text:
- May 22: Bitcoin Pizza Day
Every year on May 22, the cryptocurrency community commemorates Bitcoin Pizza Day, an event etched in the history of the industry. Back in 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made a remarkable purchase that would become a symbol of the era: two pizzas bought for an astonishing amount of 10,000 BTC. Today, those coins hold a dollar value of an astounding $270 million.
In May 2020, Laszlo reminisced about this moment and shared the story, revealing that he had mined a total of 100,000 BTC and decided to spend a portion of it on pizza. He either exchanged or sold the remaining coins. Although he only made a few thousand dollars from the transaction, it was enough to fund a new computer.
- DASH Network Glitch
During the activation of the v19 update, the DASH network encountered a glitch that resulted in a 9-hour block outage. FixedFloat temporarily suspended DASH exchanges. As of the time of writing, the currency is available for exchanges in standard mode.
- Ledger Postpones Launch of SEED Recover Feature
Following intense criticism from the cryptocurrency community, Ledger has decided to delay the release of its key recovery feature. Last week, Ledger introduced a new service called Ledger Recover, which enables users to securely back up their original phrases using three guardians. This feature would allow wallet owners to recover their private keys in case of lost or forgotten original phrases. However, the implementation of this feature would require a KYC client verification process to confirm the user's identity.
Ledger faced immediate backlash from members of the cryptocurrency community who expressed their opposition to the idea of sharing seed phrases with others. Twitter and Reddit users voiced their feelings of betrayal, as Ledger had previously emphasized that wallet private keys would never leave the device. Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier apologized to the community and acknowledged that the company has learned from the incident. He also mentioned that certain parts of the Ledger code have already been made open source, and further steps will be taken in that direction in the near future.
- Coincraddle has developed its own exchange telegram bot!
Now there are even more ways to exchange in a convenient messenger format.
- Japan Strengthens Measures Against Money Laundering in Cryptocurrency Sphere
Japan is stepping up its efforts to combat money laundering through cryptocurrencies. Tokyo has chosen a path that does not involve banning the use of digital currencies but instead focuses on strict regulation. According to Japan Today, starting from June 1, a mechanism will be implemented requiring financial institutions to report information about cryptocurrency funds used in transactions to regulatory bodies.
In line with the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), crypto platforms will be obligated to identify their users and conduct thorough analysis of their transactions. Despite Tokyo's ongoing efforts to tighten control over cryptocurrencies since 2021, FATF believes that further measures are necessary to ensure effective prevention of money laundering.
Furthermore, in June 2022, the Japanese parliament passed a law aimed at protecting investors. The law introduced the concept of "digital currency" and established criteria for liquidity and transparency specifically for stablecoins. Issuers of stablecoins are now required to hold a license, and the issuance of digital assets will only be permitted for registered Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges and trusted companies.


text:
PNG’S LEADING RETAIL GROUP TO PARTNER WITH POST PNG FOR E-COMMERCE WEBSITE DELIVERIES
CPL Group is collaborating with Post PNG to deliver its online store orders for its luxury brand, Prouds PNG.
“ You will find quality products at CPL Group’s Prouds PNG stores. And we are bringing that quality to customers nationwide,” said CPL Group General Manager for Finance, Mr Nazzar Shaffee.
The partnership will see the online store customers receiving goods at 25 Post PNG post offices nationwide except in NCD, Jiwaka and Hela provinces.
“ We are proud to partner with PNG’s leading retailer to deliver and distribute quality goods for its Prouds PNG online store, and offer services that include transport, freight, online tracking and management.
This partnership is momentous and a first-of-its-kind for a major corporation to partner with an SOE like Post PNG,” said CEO for Post PNG, Mr Peter Tepure.
Mr Tepure further thanked CPL Group for having faith in the PNG economy and the government for the partnership.
“ I am pleased to announce that this is the third of initiatives in public-private partnerships (PPPs) with the PNG Government, from large public hospitals in the health sector to post office services in the logistics sector.
We recorded over 2million CPL Group customers nationwide in 2020. This year, we are taking retail innovation to another level in light of market demand,” said Mr Shaffee.
Customers can order from the e-commerce website: eshop.proudspng.com

domain: news


text:
As Ireland’s leading supplier of energy, Electric Ireland strives to lead its customers towards a cleaner, greener, and smarter electric future.
Although most customers understand the importance of net zero, getting there involves new ideas, new services, new products and new thinking. It’s a lot of ‘new’ in a category that people already find complex and confusing.
Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, developed a new creative platform to support the achievement of Electric Ireland’s sustainability goals, enabling the brand to support and empower its customers during the most critical decade on the journey to net zero.
‘Your world, brighter’ means everything Electric Ireland does, has the ambition of making the customer’s world that little bit better and brighter. This comes to life across the brands product range and services like smart meter plans, which makes ‘Your usage, clearer’ or home charging for electric vehicles making ‘Your trips, greener.’
The creative campaign from Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, tells the charming story of two neighbours - an older woman, Maire and little boy, Charlie. By being smarter, cleaner, and greener - and a small bit mischievous - with her electricity, Maire makes Charlie’s world lighter and brighter.
The 60”ad will air from 24th August, with a 30" version live from 4th September.
The campaign will extend beyond TV to include social, digital, cinema, radio and VOD.


text:
The limited edition Bud Light bottles will raise money for GLAAD.
Bud Light has announced a limited edition bottle that will be sold across bars in the United States with $1 from every case that is sold going to to GLAAD. The bottles were unveiled at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Andy Goeler, the vice president of marketing for Bud Light, said: “Bud Light has been a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community since the 80s and we are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with GLAAD by collaborating with them on this new commemorative bottle that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and everything GLAAD does to support it.
“The way we see it, our beer is for everyone to enjoy, so we are looking forward to seeing Pride bottles at bars throughout the month of June and beyond.
“With the release of these new bottles, we hope to create something that everyone can feel proud to hold during Pride month that also makes a positive impact for GLAAD’s initiatives and the LGBTQ+ community overall.”
Zeke Stokes, the chief programs officer for GLAAD welcomed the new move, and the support that Bud Light has given to the community. “For twenty consecutive years, Bud Light has partnered with GLAAD in its mission to accelerate acceptance of LGBTQ people,” he said.
“Bud Light stood with the community at a time when many brands did not, and their continued outspoken support sets the bar for other global brands.”
Several other companies are now promoting Pride ranges as Pride month draws closer. Converse announced for the first time their Pride range would include a design modeled after the transgender flag, and as customisation options are available other pride flags like the bisexual or lesbian ones can also be made.
DC Brau also announced it would be selling 28,000 cans featuring a design of the trailblazing activist Marsha P. Johnson. Proceeds from the sales of the cans will be donated to SMYAL, a charity that helps LGBTQ youth, and The Blade Foundation, which helps fund LGBTQ journalism.


text:
Mastercard 'overcharges' consumers and retailers, say EU officials
July 10 , 2015
EU officials say that Mastercard has been overcharging consumers through the fees it charges.
The firm is being suspected of “artificially raising” costs of card payments, the EU said in a statement. Margrethe Vestager, the competition commissioner, said the fees harmed EU retailers and consumers.
Mastercard said it was working with the Commission on the issue, and had kept “needs of both consumers and merchants in mind”.
The EU probe is focusing on interchange fees, which are paid by retailers to banks while processing credit card payments.


text:
As of January 21, 2020, there have been 60 confirmed deaths as a result of the outbreak. However, the outbreak is strongly associated with THC vapes, particularly these from “informal sources,” and the chemical additive vitamin E acetate. On January 2, 2020 the FDA introduced that it was banning all flavored vape cartridges, apart from tobacco and menthol flavors. The ban additionally applies to any vape product targeted at minors or whose manufacturer fails to take “sufficient measures to prevent minors’ entry” to the product. Even so, deleting its social media accounts can solely do so a lot. According to firm officials, greater than 99% of all social media content associated to Juul is generated from third-get together customers and corporations.
If you’re a social smoker, disposable e-cigs could also be the most suitable choice for you, whereas in case you are a smoker that enjoys smoking by yourself as nicely, a rechargeable and refillable electronic product may fit your needs better. Veppo is the one company that offers a full line of vaping supplies from newbie high podsmall.com quality e-cigarette kits to more superior vaporizers and a full line of e-cigars and e-liquid. E-cigarettes are not FDA-approved smoking quitting aids, and they are not proved to assist people quit. Free quitting medications and counseling can be found to all Minnesotans by visiting Quit Partner or by calling QUIT-NOW ( ). California Prop fifty six tax on your merchandise has not been paid for vapor products purchased by way of this web site.
The influencer program was formally suspended ended on Oct. 31, 2018. According to a Wall Street Journal report, in 2018 the Federal Trade Commission began investigating whether or not the startup used influencers and other marketing to appeal to minors. In addition to this, the Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether e-cigarettes may cause seizures and three stories cited allegedly contain Juul use. There were 134 stories of e-cigarette batteries overheating, catching fire, or exploding between 2009 and January 2016, in accordance with Michael Felberbaum, an FDA spokesperson. The new rules will enable FDA to evaluation the protection of batteries and ultimately take action to protect the public. Vaping labored in a month, and he or she’s been off cigarettes for more than two years. “I’m respiration, sleeping, and consuming significantly better since I began vaping. My ‘smoker’s laugh’ went away, and I not odor like an ashtray.”
What’s Within The Aerosol (“vapor”) Of An E
Smoking Analysis And Research House
On Dec. 17, 2018, an investigation by CNN discovered that Juul had paid social media influencers to evaluate the product on Instagram and Youtube. Juul has since clarified that the paid affect program was “short-lived” and involved “fewer than 10 paid influencers,” who were collectively paid less than $10,000.
That figure is controversial and might be slightly excessive, says Kenneth Warner, a tobacco coverage researcher at the University of Michigan. But, he provides, “The worst critics of e-cigarettes would most likely argue they’re a half to 2-thirds much less harmful. But from a sensible view, they’re most likely on the order of eighty% to 85% less harmful, no less than.”
- This is because if individuals begin smoking of their teenagers, when their brains are nonetheless developing, they are especially prone to the addictive effects of nicotine .
- Thanks to our know-how, users can have a real smoking expertise and fewer restrictions since you aren’t burning tobacco.
- With FIN digital cigarettes, there isn’t any smoke, only vapor.
- Nine out of 10 adult smokers started smoking tobacco cigarettes before age 18.
- Which means no smell, no second-hand smoke and no purpose to not get pleasure from your FIN, anytime, wherever.
Consumers, retailers and distributors in California are answerable for paying the tax directly to the state. You have the freedom to mix and match batteries, tanks, e-liquids, and atomizers. And because all our products are targeted on quality, you can be sure you’ll end up with a vaporizer product that’s constructed to last. Our starter kits also come with refillable tanks that enable the vaping newcomers to benefit from the merchandise for some time before they need to refill carious components. For those that are starting their vaping journey, VaporFi offers complete e-cig starter kits that supply every little thing they need to get began.
These merchandise are for sale to adults age 18 (21 years in some areas). Veppo inventory only the highest high quality of e cigarettes on the market, making it straightforward to seek out one of the best electronic cigarette on your lifestyle. Disposable e-cigarettes are the easiest approach to transition to a different form of tobacco, into one thing that’s nonetheless easy to share and get rid of.


text:
San Francisco's district attorney argues that a majority of users in the city already enable Apple's lost phone security feature, so why is it just optional?
The viola organista combines keyboard and cello in a unique string sound dreamed up by the Renaissance genius.
We've seen Android in smartphones and tablets, and now it's making the leap to computers with the Acer DA241HL all-in-one.
Pricing not available
Is Android the desktop operating system of your wildest fantasies? Probably not, but it's a cool idea -- take a look in our video.
The Acer DA241HL is a desktop all-in-one PC that runs entirely on Android, rather than Windows.
A new ROM lets your HTC One run HTC's Sense UI as well as stock Android, as offered on the Google Edition.
The Vizio M1d-A2R series offers a potent combination of excellent design, decent picture quality, and a pocket-friendly price.
60 Minutes preview: Gates won't entertain comparisons of his life to that of da Vinci, but says the great thinker was way ahead of his time.
Hourly wage workers claim the tech giant broke California labor laws by denying them lunch breaks and final paychecks.


text:
It may seem like Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg are poised to take over the world. But some investors outside the U.S. say they aren't that excited about the IPO.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. Facebook.
In the United States, it seems like the social network's initial public offering is all that any investor wants to talk about. It's like the scene in "Being John Malkovich" where Malkovich goes through the secret portal and finds that everyone has his face and just repeats his name over and over again.
But we're all Being Mark Zuckerberg. And instead of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Zuckerberg portal probably dumps you outside of Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters. In the middle of an all-night hackathon no doubt.
Senior citizens are itching to get in on the IPO. Facebook has allocated some shares to online brokerage E*Trade, a sign that it realizes there is strong demand from the huddled masses. Heck, CNNMoney is even trying to buy some shares. (We only plan to hold the stock for a week and if we have any gains, we are donating them to charity.)
However, interest in Facebook's IPO in other parts of the world doesn't appear to be as strong as it is in the U.S. That's somewhat surprising given that the majority of Facebook's users actually hail from outside North America.
Facebook () has 188 million active users in the U.S. and Canada, about 21% of its 901 million users around the world.
It appears that Facebook is counting on strong demand for its IPO from at least one international market: Brazil. Despite competition from Google-owned Orkut, Facebook has been doing extremely well there. Facebook now has 45 million users in Brazil, up 180% from a year ago.
And Facebook interestingly named Itaú BBA USA Securities, the U.S. subsidiary of Brazilian bank Itaú BBA, as one of the 33 underwriters for the stock earlier this month.
But in Europe and Asia, Facebook's IPO isn't being treated like the Super Bowl of market events ... or to be true to the global theme, I should probably say the World Cup of market events.
"Facebook is the dominant social network in Europe without a doubt. But there isn't a super frenzy here about the IPO. That seems to be a U.S. phenomenon at the moment," said Tim Jenkinson, a professor of finance at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School in the United Kingdom.
Jenkinson said that the interest in Facebook appears to pale in comparison to the last truly groundbreaking Internet IPO.
"Google had a lot more attention over in Europe because they encouraged more retail investors to participate. So it was easier to buy that IPO," he said.
When Google (Fortune 500) went public in 2004, it used a so-called Dutch auction to determine the price of the shares. Through that process, many more average investors were able to bid for and receive shares of the stock before it started trading.,
There's also the fact that Europeans are dealing with a nasty little debt crisis that is in the headlines every now and then. So they might have more important things to be worrying about than whether or not they can help Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg become gajillionaires.
"In the current environment, European investors are extremely cautious," said Neil Campbell, head of alternative investment with Tullett Prebon, a brokerage firm in London.
Campbell added that some larger European investors who may already have stakes in Facebook through earlier stages of financing are "expressing interest in reducing exposure, especially if the IPO is priced at the higher end of the valuation."
Investing experts in Asia also indicated that demand for Facebook is not at a fever pitch.
"The Facebook IPO may be like Beatlemania in North America. But it seems like there is lackluster interest in Asia," said Peter Pham, who runs AlphaVN.com, a research and trading site in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam that focuses on emerging Asian markets.
One problem, if you will, is that Facebook's plans for China are not yet clear. The company currently does not operate there.
Pham said that because of that, many Asian investors prefer to have exposure to Chinese Internet leaders like search engine Baidu (), social network Renren ( ), online gaming company Tencent and Sina ( ), which operates the Twitter-like microblogging service Weibo. He added that there are also concerns about valuation.
"The general feedback I get from talking to investors in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore is that there seems to be a perception that Facebook may be too expensive," Pham said.
Asian investors can also be forgiven if bigger picture concerns like worries about whether China's economy is heading for a hard landing are distracting them from "liking" or "friending" Facebook.
"Asia is much more focused on its own issues, primarily evidence of China's slowdown," said Robert Howe, CEO of Geomatrix, an Asia-focused hedge fund based in Hong Kong. "Yes, there is interest -- just not the obsessive, feels-like-a-market-top interest we are seeing in the U.S."
Best of StockTwits: As stunning as this may sound, there are some already public companies making news too.
Wal-Mart (Fortune 500) had a nice quarter. It's up 5% today as a result. I discussed that in today's Buzz video. Seems like a sluggish economy is good news for them and fellow discount retailer Target ( , Fortune 500).,
Nutritional supplement company Herbalife (questions about the business on an earnings conference call. But at Wednesday's Ira Sohn conference, kind of like the Woodstock for hedge fund managers, Einhorn didn't mention the company once. And that pushed the stock dramatically higher.) was rocked a few weeks ago after noted short seller David Einhorn asked some probing
Einhorn may in fact be playing his cards close to his vest. But the movement in Herbalife over the past few weeks is a sobering reminder to all that Wall Street can be nothing more than a glorified casino.
Facebook will learn that soon enough.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, and Abbott Laboratories, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.
|What we want Apple to unveil at WWDC|
|Millennials squeezed out of buying a home|
|7 traits the rich have in common|
|Big Data knows you're sick, tired and depressed|
|Your car is a giant computer - and it can be hacked|
|Overnight Avg Rate||Latest||Change||Last Week|
|30 yr fixed||4.01%||4.01%|
|15 yr fixed||3.18%||3.18%|
|30 yr refi||4.02%||4.01%|
|15 yr refi||3.19%||3.19%|
Today's featured rates:


text:
New Scottish currency ‘could see pensions slashed by 30%’
Plans by the SNP to introduce a new Scottish currency could see state pensions slump by 30 per cent, according to an expert in economics.
Speaking to the Scottish Mail on Sunday, professor Ronald MacDonald from Glasgow University, said an independent Scotland would not have the reserves to attach its new currency to the British poind and would suffer a ‘floating exchange rate.’
The economics expert warned: “Anything denominated in the new Scots pound, say, would be worth less in value than before and quite possibly a lot less. So pensions would be a good example of that. Furthermore, since we are a net importer from the rest of the UK and the rest of the world, prices of these goods would rise and inflation would be greater, so there would be a double whammy of financial assets worth less and spending power of the pensions would be diminished.”
Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: “ The SNP’s economic blueprint for independence already proposes austerity on stilts and massive tax increases for hard-working Scots. It now appears the new SNP currency would force up the prices of your shopping and decimate pensions.”


text:
TEOPISCA, Mexico – By the time the first rays of sunlight cross the sky, Silvia Jiménez Pérez is already boiling corn kernels, the main ingredient of the food she will sell in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, the cultural capital of Chiapas state.
“I make tamales, taquitos, memelitas, pozol and everything that occurs to me out of corn,” she says. “That’s my business.”
Jiménez Pérez, 44, grows all the corn she uses. “I like to go out to harvest. There’s no happier time than when the rains begin,” she says. “In May the rain officially begins, and in June or July you start finding vegetables in the fields, – amaranth, leafy greens, squash flower, one small vegetable or another. None of them are planted or cultivated or have chemicals; they’re all natural.”
Corn is the staple food of Mexico and the base of many iconic Mexican foods, including tortillas and tamales, but corn production overall in the country has slowed while imports have grown.
The United States exported $2.6 billion worth of the crop to Mexico in 2016, but suggestions that President Donald Trump will seek to end the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – the deal that allows tariff-free imports and exports between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico – has Mexican lawmakers concerned about the country’s future corn supply. The availability of cheap imports thanks to NAFTA pushed many small farms out of the market, leaving Mexico vulnerable if the U.S. stops or even slows its exports.
Jiménez Pérez and people like her could play an increasingly important role as uncertainties loom over the globalized food economy.
She is a member of Mujeres y Maiz (Women and Corn), a cooperative through which indigenous and mestiza (mixed-race) women in Chiapas get support to grow the crop and make their own corn products. Formed in 2008, it now has 180 members who are working together to build a community center, where they’ll train others in their skills and sell some of their products.
The women have seen the impact of politics on their food supply before. The group was formed just before a crisis known in Mexico as “tortillazo,” says Luz del Carmen Silva Perez, a member of Capacitacion, Asesoria, Medio Ambiente y Defensa del Derecho a la Salud, an environmental and health resources organization that supports Mujeres y Maiz.
The word tortillazo is often used to describe political or economic situations that send the price of tortillas up. Early this year, price hikes at the gas pump were referred to as “gasolinazo,” which also resulted in a tortillazo.
In the early 2000s, the U.S. shifted much of its corn crop to biofuels, so Mexican companies hoarded their own crop for fear that there would not be enough to supply the tortilla industry. Prices skyrocketed.
“A kilo of industrial tortillas went from 5 pesos to 12 or 14 pesos,” Silva Perez says.
But small-scale tortilla makers could not raise their prices much and still expect to get any business, so they stocked up on local corn.
Esperanza Bautista, the 32-year-old farmer who founded Mujeres y Maiz, says the group’s first task was to provide local corn, including some from family plots, to the women making tortillas and tostadas in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
From there, the group noticed other common challenges. Most local tortilla makers cooked on open ovens that gulped up great quantities of wood and generated smoke that made the women and their families sick. So Mujeres y Maiz began to build energy-saving stoves.
For Carmela Maria Ruiz Belo, the promise of an energy-saving stove drew her to Mujeres y Maiz. She was invited in 2016 by a neighbor to join the group for work and community. Now she uses a stove that has a griddle so she can cook more than one thing at a time, while all the smoke is funneled through a chimney. She also attends workshops on healthy eating and helps plant trees locally.
These are small efforts when compared with Mexico’s national economy and food supply chain, but they are key in boosting food sovereignty for people who need it most, experts say.
“Food sovereignty isn’t only a question of rights. You’re also talking about questioning the food system itself, so you’re talking about many dimensions,” says Helda Morales, a researcher in the agro-ecology department of Colegio de la Frontera Sur, a public science investigation center that focuses on sustainable development along Mexico’s southern border.
Mujeres y Maiz is one of many groups making similar efforts across Mexico. They are working to create a network, even if only for sharing knowledge. Some of the Mujeres y Maiz members attended a meeting in Italy to learn about the global slow food movement, which promotes local production and consumption.
“This is how changes can be generated,” says Silva Perez. “We are small grains, small nodes distributed in many parts of the country, in many parts of the world.
“We dream of strengthening food sovereignty and in that sense, belonging to these networks makes us strong.”
Danielle Mackey, Global Press Journal, translated this story from Spanish.


text:
If you’re aiming to acquire a Pittsburgh company, you’ll pay more than a year ago. The current median asking price of businesses for sale in the region is $374,900, up 47 percent from $255,000 in 2013, according to BizBuySell.com, a San Francisco-based firm that clocked second-quarter data based on the 63 Pittsburgh area companies listed on its website.
The companies had median cash flow of $104,000, compared to $95,950 at midyear 2013, an increase of 8.4 percent. The median revenue was $500,000, up 23 percent from $406,000 a year ago.
Of the 63 listed companies, 33 were service firms and 22 were retail businesses.


text:
Michelin announces across-the-board price increases
Michelin North America Inc. is increasing tire prices on a variety of tire lines in 2006.
* Passenger and light truck tires will increase by up to 8% on Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal and private and associate brand replacement tires sold in the United States effective Feb. 1, 2006. In Canada, the increases will be effective Mar. 1.
* Commercial truck tires will increase from 4% to 7% on Michelin and BFGoodrich brand replacement tires sold in the U.S., effective Feb. 1.
* Earthmover tires will increase by an average of 8% on Michelin brand replacement tires sold in North America effective Jan. 1.
* Agricultural tires will increase from 3% to 7% for all replacement tires sold in Canada and the U.S. effective Jan. 1.
* Aircraft tires will increase by an average of 6% for general aviation and regional aircraft tires worldwide effective Jan. 1.
Michelin is the latest tire manufacturer to announce a Jan. 1 price increase. Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corp. will raise prices up to 8% on its passenger and light truck tires on the same day, while Hankook Tire America Corp. recently said it will raise tire prices up to 6%.
Yokohama Tire Corp. and Continental Tire North America Inc. also will raise tire prices at the beginning of the year. The increases -- up to 6% and 8%, respectively -- will apply to their consumer tires.


text:
In the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of states that have legalized recreational cannabis—and a lot of states that have legalized medical cannabis. Arizona is one of those states. In fact, it was one of the first to pass medical marijuana legislation, and it was incredibly popular for years.
But what’s happening now? Why are dispensary owners and patients alike abandoning their medical cards in favor of recreational cannabis? And what does this mean for patients who need higher potency products or other treatment options?
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of the country, Arizona was no exception. In fact, Arizonans purchased nearly 106 tons of various forms of medicinal cannabis in 2020 as they coped with the pandemic.
However, throughout 2022, the Arizona Mirror has tracked a 7-month downward trend in medical marijuana sales, while the recreational market continues to set records. And now it’s become clear why: the seeds of the decline of the medical marijuana program began in June 2019, when Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed Senate Bill 1494 into law. Among other things, SB1494 was intended to streamline the certification process by creating an electronic card system and lowering patient costs by extending the life of a card to two years. But after its implementation on July 1st, 2019—just three days before COVID-19 broke out—the number of people applying for new medical marijuana cards or renewing previously issued ones fell nearly by half.
The Complications Of Medical Cannabis
Marijuana is legal in Arizona, but the bureaucracy that makes it legal is still a little complicated.
While there are likely many reasons for patients to leave the program, the cost of certifications and the added inconvenience of the process have been cited by those who have left.
Green Valley resident and former medical cardholder Greg Knowles first got a card in December 2018, but recently let it expire because he did not purchase enough to make it worth his while. It’s also fairly difficult for cardholders to have their medical marijuana cards renewed due to the lack of accessible centers.
Bureaucratic roadblocks are pushing people away from medical and into recreational.
It seems that the recreational marijuana market has grown at the expense of medical dispensaries, according to co-owner and CEO of Sun Valley Health, Dustin Klein. He estimates that there has been a 30-50 percent drop in revenues for medical marijuana dispensaries since 2020.
However, other medical dispensaries seem to be doing just fine. Long wait times, low doses, and high taxes are some of the biggest consumer deterrents in the recreational market. In fact, medical marijuana dispensaries, like Dr. Reeferalz, are actually seeing increases in business, which operations manager Taryn Tia says is due to the novelty of recreational cannabis wearing off.
Medical cannabis programs are a necessary part of the cannabis industry, and they should remain protected. While we must continue to improve our recreational programs, they should not be used as “Trojan Horses” to usher in recreational cannabis.
Medical programs exist for a reason: they offer patients more access to cannabis, and they provide employment protections that recreational users do not enjoy. Patients also have greater freedom to possess cannabis than recreational users. In other words, medical programs are here to stay—and they should be protected!
Cannabis can and should coexist with both recreational and medical programs. Medical patients need safe access to this medicine, and recreational consumers deserve to purchase cannabis at normal, ethical prices.
Enjoyed that first hit? Come chill with us every week at the Friday Sesh for a freshly packed bowl of the week’s best cannabis news!


text:
Xiaomi named in patent infringement suit; plaintiff requests production of Mi Mix 2s be stopped
The lawsuit alleges that Xiaomi illegally used Coolpad's patented multi SIM card design, and certain technology that relates to the UI, on some Xiaomi handsets. While no figure was given, Coolpad is seeking to be compensated for losses it suffered due to the claimed patent infringement. In January, Coolpad filed a similar lawsuit against Xiaomi in a Shenzhen court; Xiaomi has asked the patent authorities in the country to revoke all of Coolpad's patents that deal with the case in Shenzhen.
Coolpad, once part of the LeEco empire, was sold off in January because of its parent's weak financial condition. Due to an audit, the company just released its 2016 annual report which showed a loss of $4.38 billion HKD ($558 million USD) vs. a profit of $2.32 billion HKD ($295.5 million USD) the year before.
Some have questioned the timing of Coolpad's suit, which comes a week and a half after Xiaomi filed for the largest IPO in the last four years. With the pressure on for Xiaomi to complete the offering, Coolpad might have felt that it has a better shot to work out a huge settlement in its favor by filing just before Xiaomi goes public.


text:
According to BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski Apple would likely be held an event on Wednesday, 9th September to unveil it’s next iPhone.
The event will be held during the week of 7th, September, sources reportedly said that Wednesday 9th, September is the most likely date for the event.
The event’s indicates the release of next-generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple may also launch new iPad at the event and expected to unveil the next-generation Apple TV with a dedicated App Store.
If the leak is true, Apple unveiling the new iPhone on 9th, September we could expect that pre-orders might start on Friday 11th, September.
The new iPhone is said to feature a “Force Touch display” as well as a next-generation A9 processor.
Paczkowski said on Friday that Apple is also expected to show off its next-generation iPads on 9th Sept so-called “iPad Pro” which is a “wildcard” at the moment. Apple is early reported to be working on a 12.9-inch touchscreen tablet.
Apple is also expected to showcase a touchpad remote as well as support for Siri voice controls, introducing entirely new input methods for the set-top box streamer.


text:
The Snap Camera is being discontinued, which means no more fun filters and Lenses for your video calls and meetings going forward.
Despite its early rise in popularity, Snapchat hasn’t really managed to hold an edge over its competitors for quite some time. Despite this, it has managed to deliver new features for its audience, and has even bolstered its creator tools, allowing the app to grow slowly over the past few years. Perhaps one of its best and most well known features its filters, allowing users to get creative with new looks and have fun with some outrageous ones. Snap Camera managed to bring these wonderful filters to PC with the Snap Camera, allowing users to take advantage of them during years of video calls.
Sadly, the app is being shut down and removed, with its final days just being a few weeks away. Snap Inc. has updated its support page for Snap Camera, revealing that it will shut down the app on January 25, 2023. After that date, according to the site, the app will no longer be available for download, and it can no longer be used. The page also provides users instructions, so that they can install the app once they are done using it. While it should happen automatically once you uninstall the app, it does also have instructions on the page on how to switch back to the default settings for your web camera.
Oddly enough, the page directs users to use Snapchat for Web, which contains the same Lenses and filter effects. Of course, this isn’t a proper solution, as Snapchat for Web is just the web interface for the Snapchat app which is a completely separate product. So, if you’ve been having fun using the filters for the past two years, you better squeeze every last moment from the app, because in a few weeks, it’ll no longer be available.
Via: The Verge


text:
We are entering an era where our interaction with technology becomes more like a conversation, effortless and ordinary, and less like a chore, clunky and difficult.
Despite skyrocketing demand for increasingly elaborate illusions, the business of creating visual effects for motion pictures is getting less profitable.
Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin speaks with Journal editors about his role at the company, his portrayal in the film "The Social Network" and the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Plenty of teenage entrepreneurs have built companies that later have success, but very few strike it rich as quickly as 17-year-old Nick D'Alosio.
Samsung, the South Korean electronics giant, is succeeding where other technology companies have tried and failed: closing the coolness gap with Apple.
For most Americans today, surveillance of our everyday activities is a fact of life.
Teenagers would like to know how and to whom their information is presented, so that they can make smarter choices in managing their personal information.
Websites are adopting techniques to glean information about visitors to their sites, in real time, and then deliver different versions of the Web to different people. Prices change, products get swapped out, and wording is modified.
The era of social networks creates a challenge for individuals navigating the personal-data economy: how to keep anything private when it is difficult to predict where your information will end up.
"Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality."
The best advice for buying a laptop is to wait until summer or fall, as there are changes ahead in Mac and PC laptops.
EBay is exploring ways to harness an untapped class of buyers: Kids. It may allow consumers who are under 18 years old to set up accounts and access the eBay.com website to buy vintage T-shirts, jewelry, school supplies or other products.
The next iPhone could do something the White House, Congress and Federal Reserve have struggled to do: boost the U.S. economy.
Nokia developed early smartphone prototypes that anticipated features of Apple's iPhone but never produced the gadgets, amid a culture that lavished funds on research but squandered opportunities to bring its innovations to market.
Facebook went public last month on its prospects for growth. But in some areas, the social network's growth rates are already maturing.
The rise of Internet-connected smartphones and advances in display-projection technology are accelerating the development of devices that overlay digital images atop a person's view of the physical world.
Microsoft is pledging $605 million to help bolster Barnes & Noble's Nook digital-book business.
A number of marketers have turned to characters to sell their products, as personifications do better on social media.
High-school coaches have been breaking down film and convincing students to track stats for decades, but Krossover's business represents a giant step in a new direction.
Hollywood is warming to Apple's iCloud effort, but deals disclosed last week show how complicated it is to build alliances in the digital-media business.
Google is giving its tried-and-true Web-search formula a makeover as it tries to fix the shortcomings of today's technology and maintain its dominant market share.
Facebook's dominance of the social media market need not rule out smaller competitors. Venture capitalists have their eye on a new generation of tech companies that are not looking to compete with Mark Zuckerberg, but to use his platform to compete with one another.
Apple unveiled an iPad tablet with a sharper display and the ability to connect to the Internet over 4G broadband wireless networks. Prices will start at $499, the same as the previous model. The tablet will be available March 16.
A group of Silicon Valley leaders is funding efforts to help undocumented youths attend college, find jobs and stay in the country.
A truly auto-mobile is coming if liability laws don't stop it.
AT&T pulled the plug on its all-you-can-eat plan for smartphone customers, telling subscribers they will see much slower speeds if they exceed a new monthly usage cap.
Google has registered 90 million users for its new social network, but it is a virtual ghost town compared with rival Facebook. Users are spending on average just minutes at Google+ each month even as they log hours on Facebook.
Apple chief Tim Cook said the next version of the company's Macintosh OS, due in late summer, would incorporate features from the software that powers its hit mobile devices.
Barnes & Noble is reported to be readying a Nook Tablet with 8 gigabytes of memory, a move that cuold enable it to match the price on Amazon's Kindle Fire.
Technology pioneer Elon Musk is dreaming bigger and further into the future than anyone else out there, and he's putting his money where his mouth is.
In a world of iPads, iTouches and iDistractions, how can a parent get a 9-year-old son to read more? A visit to an event held by Newbery-winning author Rebecca Stead yields some ideas.
Two groups could find more to like on Twitter than Facebook. Could teens and journalists have something in common?
The extraordinary career of a business icon, as chronicled by The Wall Street Journal
A look back at Steve Jobs's career in business, as it was chronicled by The Wall Street Journal. Also featured are excerpts from the new book "Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different," by Karen Blumenthal.
What Steve Jobs created and the legacy he left behind. Excerpted from "STEVE JOBS: The Man Who Thought Different" by Karen Blumenthal. Copyright © 2012 by Karen Blumenthal. Reprinted by arrangement with Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan.
Steve Jobs's penchant for showmanship and cultivation of the media goes back to the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984, at a time when the personal-computer market was becoming crowded and intensely competitive. A 1984 Super Bowl ad helped to set the Macintosh apart from the others. (Jan. 23, 1984)
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple and was the public face of the company, but he soon found himself sidelined by John Sculley, the CEO whom he had recruited to help guide the company's growth. Frustrated, Mr. Jobs walked out of Apple, when his plans to start a new business angered company management. (June 3, 1985)
Steve Jobs's first post-Apple venture, Next Inc., began with great fanfare and generous funding. But it never even approached success. As Mr. Jobs tried to push his ideas over all others—a personality trait that had been both his strength and undoing at Apple—he continued to lose ground to bigger competitors, first in the hardware market, then in software. (May 25, 1993)
Steve Jobs's comeback began not at his computer company, but at the Pixar movie studio, which he bought in 1986 with the fortune he earned at Apple. (Nov. 30, 1995)
In 1996, as Apple was foundering, it founder was riding the success of Pixar's "Toy Story." Shellie Karabell of the Dow Jones Investor Network interviewed Steve Jobs at a technology conference. Less than a year later, Mr. Jobs was back at Apple. (April 29, 1996)
Steve Jobs who returned to head Apple in 1997 was not so different from the one who was ousted in 1985—just more determined. Workers bristled at his brusque management style. Yet others close to the company felt it was just the kick Apple needed. (April 14, 1998)
Among the challenges Steve Jobs confronted upon his return to Apple were frayed relationships with distributors and retailers. The solution he adopted would become a key to the company's revival. (Sept. 29, 2000)
The iPod started out as a simple player that would allow Mac users to make their music collections more portable. Afterward ... well, you know the rest. (Oct. 24, 2001)
In the early 2000s, CD sales were crippled by the widespread sharing of pirated music online. Steve Jobs saw an opportunity to change the industry's business model and its fortunes by marketing individual songs through an easy-to-use online music store. Within five years, Apple's iTunes Music Store had eclipsed Wal-Mart as the nation's biggest seller of music. (April 14, 2003)
Aside from a brief dalliance with double-breasted suits in the 1980s, Steve Jobs fiercely resisted buttons, especially on the products he helped create. (July 25, 2007)
By 2004, Apple's fortunes were seen as closely tied to Mr. Jobs's presence at the company. So when he received treatment for cancer, the company went to great lengths to reassure investors (Aug. 2, 2004)
After a medical leave for cancer treatment, Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 2010, in time to release the iPad tablet computer. Soon after, he spoke with Wall Street Journal technology writers Walter S. Mossberg and Kara Swisher about the origins of the iPad and its future. (June 7, 2010)
His health failing, Steve Jobs resigned as Apple CEO in August 2011, turning the company over to his longtime deputy, Tim Cook. Two months later, Mr. Jobs died, leaving a historic legacy of innovation and revolutionary change in technology, media and business. (Aug. 25, 2011)
Walt Mossberg looks at three PCs that attempt to function as both tablets and traditional laptops.
A wave of new mirrors are relying on sensors, cameras, and flat-panel displays to transform the time-tested looking glass.
A representative from Research in Motion gives a sneak peek at RIM's latest smartphone at the BlackBerry Jam Americas conference in San Jose, Calif. Via WSJ's #WorldStream
New Bluetooth speakers make it easy for a smartphone or laptop to fill a room with sound.
The next generation of digital cameras comes into focus
If you're armed with the right photo apps, editing tricks and shooting know-how, it just might be.
Real-Time Advice: Experts say Apple's plan to replace Google Maps with its own software might have little impact on the user experience.
Touchscreen devices like iPads are much loved by little tykes. But parents worry about how it may affect their development. Is it better or worse than television?
Target is planning to stop selling rival Amazon.com's Kindle e-book reader. The devices have already been removed from Target's website.
Cranky Consumer tests three online services, and one walk-in service, that takes your old cellphones, laptops and cameras off your hands, and pays you cash.
Google may be making a new contribution to nerd fashion with "Project Glass," or eyeglasses that instantly provide users with visual info including messages from friends and map directions.
We test mobile apps that help people improve their skill in a foreign language beyond the spoken word.
Sony's new portable PlayStation is like a pocket-size console.
Three years ago 17 manufacturers and operators agreed to adopt a standard micro-USB socket by 2012. It is still not universal, but the standard may be getting closer.
Users of 4G smartphones are discovering their speedy broadband service also zips through battery life.
Our reporter discovers her iPhone movie-watching and music-streaming has unexpectedly pushed her into the top 5% of AT&T's data users.
Auto makers are accelerating a drive to link your next car's dashboard to all the music and data stored in the Internet cloud.
Real-Time Advice: The secret of Apple's success in selling the iPhone may be repeat business.
Our intrepid reporter goes booth to booth to provide a unique take on the world's largest consumer electronics show.
In its latest effort to unite the worlds of online video and the arts, YouTube is launching an online film festival in conjunction with the Venice Film Festival and Scott Free, the production company of filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott


text:
While automakers have gone all in on electric SUVs and trucks in recent years, 2021 has a crop of drool-worthy battery-powered and hybrid sports cars on the way.
Electric sports cars have been around for years with the first Tesla Roadster released more than a decade ago. But now there are more plug-in hybrid and 100-percent battery versions of the flashy cars offering more range and power. Many of this year's new e-sports cars have bigger batteries, so they can last longer while in stealthy electric drive mode. Here are six new electric sports cars building out the expanding electric car market even further.
There's a new sports car that you can plug in from California-based carmaker Karma with the GS-6. On Monday, the company announced new pricing for its redesigned (and renamed) Revero GT. Instead of a nearly $150,000 price tag, the GS-6 starts at $83,900.
The plug-in hybrid can run on the dual motors and 28-kWh battery for up to 80 miles. On Stealth mode, the car only uses the battery. But when combined with the gas-powered generator, the car can go up to 360 miles.
All-electric Karma GSe-6
By the end of the year, Karma plans to offer an even cheaper version of the above sports car that only runs on electricity. The GSe-6 hasn't been revealed yet, but it will rely 100 percent on electric power. It's expected to have a range of over 300 miles and start at $79,900.
This isn't your average hybrid. The McLaren Artura supercar was revealed this week as a $225,000 lightweight speed demon that can hit 205 miles per hour. It takes about 2 hours to recharge the 7.4-kWh battery and electric motor, which gives the hybrid 19 miles of electric range. McLaren has promised an all-electric version by 2025.
Tesla Roadster 2.0
Tesla's first electric car was the speedy Roadster back in 2008. It was produced until a 2012 hiatus as it prepared for an update. A second-generation version of the $200,000 car was expected this year, but now it's looking like a 2022 arrival. Reservations are open on Tesla's website.
But it might be worth the wait: Tesla is promising 620-mile range and 250 mph as the top speed.
Musk first teased the revamped supercar EV in 2017.
Porsche had offered the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid since 2011, but at the end of 2019 an all-electric sports car from the German automaker arrived for the first time in the Porsche Taycan. Later this year the base model will arrive in the U.S. for $79,900 with a 79.2 kWh battery. Porsche hasn't announced this model's range, but it's expected to match other Taycan variations that have ranges of roughly 200 miles.
All good things must come to an end. 2021 will be the final production year for Polestar's first car: the Polestar 1 hybrid sports car. The two electric motors and 34-kWh battery give the gas engine an extra 70 miles of pure electric mileage. Altogether the $156,000 hybrid goes 540 miles on a full tank and full charge.
But once the final plug-in sports mobile comes off the line, there's already the more practical Polestar 2. Although not as sporty, the second vehicle is all-electric and arrived at the end of 2020 for a more modest $59,900 starting price.
Read more about electric cars:
Topics Electric Vehicles


text:
Tesco is recalling some packs of organic nuts after salmonella was detected in the product.
The infectious bacteria was discovered in a batch of the supermarket’s organic almonds, forcing the retailer to warn customers not to eat them.
The supermarket advises its 200g bags of nuts with a best before date of February 2019 and a L8004010 batch code should be returned to a Tesco store immediately.
Symptoms of salmonella include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps, and can last anywhere between two and 10 days.
Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores selling the product.
These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.
The notice reads: "We have been made aware of the presence of salmonella in one batch code of Tesco Organic Almonds 200g and we have decided to recall this product.
"Please do not consume this product but return the affected date and batch code of the product to store where a full refund will be given.
"No receipt is required.
"Tesco apologises to our customers for any inconvenience caused. If you require further details please contact our customers services directly on 0800505555."


text:
It's turning out to be an important time for extraordinary watches. First, Christie's sold the most expensive Rolex ever, and now Forbes reports that Sotheby's will be auctioning off five rare Patek Philippe titanium watches at its June 10 Important Watches auction in New York.
The superstar of the bunch is the Ref 5001 Sky Moon Tourbillon, the only watch of its kind made from titanium, and one so rare that no one but its unnamed current owner was aware it even existed before it was brought to auction. The Ref 5001 Sky Moon Tourbillon could sell for as much as $1.5 million, with the latter price topping the recently sold cloisonné enamel dial Rolex Oyster Perpetual, which is now officially the most expensive Rolex ever sold. Ballers get those wallets ready.


text:
Warc News, 02 October 2014
SHANGHAI/BOSTON: Western multinational businesses have long seen emerging economies as markets that can be exploited but have been slow to see them as sources of innovation. In a blog post for the Harvard Business review, Vijay Govindarajan, a professor at Dartmouth College, highlighted the recent success of the Indian Space Research Organisation in putting a satellite in orbit around Mars at a fraction of the cost it takes NASA.
Milo Chao and Catherine Talpey, Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2014
This case study explains how Adidas, the sportswear brand, launched its first-ever local campaign targeting Chinese women by focussing on 'sisterhood'.
Andreas Krasser, Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2014
This case study describes how Anmum, an infant formula milk brand, launched with a new approach to the category in Hong Kong by highlighting tangible short-term benefits of its product.
Matt Che, Joslyn Wu and Ed Tsue, Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2014
This case study describes how Harbin, a Chinese beer brand, presented itself as central to the opportunity offered by the soccer World Cup to break away from the daily grind.
Calvin Chow, Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2014
This case study describes how retirement solutions' provider Manulife made people in Hong Kong realise the importance of starting their retirement planning early.
Hans Lopez-Vito, Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2014
This case study explains how private online news provider NetEase pushed China's strict state controls by challenging people not to follow the news blindly.
Kaiyu Li, Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2014
This case study explains how Mizone, a soft drinks brand, reinvigorated itself in China by targeting young people with an 'antidote to stress' message.
Warc News, 26 September 2014
BEIJING: Women are a major reason for the boom in China's ecommerce which is set to be given a further boost by customs reforms making it easier for them to shop overseas. A report from Minsheng Securities highlighted the fact that women are responsible for more than 60% of general goods purchases made online in China, while 70% of all people involved in group buying online in China are women.
Warc News, 24 September 2014
BEIJING: The rapid growth in the number of Chinese tourists travelling overseas is leading to a widening gap in the country's net tourism spend, with the nation's inbound tourism rates remaining sluggish. "A tourism deficit greater than $100bn is a sure thing this year," according to Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy. A new report from his organisation predicts that a total of 116m Chinese will travel overseas during 2014 and will spend $155bn, a 20% increase on the previous year.


text:
Following the movement restrictions placed by governments across the world, more and more companies are adopting the work-from-home trend and are well on their way to making it permanent in a post-Covid world.
However, working from home has raised several concerns, one of it being technology. Not all are equipped with the right tool for a seamless transition. Despite talks about the rising adoption of cloud services, a hassle-free work experience still requires the right technology.
According to a study conducted by Ipsos, 62 percent of Malaysians faced difficulty getting work done at home due to inadequate home office setup or equipment.
One of the biggest trends that Canon Malaysia is foreseeing this year is that most companies will continue to move to a centralised ‘cloud’ platform to efficiently back up and store their information.
While companies can invest in adequate infrastructure to boost data accessibility, employees must also be quick to adapt and become more tech-savvy. While the transition can be far from easy, it is necessary for efficient and work performance.
Understanding that the transition will be more difficult for SMEs across the country, Canon Malaysia has reaffirmed its commitment to help them brace through the current situation.
“At Canon, we provide end-to-end solutions and services to all our customers. From deploying the entire system to helping our customers with their digital transformation journey or transition from current to future systems,” Sandy Lee, Assistant Director Of The Consumer System Products (CSP) Division at Canon Marketing Malaysia says.
“We aim at addressing customer’s digital transformation needs through the adoption of technologies and solutions. Hence, we are consistently looking into forming collaborations with strategic business partners to ensure we can bring solutions that would boost work efficiently and profitability for SMEs,” she adds.
Canon also understands that there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution that can cut across all sectors and businesses hence the company is also extending their product range that meets all needs, from home-use to professional level.
“During the pandemic, sales for our home-use printers surged exponentially. The nationwide lockdown has prompted work-at-home professionals and e-learning students to seek out printers like never before,” Lee tells BusinessToday.
Approaching the New Normal The Right Way
Canon has urged businesses to be open to try out new methods to reach their customers and be steadfast at understanding their customers’ needs. “Always stay connected with customers to discover the best solutions to help them. This principle applies to all industries.”
Lee has also pointed out that sustainable communications are essential at any time, even more so during a pandemic as people are now keeping indoors. Driving consistent conversations displays brand authenticity and builds trust among important stakeholders.
On top of consistent communications, businesses will also need to look into digital solutions that deepen human connection during these trying times. Many organisations have prioritised this as an important objective, rethinking their values, operations and infrastructure to transform themselves into a human-centred enterprise.
“Businesses should also look into optimisation by collaborating efficiently & effectively with strong business partners. Collaborate with loyal business partners for mutual benefits. Working even more closely with our dealers and retailers to formulate the right go-to-market strategies as well as looking into collaborations with other brands,” Lee shares.
How did Canon brace through the pandemic?
“We pivoted our go-to-market model by digitalising our offering from offline to online. During the first MCO, we strengthened our e-commerce presence offering through Lazada and Shopee. We also took strides to digitalise our customer service by implementing additional customer touchpoints, such as conducting webinars to educate customers and potential customers on our diverse range of solutions.
“Canon remains focused on our key product offerings through an open innovation approach for R&D based on partnerships with external organisations. The past year has made us work even more closely with our dealers and retailers to formulate the right go-to-market strategies and bring solutions that meet the new normal needs,” Lee tells BusinessToday.
After a year of challenges, the pivot undertaken is definitely in favour of Canon. The company will soon expand their omnichannel retail strategy by launching their very own e-store. This comes after having launched their flagship stores on Shopee and Lazada.
This year, Canon will also be announcing a new range of ink tank systems printers before the end of 1H2021.
“With more and more people moving towards working from home and e-learning, Canon foresees potential uptake in this system of printers to increase,” Lee says.
Canon also launched a loyalty programme in Q4 2020, focusing on toners to encourage and educate consumers about the importance of using genuine toners. All Canon’s genuine toners are encrusted with a holographic security label on their packaging. To verify the authenticity of the toner, customers will just need to scratch the label and scan the disclosed QR code. Ultimately, this process eases customer’s concern about buying non-genuine.
From the success of 2020, Canon is looking to grow its rewards offering by collaborating with other service providers to feature suitable benefits and rewards for a more superior customer experience.


text:
ShoeDazzle walked all over the competition to become the top fashion brand in a new study factoring in reach, engagement, and shopping.
Shopping platform 8thBridge surveyed 1,448 Facebook users about fashion brands and factored in data from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and Flick in compiling the results in the infographic we’ve reproduced at the bottom of this post.
The top 15 brands were:
- Barneys New York
- Betsey Johnson
- Fergie Footwear
- Adidas Football U.S.
- 7 For All Mankind
- Roberto Cavalli
- Jessica Simpson
Other findings from the study, followed by an infographic below:
- 53 percent of consumers have liked a fashion page on Facebook to stay informed about new offers;
- seven percent of consumers share about fashion purchases on Facebook;
- 13 percent share fashion deals on Facebook;
- 48 percent of consumers would make a purchase on Facebook if an attractive deal was offered;
- Converse had the highest Facebook fan count, at 20,184,853 as of the time of the survey;
- Verragio had the highest percentage of its website traffic coming from Facebook, at 55.56 percent;
- Louis Vuitton had the highest average number of Facebook users “talking about this,” 259,091 at the time of the study; and
- Troy Lee had the highest number of status updates for September, posting 134 in the month.


text:
By LAURIE CHERENFANT
“That doesn’t belong there,” the doctor said as he looked over the PET scan results.
“It’s in your lungs. “Get it out,” Natanaelle Joseph, a 5-foot- 5-inch Brooklyn woman, yelled at her doctor.
Joseph, a 60-year- old Haitian immigrant weighing about 160 pounds, said that she religiously goes to the doctor at the beginning of every year for her check-up. Being a smoker for about 20 years, she knew just how important this was. But this year, something was different.
In May 2010, after carrying a dresser down some stairs, she felt a pain in her knee. She visited a doctor who told her there was nothing wrong with her knee. Skeptical, Joseph visited another doctor who told her she had arthritis in her knee. This doctor then referred her to yet another doctor who confirmed that she in fact had a tear and had to have surgery.
Preparing for surgery, Joseph had a full body X-ray done. The X-ray shed light on the darkness in her left lung.
“I wasn’t lucky, but I was lucky,” said Joseph, a retired nursing assistant from Flatbush. “I wasn’t lucky because I had cancer. I found it early—I had a mass in my lungs.”
Joseph always knew she had to quit smoking. After several attempts to quit—stopping the habit for up to three to six months at a time—finding out she had cancer forced her to slam the brakes on her addiction, helping her to stay smoke-free for three years. Little did she know, quitting could have been made easier if she was eating a healthy diet.
“Fruit and vegetable intake can help smokers quit and stay smoke free because of their strong antioxidant power,” said nutritionist Lauren Minchen, founder of Manhattan-based Lauren Minchen Nutrition, which counsels patients on nutrition-related diseases. “Often, cravings for nicotine and other addictive substances can mask nutritional deficiencies. Once fruit and vegetable intake reaches adequate level, these cravings may subside.”
Smoking has dropped 35 percent in New York City since 2002 as Mayor Michael Bloomberg pursued a vigorous strategy against it. But 14 percent of adult New Yorkers are smokers.
Cigarette smokers who seek out groups aimed at helping them to quit smoking often leave weekly meetings with pamphlets or cards with tips to help them stay clean. Of the many tips that are listed, the most neglected tip is to eat well. A
study published in January in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research looked at fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to quitting smoking. It found that eating healthy produce helped with not only quitting but staying smoke-free. “People who eat the most fruits and vegetables are three times more likely to give up cigarettes,” Karen Ansel, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said. “Since fruits and vegetables are higher in fiber and water—two nutrients that have been shown to keep us full—it’s plausible that people feel fuller and are less likely to confuse hunger with the urge to light up.”
In 2007, the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research surveyed smokers on food preference in relation to their smoking. Smokers commonly reported red meat and alcohol enhanced the taste of cigarettes while healthier foods such as dairy, fruits and vegetables made cigarettes taste bad.
“People who smoke want grilled meat,” Joseph, now an ex-smoker for three years, said. “That’s their preference.”
Instead of eating red meat, salmon and trout are preferred because they are high in Omega-3 fatty acids. They help smokers to stop smoking, and help repair arteries that have been damaged by smoking, said Margaux Harari, nutritionist and dietitian of Nutrition Energy in Midtown Manhattan.
It isn’t clear “if smoking cessation leads to higher consumption of healthy foods or if people who eat more fruits and vegetables are just more likely to stop smoking,” nutritionist Myrdith Chrispin of The Brooklyn Hospital Center said. “Antioxidants and phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables improve the health of lungs for people with asthma, wheezing and other respiratory ailments.”
This happens because toxic wastes are removed as the chemicals help to restore and build tissue, enhancing the immune system. A 16-gram intake of daily vitamin C is also helpful to an ex-smoker trying to regain lung health, Chrispin said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of 2009, 63 percent of the average American’s diet was comprised of processed foods. Only 12 percent of the diet was plant food such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains, and the remaining 25 percent included meat, eggs, dairy, fish and other seafood.
One of the troubling concerns for a smoker who plans to quit smoking but never commits is the fear of gaining weight. It is hard for a smoker to quickly give up the smoking addiction because once he stops, his hands and mouth crave the motion of smoking a cigarette. Therefore, instead of smoking, a smoker on the path to recovery may turn to foods which aren’t always healthy. By choosing a healthy diet, Harari says, “Smokers are reducing the chance of weight gain once they do decide to quit.”
Because smoking helps to burn more calories than the body would normally burn, “it may be a struggle to keep from gaining unwanted pounds if a smoker is consuming a diet void of fruits and vegetables,” Harari said.
“Some people gain weight, some people don’t,” the pamphlet “Your Quit Smoking Diet” by ETR Associates, a non-profit health promotion program, states. “People who gain usually add about five to ten pounds.”
“Eating regular meals and snacks every four hours or so can help keep hunger at bay,” said Ansel, co-author of “The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life.” “If people still have the urge to eat because they’re in the habit of having something in their mouths sugarless gum can be a good substitute.” “
Michen recommends that smokers consume five to nine servings of fresh or frozen fruits or vegetables daily, with vegetables making up most of the servings. “Generally the brighter the color of the fruit or vegetable, the higher the antioxidant and nutrient level,” she said. And don’t forget, Minchen said, that fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables are more nutritious than canned products.


text:
May 31, 2013 Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company plans to triple the size of its charging stations network.
May 28, 2013 Residents of California's Central Valley are trying to stop a high-speed rail system that would connect San Francisco to Los Angeles from cutting through their land.
May 8, 2013 Luxury electric car maker Tesla is expected to report a profit on Wednesday. The profit comes not from the $100,000 cars, but from California Zero Emission Vehicle Credits that amount to thousands of dollars a car when resold to other car makers.
Apr 25, 2013 Millions of Californians will be eligible for healthcare under the new law, and lots of them know nothing about it.
Apr 24, 2013 California Governor Jerry Brown is looking to join other states in basing funding increases at public universities on measures like higher graduation rates.
Apr 12, 2013 The electric car company Fisker has laid off three quarters of its employees and reports suggest a bankruptcy filing is near.
Apr 9, 2013 Given that it is legal to manipulate other devices in a car, the court suggests that people should take it up with the legislature to change the law if the ruling seems arbitrary.
Apr 8, 2013 Southern Californians are known for their laid-back attitude. But a fight over beaches has split folks who own expensive beach front homes and beach-goers who gather around fire pits.
Mar 27, 2013 San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is going electronic today. It’s the first time in 76-years, that the iconic bridge will be without a human toll taker.
Feb 15, 2013 The battle between Elon Musk of Tesla and the New York Times in the wake of a bad review for a test drive of the company’s car continues. But what is the real takeaway from the flap?


text:
Why Artis Credit Is The Best Customer Financing Option For Contractors Artis Credit is your best choice when looking for customer financing for contractors. We’re
The Latest Posts
Artis Technologies Launches Healthcare Financing for Practices ATLANTA, GA Nov 2, 2021 – (BUSINESS WIRE) Artis Technologies is excited to announce the launch of the
Artis Technologies takes another step towards accelerated growth: CEO Barclay Keith joins the Bunker Labs and JPMorgan CEOcircle Program The program will provide 43 military-connected
Make your business a point of instant financing and benefit from easy-to-use, mobile-friendly technology that can get cash alternatives into your customers’ hands today.
Atlanta, GA – January 12, 2021 – Today, Artis Technologies, a provider of modern point-of-need lending and payment solutions, announced it has entered into a
Lena McDearmid, co-founder and COO of Artis Technologies LLC. Photo Credit: Byron E. Small. Gracy Donnelly, Reporter for the Atlanta Business Chronicle, wrote an
Atlanta, GA – October 27, 2021 – Paya, a leading provider of integrated payment and commerce solutions, has announced that it has partnered with Artis Technologies,


text:
CORVALLIS – Oregon State outfielder Rob Folsom said it best Tuesday morning as the Beavers unveiled five new baseball uniforms from Nike during a news conference at the Valley Football Center.
“Classy,” said Folsom, summing up the Beavers' new look for the 2010 season, which begins Feb. 19 with a four-game series at Hawaii.
Beaver Nation can rest assured that the fashion czars at Beaverton-based Nike avoided any temptation there might have been to dress the Oregon State team in something as ghastly as the 1971 Baltimore Orioles “alternate orange” uniforms or the 1979 Philadelphia Phillies “Saturday Night Specials.”
And there’s none of those camouflage getups like the ones in San Diego, either.
These uniforms are what most people would call “old-school,” from the classic white, button-up jersey to the orange, v-neck pull-over – both with “BEAVERS” in black, block letters across the front. The pants are white with orange and black piping along the sides.
The Beavers also have crème tops and pants with black accents (as “classic” as classic can get), a pinstripe version with a vest, and, finally, the basic gray jersey and pants for road games.
The away grays are the only ones with “Oregon State” on the front. The others all have the nickname.
In the past, the Beavers have left the decision on which uniforms to wear on which days up to the coaches and/or the starting pitchers, so it’s uncertain if there will be a set rotation for the uniforms. The best guess is that they’ll go with the whites on Fridays, the crème on Saturdays, the orange on Sundays, the pinstripes for midweek games, and the grays on the road.
There’s also supposed to be a black jersey that could be the standard on Sunday as it was last season, which could then bump the orange to Saturday.
As for the caps … for now there is only one – black with the orange “OS” logo.
“They all look great,” junior second baseman John Tommasini said. “If you look good, you play good. Everyone always says differently, but … that’s how I feel.”
-- Jim Beseda


text:
Friday, July 6, 2012
Hulu Japan has mailed in a status update noting that its content library has increased by more than 300 percent since launching last fall, now amounting to over 800 films and around 6,900 TV shows. Newly added to that list is Mad Men and more notably, "select HBO shows" including Entourage and Sex And The City today, followed by Entourage and Band of Brothers later this year. Of course, similar to the situation that sees Showtime favorites like Dexter available on Netflix in Latin America but not here in the States, it doesn't make it any more likely HBO will suddenly become cord-cutter friendly at home -- this is an international deal only. Hulu does have more good news in Japan though, now that it works on more devices with the Wii coming soon and "aggressive expansion" planned for the rest of 2012. While it doesn't help the list of Hulu Plus-compatible Android phones grow any faster, there is a quick trailer celebrating the new content, viewers on either side of the Pacific can check it out after the break.
If you decided to snag the latest Nike+ wristband earlier this year, you're about to get some added functionality thanks to an iOS application update. First, the outfit has added Path integration to the mobile software. Users can now keep track of the sights they've visited while out for a jog or bike ride and share said moments / achievements with their mates. When the day comes to a close, those points-of-interest along the trail will appear on the app's progress graph. You'll also encounter background syncing by holding down the FuelBand's button alongside the ability to check battery status, offline data access and setting the time with your iPhone or iPod touch. For a quick look at what you can expect to see with the refresh, sprint to the gallery below.
Rounding out the US launch of the HTC One lineup, the retro-inspired HTC One V has launched over at Virgin Mobile. The Ice Cream Sandwich device shares its Sense 4.0 software with big brothers the HTC One X and HTC One S, but other specs place the phone in a lower tier. It features a 1GHz Snapdragon S3 processor, 3.7-inch display, and 5MP camera. What stands out about the One V, though, is its design that harkens back to older HTC handsets, including the protruding “chin” of models like the Hero and G1.
The HTC One V is available contract-free from Virgin Mobile today for the affordable price of $199.99. Other than it’s low cost, the name makes it a perfect fit.
Nettops have slipped a bit out of vogue, but Shuttle is keeping the flame alive for those who like their desktops tiny and hushed. The XS35V3 and XS35GTA V3 have moved on to more contemporary Cedar Trail-era, 2.13GHz Atom D2700 processors that keep the power draw to a fanless 27W, even when everything is churning at full bore. That limit might get tested with the GTA variant, which brings in Radeon HD 7410M graphics for a lift to 3D performance, but neither mini desktop will exactly make the power company beg for mercy. Either is a barebones kit with the laptop-sized hard drive, optical drive and OS left to the buyer -- if you don't get them at the same time, you'll have only the HDMI, VGA, USB and card reader to keep you company. Europeans are currently the only ones getting a crack, where it costs €172 pre-tax ($214) for the XS35V3 and €233 ($290) to get its faster GTA cousin.
The coolest thing at Google I/O this year isn't a cheap tablet or a pair of overpriced glasses or even a killer keyboard. It is, believe it or not, an alarm clock. But not just any alarm clock -- this is an alarm clock with potential. What you see above, and demonstrated in the video after the break, is the gadget that was handed out to attendees who went to learn about the Android Accessory Development Kit. It has an array of RGB LEDs on the front which it can use to display simple numerals and digits, but thanks to a bevy of sensors -- and plenty of connectivity options -- that's just the beginning. USB? Check. NFC? Definitely. Accelerometer, colorimeter, magnetometer, barometer, hygrometer, thermometer? Yes, all that and more.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
In the least offensive way possible and speaking as an Englishman, this type of scam could only be dreamt up in the north of England. A conman has been making cash packaging up potatoes and water bottles in original iPhone packaging and selling them as iPhones to unsuspecting customers, This is Hull and East Riding reports.
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the name AxioTron. Back in 2007, the company created a unique modified MacBook called the ModBook – a full OS X based tablet computer (several years before the iPad!). Well, I’ve got two words for you: They’re back!
How do you take a tablet featuring a 7-inch display and quad-core Tegra 3 processor and sell it for $200? You leave no room for profit. And that is exactly what Google and ASUS are doing with the Nexus 7, the newly unveiled tablet that seeks to carve out a place for itself right alongside Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Google has a lot more at stake with the project, agreeing to shoulder all marketing costs and more in exchange for a tablet that was designed from the ground up by ASUS in a time period spanning only four months.


text:
There are a few recent developments in the field of cybersecurity that businesses, individuals, and fraud investigators alike should take note of. One is a recent case which, if followed, could expand a business’ liability for security breaches and the others are new tools businesses possibly could use to protect against that same liability.
Digital information, including how to protect it and prevent fraud, is always a fascinating topic. New advances in digital security go hand in hand with ingenuous ways to steal digital information. It is fun to follow, in the same way it is fun to watch Wile E. Coyote chase the Roadrunner: the chase never really ends, they always come back for more, and they use bigger and better gadgets every time.
Cybersecurity, though, is more than just a fun-read. It has real-world implications. According to a report published in the Wall Street Journal, Federal District Court Judge Esther Salas, on Monday, April 7, 2014, upheld the Federal Trade Commission’s right to police corporate cybersecurity practices to ensure businesses take reasonable precautions to safeguard their customers’ data. The FTC reportedly sued Wyndham Worldwide Corp. and three subsidiaries, in 2012, after hackers broke into the company’s corporate computer system and the systems at several individual hotels, between 2008 and early 2010, and allegedly stole credit and debit card information from hundreds of thousands of customers. The FTC alleged that Wyndham did not take reasonable measures to protect its customers’ information from theft. It cited what it alleged were wrongly configured software, weak passwords and insecure computer servers. Wyndham argued that the FTC did not have the statutory authority to police corporate cybersecurity. The FTC argued that its authority came from its 100 year old statutory power to protect consumers from businesses that engage in unfair or deceptive trade practices. There was no finding of liability, but the court reportedly upheld the FTC’s right to bring the suit. The lawsuit reportedly seeks to have the court order Wyndham to improve its security measures and fix whatever harm its customers suffered.
With the possibility of federal enforcement of what amounts to a “reasonable-precautions” cybersecurity standard, businesses, not just fraud investigators, should pay attention to the potential tools at their disposal to protect their clients’ information.
The technological advances in keeping things secret are ingenuous. Much like the mythical jackalope, or my favorite, the basselope, they use things that do not seem to have anything to do with each other, to come up with something better: A more effective lock and key to turn away prying eyes from private information they should not see.


text:
TAIEX falls on Apple’s outlook
The TAIEX yesterday closed down 0.62 percent, or 48.19 points, to 7,695.99 as Apple Inc’s local component suppliers came under pressure after the US technology giant gave a cautious sales outlook for the current quarter, dealers said.
Turnover amounted to NT$73.19 billion (US$2.52 billion).
“Apple’s results dictated the market movement throughout the session, as many investors feared that weakening sales and profitability will impact Taiwanese suppliers’ bottom lines,” President Securities (統一證券) analyst Vickie Hsieh (謝雯霞) said.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), which assembles iPhones and iPads for Apple, suffered the brunt, with its share price plunging 2.94 percent to NT$82.50.
Formosa bonus hits record low
The Formosa Plastics Group (FPG, 台塑集團) yesterday said it planned to give out 2.83 months of salary as bonuses for its employees. The figure is a record low.
Formosa said last year was a tough period for the group, with net profits falling to their lowest level in 10 years as ethylene prices almost halved from 2011. The group made NT$16.2 billion in net income last year.
The group expects this year to be a slightly better period than last year, bolstered by an improving world economy.
HTC launches Desire U
Smartphone vendor HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday launched a new smartphone named Desire U, a medium-range model of its popular Butterfly phone.
The mid-end smartphone runs on Google Inc’s Android operating system and is equipped with a 4-inch high-definition touch-screen display.
To promote sales ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, HTC said Desire U model would sell for NT$7,990. The phone is also available for NT$3,990 with a bundled service package from Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), the nation’s biggest phone company. The package carries a minimum monthly fee of NT$291.
Wi-Fi Alliance opens branch
Wi-Fi Alliance, the global collaboration forum for Wi-Fi wireless technology, yesterday formally opened a branch office in Taiwan to provide certification and engineering support to its member companies throughout Asia.
The staff of the Taipei branch office will assist member companies with technical and certification policy information, and help them prepare products for certification testing at a Wi-Fi Alliance-authorized test laboratory.
“Taiwan has been a critical part of our industry since its inception and remains a key part of the industry’s future,” Wi-Fi Alliance president and CEO Edgar Figueroa said.
Minister upbeat on TIFA talks
Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-hsiang (施顏祥) yesterday said that Taiwan and the US are in close discussions over a resumption of talks under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).
Shih told reporters that a formal announcement on the decision to resume TIFA talks would be made once the discussions have been completed.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said upon his return from the US at the head of a Taiwanese delegation that attended US President Barack Obama’s inauguration that the “highly expected talks under the bilateral agreement should resume soon.”
NT dollar falls on intervention
The New Taiwan dollar yesterday fell by NT$0.046 to close at NT$29.138 against the US dollar as the central bank intervened to keep the local currency from overshooting, dealers said. Turnover was US$862 million.


text:
||Last Updated: Jun 11th, 2012 - 23:32:09
Flo-Dynamics Enhances A/C Flushing
Flo-Dynamics' FK310 A/C Flush Kit enables component or system flushing using any R134a A/C service equipment that recovers, recycles and recharges.
Apr 20, 2009, 17:33
EPA Declares R-134a to be a Danger to Public Health and Welfare
Besides hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), which includes refrigerants like R-134a, the EPA finding covers five other emissions that scientists believe are warming the earth when they concentrate in the atmosphere: carbon dixoide (CO2), Methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
Apr 18, 2009, 18:46
1-800-Radiator Announces Full Line Support for GM and Chrysler for the Next Ten Years
1-800-Radiator will carry the full line of cooling and air conditioning parts to supply markets in the wake of closures of GM and Chrysler dealerships nationwide.
Apr 18, 2009, 11:38
European Commission closes MAC type-approval (R-134a) loophole
The EC has confirmed that it won't be possible after 2011 to use F-gas R-134a in any new type of vehicle even if the MAC system was type-approved before 2011.
Apr 16, 2009, 10:20
Amerigon Introduces Heated and Cooled Automotive Cup Holder
Major Automotive Manufacturer to Launch in Fall 2010
Apr 14, 2009, 12:30
Automotive Aftermarket: High Demand Now, But Beware the Drop Ahead, Says AASA
Lift in business now as consumers make necessary repairs to keep their cars on the road – but beware of declining business down the road due to the current dramatic drop in new car sales.
Apr 13, 2009, 11:41
German TV explains car industry boycott of EU law
By simply labelling a new car model as an old one with minor revisions, car makers plan to continue using R134a.
Apr 10, 2009, 09:45
Germans will not respect MAC Directive deadline of 2011, says DUH
The German car industry has stopped all developments on new refrigerants, planning to simply not comply with a EU law banning the current fluid R134a from 2011 on, according to the German NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe.
Apr 9, 2009, 13:28
Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Applaud Oregons Legislature For Amendments to Pending Auto Report Bill
Several requirements in HB 2268 were deleted which would have led to undue burdens for service shops.
Apr 6, 2009, 14:46
Preh to Supply Electronic Remote Climate Control Module for 2010 Ford Mustang
The Electronic Control Unit hardware was developed for Ford as a remote HVAC module (RCCM), comprising electronics hardware but no visible parts in the car's interior.
Apr 2, 2009, 12:35
Amerigon Climate Control Seat System Featured in Redesigned 2010 Toyota Crown Majesta
CCS, the actively heated and cooled seat system, delivers year-round comfort to automotive seat occupants by providing both active heating and cooling.
Mar 31, 2009, 12:55


text:
- Amazon has discussed creating a software bundle with other companies to compete with Microsoft.
- A bundle would make it easier for companies to buy and use popular apps such as Slack and Dropbox.
- The idea is part of AWS' effort to expand into business apps, where it hasn't seen much success.
Amazon has been talking to other companies about a "Rebel Alliance" to challenge Microsoft's dominance of the work-productivity application market, according to people familiar with the situation.
While efforts are still at the idea stage, the goal would be to partner with software makers to offer a bundle of business apps for a single price. Corporate customers would buy the package with other features such as single sign-on and unified billing through the Amazon Web Services cloud platform, the people said. They asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Amazon has held talks with Dropbox, Slack, and Smartsheet, among others, about the bundle, one of the people said. The initiative is dubbed "Rebel Alliance" inside AWS, a possible reference to "Star Wars" movies in which resistance movements coalesce under that name to fight the evil Galactic Empire.
Discussions have been taking place for over a year, though Andy Jassy — the AWS boss who's set to become Amazon CEO next week — has not signed off and has asked the team to come back with a stronger pitch several times, according the people. It's unclear whether the talks are still going on or whether the incoming AWS CEO, Adam Selipsky, is supportive.
An Amazon representative didn't respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Dropbox, Slack, and Smartsheet declined to comment.
A bundle would help simplify the purchasing process for companies that prefer to buy a variety of business apps rather than a suite of solutions from a single vendor. It would also create an alternative to the Microsoft 365 suite of products, which leads the market with services as varied as word processing, spreadsheets, team messaging, and videoconferencing.
Amazon's broader goal is to help AWS expand beyond its bread-and-butter cloud-infrastructure business into the work-productivity app space. AWS still generates the bulk of its revenue from cloud-infrastructure services, such as computing power and data storage, and it has largely failed to move into the arena of business applications — broadly called software as a service.
AWS has been trying to break into this lucrative market for years, with little to show for it so far. It's launched a series of products that directly compete with Dropbox, Tableau, and Slack, among others, but none of them have been wildly successful. Just last week, AWS announced it was buying the business-messaging service Wickr, a decision that came after it considered a bid for the encrypted-messaging app Signal and had seen increased demand for security from government customers, as Insider previously reported.
'Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft'
There's been heavy leadership turnover within AWS' applications team lately. Larry Augustin, the vice president of applications, abruptly left less than two years into his role, as Insider reported in May. He was a strong proponent of the Rebel Alliance bundling idea, according to people familiar with the situation. Other recent departures include Dorothy Li, the vice president of AWS business intelligence and analytic services; and Yasser El-Haggan, the global head of productivity applications.
Jassy, who likes to put longtime AWS executives in charge of struggling businesses, has named Peter DeSantis, the senior vice president of global infrastructure, to oversee the applications business following Augustin's departure, according to people familiar with the matter.
For AWS, the bundling idea is related to the growing threat of Microsoft in the cloud space, one person familiar with the project said. Microsoft's Azure is catching up in cloud computing, and it could become an even bigger competitor by bundling with the already-dominant Office suite of products, a discussion point that often came up in meetings at AWS, according to this person.
"Amazon says it's not competitor-focused — but every meeting was about Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft," this person told Insider.
An AWS software bundle could appeal to business customers that buy separate apps for different purposes — called a "best of breed" approach in industry parlance. For example, a company could buy Slack for internal messaging and Dropbox for cloud storage, instead of purchasing everything from a single vendor like Microsoft. While the best-of-breed approach has become popular in recent years, it can still be a headache to pay for and manage individual apps, especially for smaller companies.
This could also help AWS, as it may be too late for the company's existing business apps, or new ones it builds, to gain significant ground on more established software. Plus, a lot of the popular business apps are already built on top of AWS infrastructure, so more use of those apps translates to more revenue for Amazon.


text:
Microsoft has been redesigning the app icons for a number of its brands. It announced the new iconography back in November of last year and has been progressively updating the icons for Office apps on both the web and on Windows.
Now, the company's also updating the icons for Skype app on mobile platforms. Earlier this week, the iOS app was updated with the new design - which exhibits elements of the company's Fluent Design system - and, now, the Android app has started receiving the same treatment. Interestingly, while it seems some regions are only able to see the old icon on the Play Store listing for Skype, if you go ahead and download the app, you should have the new icon on your home screen. Looks like Microsoft needs to update its Store listings across different regions properly.
In terms of aesthetics, the new design is less flat compared to the previous one and also features some shadows. And the colours have been reversed, with the 'S' being white and surrounded by a blue backdrop, compared to the blue typography and white background previously.


text:
Microsoft puts Office in the cloud
- From: AFP
- January 30, 2013
Microsoft has begun letting people subscribe to Office as a service in the internet cloud instead of buying a disk.
"It's kind of a reflection of how most of us live nowadays," said company official Oliver Roll.
"The same way you get instant access to movies or music at Netflix or Spotify, you access your documents in the cloud."
Subscriptions to Office 365 cost $119 a year and allow the suite of programs for documents, spreadsheets, presentations and other tasks to be used on as many as five devices - in a nod to modern, multi-gadget lifestyles.
"We should be able to get our content on all our devices, and it shouldn't be a hassle," said Mr Roll, who is the Office division's general manager of communications.
Documents or other files created using Office programs can be saved at Microsoft's online SkyDrive with storage space beefed up to 27 gigabytes for subscribers.


text:
WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) – Four different entrepreneurs had four minutes each to pitch their products and services to members of the Ohio Valley for the Show of Hands event Monday at the Wheeling Artisan Center.
Wheeling Heritage has been hosting Show of Hands since 2014 and have been able to give $110,000 to small businesses in the area to date.
The four businesses attendees voted on were WildHeart by Mindi Yarbrough, Opossum Pouch Soft Goods, Wheeling Coffee & Spice, and The IDEA Center.
Guests pay $5 at the door and online voters pay $10 to vote and show support for the business they choose.
”Even though it’s just a $5 donation at the door, they are investors in these businesses, and you can tell that they are interested in seeing these entrepreneurs really succeed and thrive. What we see after this event is even those who don’t win really do receive so much love and support through the community, whether that be through patronizing their business or just getting some more shares on social media to build awareness of their business. It’s really great all around.”Alex Panas – Program Manager, Wheeling Heritage
Out of these four Wheeling businesses, the crowd voted Jay Hercules from Opossum Pouch Soft Goods as the winner who received $4,000 from community partners PLUS all of the money raised at the door.
Wheeling Heritage hosts Show of Hands three times a year and the next one is in July.
Applications for businesses can be found at Show of Hands – Wheeling Heritage.