. That is against Apple's rules, and the move led Apple to pull the app from the App Store, which Epic clearly anticipated, as it wasted no time in taking Apple to court and releasing an anti-Apple marketing campaign simultaneously.
In August, Apple followed through with a threat to terminate Epic Games' developer account and countersued Epic in October, claiming breach of contract. Last year, Google pulled Fortnite from the Google Play Store for the same reason – introducing a payment system that bypasses the standard app store policy that sees the hosting platform take a 30% share of in-app purchases.
Epic's legal complaint against Apple in the EU joins plaintiffs including Spotify that have prompted a formal investigation by the European Commission into Apple's alleged anticompetitive behavior.
"What's at stake here is the very future of mobile platforms," said Epic founder and Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney. "We will not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform dominance to control what should be a level digital playing field."
Sweeney said that while the legal case filed in Europe targets Apple, "the broad outlines… are equally applicable to Google, though the timing may be different."
Europe uses different standards than the U.S. when it comes to antitrust issues, focusing more on fairness between competitors than their impact on consumers, which the U.S tends to focus on. Epic has also filed similar lawsuits in Australia and the U.K., accusing Apple of an abuse of dominance.
The European Commission has yet to comment on Epic's complaint, which remains confidential. However, the Commission's ongoing investigation, launched last year, into how Apple Pay is the only contactless payment service allowed on iOS devices, may factor into its considerations of Epic's argument that Apple's operating system should be open to competing stores.
Top Rated Comments
In pro-business capitalism, governments make decisions that benefit established businesses, sometimes raising the barriers of entry for new businesses. Any political system that allows lobbying naturally leans towards pro-business, because the established businesses have the means to advance their interests.
In contrast, pro-market capitalism strives to keep the barriers of entry for new businesses low, sometimes at the expense of established businesses. The EU is one of the few major entities with significant pro-market tendencies, and even that is more by accident than by design.
EU member states would like nothing more than preferring domestic businesses over their EU competitors. Because the EU is supposed to be a single market, it can't allow that. Member states are legally required to treat domestic businesses and businesses from other member states equally. This is the single most important thing about the EU to remember. As the EU exists to enforce free competition between businesses from different member states, the same attitude leaks to its other operations.
In particular, the EU really dislikes anti-competitive business practices, especially when they threaten the single market principle. If the anti-competitive practices are unavoidable, the EU regulates them to create competition. For example, if you own a mobile network or a power grid, you are legally required to let your competitors use it for a fair price. When the EU sees a major business, it always thinks about regulating the market to let new businesses compete against it.


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Jul. 03, 1990
TOYOTA COROLLA FIRST JAPANESE CAR TO SURPASS 15 MILLION MARK
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION announced today that the Toyota Corolla has become the first Japanese car to reach cumulative production of 15 million units. Based on production figures through the end of June, 15,040,200 units have been produced domestically. That puts the Corolla just ahead of the Model T Ford, of which 15,007,033 were manufactured, to become the second best-selling vehicle in the world following the Volkswagen Beetle.


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InfoComm India 2021 GoVIRTUAL – second virtual event in the running for Indian AV’s premier exhibition platform – took off on Wednesday 15, September showcasing not just the technology solutions that connect people but also the passion and ambition to define and determine the ‘post-lockdown, new normal’ world.
SIAsia presents a glimpse of what the two-day event had presented on day one.
Numbers & Nuances
· 53 Exhibitors
· 163 Live Demos
· 40 Industry Forums & AVIXA Seminars
· New product launches
· Focus on New Normal Life & Business
· Perspectives on preparedness for future
Even as the world begins to consolidate its learnings to live in the post-Lockdown, new normal milieu, InfoComm India’s 2021 edition took off reliving the aspirations of the industry, and its user communities to a newer expression of normality.
Having done last year what was claimed as the world’s first digital tradeshow platform that combined AI-powered business matchings and live product demos with virtual showcases, the second edition today sought to relive the reputation with improved understanding.
While the number of Live Demos spoke about the passion the industry continued to move with, the structure of the industry forums depicted the perspectives shaping up the industry dynamic in the present, and its preparedness for the future.
Watch Out for the SII Awards Fare this evening
The ‘day-two’ event of IFI 2021 GoVIRTUAL will have its crescendo in the much-awaited excitement of Systems Integration India Awards 2021. The fourth edition of Indian AV’s one and only prestigious Awards Initiative, the SIIA 2021 will unfold at 6.05 pm IST. Bet on it, this year’s event is a must-watch programme.
Those who have not registered to the event yet, may do it now by clicking HERE.
Get in there; have the visual feast and relish for the months to come.
The day one seminar programme showed on increased focus on the ‘design’ element with most sessions debating how COVID has impacted life and businesses and how the design community can help evolve spaces for hybrid work cultures.
Even as the OEMs, and other solution providers through their Demo Rooms began their product showcasing, the day one began with two very important webinars. The Industry Forum began with a Keynote Address by C K Varma, Additional Director General at the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), while the AVIXA Forum began with the ‘AV Leaders Connect – Global ProAV Outlook: Charting a Path Out of the Pandemic.’
The former webinar had the ADG detailing what measures the CPWD brought to place, to be able to continue its work while ensuring health safety of the workforce involved, the latter was a panel discussion moderated by Jonathan Seller, with the panel involving five top AV consultants- Abdul Waheed, MD of EYTE Technologies; Mradul Sharma, MD of 3CDN Workplace Tech; Kelvin Ashby-King, Principal Consultant-T2 Consulting Group; Vineet Singh, MD of HMPL Consulting; and Sangya Gupta, CEO of Ask Consultants.
The panel discussion threw some very insightful light on ‘how the industry would look like after 2021.’
The day also had two focused webinars on hybrid workplaces – one by Logitech as part of AVIXA programming, and the other by Screenbeam on the industry forum – that discussed the various dynamics that are shaping the thought processes as also the means and methods of hybrid workspaces.
Another interesting panel discussion was on the ‘future of workspace realities.’ Moderated by Prashant Sutaria, Principal Architect of Prashant Sutaria Architects, the session had four renowned architects sharing their experiences and thoughts on the typical changes that the future workspaces will undergo in terms of design and technology adoption, and the role of AV in their preparedness for any eventuality in future.
The panelists included Alhad Gore, Managing Partner at Beyond Design Architects and Consultants; Kartik Punjabi, Managing Director of Vijay Punjabi Consultants Pvt Ltd, and Kulin Kapadia, Founder of Alcove Design Consultants, Director Paperspace Asia.
On the product front, the day did see some novel product introductions.
- A&T Video Networks introduced two new video-conferencing cameras from AVER;
- Crestron launched new Digital Media NVX series of D10 & E10;
- Kramer presented their Kramer Network Solution
- Milestone introduced their new Pro USB solution MP-SUH4KVM-3.0 S
- Shure demo room discussed the new Microflex solution & more.
However, one important product/solution demo that will add a new dimension to Indian AV is the advent of visualization and collaboration solutions leader Cyviz. The Norwegian Control Room solutions major had been keen on Indian market for a few years now, and it appears the Stavanger-based technology major is set to create a new dynamic in India.