text:
A nationwide recall has been issued for 1.9 million MZB children’s watches. The watches have been reported to cause skin irritation.
About the Children’s Watch Recall
The watches were recalled due to the fact that the case-back of the watch can detach, causing the interior to be susceptible to water. This poses the threats of skin irritation, redness, rashes, or chemical burns, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Consumers should contact MZB immediately and keep away from children.
So far, 11 cases of skin irritation or chemical burns have been reported, and six of the cases have called for medical attention.
Description of the Recalled Watches
All information provided by the CPSC:
- The recall includes 303 variations of the “Light Up” watches, identified by the style number.
- Consumers can find the complete list of the serial numbers listed on the firm’s website: http://www.regcen.com.
- The watches were made available in pink, pink with white snowflakes, green, blue, and navy blue with flexible plastic wristbands.
- “MZB” and the identification number can be found on the case-back of the watches.
- The models were sold at Kmart, Kohl’s, Walmart, and other vendors from October 2012 through June 2015 nationwide for $5 to $20.


text:
Twitter has been working on some useful features with the sole purpose of helping users make more money online. The social media giant has rolled out a new creator monetization push that allows the users to apply to test the Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows feature.
Twitter wants to help hardworking content creators make money through their work and get rewarded for their efforts. Moreover, through these features, the creators would also have great support from their audience which will ultimately boost their confidence.
Currently, the company is allowing a small group of people to test out the two new options with their audience and share their experience and feedback. This will also help the company to determine whether these features require some sort of improvement or not before they launch these officially.
Twitter has shared some more insights into both of its upcoming models in order to provide the users with a clearer picture. Firstly, the Ticketed Spaces as seen above, content creators will be able to charge tickets from their audience that will provide them with exclusive access to the audio Spaces session. The ticketing options are several.
Super Follows on the other hand will allow creators to charge money from their audience and provide them exclusive access to some additional content such as live streams, newsletters, product discounts, etc.
Both of these features are a great push for online monetization and will facilitate more opportunities for the content creators on Twitter. Apart from this, these features will also increase the overall engagements on the platform by growing the audience significantly in the upcoming years.

domain: news


text:
Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes digital assets can help eliminate errors in money databases. He believes cryptocurrency is “fundamentally superior” to any other financial instrument, even though it is not perfect.
According to the entrepreneur, Bitcoin’s primary use case is as a store of value, but Dogecoin is better suited for payments. In an interview with Time magazine, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, stated that Dogecoin is a far superior crypto coin in terms of daily transactions. “Bitcoin transactions have a low transaction value and a high transaction cost”.
It is suitable as a value store, at least on a spatial level. However, Bitcoin is not a good substitute for transactional cash,” he says, adding that, despite its origins as a joke, Dogecoin is more suited for transactions. “Dogecoin’s total transaction flow is transactions per day, which has a considerably bigger potential than Bitcoin.”
Elon Musk, one of the most powerful figures in the cryptocurrency world, recently reiterated his support for the digital asset business in an interview with Lex Fridman. According to him, the current financial system based on fiat currencies is far from perfect because governments can utilize mass printing to “dilute the money supply” and hence generate inflation.
Cryptocurrencies, on the other hand, are a technological advancement that “brings us into the twenty-first century.” Unlike many others who think of money as a source of power, Musk believes it should be viewed “through the lens of information theory.” Cryptocurrency technology, he believes, appears to be the most efficient type of trade.
“Think of money as a database for resource allocation across time and space. In what form should that data system be most effective.”
Musk has debunked the claim that he is Bitcoin’s mysterious founder once more. Nick Szabo, a computer scientist, and cryptographer known for his work on digital currencies is most likely to be that person, according to him: “I don’t know who created Bitcoin for practical purposes, but the evolution of ideas is pretty clear before that, and it seems like Nick Szabo is probably more than anyone else responsible for the evolution of those ideas.”
Tesla’s CEO said that the name of the inventor is not as important as the technology they created. Saifedean Ammous opined something similar not long ago:
“You use the wheel every day, but you don’t know who invented the wheel, and we use a lot of things every day not because we trust the guy who invented them but because they have a proven track record,” he said.


text:
According to a release, in ComEd’s service territory, 60% of the outages reported on “blue sky days” are usually due to a problem on the customer-owned equipment —typically a problem with the property’s circuit breakers.
When a customer outage is reported, a signal or “ping” is sent to the smart meter. A response from the meter indicates the outage is the result of customer equipment; no response means there is a potential electrical system issue. ComEd has seamlessly integrated a meter ping across all of its customer-facing outage reporting channels including ComEd.com, mobile app, mobile web, text (SMS), and Facebook.
ComEd’s notes that the results of this technology includes faster notification to customers of potential outage causes. In 2016, nearly 70,000 outages were reported through a customer outage reporting channel.
Through the meter “ping” technology, nearly 29,000 fewer crews have had to be sent to investigate those outages, creating operational savings that are passed along to customers and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fewer trucks driving to outage locations.
“We’re honored to be recognized for this technology,” said Val Jensen, senior vice president of Customer Operations, ComEd. “Part of the promise of smart meters has been the ability to have greater awareness of outages and causes. The meter “ping” capability means we can more quickly prioritise and respond to customer needs.”
ComEd has been installing smart meters for its 3.8 million customers since 2012. It expects to be complete in 2018.
Customers with smart meters can take advantage of ComEd’s smart meter-enabled tools and make a direct impact on their electric bills, including:
- Personalised Energy-Management Tools are available by logging into your online ComEd account. Here, customers can access free personalised energy saving tips, set savings goals, enroll in high-usage alerts which notify customers when their electricity is trending higher than usual for their household, and sign up to receive weekly usage reports via email.
- Hourly Pricing programme allows residential customers to pay the hourly prices for electricity which means customers can save by using electricity when prices are lower.
- Participants also receive customer support and services to help manage costs with hourly pricing. Services include real-time high price alerts, predicted day-ahead high price alerts, an online bill comparison tool, and information to help guide energy decisions.


text:
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 6 is easily one of the most anticipated games in history. As the follow-up to the second-best-selling video game ever, the hype surrounding GTA VI is unreal. Because it is such a huge undertaking, many details have emerged about the next GTA game over the years.
In recent months, we've reported on a handful of leaks, like how it will feature the series' first playable female lead and its use of the RAGE 9 engine, which Rockstar wants to be on par with Unreal Engine 5.
Fast forward to today and a new Bloomberg report claims that Rockstar has spent most of the past ten years working on GTA 6.
Before concluding that the game is in development hell, the same report defended the slow progress. Apparently, Rockstar spent a few years overhauling the organization. A few years back, Rockstar dealt with the employee and public backlash following allegations that the studio encouraged crunch culture. This forced Rockstar to take the necessary steps to create a less toxic, more sustainable work environment. In addition to this, Rockstar also dealt with the departure of high-level executives like Dan Houser.
Bloomberg also revealed that the original plan for GTA VI was to have a larger map, which would corroborate earlier reports about "Project America". Unfortunately, Rockstar dropped its earlier plans and will instead expand the game's world post-launch.
As for a release date, Bloomberg states that sources have told them that they are skeptical that GTA 6 will come out before March 2024. This would make it more likely that GTA 6 will be out by 2025 or 2026, a release window that was previously leaked.
The biggest takeaway from Bloomberg's report is that the finer details about GTA 6 are still in flux. This would help explain why various sources are making different claims about GTA 6. Previously, we reported that the game would feature twin siblings as lead characters. This is in line with what Bloomberg said that GTA 6 will have a playable female lead to address the studio's misogynistic treatment of women in the past. This can still change depending on Rockstar.
For now, the only fact we truly know about GTA 6 is that Rockstar is putting all its eggs into one basket.
After confirming GTA 6 earlier this year, reports emerged that Rockstar had canceled remasters of GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption and a next-gen Red Dead Redemption 2 to focus work on GTA 6. Rockstar also appears to have confirmed this when it said that it had moved "more development resources" towards the next GTA game in recent years.


text:
NEWBERG, OR (KPTV) – An Oregon video game development company has transformed a popular children’s fantasy book series into playable adventures.
Soma Games, located in Newberg, has designed a video game series from the Redwall novels. There are 22 Redwall books and more than 30 million copies have been sold worldwide.
“The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout” and “The Lost Legends of Redwall: Escape the Gloomer” are the first two video games of the series of the six Soma Games is set to develop.
The games are family-friendly, so they can be played by people of all ages.
Learn more at SomaGames.com.
Copyright 2019 KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.


text:
The 2017 Precast Show
Highest Enthusiasm Levels in 10 Years
The precast concrete industry gathered at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland March 2-4 for The Precast Show 2017. The event, which is the largest precast-specific trade show in North America, drew 4,300 participants, making it the best-attended precast event of the post-recession era. It featured heavy equipment, technology and services that span all segments of the precast and prestressed concrete industry. It has been held annually under various names since 1979.
In addition to the three-day trade show, the event featured education and training courses, tours to precast plants and an industry networking event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. NPCA also announced its inaugural class for The NPCA Leadership Academy, held a graduation ceremony for 28 Master Precasters and presented awards for plant certification, safety and sustainability.
"We sensed some post-recession optimism last year, but this year it was unmistakable," said Ty Gable, president of the National Precast Concrete Association. "There was a definite buzz on the trade show floor. The precast manufacturers were doing some serious shopping and looking for new products and the latest technology. We haven't seen this much enthusiasm for about 10 years."
The Precast Show 2018 will be held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Feb. 22-24. Visit theprecastshow.org for details.


text:
Maharashtra Cooperation, Marketing and Textiles Minister Subhash Deshmukh at CII Conference on Achieving Sustainable Growth in Textile and Apparel Industry through Manufacturing Excellence said that the Maharashtra Government will be coming out with the new textile policy for year 2017-2022 soon.
The Maharashtra Government is working out a new textile policy and has invited inputs from all the industry member in this regard. Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta, who was also present on the occasion, said that the government is focused on value added garments and technical textiles. They see huge potential in value added products and technical textiles. Going forward they are going to focus on these two segments, which will benefit the industry as a whole.
Reliance Industries’ President (polyester chain) R D Udeshiemphasised that today’s textile and apparel sector is at the cusp of some major structural changes. There is a need for manufacturing more value added items that will benefit the industry as a whole as the demand pattern is governed by the economic growth of regions, which indicates a slowdown in developed countries while strong growth in China and India


text:
Growth occurs as a series of jolts: your first kiss, your first drink, your first pay packet. As the technology industry matures, it's no different. But just as in real life, some people aren't too good at dealing with change.
For the best part of two years now, parts of the online media industry have been complaining about EU Directive 2009/136/EC, which requires users to consent before web sites harvest data from them.
After the government's year-long pause on enforcement, in the wake of a highly successful industry-led campaign for common sense enforcement, implementation is now only days away. In the UK, the new rules kick in on Saturday 26th May.
Yet the moaning continues. Some still view the Directive as an infernal doomsday machine that will "kill online sales" and " kill the internet". Robert Bond of the law firm Speechly Bircham describes the effects as "far-reaching and incredibly onerous" for "all UK companies." Simon Davis of Privacy International argues that proper enforcement would "destroy the entire industry".
Those with something to gain have been spreading fear and loathing. KPMG, a firm that never knowingly underestimates the threats confronting its clients, recently announced that 95 percent of British businesses and public sector organisations are "not compliant" and may therefore face fines of up to £500,000.
Separately, QuBit, a London-based data consultancy, estimates ("worst case scenario") that the EU Directive could "cost" the British economy £10bn.
Let's not delve into the debatable maths underpinning QuBit's alarmism. Instead, let's remind ourselves of what Directive 2009/136/EC actually says: "Member States shall ensure that the storing of information, or the gaining of access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned has given his or her consent, having been provided with clear and comprehensive information."
Consent? As any teenager will tell you, much depends on how you ask the question. If regulators ever expected web site owners to implement an opt-in regime like this, they don't now. Colin O'Malley, chief strategy officer at Evidon, the US-based data and privacy company,
says he has spoken with regulators in six European nations, including some of the most conservative members of the dreaded Article 29 Working Party. All of them, he says, "have specifically cautioned against going as far as opt-in".


text:
Priyabrata Sahoo | MetricStream Inc.
Sales targets! Profit margins! Lead generation! Conversion rate! Market share! These are terms that constantly haunt sales individuals. From giving doctors expensive gifts to recommending off-label uses for drugs, pharma sales representative were more concerned on achieving sales goals rather than ethical considerations. But now it is changing. With the new code of ethics guidelines from OIG and PhRMA, traditional sales and marketing activities are triggering enforcement actions. So what are the new marketing strategies pharma companies are considering?
Traditional Marketing: Old Strategies Face New Challenges
Less than a decade ago, traditional marketing tools including visits by sales agents, gifting of things such as meals, travel expenses, use of consultants and speakers, distributions of books and educational items were very common.
But policies and guidelines have changed recently. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) have developed new code of ethics and stricter guidelines to oversee sales and marketing of the drugs in the U.S.
The advent of these guidelines and increased scrutiny from the governing bodies has made it clear that pharma companies cannot afford to go easy in their sales and marketing policies. Irregularities in the procedures can certainly result in the billion-dollar penalties and irreparable damage to an organization’s reputation as it’s evident from the recent GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) China Bribery scandal. British giant GSK was fined $3 billion for bribing doctors, off-label promotional activities and its failure to report safety data.
Not only GSK but dozen of other huge pharma companies including Elli Lilly, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca have recently settled government cases under the False Claims Act.
What are the Additional Strategies Companies are Following/Considering?
Keeping ethical considerations in mind and changing regulatory landscape, pharma companies have shifted their approach to sales process. These companies are now more focused one other strategies including the use of digital marketing and social networking and providing anti-bribery and anti-corruption training to the employees.
Use Digital Marketing and Social Media Tool: But Be Cautious
With the growing array of digital technologies in today’s world, pharma companies are taking a cue from it and are aligning their marketing strategies towards digital interactions, social media and mobile applications. These companies are not only using these platforms to just publicize their new products and company news, but also to interact directly with consumers and healthcare professionals.
The spend companies are allocating for this can go as high as 25% of total marketing budget. However the indecorous use of these tools can present regulatory pitfalls for companies and dangers to consumers.
Some of the most common examples of mishaps on social media are:
- The FDA forced celebrity Kim Kardashian to remove posts on Facebook and Instagram after she promoted Diclegis, Duchesnay’s morning sickness drug, without stating any of its side effects or risks.
- The FDA warned Zarbee’s Naturals,a dietary supplement manufacturer, because the company liked or commented on posts that implied the supplements cured disease such as insomnia, bronchitis, pneumonia, colds, congestion and allergy relief, though they’re not approved to treat the same.
- The FDA issued a warning to Akrimax Pharmaceuticals after the company Facebook page misrepresented its drug Tirosint. The company failed to communicate risk information associate with its use.
- AstraZeneca had to suspend a Twitter campaign because the summary section of a link embedded in a tweet mentioned the company’s drug without providing safety information making the tweet non-compliant.
So, What is the Way Out?
Given that drugs can do harm if not used properly, information regarding their use that’s put online should be vetted and approved by the company’s key opinion leaders/decision makers along with various ways the employees and agents of companies need to be trained on the regulations.
- Key Opinion Leaders
Key opinion leaders (KOL), or “thought leaders”, are highly respected medical experts within their domain, who influence physicians and consumers through their professional status.
Pharma companies hire KOL’s to speak on their behalf to help educate the medical community and medical institutions. This information helps in the proper use of new drugs and reduces adverse events.
- FCPA Compliance Training
Pharmaceutical companies are particularly vulnerable to falling afoul of corporate anti-bribery and anti-corruption regulations as they have a global reach, use subsidiaries and operate in countries with public healthcare systems and highly competitive markets.
A number of pharma companies have been in the news lately for violating FCPA:
- Eli Lilly and Company was fined $29 million for improper payments its subsidiaries made to foreign government officials to win business in Russia, Brazil, China, and Poland.
- Pfizer was charged $45 million for illegal payments made by its subsidiaries to foreign officials in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, China, Croatia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Serbia to obtain regulatory approvals, sales, and increased prescriptions for its products.
- Johnson & Johnson was accused by the SEC of bribing public doctors in several European countries to win deals for their products and paying kickbacks to Iraq to illegally obtain business. The healthcare giant ended up paying a huge fine totaling USD 70 million.
The millions of dollars in fines paid by these high profile pharmaceutical firms should act as deterrent enough to others from pursuing the same course. It’s clear that there is a need for not just stronger compliance programs, but also an urgent requirement for nurturing a culture that adheres to anti-corruption rules.
From top management to personnel involved in the sales and marketing of the drugs, FCPA training is mandatory to understand the complex regulatory requirements and ways to comply with them.
An effective FCPA training program should cover the following topics:
|For Sales Personnel||For Top Management|
|– Key anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws that regulate business conduct
– Prohibited actions and penalties under the FCPA
– Liability for the actions of foreign subsidiaries, agents and rogue employees
– Exempt actions from FCPA prosecution by the DOJ and SEC
– Lessons learned from recent cases
– Red Flags and other warning signs that point to corrupt practices
– FCPA compliance in accounting and recordkeeping
|– How to implement and assess FCPA compliance policies and procedures
– Internal investigations—when to conduct one, who should conduct it, and what to do if you find evidence of non-compliance
– Issues that can arise during employee interviews and collection of electronic records
– Steps that can be taken to better understand global corruption risks
– Why third-party due diligence can make or break your program
– The need for ongoing risk assessments and review
No other industry is as strictly regulated across the world as the Pharma. It is, after all, in the business of improving and, in many cases, saving the life of a human being. So the network of regulatory requirements across jurisdictions is onerous and complex with good reason. By using advanced marketing strategies and providing the proper training to the employees, smart pharma companies are thriving—not just surviving– in this regulatory environment.


text:
Taraporewalla will be responsible for setting up the digital media entity’s online operations in India. He has also been designated online media director for its Asia Pacific (APAC) region
Publicitas Promotion Network (PPN), which provides ad sales support to around 300 national and international publications such as ‘Financial Times’ and ‘National Geographic’, is planning to get into the online space in India.
PPN has 59 sales points across 22 countries on four continents. It already has a presence in the Indian market in the form of Mediascope Publicitas, which sells space for publications such as Jet Airways’ ‘Jetwings’, Indian’s ‘Namaskaar’ and Jasubhai Digital Media’s ‘Network Computing’.
Taraporewalla has also been designated online media director for PPN’s Asia Pacific (APAC) region, which means that he will be responsible for online sales in a number of countries, including India, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China.
Taraporewalla says, “The digital landscape is going through enormous changes in India with rising media consumption. Marketers today need clear audience segmentation and qualified advice for their investment to work better with digital initiatives. The new digital media entity will boost the group’s long standing publisher relationships and will assist publishers in the Indian market to improve yields for their websites.”
Prior to joining PPN, Taraporewalla spent a few months at Connecturf India, the Indian digital marketing and web solutions company, as MD and CEO. Before Connecturf, he was associated with Yahoo! India as country general manager.
Taraporewalla’s career spans 20 years. He has worked with prominent publishing houses such as The Times of India Group and Mid Day Multimedia in India, and ‘Khaleej Times’ in West Asia.
In a joint statement, Moritz Wuttke, chief executive officer, Asia Pacific, PPN, and Marzban Patel, chief executive officer and managing director, Mediascope Publicitas, India, say, “We are reinforcing our operations in India through Mediascope Publicitas. Neville has the right calibre and the capability to supply advertisers with the right support and expertise for their growing need for planning and deciding the right media mix.”
© 2007 agencyfaqs!


text:
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) agreed to buy ShipXpress Inc., a cloud-based software firm, to bolster its supply-chain offerings for railroad customers.
The deal will complement GE’s sensor technology and Predix operating system to improve shippers’ ability to move goods and transfer information, GE Transportation said in a statement. Terms weren’t disclosed.
Logistics deal have been picking in the middle market, as the rise of e-commerce has consumer demanding faster shipping times. Lineage Logistics LLC, a refrigerated warehouse giant backed by the Bay Grove private equity firm, has picked up Consolidated Distribution Corp.; NFI has acquired United Express; and Warburg Pincus agreed to buy a minority stake in BlueGrace Logistics.
“We are very focused on helping better integrate and streamline the broader rail supply chain,” Seth Bodnar, chief digital officer of GE Transportation, said in a telephone interview. ShipXpress’s capabilities are “really about helping global railways more efficiently and effectively interface with industrial companies that ship goods via rail.”
GE is hunting for deals to strengthen its growing software business as the company attempts to marry digital capabilities with heavy-duty machinery. The Boston-based company has shed most of its finance and consumer operations in favor of manufacturing industrial products such as gas turbines and locomotives. In August 2015, GE closed the sale of Antares Capital. Antares co-CEOs David Brackett and John Martin won Mergers & Acquisitions’ 2015 M&A Mid-Market Award for Dealmakers of the Year.
The ShipXpress deal includes about 200 industry, technical and software development professionals, GE said.
--Additional reporting by Mergers & Acquisitions' Demitri Diakantonis


text:
NXP Semiconductors has announced the rollout of its life-saving RoadLINK V2X communication solution in the new Volkswagen Golf. The recently released Golf of the 8th generation is the first volume European car model equipped with V2X, offering a major boost to the deployment of the technology on European roads and beyond. The technology can prevent accidents by having cars communicate with each other, independent of car brands and without the support of cellular infrastructure.
“Road safety forms the core of VW’s commitment to its customers. As a high volume manufacturer we aim to be a pioneer in this space,” said Dr. Johannes Neft, Head of Vehicle Body Development for the Volkswagen brand. “The introduction of V2X, together with traffic infrastructure providers and other vehicle manufacturers, is a major milestone in this direction. Volkswagen includes this technology, which doesn’t involve any user fees, as a standard feature to accelerate V2X penetration in Europe.”
“Volkswagen has taken a bold step to seize the road safety initiative through the implementation of V2X,” said Torsten Lehman, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Driver Assistance and Infotainment at NXP. “After proving our technology in more than one million test days globally, we are pleased that our RoadLINK technology, developed in cooperation with Cohda Wireless, was chosen to enable new levels of safety in Europe’s most popular car model, the new Golf.”
NXP and Volkswagen have closely collaborated for high reliability and performance, as well as for standardisation of V2X communication that addresses cyber security and privacy protection.
WiFi based V2X is a mature technology that has been tested for more than ten years. Presently, 1,000km of European roads are equipped with V2X technology based on WiFi with 5,000km planned through the end of 2019. Its research and development, testing and standardisation has occurred within a strong global eco-system of suppliers and car manufacturers to ensure reliability in diverse road and traffic conditions.
WiFi therefore forms the basis of the European standard that has been chosen for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. An additional benefit is its availability independent of paid cellular services. Other developing cellular based technologies can be added complementary to WiFi-based V2X .
V2X communication is set to become a critical part of advanced driving assistance systems and the migration to autonomous cars that communicate with each other and with traffic infrastructure. The benefit of WiFi-based V2X is its robust, low latency, real time communication - regardless of any car brands.
NXP offers the only 5.9GHz V2X system solution proven in volume production today.


text:
A state Superior Court panel has refused to revive a lawsuit by a woman who claimed she slipped and fell on a clothes hanger that was on the floor of an East Shore store.
That decision, stated in a recent opinion by Judge H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr., frees the Gabriel Brothers Inc. store in the Union Square Shopping Center from the complaint lodged by Monique Johnson of York.
Johnson appealed to the state court after Dauphin County Judge Andrew H. Dowling dismissed her suit over the October 2012 incident at the store in Susquehanna Township.
She contended store employees were negligent for allowing the clear plastic hanger to remain on the floor near the customer service desk. Johnson had sought damages in the range of $50,000 to $75,000, claiming she suffered serious injuries.
Dowling found that Johnson's claims were largely based on "nothing more than mere speculation" and that she provided no proof as to how the hanger got on the floor, how long it was on the floor, or if store employees knew it was there.
Moulton agreed with Dowling. The state judge noted Johnson was alone when her accident allegedly occurred and there were no witnesses.
Nor did Johnson provide any evidence that Gabriel Brothers destroyed any store video which might have captured Johnson's fall, Moulton said. He cited testimony by a company official who said she didn't know whether the incident was recorded.
That same official testified that she knew other slip-and-fall incidents had occurred at the store in the prior five years, but did not know how many there were or if any had involved fallen clothes hangers, Moulton noted.


text:
(Pocket-lint) - E-Ink, the company behind much of the technology in eBook readers, has been demonstrating a new form of its screen tech that could lend itself perfectly to smartphones.
The E-Ink mobile prototypes were shown behind closed doors at the IFA consumer electronics tradeshow in Berlin, Germany, and have lead some into believing that there is potential for manufacturers to release handsets with a normal LCD touchscreen on one side, E-Ink reader display on the other.
While it sounds bonkers, it has been rumoured for some time that Amazon is considering a dabble into the smartphone arena. Of course, it may be looking more at its own dedicated Android handset, although the E-Ink concept would at least allow it to retain its original Kindle theme in a more pure form.
Having an eBook reader element would make sense on an Amazon Kindle smartphone, for sure.
Stuff.tv, one of the sites to have seen the E-Ink prototypes up close, reports that one of the main benefits to its inclusion on a smartphone would be that important information could be left on screen indefinitely, thanks to the extreme low power consumption.
Another, Slashgear, goes as far as saying that there is one vendor currently looking at the technology. E-Ink hasn't mentioned it by name, but it is an interested party. And Stuff agrees, claiming that an "anonymous mobile phone company" is already looking to use the second screen.
One to watch, we think.


text:
Colorado Food Trucks: Behind the Business
The national food truck industry is estimated to have reached $2.7 billion in revenue in 2017, according to Emergent Research. The explosion we all have seen of Colorado food trucks validates this data here in our home state. Experts cite the ease of entry into the market, low startup costs, low overhead, and ability to move if business isn’t booming as top reasons for the industry’s growth. With social media as the main marketing tool and a warm embrace from the majority of community members, the trend to go mobile makes sense. Or does it? For us at Bird Dog BBQ, the jury is still out.
Ease of Entry / Low Startup Costs
Yes, you can do a bunch of research, fill out a bunch of paperwork, pay a manageable amount of money and get inspected and licensed and then open up your Colorado food truck. The key thing here is you can, “pay a manageable amount of money”. In Colorado Springs, El Paso County Public Health lists more than 220 licensed mobile vendors in its system, including nearly 40 “prepackaged” mobiles, primarily serving ice cream. Why? In order to open a restaurant, a business owner is looking at $500,000 minimum upfront. To open a Colorado food truck, that number dips to between $15,000-$30,000. This is an amount that the majority of the population can qualify for in a loan from Prosper, can get from remortgaging their house, or can piece together by maxing out a few credit cards. It is the perfect business model for restaurant industry professionals looking to strike out on their own, individuals in corporate office jobs who are seeking a more meaningful profession, or driven, intelligent people who want to work for themselves but don’t have oodles of money to invest in their entrepreneurial endeavors. On the flip side, once you’re up and running, to be profitable, operations become your life. “I wish I would have known that it’s an endless cycle of long, long hours day in and day out.” As Jacob Bartlett of the Mastiff truck said, “We don’t work full time. We work all the time.”
Low Overhead / Simplistic Operations
Having a small menu and limited space offer plenty of benefits. A Colorado food truck owner has less inventory to manage, less product to prep, less staff to hire and less space to set up and break down than a typical restaurant owner. They can be up and running in no time, can execute their menu with precision, and can track their profits with more simplistic formulas than traditional restaurants. However, they also have additional things to worry about, such as liability ensued by driving the unit around or hiring people to do so, the competency and trustworthiness of event coordinators, and THE WEATHER! Think about the statistics, with 3.8 million licensed drivers in Colorado, one in every 33 Colorado drivers will be in a crash this year, that’s a 3% chance of an insurance claim on a mobile unit, while only 8.8% of the 563,917 small businesses in Colorado made an insurance claim in 2017. Colorado food truck owners also have to manage storage of additional inventory and the truck itself, as well as manage and take time to complete the preparation and breakdown before and after an event at an approved commissary. Phew! Sorry to be such a Negative Nancy over here, really, we think it’s just a different set of hassles, no more and no less. Do you think otherwise? Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of this article!
Ability to Move
Having a Colorado food truck means that it can go wherever the people are. If a food truck picks a location that has no customers, they can pack up and move! Well, kinda. It may sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many places don’t allow food trucks or put a cap on the number of food truck permits allowed at any given time. In Colorado Springs for example, you are only allocated 3 on street permits within the city per year for public vending. You have to apply for them months before you plan on opening and they come with additional costs and rules. You are also not allowed to vend on any private property without filing specific permit forms with the owner of the property and paying negotiated rent for your space. If you want to vend at an event, you will pay an initial reservation fee up front that can be anywhere between $200- $1,200 and is non-refundable (think about our Colorado weather here and you can imagine the stress). In addition, you will pay anywhere between 10%-30% of your sales in commissions to the event promoter. “The nature of the food truck industry relies a lot on chance and luck; you roll the dice every time you go to an event without a guarantee of sales. Sometime you score big and other times you lose money.” We agree with this sentiment from Stephanie with Seabirds Truck.
Marketing/ Community Involvement
This aspect of owning a food truck seems the most beneficial. Colorado food truck owners are able to serve their cuisine to a host of customers within whatever range they define. They are able to participate in community festivals and charity events, as well as provide alternative lunch options for large businesses in their communities. They are able to attract new customers to their brick and mortar locations (if they have any) because they can now access areas that would previously have been unreachable. In addition, the conception and growth of the food truck industry in Colorado has happened alongside the growth and acceptance of social media as a legitimate marketing platform. Food truck owners are able to utilize social media as their primary marketing tool, which is virtually free to them. Compare this to traditional marketing methods of TV, radio, and print and these owners are saving a huge chunk of time and money. They are also getting the added benefit of real customer interaction, allowing them to tailor their growth based not on predictions and historical industry data, but by feedback from their actual customers.
Carl – Bird Dog BBQ’s Food Trailer
This entire article stems from the completion of Bird Dog BBQ’s first season operating a Colorado food truck. In truth, it is actually a trailer, and his name is Carl. He was built over the winter between 2017-2018 by the owner of Bird Dog BBQ in his backyard! If you feel that some of this information is biased, you’re right. Anyone can just recite facts they read off the internet but we have facts that have come from a season of experience. That being said, what this article conveys is not the truth, but a compilation of ideas from food truck owners throughout the country. We would love to hear your thoughts, as we evaluate the pros and cons, talk to our mentors, and plan our 2019 season.


text:
Google Assistant has been available on recent Android phones for a while. However, that still puts it out out of reach of many Android users when a whopping 46.5 percent of active Android users are running a version older than Marshmallow. To help address this, Google is making Assistant available on devices running Android Lollipop. If you're still rocking an older phone, you'll get the same AI helper as a shiny new handset.
Google Assistant, Google's own AI digital assistant, is now rolling out to several smartphones running Android Marshmallow and Nougat. However, it looks like the company's digital assistant won't be making its way to tablets. Earlier this month, Google Assistant started rolling out to older, non-Pixel smartphones. The company also made it clear on its blog that the service will be available on "Android phones" and "smartphones running Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow." Android Police has now reached out to Google regarding the availability of Assistant on tablets, and this was the company's response: "The Assistant will be available on Android Marshmallow and Nougat phones with Google Play Services, this does not include tablets."
Google I/O 2018 kicks off May 8, and we can't wait to hear what's cooking for developers and fans. We'll obviously get a whole lot of info about the next version of Android, but no doubt AI, AR, Assistant, and other Google products will have their moment as well. Here's everything we expect to see, plus a few things we're wishing hard for: Google has already released a developer's preview of Android P, but the company's likely holding back some features for the big show. Most notably, Google accidentally outed a gesture-based navigation system that could debut this week (unless it's being saved for the Pixel 3). Otherwise, we'll likely see some demos of the biggest features, such as camera cutout support and indoor location tracking, as well as what's new in the Android One and Android Go projects.


text:
MEXICO CITY — El Salvador on Tuesday became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, allowing the cryptocurrency to be used in any transaction, from buying a cup of coffee to paying taxes.
The bold move, largely celebrated by the international bitcoin community, has found a more skeptical reception at home and in the traditional financial world, amid concerns that it could bring instability and unnecessary risk to the Central American country’s fragile economy.
President Nayib Bukele, a tech-savvy millennial, has promoted the digital currency’s adoption, pitching it as a way of bringing more Salvadorans, about 70 percent of whom don’t have bank accounts, into the formal economy. Using the cryptocurrency would make it faster and cheaper to get remittances from abroad, he argues, and could free the indebted nation from the hold of the traditional global financial system.
Making Bitcoin legal tender — alongside the dollar, which the country has relied on since 2001 — is also part of Mr. Bukele’s charm offensive toward crypto entrepreneurs, who often seem like his primary audience.
The country learned of the plan when Mr. Bukele announced it, in English, at a Bitcoin conference in Miami. Days later, while congress voted to approve the measure, the president chatted with American crypto enthusiasts on a social media hangout.
Click here to read more.


text:
Restaurant owners are being warned to stay vigilant as fraudsters target diners in a new phone scam, according to the latest intelligence from Financial Fraud Action UK’s fraud intelligence bureau.
The scam involves fraudsters, posing as bank staff, phoning restaurants claiming there is a problem with their card payments system. The restaurant is then told to redirect any card payments to a phone number provided by the fraudster.
When the restaurant calls the phone number the fraudster asks to speak with the paying customer and then goes through their security questions. Once sufficient security details have been obtained from the customer, the fraudster will instruct the restaurant to put the transaction through.
The fraudster then subsequently calls the customer’s bank in an attempt to transfer money to their own account using the fraudulently obtained security details.
Katy Worobec, Director of Financial Fraud Action UK, said: “It’s important that restaurant owners are alert. Fraudsters can sound very professional – don’t be fooled.
“If you receive any calls from your bank claiming there is a problem with payments, make sure you phone them on an established number to confirm the request is genuine. In addition, always wait five minutes to ensure the line is clear, as fraudsters will sometimes try to stay on the phone line and pretend to be your bank.”
The con is a new version of the long-standing courier scam where crooks convince people that they’re from a bank or the police by telling victims to call back using the phone number on the reverse of their bank card or the local cop shop.
But the caller doesn't hang up, which means victims think they're dialling a new number when they're still connected to the crook. Who then – for "security" reasons – demands pin numbers and sends a courier to pick up their plastic cards.


text:
Updated from 6:59 a.m. EST
Here are 10 things you should know for Tuesday, Feb. 25:
1.-- U.S. stock futures were suggesting Wall Street would open lower on Tuesday ahead of consumer-confidence data.
European stocks were lower in early trading. Asian shares finished mostly lower on Tuesday as markets were rattled by a deceleration in the rise of Chinese housing prices in January and weakness in China's currency.
2.-- The economic calendar in the U.S. on Tuesday includes the Case-Shiller 20-City Index for December at 9 a.m. EST, the FHFA Housing Price Index for December at 9:30 a.m. and Consumer Confidence for February at 10 a.m.
Dow Jones Industrial Average
rose 0.66% to finish at 16,209.13 -- its highest close since Jan. 22 -- while the
gained 0.62% to 1,847.71, after hitting an intraday all-time high of 1,858.71. The
added 0.69% to 4,292.97.
4.-- The nation's biggest home-improvement retailer, Home Depot (HD) - Get Free Report reported Tuesday fourth-quarter earnings of 73 cents a share, up from from 68 cents a share a year earlier, while revenue fell 3% to $17.7 billion, which was below forecasts.
Wall Street expected Home Depot to report earnings of 71 cents a share on revenue of $17.9 billion.
The company provided a fiscal 2014 earnings forecast below analysts' expectations.
Home Depot raised its quarterly dividend by 21% to 47 cents a share.
Home Depot shares rose 2.5% in premarket trading on Tuesday to $79.80.
5.-- The Web site of major bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox is offline Tuesday amid reports it suffered a debilitating theft.
The URL of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox was returning a blank page. The disappearance of the site follows the resignation Sunday of Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles from the board of the Bitcoin Foundation, a group seeking legitimacy for the currency.
A "crisis strategy" report shared widely online that purports to be an internal Mt. Gox document said more than 740,000 bitcoins are missing from the exchange, which froze withdrawals earlier this month. It said the theft went unnoticed for several years and turned on disguised withdrawals.
A theft of that magnitude would equate to losses of $350 million at current bitcoin prices, according to The Associated Press.
6. -- LinkedIn (LNKD) plans to launch a Chinese-language site in China, the world's most populous Internet market, and said it will comply with the communist government's censorship rules.
The professional networking service will compete with established Chinese-language services Tianji, owned by France's Viadeo, and homegrown rivals Ruolin and Dajie. LinkedIn said it has 4 million users in China but until now its service was only in English.
LinkedIn was rising 1.6% to $202.75 in premarket trading.
From now on, any emails sent to a users @facebook.com email address -- which all Facebook users could claim upon signing up for the social network -- will now be automatically forwarded to the default personal email address used to sign up for the site, Re/code said.
"We're making this change because most people haven't been using their Facebook email address, and we can focus on improving our mobile messaging experience for everyone," a Facebook spokesperson told Re/code.
Shares were up 0.2% in premarket trading.
9. -- Taco Bell, a unit of Yum! Brands (YUM) - Get Free Report, will launch its national breakfast menu on March 27, with items such as the A.M. Crunchwrap designed to appeal to its fan base of younger men. The chain said breakfast will be available until 11 a.m., a half-hour later than McDonald's offers its breakfast items.
10.-- Ben Bernanke, who stepped down last month after eight years as chairman of the Federal Reserve, is planning a memoir.
Bernanke told The Associated Press that he will focus not just on the defining moment of his time at the Fed -- the 2008 financial crisis -- but on the "Great Recession" that followed.
"I want people to understand what we knew, when we knew it, how we made decisions and how we dealt with the enormous economic uncertainty," said Bernanke, who expects to begin meeting with publishers within the next several weeks.
-- Written by Joseph Woelfel
To contact the writer of this article, click here:Joseph Woelfel
To submit a news tip, send an email to:email@example.com.
Copyright 2014 TheStreet.com Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.


text:
Electricals retailer Comet to axe 450 jobs
STRUGGLING electricals chain Comet is poised to cut 450 jobs in a drive for “significant savings” its new owners says are needed to safeguard its future.
Comet, which was last week sold for a token �2 to private equity firm OpCapita, plans to scale back its in-house repairs operation, which provides a UK-wide service on behalf of manufacturers.
The plan is subject to consultation but is expected to result in job losses for engineers and around one third of the 414-strong workforce at a centre handling calls and administration at Clevedon near Bristol.
The company said the move would allow it to focus resources “more single-mindedly” on store operations. It is part of a wider strategic review of the business, which has 248 stores and about 10,000 staff in the UK.
Comet chief executive Bob Darke added: “The proposal to reduce our staff numbers has been a very tough decision to make but significant savings are required to secure the long-term viability of our business.”
Amid tough trading conditions, it recently emerged that Comet revenues fell 14.5% on a like-for-like basis between November 1 and January 8, while it posted losses of �22million for six months trading last year.
Veteran retailer and former boss at Dixons Retail John Clare, who has been appointed chairman of Comet, recently met with suppliers to secure their support after trade credit insurers placed Comet under review.
- 1 London couple transform Suffolk home into an 'intimate' lifestyle retreat
- 2 Forbidden Suffolk: 5 more places you can’t visit in Suffolk
- 3 What time will the Red Arrows be flying over Suffolk this weekend?
- 4 Revealed: The most popular Suffolk fish and chip shop
- 5 The night Town beat Real Madrid - and why they're still part of elite club
- 6 Driver being taken to hospital after car ends up on roof in field
- 7 Two motorbikes stolen after break-in at Suffolk home
- 8 When will bins be emptied during the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend?
- 9 Village suffers power cut for 7 hours after vehicle hits electricity pole
- 10 'Rare' home of former socialite and artist goes up for sale for £1.5m
Retail turnaround specialist OpCapita has taken on the business but former owner Kesa Electricals agreed to pump �50million into the business and retain its pension scheme liabilities.


text:
Audax Private Equity has acquired promotional products distributor Halo Branded Solutions. The PE firms has partnered with management on the deal.
Halo, based in Sterling, Illinois, distributes promotional products (known as “schwag” in the public relations community), such as towels, candy boxes and t-shirts. Some of its clients include Ace Hardware, the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets and the Wendy's Co. (Nasdaq: WEN). “We are impressed with Halo’s leadership position in an industry that is positioned for strong growth,” says Audax co-Ceo Geoffrey Rehnert.


text:
Container Corporation of India Ltd commenced operations in 1989 by taking over the existing network of 7 ICDs from Indian Railways. Today, it is an undisputed market leader, having the largest network of 81 ICDs and the largest rail container operator in the country.
Though rail is the mainstay of its transportation plan, road service also provides door-to-door service for international and domestic business. Indian Railways has recently announced that it would offer a discount of 25% on the haulage rate on the movement of empty containers and flat wagons from January 2019 to December 2019 in order to facilitate movement of containers by rail.
Haulage charge is basically the freight paid by container train operators to Indian Railways for using its locomotives, fuel, network and other facilities.
This discount should be very positive for cost reduction and volume growth of the company, as haulage cost for empty containers is expected to decline from around Rs 10 to Rs 7.50 per km. It is important to understand that the movement of empty containers and flat wagons are an operational part of business. This imbalance is due to origination and return of cargo movement. Haulage charges account for nearly 70% of the operating cost of a container train operator.
Analysts and fund managers tracking the company feel that this relief in haulage charges would save Container Corp approx Rs 50 crore per annum, which would directly benefit their bottom line. Moreover, successive tariff hikes by the company in the recent past would help it to absorb the increase in haulage charges. The quarter ending September 2018 has been quite good for the company, with it posting net sales of Rs 1,822 crore. The net profit also grew by nearly 50% to Rs 336 crore for the same period.
The EBITDA also grew by approx 50% to Rs 573 crore during the quarter ending September 2018. Container Corp continues to enjoy structural tailwinds as it is benefiting from healthy volume growth and better pricing power. Last week, the company was in the news when it recommended the issuing of bonus shares to its shareholders in the proposition of one bonus share for every four equity share held on the record date.
Many foreign brokerage firms have been very bullish on the Container Corp stock and have maintained a buy call for the stock in their research reports recently. While it remains a top pick in the infrastructure space, Container Corp stock can appreciate by nearly 30% from the present levels, with a potential target price of over Rs 850 in the next nine months.
Rajiv Kapoor is a share broker, certified mutual fund expert and MDRT insurance agent.


text:
Perodua BezzaIn November, Toyota and Perodua registered lower sales, noted TA Research. KUALA LUMPUR: Several research firms are maintaining their “neutral” stance on the automotive sector with a revised higher total industry volume (TIV) for this year on the back of new launches in the fourth quarter and continuation of sales tax exemption till end-December. Kenanga Research said the reported TIV of 454,708 units in the first 11 months of this year, which forms 96% of its previous sales target of 475,000, is above expectation. It had thus revised its TIV higher to 500,000 units for 2020, backed by new launches in the fourth quarter of this year. “We believe the new volume-driven launches in the fourth quarter this year could help cushion the cautious consumer sentiment affected by both the conditional movement control order and ending of the loan moratorium on Sept 30,2020, ” it added. Given the sales tax exemption until end-2020, coupled with better incentives programme under the National Automotive Policy 2020, positive impact from Bank Negara’s overnight policy rate cut and preemptive measures to assist those affected financially by the Covid-19 pandemic, sales would receive a boost, Kenanga Research said. Meanwhile, the monthly TIV dropped by 0.3% month-on-month (m-o-m) to 56,500 units in November, said the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). However, on year-on-year basis, it increased by 11.1% due to sales tax exemption for passenger vehicles and new model launches. Besides that, sales of passenger vehicles decreased by 1.2% m-o-m to 51,200 units mainly dragged by lower sales from Perodua, Toyota and Volkswagen. In November, Toyota and Perodua registered lower sales, noted TA Research. “Toyota and Lexus registered combined car sales of 6,300 units in November, down by 3.1% m-o-m and 11.6% year-on-year. “According to management, Vios, Hilux and Yaris have been its best-selling models this year. Meanwhile, Perodua registered 195,000 units for the first 11 months of this year, accounting for 92.8% of its target for 2020, ” it said. On the other hand, the research house said, Honda and Nissan registered a commendable 61.2% and 31.1% m-o-m increase in sales, respectively, due to launches of the new Honda City in October and Nissan Almera Turbo in November. For this month, MAA expects a stronger m-o-m performance due to aggressive promotional campaigns and the continuation of the sales tax exemption. TA Research believes the total TIV for this month would come in 5% to 9% higher than its and MAA forecast of 488,000 and 470,000 units, respectively. Moving forward, the research house expects TIV to be higher next year at 592,000 units, underpinned by improving consumer sentiment, new model launches by national marques such as Proton X50 and Perodua SUV, and increase in completely knocked-down models.
buyappleacc.com is a professional website selling Apple Developer account for more than 3 years, choose us, provide you with the best Apple Developer account. Don't hassle, just step out.


text:
The expansion of Unibet’s live casino solutions in the United States will continue with a little help from Evolution Gaming, as two leading operators from the iGaming industry enter into agreement for content sharing.
Setting A Strong Footprint In The U.S. As Well
Due to the fact that both companies already cooperate in Europe, mainly in the table games division, the sportsbook will start delivering live casino services to players in New Jersey via Evolution’s U.S. studio (recently inaugurated in Atlantic City).
Since Kindred Group operates 11 brands across the entire globe, including 32Red, Bet24, Bonza and more, the transatlantic expansion should establish the company’s platform as one of the leading choices among bettors. Cristiano Blanco, head of gaming says:
“The Unibet brand has a strong footprint in Europe where it has enjoyed exciting growth in Live Casino, thanks in large part to our relationship with Evolution. Now that Evolution has launched its US studio, we look forward very much to establishing and growing the Unibet brand in New Jersey and, in due course, in other US states too.”
Evolution Delighted To Launch With Unibet In U.S.
According to the director of business development and land-based sales at the software company, James Stern, the timing to launch with Unibet in the United States is perfect, since their long-standing partnership dates way back. Stern also comments:
“As a long-standing Evolution partner, Unibet has witnessed and been a part of our phenomenal growth in other jurisdictions, including a number of newly regulated markets across Europe. We are delighted that they have chosen us for their own US launch.”
The director revealed that Kindred’s plans to expand to other markets follows the early success of the studio, whose additional partners and games will “undoubtedly highlight the company’s ability to provide the best player experience.”
A Successful Year For EG
After integrating the group’s flagship brand into the market with highest gaming potentials in history, the Malta-based gambling company will consider adding subsidiaries, already enjoying a lead role in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Gibraltar and many other countries.
As for Evolution, who recently announced the acquisition of Ezugi (rival provider of live dealer games) its continued arrangements across all verticals don’t seem to have an end date; in November 2018, the aggregator partnered with PokerStars in New Jersey and launched a studio for live casino TV show in Belgium.
Only one month earlier, at this year’s EGR Operator Awards, the supplier’s Lightning Roulette received Game of the Year award and confirmed its dominant position in the industry.
“Unibet selects Evolution Live Casino for first move into US market”, news.cision.com, December 12, 2018.


text:
January 18, 2012
This week Sharecare announced that it had raised $14 million from Galen Partners and TomorrowVentures. The company has also acquired The Little Blue Book (TLBB) from Galen Partners and other investors in exchange for shares in Sharecare.
TLBB has been a popular reference tool for physicians for more than 20 years. Sharecare will make some of TLBB's content available on its platform so that users...
October 8, 2011
By Brian Dolan & Chris Gullo
In September, Apple added a new section to its AppStore for healthcare professionals.
It has been an ongoing challenge for healthcare professionals to find useful apps for care settings. While a handful of blogs exist with recommendations from individual medical students or physicians, Happtique has emerged as a filtered medical app store of sorts that intends to...
September 26, 2011
About 80 percent of US adults go online to look up health information, according to Pew, but very little, if any, of the information they read online comes from their own personal physicians. HealthTap plans to change that, the startup's CEO Ron Gutman told MobiHealthNews in an interview last week.
HealthTap announced this week the launch of two new free mobile apps, called HealthTap Express --...
March 30, 2011
A special report on “Innovations in Health Care” that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Monday included a feature on mobile devices.
Most of what the Journal reported shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who reads MobiHealthNews: Dr. Eric Topol, chief academic officer at Scripps Health in San Diego, thinks the pocket ultrasound is ending the 200-year reign of the stethoscope. Telemedicine...
December 22, 2009
The Wall Street Journal today published a feature on tracking vital signs using smartphone applications: "Your iPhone Just Called: Your Blood Sugar is High," a poorly-worded headline (apps don't make your iPhone "call" you) but the article gives great exposure to a number of companies working in wireless health: AllOne Health, TheCarrot, Ringful, Polka, Microsoft, WebMD and more.
November 4, 2009
During its third quarter conference call this week, WebMD announced that its Medscape Mobile iPhone application, which it launched in July, has already been downloaded more than 200,000 times. Medscape Mobile is an app the company created for physicians, but WebMD said the total number of downloads for its consumer iPhone apps now tops 1 million downloads -- and its first consumer iPhone app was...
August 3, 2009
Last week WebMD highlighted its newest iPhone offering, Medscape Mobile during its quarterly investor call, which included some interesting metrics for the company's advertising revenues, CME program growth and general Web traffic numbers. Given the comments about Medscape Mobile's success to date, it seems like the company is looking toward its mobile app for future revenue growth.
July 21, 2009
We reported their plans back in May, now it's here: WebMD Health has launched a Medscape CME iPhone app for physicians. Medscape Mobile is a free iPhone and iPod Touch app that includes information for more than 6,000 generic and brand-name drugs, herbals, supplements and antidotes, a drug interaction checker, clinical reference tools, medical news and continuing medical education (CME). The app...
June 8, 2009
Despite its long history in the medical industry, Palm has launched its latest device with no medical applications. We have written about Palm's legacy as a platform of choice for doctors and other health workers who have depended on the company's PDA for the last decade, but with the company's new smartphone, the Pre, it seems Palm did not have them in mind.
Well, Palm CEO Ed Colligan did have...
May 18, 2009
Emory University's School of Medicine's Allan Platt penned an article in The Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants that concludes that personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smartphones "are becomining an essential clinical tool that can help clinicians engage in lifelong learning as part of their daily routine." Mobile devices allow for fast access to evidence-based information...


text:
Recently, we announced a partnership with Certify My Company to assist self-classified suppliers in obtaining third-party diversity certifications.
The partnership furthers our commitment to increase overall spend with small and diverse suppliers to 25 percent by 2025. Our robust supply chain already includes more than 6,000 small or diverse suppliers, about 18 percent of which are third-party certified as diverse. A diverse business is generally defined as one that is 51 percent owned and controlled by women, ethnic minorities, veterans, LGBTQ, or disabled person(s).
Aramark, a leading employer of dietitians, is helping Americans to make healthier food and nutrition choices, both when dining away from home, and when shopping in the grocery store for ingredients they prepare in their own kitchens.
Popcorn for the People will be served at various locations throughout Lincoln Financial Field with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Eagles Autism Foundation
To help combat the unemployment rate in the autism community, the Eagles Autism Foundation and Aramark, the Philadelphia Eagles food and beverage partner at Lincoln Financial Field, have teamed up with Popcorn for the People, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating meaningful employment for those with autism and developmental
PHILADELPHIA, December 10, 2019/3BL Media/ — Today, Aramark, the leading U.S.-based provider of food, facilities and uniform services, announced a new 2025 sustainability plan, Be Well. Do Well., focused on positively impacting people and the planet.
Be Well. Do Well. is built around several key priorities.
Join NFL Huddle for 100 campaign to build healthier communities for the next 100 years
Multimedia with summary
PHILADELPHIA, September 19, 2019, /3BL Media/ – Today, more than 12,000 Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) team members across the globe will volunteer their time at 350 service projects in 15 countries during Aramark’s annual day of community service, Aramark Building Community Day (ABC Day).
PHILADELPHIA, November 14, 2019/3BL Media/ – Aramark is launching an exclusive new WearGuard® Eco Collection that offers an apparel solution for customers committed to minimizing their impact on environment, it was announced today. The eco-conscious apparel is created with recycled fiber blends, including traditional recycled polyester, oyster shell polyester and REPREVE® performance fiber manufactured entirely from recycled plastic bottles.
Survey from the American Heart Association and Aramark highlights employed Americans' desire to eat more healthfully and reveals impact of workplace environment on nutrition choices
More than half (56%) of employed Americans who typically eat lunch during work hours struggle to eat a healthy lunch at work, and more than three quarters (77%) of all employed Americans say they’re more likely to make healthier decisions at other times of the day if they eat healthy at lunch, according to a new survey from the American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives, and Aramark, the largest U.S.-based food service company.


text:
McDonald's Corp. agreed to sell almost 1,600 restaurants in Latin America and the Caribbean, raising $700 million for dividends and stock buybacks urged by activist investor Bill Ackman.
McDonald's, the world's largest restaurant chain, also said Friday that first-quarter earnings climbed 22 percent.
Woods Staton, who brought McDonald's to Argentina 20 years ago, will buy the stores in Brazil, Mexico and other Latin American countries.
The restaurants, with annual sales of $1.5 billion, earn less than those in the United States and Europe.
McDonald's said in a statement it bought back $1 billion worth of stock in the first quarter. It will take a second-quarter charge of $1.6 billion for the Latin American sale.
Europe's biggest sales increase since 1994 lifted first-quarter net income to $762.4 million, or 62 cents a share, from $625.3 million, or 49 cents, a year earlier, McDonald's said.
McDonald's shares fell 42 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $48.36 in New York Stock Exchange trading, the worst performer among the 30 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The stock closed at a record April 17.
Staton, a native of Colombia, opened his first McDonald's in Argentina 20 years ago as a joint venture partner. He has served as president of McDonald's South Latin America division for the past year.
He will take over 1,100 Latin American and Caribbean restaurants owned by McDonald's and another 500 outlets operated by franchisees and joint venture partners, McDonald's Chief Operating Officer Ralph Alvarez told analysts.
Staton's investment partners include Capital International, a unit of Los Angeles-based Capital Group Cos., Brazil's Gavea Investimentos and New York-based Credit Suisse's DLJ South American Partners.


text:
Neither Coca-Cola nor PepsiCo nor Nestlé nor any other beverage behemoth recognized the potential in flavored, zero-calorie carbonated waters—so Klock clocked them.
Competitors are reacting now, introducing their own versions into the category. But Klock told CEO Briefing that “no one is a solid threat” yet to the first-mover dominance of Sparkling Ice.
Sparkling Ice wasn’t an overnight success story, exactly; but founded about 25 years ago in Seattle by a couple of natural-food suppliers to restaurants. Talking Rain didn’t start growing much until they promoted Klock from within four years ago. And since then, he has helped Sparkling Ice take advantage of a number of trends in the U.S. beverage business to create a brand that is on the way to about $500 million in sales this year compared with only about $25 million in 2010.
The company seems to be taking most of its business directly away from traditional carbonated soft drinks, whose consumption is sliding both in full-sugar and diet forms.
“The consumer, for a long time, drank carbonated soft drinks for two purposes: one was as a pick-me-up, the other was for refreshment,” Klock said. “Energy drinks are capturing those who are looking for alternatives for a pick-me-up, and coffee too. And we’re capturing those looking for refreshment.”
Tom Pirko, one of the leading consultants in the global beverage business, told CEO Briefing that he expects a great run from Sparkling Ice. “They’ve found a niche and done a very good job of filling it,” said the president of Bevmark Consulting, based in Santa Ynez, Calif. “They’re also benefiting from a confluence of different trends—consumer reactions against carbonated soft drinks and sugar, and their self-identification with the esthetics of well-made products. Consumers think Sparkling Ice gives them a combination of all beverage types: the flavor and carbonation of a soft drink and no calories.”
Klock said that Talking Rain is “really bullish” on further growth for Sparkling Ice for a number of reasons. “So much more category opportunity is available to us,” for instance, he said, including convenience stores and food service.
He’s got other believers, including Wells Fargo Securities analyst Bonnie Herzog, who said recently that it “could be achievable” for Sparkling Ice to become a $1-billion brand by 2018 because of increased domestic distribution and brand extensions such as Sparkling Ice Tea.
While competitors haven’t yet gained much hold on American consumers, they are trying other tactics to slow down Klock. Nestlé Waters, for example, is arguing to regulators that the brand’s advertising is misleading because it is using “water” language to describe Sparkling Ice but the product doesn’t meet federal identity standards for “spring water” or “sparkling water.”
Klock is undeterred. “We have gone up against competitive threats already,” he said, “and we’re winning.”


text:
More Holiday Helpers Landing Full-Time Positions [AUDIO]
If you're out of work, the retail industry may be the way to go.
Retailers are starting to beef up their staff ahead of the holiday shopping season and a majority of those surveyed recently said they're planning to hire the same amount or more seasonal help this year.
About 57 percent said they would keep holiday hiring the same as a year ago, while 36 percent plan to hire more according to the survey by consulting firm Hay Group. Last year, about 10 percent of retailers said they would hire more holiday workers than the year before.
"It's pretty simple math. A certain level of sales translates into a certain number of jobs for retailers," said John Holub, President of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association. "What I think is even more encouraging is they're looking to hire more permanent people. So, the seasonal workers won't be the only ones impacted. There's the potential there for people to land full-time jobs."
In fact, 43 percent are looking to hire more permanent workers according to the survey. "We had a relatively good summer. The most recent sales figures for August were quite encouraging. They beat most expectations," said Holub. "Hopefully, we'll have relatively solid back-to-school numbers once the September numbers come back. That's the second most important period of the year for retailers. So, hopefully it will all translate into a really respectable holiday season."
"Things are more optimistic in retail industry this year than last. We're going to be hiring more people and there could be a number of opportunities for people who are currently unemployed," said Holub.


text:
The nation’s favourite nappy rash cream. Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream was created almost 80 years ago and has been used by millions of mums, dads and healthcare professionals, ever since to treat the sore skin caused by nappy rash.
To raise the profile of Sudocrem and reinforce the brand’s credentials as the UKs favourite nappy cream.
Using the iconic Sudocrem pot for inspiration, we commissioned jewellery designer Theo Fennell to create the world’s most expensive nappy cream carrier. An 18ct white gold charm bracelet with tiny Sudocrem pot encrusted with rubies. The lid opened to carry just enough Sudocrem for one nappy change and a charm was to be engraved with the royal baby’s initials after the birth. It was decided to donate the bracelet to the East Anglian Children’s Hospice (EACH) a charity supported by the Duchess of Cambridge who is patron.
A total of 156 items of branded coverage worldwide with a reach of 475,000,000. The story reached countries like America, Uganda, Russia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Morocco and China. Itwas featured on top parenting websites in the UK including the Daily Mail, HeatWorld, Netmums, Mumsnet, and Parentdish. National newspapers such as the Daily Mail online, Daily Express, Daily Star Sunday and the Metro all covered stories about the bracelet. There were thousands of comments on social media channels leading to a 58% Sudocrem Facebook activity growth and 42% Sudocrem Twitter activity growth since launch of the activity.


text:
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Date: October 23, 2017
Participants: 207 entrepreneurs
Member Participants: Coca-Cola, FedEx, Google, Mastercard, Microsoft, Cisco, and Kimberly-Clark
Partners: Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)
On October 23, 207 owners and senior executives from Vietnamese Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs) participated in an SMBs Symposium entitled “Elevating Vietnamese SMBs to the Fourth Industrial Revolution World”. Building upon three successful SMB workshops in Vietnam throughout 2017, the symposium is part of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in 2016.
US-ABC member companies such as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Google, Mastercard, Microsoft, Cisco, and Kimberly-Clark shared their expertise on optimizing the potential of Vietnamese SMBs in face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution World (Industry 4.0) over three panel discussions alongside representatives from VCCI, Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC), and Vietnamese local start-ups. These discussions focus on the most crucial issues faced by SMBs, such as participation in global value chains, utilization of e-commerce and digital tools, and solutions to overcome financial obstacles.


text:
$120m worth of products exported from Markazi Customs Office
Managing Director of Markazi Province Customs Office said on Sunday that $120m worth of goods have been exported to 52 countries namely Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
Speaking to IRNA, Esmail Hosseini said 294 items weighing 1,165 tons including hydrocarbure, Polyethylene, fruit juice, light polyethylene, aluminum cans, tissue, steel, utility pole and aluminum ingots were exported during the current Iranian year (started on March 20).
He added that decrease in exports of products was due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
He noted that 25,839 tons goods worth $55,120,227 have been imported to Markazi from China, Turkey, UAE, India and Taiwan.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA


text:
Quick Note: iPhone 5 Expected to be Announced on Sept. 12
July 31, 2012 4:11 PM
comment(s) - last by
Apple looks to try to reinvigorate sales
Q2 proved a rarity. Usually it was Apple, Inc. (
) who left analysts moderately bullish forecasts looking like silly bears. But in Q2 Apple saw the analysts scoring a win, as its sales
fell short of expectations
It hopes to right the ship with the iPhone 5, which according to numerous sources is rumored to be announced on Sept. 12. An October or late September launch will likely follow.
is already known
about the iPhone 5, Apple's sixth generation smartphone. It will pack
a bigger screen
, an LTE modem, more DRAM, and a slightly faster processor. But it offers much less improvements in the user interface department managing only
baby steps with iOS 6
As Google Inc. (
) begins to roll out devices with the super-slick
Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean"
on board, it remains to be seen whether Apple's modest hardware upgrades and bare-bones software updates are enough to keep up.
All Things D
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Keep up with Android? What a joke.
7/31/2012 11:36:55 PM
"The next frontier for mobile phones is mobile payment and personal assistant."
I agree with your general sentiments, but I think you are wrong in these details.
Mobile payments (at least in the US) is such a goddamned nightmare I can't see it coming soon. (One idea that COULD kickstart things is for Apple --- or anyone else --- to bypass the banks, partner with the large mutual funds, and run the payments from a money market account, but no-one seems to be pursuing that idea.)
So what replaces mobile payments as the next big thing?
(a) Identity. This is the direction Passbook (ghastly name, I hope they change it before release) is headed. The more tickets --- and later other sorts of qualifications, credentials, notarized documents, maybe eventually the infamous virtual SIM --- Apple can get in there, the more convenient it is. No different from the way that it's a whole lot easier to get your car to control an iPhone than anything else.
(b) The smartwatch business. It's coming. And the winner there will be the company whose device does the best job of integrating with the rest of a user's compute environment. IMHO Apple has long had the best story for this transition.
The Google/Amazon story is too tightly insistent that you do everything in the cloud.
The Windows story is hobbled by incompetent execution and a bizarre OS philosophy that appears determined to piss off every possible market segment.
Apple, the company that supposedly insists on telling you what to do, more and more comes off as the company that in fact is offering the largest range of choices in terms of either in the cloud or local, and either using items from their store or otherwise acquired.
Windows is (and probably always will be) more HW open, but it's not clear that's worth anything outside the enterprise, if you can't create an OS that delights users.
So in summary
- Passbook has a far bigger future ahead of it than is apparent today. It will (probably) morph into mobile payment, but in a piecemeal way, and perhaps even in a way that varies across countries.
- Smart watches strike me as THE hot segment of 2013 (though maybe that's pushing the tech too hard, like early netbooks; maybe we need to wait till 2014 for the equivalent of the MacBook Air to show the world how it's done properly).
"We can't expect users to use common sense. That would eliminate the need for all sorts of legislation, committees, oversight and lawyers." -- Christopher Jennings
Latest Apple Leak Shows Fully Assembled Next Gen iPhone, Lack of Design Progress
July 29, 2012, 12:49 PM
Apple iPhones Outsold by Samsung 2-to-1 in Q2, Profit Suffers
July 24, 2012, 5:30 PM
Google Unveils Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean", Galaxy Nexus Price Slashed
June 27, 2012, 2:50 PM
WWDC: Apple Announces iOS 6, Shows Off In-house Maps App
June 11, 2012, 2:45 PM
Next Gen iPhone Screen Specs Leak, Apple to Reportedly Deliver Mini Tablet
May 22, 2012, 6:33 PM
AT&T CEO Says Carriers Can No Longer Foot the Bill for High-End, Subsidized Smartphones
December 11, 2013, 10:55 AM
IPotty and iPad Tot Seat Ignite Controversy: Brilliant or "Destructive"?
December 10, 2013, 6:22 PM
Quick Note: Sleek White Second-Gen Nexus 7 Goes on Sale for $269
December 10, 2013, 4:55 PM
Illinois Considers Ban on Google Glass While Driving
December 10, 2013, 10:21 AM
EU to Nokia: Don't Even Think About Becoming a Patent Troll
December 9, 2013, 10:29 AM
Apple's "iBeacon" Tracks Customers Inside Apple Stores for Enhanced Shopping Experience
December 6, 2013, 11:26 AM
Most Popular Articles
Experts: Masturbation Prevents Cancer, Diabetes, Insomnia, and Depression
December 6, 2013, 2:01 PM
Hackers Nab 2 Million Login Credentials from Facebook, Gmail, Twitter
December 5, 2013, 1:00 PM
Thieves Steal Truck with Cobalt-60 Onboard in Mexico, Will Die "Without a Doubt" from Exposure
December 5, 2013, 12:04 PM
Man Arrested for Using 5 Cents Worth of Electricity to Charge Nissan Leaf at Middle School
December 4, 2013, 8:00 PM
U.S. Navy Fires "XFC" Drone from Underwater Submarine
December 6, 2013, 2:35 PM
Latest Blog Posts
Justice Leaks Details of Next HTC One Two Flagship Phone
Dec 5, 2013, 4:04 PM
Global Cyber Espionage Concerns Reveal Growing Cyber Armies
Nov 29, 2013, 11:04 AM
Is The Period Becoming an Expression of Anger?
Nov 26, 2013, 2:02 PM
NSA and Congress -- You Will Never Kill the Constitution, It's an Idea
Nov 10, 2013, 2:00 PM
AT&T Explores $100B+ USD Deal to Acquire Vodafone's European Operations
Nov 4, 2013, 7:34 AM
More Blog Posts
Copyright 2013 DailyTech LLC. -
Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information


text:
Companies may face operational issues with ERP after GST rollout
Companies may face operational issues with enterprise softwares at least initially when Goods and Services Tax (GST) is rolled out in the country.
"The companies will face operational issues after GST while adjusting with the enterprise solutions. It is to be seen how GST is rolled out. Most companies are ready with the module and waiting for final regulations," Singapore-based Winspire Solutions CEO Jitendra Kulkarni said here today.
Speaking at MCCI Chamber of Commerce, he said "You don't know it could be old wine in a new bottle."
If GST is rolled out properly it will help companies in creating infrastructure and warehouses closer to their markets. Kulkarni said use of cloud service help small and medium enterprises in adopting new technologies at lower capex.
ERPs help enterprise to manage and scale up operation rapidly, he said.


text:
WEEK IN BUSINESS
WEEK IN BUSINESS; A Big Texas Bank Gets Federal Aid
By STEVE DODSON
Published: March 20, 1988
Texas's biggest banking company got an emergency $1 billion loan from Federal regulators. First Republicbank of Dallas sought the aid in an effort to restore depositor confidence. The company, with $32.2 billion in assets, has seen some $2 billion in withdrawals this year amid concern about its financial condition. First Republicbank, burdened with bad loans from Texas's depressed economy, lost $656 million in 1987. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation provided the $1 billion and received enough stock as collateral to gain effective control of the company. The loan was termed a temporary measure until a permananent solution is devised. Analysts said a full bailout of First Republicbank could cost $3 billion, making it the costliest such Federal rescue ever.
In Houston, the $1.47 billion rescue plan for First City Bancorporation hit a snag as some creditors balked. The First City plan involves $970 million in F.D.I.C. aid and $500 million from a private group headed by A. Robert Abboud, the Chicago financier.
* Bridgestone moved boldly to insure that it would acquire Firestone. The Japanese tire maker revised its offer to $2.6 billion, or $80 a share, far surpassing the $1.86 billion, or $58 a share, bid by Pirelli of Italy. Firestone's board accepted the new Bridgestone bid, and Pirelli said it was giving up. In mid-February Bridgestone had offered $1.25 billion for 75 percent of Firestone's tire-making operations. Under the new deal, Bridgestone will also acquire Firestone's 1,500 auto service centers. For Bridgestone, the world's third-largest tire maker, the move was a show of determination to become a big player in the United States, which represents 45 percent of the world tire market. For Firestone stockholders, the $80 a share bid price is double what their shares were selling for early this year.
* The trade deficit's slight rise in January was greeted with relief. The gap was reported at $12.4 billion, $200 million more than in December. The widespread expectation had been that the figure would be at least $13 billion. The deficit with Japan fell by 18 percent and the shortfall with Western Europe was cut in half. But there was a surge in the deficit with the four newly industrialized ''tigers'' of East Asia - Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Housing starts rose 8.9 percent in February, after two straight months of declines. The February figure translates to an annual rate of 1.5 million new homes. Industrial production showed a gain of two-tenths of 1 percent for February. Sales of American-made vehicles were up 6.3 percent in early March, compared with the period last year.
* Bidding wars and bitter disputes broke out in several takeover situations. Roper accepted Whirlpool's increased bid of $470 million, or $50 a share, which was $5 a share more than General Electric's offer. Whirlpool also sued G.E., contending that G.E. had improperly interfered in its dealings, evoking memories of the Texaco-Pennzoil dispute. . .Merv Griffin, the entertainer, made a last- minute, $225 milion bid for Resorts International, impeding Donald J. Trump's effort to take the hotel and casino company private. Mr. Griffin said he sincerely wanted the company, but a lawyer for Mr. Trump called the bid ''a fraud.''
* American Standard accepted a $2.5 billion, or $78 a share, offer from Kelso & Company, a small Manhattan investment house. Black & Decker, whose highest bid had been $77 a share, was not disclosing its next move . . . A $1.1 billion, or $61.50 a share, offer for J.P. Stevens from Odyssey Partners was endorsed by a panel of Stevens's directors. But West Point-Pepperell raised its bid to $62.50 . . . Koppers rejected as inadequate a $1.27 billion bid from Beazer of Britain and Shearson Lehman Hutton.
* There were also some new deals. Sears moved to acquire Western Auto Supply in a deal valued at $402 million. Western Auto, based in Kansas City, Mo., has 278 retail outlets and a wholesale business . . . Hachette of France offered $415 million to gain control of Grolier, the American publisher of encyclopedias.
* A new post-crash high was set in stocks, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing at 2,087.34, up 52.39 points for the week. Stocks, like most other securities, were in a holding pattern early in the week, awaiting Thursday's trade figures. The smaller-than-expected rise in the trade gap helped bolster both stock prices and the dollar. The bond market, however, could not muster much enthusiasm as the week's other data indicated the economy was doing quite well and would not be needing the Fed to lower interest rates. Oil prices fell below $16 a barrel at one point but revived, aided by fears that political turmoil in Panama might shut an important pipeline.
* The Henley Group is splitting in two. The Wheelabrator operations and the waste-to-energy subsidiary would be put into a new company, leaving Henley with financial services, real estate operations, holdings in two earlier spinoffs and a 15.7 percent stake in Santa Fe Southern Pacific. The split is an attempt to deal with complaints that the company's broad diversificiation is hurting its stock price.
* Miscellanea. Ms. magazine will get new owners for the second time in six months. A group of its executives intends to buy it and the new publication Sassy from Fairfax of Australia . . . Pillsbury said it would sell its Godfather's Pizza unit as part of a restructuring that will include upgrading of many Burger King stores and cutbacks in the Steak and Ale and Bennigan's chains.


text:
How to adapt gaming player support to modern tech disruptors
We’ve come a long way from Pong of the 70’s. No longer tethered to a console and controller, the gaming industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Last year, mobile gaming alone generated 37 percent of all video-game revenue according to Mediakix. Meanwhile, digital distributor Steam says it attracts anywhere from eight to 13 million gamers per day. Add to that the more than 100 million unique users that log onto live streaming platform Twitch, and it’s easy to see that the gaming industry is in the midst of a new golden age.
Between streaming services, mobile devices, graphic innovations and virtual reality (VR), new technology is improving the quality and accessibility of games, while innovating the gaming experience itself. Whether it’s offering in-app mobile assistance, or player support within a VR environment, gaming companies are seeking ways to adjust to these new innovations and expectations, shifting their approach to customer service and the user experience.
Here are some of the most significant trends currently disrupting the gaming industry’s approach to player support, and what gaming companies can do to keep pace.
Mobile player support isn’t one-size-fits-all
While the gaming console isn’t dead, mobile gaming has experienced a huge surge in adoption. As the mobile gaming landscape becomes more and more competitive, smart games companies can enhance the value of their brand through better service. “Think about all the different entertainment uses of a mobile device. Games have a ton of competition for eyeballs,” says Jerry Leisure, the senior director of player experience at mobile-game developer Kabam. “You want yours to stand out as the number-one entertainment option on people’s phones, and service can be part of that differentiation.”
Leisureexplains that service personalization is the best approach when it comes to mobile — and especially freemium — gaming. Players spend varying amounts of time and money on their favorite games, and some only play occasionally. “Being able to identify what will help each different player persona — and what will help keep each one engaged with the game — I think that is the real secret sauce. It’s one of the key disruption points in the transition from console to mobile gaming,” Leisure says.
The pressure is on for gaming-as-a-service
Brick-and-mortar video game retailers may soon become a thing of the past. As platforms like X-Box shift away from selling games via brick-and-mortar stores and towards offering monthly subscriptions, more pressure is on service teams to deliver great support lest people get frustrated and cancel, notes John Custy, a gaming customer service consultant at JPC Group. “A monthly subscription isn’t as big of an investment as a console,” says Custy. “But, if I’m paying for it and it’s underperforming to my expectations, retention is going to be difficult.”
To combat switching costs, Leisure says games companies should leverage big data to increase player retention. “All our internal player data is integrated with support tools,” he says. “Our agents can tell at any given time where the player has progressed in the game, how many posts they have in our community forum, and what support tickets they’ve submitted. Frontline agents can the take a 360 degree view of the player, and think about how to retain them,” Leisure says.
Based on Kabam’s analysis, Leisure says the number-one reason why players leave a game is because they didn’t feel their issue was properly resolved. “Empowering our agents with data, and getting them to focus on retention, has been critical in helping us keep players playing,” he says.
Service impact of streaming and virtual reality
Gamers have been posting tutorials and troubleshooting tips on YouTube and forums for years, making self-support one of the leading customer service channels. Twitch — a live-streaming video platform on which some of the best players livestream gameplay and tutorials — has capitalized on this to build its huge user base.
The next step in the revolution will require gaming companies to integrate tutorials and self-service into the games themselves, especially as virtual- and augmented-reality (VR/AR) gaming gains popularity. Headsets like the Oculus Rift make gaming a completely immersive experience; players won’t want to take the headset off to troubleshoot the game. That means game-makers will be forced to think about ways to offer virtual, in-game support in an immersive 3D environment.
Custy says this will likely lead to more exciting ways of educating players. Instead of watching a YouTube video, calling support or browsing FAQs, gamers could potentially tap into an in-game and interactive AI-powered virtual assistant, he says.
New technologies like these can be overwhelming to both game-makers and players, and it’s unlikely that the pace of innovation will slow down anytime soon. The key to keeping players playing, say experts, is continuing to drive personalization, a goal that games companies can pursue no matter what the next big disruption is.


text:
British artist Stuart Semple instigated what was dubbed a 'colour war' by in late 2016 releasing his own brand of pink paint, ‘PINK’, said to be the world’s pinkest pigment. PINK is available for £3.99 from www.culturehustle.com – to all but Anish Kapoor.
Artist Anish Kapoor famously acquired exclusive rights to use the world’s blackest black in his art. Developed by NanoSystems, ‘Vantablack’ is composed of a series of microscopic vertical tubes. When light strikes Vantablack, it is continually deflected between the tubes, becoming trapped. The pigment is currently the blackest substance known – so dark that it absorbs 99.96 per cent of light.
Although originally developed for military and astronomic purposes, NanoSystems subsequently confirmed that Kapoor alone had been authorised to use the pigment for artistic purposes. And as Jonathan Jones began when he wrote on the subject for The Guardian, “Colour is precious”.
Purchasers of PINK will be required to make a legal declaration during the online checkout process, confirming that: “you are not Anish Kapoor, you are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Anish Kapoor or an associate of Anish Kapoor. To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this paint will not make its way into that hands of Anish Kapoor.”
In 2017, Semple took things a hilarious step further by bringing out ‘a better BLACK’, declaring a ‘colour amnesty’ with Anish Kapoor.
The whole colour saga has touched the imaginations of many, and has been covered across all platforms, from the mainstream to the art-specific, also spawning a social media movement and the birth of the #sharetheblack hashtag.
TBurnsArts continues to direct the media and social media campaign...which shows no signs of waning.