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Text and photos/Zheng Da, all media reporter of Yangcheng Evening News
On November 4th, the launching ceremony of the 2021 2nd Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Competition was held in the release hall of Tencent Yunqi Innovation Center. This competition will customize the algorithm track for the Zhuhai smart city scenario, provide a more reliable development platform for the actual implementation of the project, and absorb more high-level application-oriented talents from different regions for local high-quality projects. The competition promotes production through competition, effectively promotes the implementation of excellent projects, and provides development space and platform for more innovation and entrepreneurs.
2021 The 2nd Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Competition officially launched
The reporter was informed that this year’s competition has set up two contests, “Mobile Phone Recognition” and “Smoke Detection”, to provide developers with massive data sets and free computing power, helping developers to develop barrier-free online throughout the entire process, accelerate model reasoning, and truly achieve online One-stop competition experience such as coding training, model conversion, and model testing. The competition will effectively promote the implementation of excellent projects by promoting production through competition, and provide development space and platform for more innovation and entrepreneurs.
It is reported that since the online registration of the competition was opened on October 27, more than 1,100 people have signed up. The winning projects of this competition can not only share a total of more than 100,000 yuan in bonuses, but also enjoy diversified services such as financing roadshows, project promotion, and achievement transformation. At the same time, the winning team can enter the Tencent Yunqi Innovation Center (Zhuhai) first, enjoy a Tencent Cloud subsidy of up to 150,000 yuan, and fully Display their brands and products through the Tencent Yunqi “Industrial Integration Exhibition Center” to effectively promote the implementation of the project and provide more opportunities for more Innovation and entrepreneurs provide development space and platforms.
At the launching ceremony, Huang Wensheng, deputy head of the People’s Government of Xiangzhou District, said that at present, Xiangzhou District is building a “1+2+1″ urban industrial ecosystem in an all-round way, and has incorporated artificial intelligence into key development industries. It has always maintained a high level and high quality in terms of professionalism and breadth, and plays an irreplaceable and important role in accelerating industrial optimization and upgrading, improving the competitiveness of local enterprises, and promoting technological innovation and transformation of scientific and technological achievements. The competition will explore more high-quality young talents, and jointly inject new impetus and vitality into the upgrading and development of Zhuhai’s artificial intelligence industry.”


text: Hilton Worldwide last week announced changes to the Doubletree brand identity. In the first half of next year, the name will be modified to DoubleTree by Hilton -- with a capital 'T' and the consistent addition of "by Hilton." A new version of the two-tree logo will be rolled out as well. The brand has previously maintained separate identities in different parts of the world, and the new standards will help to eliminate potential consumer confusion, according to Hilton. The brand currently consists of 240 hotels worldwide.

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Suspends Development of HD Pickup
Automotive News is reporting that Nissan has suspended development of a much anticipated heavy duty version of its Titan pickup.
John Schilling, senior manager for Nissan product PR, confirms that, "[a heavy duty pickup] is not part of our business direction at this time. It's something we're still considering, but development has been suspended. The light duty [Titan], though, remains part of our core product line."


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Microsoft's strategy in giving away one-year Office 365 subscriptions to many of its tablet - and notebook-making partners is all about matching not just the price but also the functionality of Chromebooks and cheap Android tablets, an analyst said today.
Another expert, however, questioned whether free Office 365 deals paid off for Microsoft.
Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group who specializes in tracking US electronics retailing, saw the bundling as a direct response to Chromebooks, the low-priced notebooks powered by Google's free Chrome OS.
"I think that if the goal of the Bingbooks is to be competitive with Chromebooks, it needs Office," Baker said. "Chromebooks have an office suite attached to them. So if Microsoft wants to get consumers to choose a Bingbook, [a free] Office is important."
Baker used the term "Bingbooks" to describe the low-cost notebooks that rely on Windows 8.1 for Bing, a subsidized version of the OS that OEMS (original equipment manufacturers) are either given outright or charged a much smaller fee than in the past. Hewlett-Packard's Stream line, which starts at $US199, is a good example of the devices Microsoft has promoted as Chromebook killers.
Microsoft has been concerned enough with Chromebooks' limited sales to counter the category, much as it did when netbook sales took off in 2007.
Many of the so-called Bingbooks -- and Windows tablets as well -- come with a free one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, the single-PC license that lists for $US69.99 annually.
According to recent reports by Windows bloggers Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott, Microsoft will include the year's worth of Office 365 for no extra charge to tablet OEMs. It's likely doing the same with notebook makers like HP.
"It's also a big challenge to get people to add another $US69.99 or $US99.99 for Office  when the price of the device is just $US199," said Baker. "The whole concept of Bingbooks is to grab a very specific customer demographic. But people who are buying something like a Bingbook from a Windows OEM are just as likely to know Word or Excel as a brand as they are Windows. Those are all good, solid reasons to make a Bingbook include Office 365."
Jan Dawson, chief analyst with Jackdaw Research, agreed that in the short term Office 365 for free will sell more devices. But he wondered whether the strategy had legs.
"One of the ongoing questions is when Microsoft is trying to sell its own devices and go cross-platform at the same time, how do they set apart their own devices," Dawson said. "When Office was exclusive to Windows, it was clear what the value proposition was."
But Microsoft has been aggressively loosening the ties that once bound Office to Windows, selling Office on the iPad and wrapping up work on an Android tablet edition, giving consumers more features for free, and letting any iPhone or Android phone owner run the suite's core apps without charge as long as they're not used for business purposes.
"In talking to Microsoft, their answer has been that they can do unique things as far as commercial deals on their own devices, discounts on Office and Skype as a way to sell those," Dawson added.
Microsoft has not only diluted that advantage by giving Office to Windows OEMs, but more importantly, by freeing it from most fees on other platforms - iOS and Android in particular.
"It's true that you can't buy an iPhone or iPad or Android device with Office [pre-installed], so that does set Microsoft's devices apart, assuming people see value in Office to begin with," Dawson continued. "But as Office functionality becomes more free, the appeal of the paid version decreases."
Another contributing factor to Microsoft's decision to give away Office 365 with some devices, said both Baker and Dawson, may have been a desire to boost the subscriber rolls, then hope that those customers renew at full price a year down the road.
"That's a longer-term strategy," Baker noted.
If so, it puzzled Dawson. "Maybe they think that more devices [in customers' hands] will drive sales of other Microsoft services," Dawson said. "But by giving away Office, that defeats the purpose." He also reiterated past comments he'd made that because many of Microsoft's services were already free, he saw little that could be monetized in any case.
"Free may just be their strategy for consumers," said Dawson. "And that they'll charge for the business versions."


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A Pink’s Son Na Eun Becomes a Beauty Queen as the New Face of Peripera
Letting her pretty face shine brighter, A Pink’s Son Na Eun has been chosen as the new model for makeup brand, Peripera.
The announcement about Son Na Eun’s transformation into a beauty queen was made on August 26. Peripera stated that Son Na Eun’s innocent and refreshing charms as a 20-year-old matched the lovable image of the brand.
The makeup brand continued that although Son Na Eun nervously began the first shoot, her refreshing personality eventually led the shoot to a brighter and more comfortable atmosphere.
Son Na Eun will model 2013’s F/W item, ‘Love Peri Tint Glow Stick,’ which will be revealed in September.
Photo Credit: Peripera


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Aventis net jumps 13% to Rs 47 cr
The company���s net sales increased marginally to Rs 249.9 crore as compared with Rs 248.6 crore in the year-ago period.
The company���s performance was propped up by a drop in expenditure during the quarter. It also managed to grow its domestic sales as well as export business by 12.4% and 22.7%, respectively, during the quarter.
Aventis discontinued the distribution of its anti-rabies vaccine, Rabipur, from February 19 this year when the agreement for the drug distribution with Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics and Chiron Behring Vaccines (CBVPL) was not renewed. Aventis, however, continues to hold 49% of the share capital of CBVPL.
For the half-year ended June 30, 2009, Aventis net profit rose 14.8% to Rs 87.6 crore as against Rs 76.3 crore for the same period last year. Net sales also soared 3% to Rs 478.8 crore in H1FY09 from Rs 465.5 last year. Aventis Pharma stock rose up 1.87% to close at Rs 1,201 on the BSE on Monday.


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Just over 10 years ago Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, vowed to donate over $3 billion to fight global warming by developing low carbon fuels, and in particular a seaweed-based biofuel for aeroplanes. In an exclusive interview with the BBC in 2008 he advocated for: “A fuel that doesn’t affect our food security […] fuels such as algae-based biofuels that can be grown and don’t eat into the food supply.” Influenced by the surge in crude oil prices between 2003 and 2008, and subsequent boom in plant-based biofuels, interest in developing alternative fuels became a priority. In this context, algae biofuel emerged as the next big thing, a biofuel that didn’t impinge on food security.
However, to date algae biofuel production is less than one million gallons per annum and still nowhere near having a competitive market price, leading the decade starting from 2005 to be dubbed the “Algae biofuel bubble.” Promising companies that had received millions of dollars in funding in the early 2000s (Solazyme, XL Renewables, Aurora Biofuels and GreenFuel Technologies, to name just a few) have either gone bust or expanded into higher added value products such as food, food additives, cosmetics, speciality oils and animal feed.
Today, interest has moved on from seaweed as a biofuel to the potential of seaweed as a raw material with a variety and cascade of applications. Today, the most promising application for seaweed continues to be as a food source (either as a direct food or as an additive/thickener): in this sector, its production generates the most added value and currently holds the largest seaweed market share. However, the animal feed and bioplastics sectors are also growing, and are particularly promising if seaweed is produced in a circular framework, where all parts are used, thus limiting waste and maximising value. In fact, Professor Sander van den Burg – researcher at the Wageningen University in The Netherlands and leading expert in sustainable development, business innovation and seaweed – believes that the seaweed market has grown hugely over the last couple of years, largely driven by the food sector and that, “the cascading of [seaweed] biomass must become the future for this industry.”
From Biofuel to Seaweed Super Food
A major influence in the promotion of seaweed in the food sector has to do with mounting concerns surrounding food security. It is predicted that global food production will have to grow by 50-70% by 2050 to maintain current consumption trends (World Bank 2016). Therefore, promoting the consumption of seaweed represents an important contribution to food security. FAO data reveals that over 6 million tonnes of seaweed are already consumed annually around the world, with all the largest markets situated in Asia: 5 million tonnes in China, 800,000 tonnes in Korea, 600,000 tonnes in Japan (van den Burg 2016).
In Europe, seaweed is gaining a foothold as a direct food source for human consumption in the health and wellness foods sector, which is expanding and looking for new products that meet consumer demands. According to the United Kingdom’s Food and Drink Federation, the British organic food and beverages market has grown 6% since 2016, versus a 2% growth of the non-organic one, and in the European Union (EU) sales in organic produce rose almost 50% between 2012 and 2016.
This expanding sector is fertile ground for seaweed-based products. However, in Europe companies need to accompany consumers by educating them on their uses and benefits. Van den Burg highlights this issue by emphasising how these new companies currently, “spend a lot of time explaining to consumers what to do with their products. This is necessary. You cannot simply dry your seaweed, put it in a package and leave it there: consumers need to be supported and educated as well.”
Seamore, a Dutch company producing seaweed-based foods, embodies this approach. It combines eye-catching marketing with strong efforts towards educating consumers on the benefits and potential applications of seaweed
From Food to Feed
The second largest use for seaweed is as a direct source of nutrition or as an additive to existing feeds both in livestock farming and aquacultures. This market is also promising from an environmental standpoint as these are large industries that process huge amounts of raw materials. For example, the total amount of soy used in the Netherlands for feed equalled 2,353,000 tonnes between 2010 and 2011 (van den Burg 2016). Producing that same amount of feed using seaweed would imply a significant reduction in the land, water and resources used to grow crops traditionally fed to animals. In fact, van den Burg claims that, “the Dutch dairy industry would be an interesting market for seaweed-based feed.” Not only does seaweed have a high protein content but at low levels of inclusion (less than 2% of dry matter intake), it can exert a significant prebiotic activity, thus improving animal health and increasing production without the risk of livestock developing antibiotic resistance [Evans & Critchley 2013].
Aquaculture also benefits substantially from seaweed use, which is especially important as global production of farmed fish has surpassed that of beef, in a 14-fold growth since 1980. For example, MicroSynbiotiX Ltd, winner of the 2016 Blue Economy Challenge, focuses on creating a microalgal feed that acts as a vehicle for a variety of vaccines, thus reducing the need for antibiotics.
However, seaweed’s greatest potential contribution is embodied in a truly circular approach to its production: integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMT). IMT unites animals and plants from different trophic levels into the same space, so that aquacultures can function as actual ecosystems. The confined spaces of aquaculture systems in which fish are bred and raised often lead to high levels of pollution in surrounding waters. Growing algae in their vicinity provides mutual benefits: seaweeds obtain the nutrients required for their growth whilst helping improve the quality of water the fish rely on. Therefore, in IMT the circulation of nutrients occurs in a closed loop. Furthermore, the benefits of IMT are not just confined to seaweed that is produced for feed. In fact, by generating large amounts of seaweed biomass in IMT systems the potential for seaweed as a component in bioplastics (and potentially biofuels) is beginning to look economically feasible.
The Problem of Plastics
Mankind has produced more than 8 billion tonnes of plastic since 1950. Europe alone generated 58 million tonnes of plastics in 2015. Growing concern over the impact of plastics on our health and environment (and in particular marine pollution) has led to increased interest in bioplastics. One of the major contributors in the development of bioplastics is PolyLactic Acid (PLA), a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based polymers that is both compostable and biodegradable. However, most of the production of PLA and other biopolymers currently relies on plant-based materials such as corn, wheat, sugar beets and sugar cane, thus threatening food security by putting food and feed crops in direct competition with the manufacturing of bioplastics. In fact, the European Bioplastics association claim that: “the industry is committed to tap new renewable resources and move away from foodplants [and] is fully aware that the sustainable sourcing of its feedstock supply is a prerequisite for more sustainable products.”
Seaweed is thus emerging as a potential alternative. Van den Burg sees bioplastics as “one of the main areas of future interest for seaweed-based products.” Companies such as Evoware and Skipping Rocks have been working hard to consolidate biodegradable plastic packaging made from seaweed. Skipping Rocks, founded in 2013, has actually come up with a product that can replace plastic bottles with biodegradable, and even edible water bottles. Although van den Burg claims that “the bioplastics sector is not driving the seaweed market for now […] it does have potential.”
In fact, the potential of seaweed as a bioplastic is particularly interesting when seaweed is produced with IMT systems. Research by the EU-funded Seabioplas project has explored the circular potential of integrated seaweed production systems. Its research shows how over 67 to 80% of nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus fed to farmed fish is released back into the environment, either directly from the fish or from solid waste. The seaweed feeds on this nitrogen and phosphorus, thus removing the excess whilst generating extra biomass. This not only benefits the seaweed and removes polluting elements from the water but also, when compared to other raw materials used in bioplastic production, implies fewer CO2 emissions, higher productivity, no risk of potential deforestation, and no consumption of freshwater or fertilisers and pesticides. Furthermore, after seaweed has been used to generate PLA the residues can be used as valuable by-products in animal feed, or food supplements/additives. This is incredibly significant as utilising by-products means both minimising waste and maximising profitability (and hence the economic feasibility) of seaweed bioplastic production.
I Sea a Circular Future
Current research on the feasibility of seaweed production for bioplastics and even biofuels generally focuses on the single-uses of seaweeds. Combining different applications through approaches such as IMT, as well as developing the market for seaweed-based food and feed products, could be fundamental developments in bolstering seaweed production. However, more data and research on our ability to use a cascade of applications, such as the extraction of valuable hydrocolloids, functional food additives and use of remaining material as feed ingredient or for bioplastics is required.
In the words of Paulien Harmsen, Biorefinery expert at the Wageningen Institute: “Seaweed farming can become a large industry in Europe if we can produce a broad range of products from the same biomass. If we employ the cascade approach and master commercial biorefining the market for this sustainable industry will be huge.”
MicroSynbiotiX Ltd, www.microsynbiotix.com
Skipping Rocks, www.skippingrockslab.com/index.html
Top image: Skipping Rocks’ biodegradable and edible water container. Credit: Skipping Rocks


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CTOnews.com, December 10, according to a report in "later LatePost" today, at 22:00 on December 9, Liu Qiangdong, founder and chairman of JD.com, spoke on the company's intranet and commented on a long article recently published by an operator.
According to the report, the long article listed some of the problems that JD.com had in the employee's eyes:
The promotion mechanism is complex.
The promotion of the platform needs to plan the rhythm and intensity in advance.
Platform ecology needs to give more support to pop merchants.
Low-cost mind needs everyone to implement it in place and to the end.
Liu Qiangdong's comments on the reply are as follows:
I am in the car, jiggle typing may make mistakes, I hope you understand. I think this brother said it very well. It can be said that the full stop to the company's pain point, are real problems, and must be changed. Or we have no way out.
We say every day that the customer comes first, but we think about ourselves everywhere in our work! We often say that fighting is only the first place, but we defend everywhere and never think about how to take the initiative. Many people talk about innovation every day, but plagiarize and follow others every day.
There are so many problems, of course, it is my poor management, I blame myself very much. But in any case, I will not lie flat, and I hope my brothers will never lie flat. Now that the organization is huge, bloated and inefficient, it really takes time to change.
I hope my brothers will be more patient. today, there are still many brothers who dare to tell the truth and keep fighting. JD.com 's foundation is still there. I believe we will certainly come out of the trough. Any person, any company will go through several peaks and troughs to achieve greatness.
I thank this brother for his sincere advice and advice. I can feel that he loves the company very much. Thank you very much, brother. And thank you to all the brothers who work hard. Let's try to change together!
According to previous reports by CTOnews.com, JD.com 's third-quarter income for the third quarter of 2023, which ended September 30 this year, was 247.7 billion yuan ($34 billion), an increase of 1.7 percent from the third quarter of 2022. Operating profit in the third quarter was 9.3 billion yuan ($1.3 billion), compared with 8.7 billion yuan in the same period last year.
In the third quarter, JD.com 's commodity income was 195.3 billion yuan, down 0.9% from the same period last year, while service income was 52.4 billion yuan, up 12.7% from the same period last year.
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CTOnews.com, December 20, after a break of more than 15 months, Bezos's Blue Origin officially resumed the launch mission of the New Shepard (New Shepard) rocket today, and the NS24 mission is now a complete success. 2022
CTOnews.com October 28 news, SF Holdings today released the third quarter report of 2022, the first three quarters of 2022 results increased significantly compared with the same period last year: the net profit belonging to shareholders of listed companies (hereinafter referred to as "homing net profit") is 4.
CTOnews.com, May 2 (Xinhua)-- smart lighting company WiZ released Matter protocol support for smart light bulbs, lights and plugs at the end of April, making them compatible with Apple's Home smart home ecosystem for the first time. HomeKitNews
CTOnews.com April 15 news, Nvidia recently launched a RTX 4070 graphics card, priced from 4799 yuan. AMD has not yet released a new product, but has reduced the price of the old flagship RX 6950 XT graphics card to 509.
CTOnews.com November 30 news, according to QQ Game official account news, QQ Game Center is now officially on the Microsoft App Store, players can download and play directly through the App Store. Application introduction: QQ Game is the first game product independently developed by Tencent, at the same time


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Motorola which was acquired by Lenovo in 2014 is now planning to bring the dual cameras and curved screen technology to its Moto X4 smartphone. The images of Moto X4 are going viral on the internet which reveals the Motorola’s hidden plan. The news comes from one of the trusted source called VentureBeat.
It seems that out of the two new smartphones namely Moto X4 and Moto Z2 one will feature the dual camera and curved screen technology. The company has not yet confirmed the release date of Moto X4 but the device will have the latest feature along with a budget-friendly cost.
The Moto X4 device is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 630 processor. The device will have 4GB RAM with 5.5-inch HD display. The device will have 64 GB internal storage capacity which can be expected using microSD card. The battery capacity will be 3,000 mAh for Moto X4. The device will be shipped with latest 7.0 Android Nougat OS.
The dual camera setup of Moto X4 will have an 8-megapixel sensor and a 12-megapixel sensor and the front camera will have a 16-megapixel sensor. The fingerprint sensor technology is present at the front which can be used to unlock the device. It is expected that the Moto X4 device will have a Fi support which will move its carriers like T-Mobile, Sprint, and others.
The Moto X4 resembles the Moto Z2 Force in its look. Although not much information is available regarding the Moto X4 we can expect the phone to have significant improvements which will help them to compete with the rivals.
The users should not be surprised by the look of Moto Z series as all of them have similar look to support the Moto Mod. As of now, the device will be available in fine gold color. It remains to be seen how the device excels in the market with its new dual camera and curved screen concept.


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Businesses are constantly seeking strategies to maintain growth and resilience. Digital transformation is the ‘dragon’ they need to slay their competition, tackle market challenges, and meet customer expectations and demands.
At the core of this digital transformation in 2024 is harnessing artificial intelligence (AI). AI empowers companies to streamline processes and operations, reduce costs, create novel products and solutions, and enhance decision-making capabilities on multiple levels. Moreover, AI can pinpoint what consumers want by analyzing vast amounts of data, including consumer behavior, preferences and input, to identify patterns and trends. Ultimately, it is a formidable tool for companies to pivot their strategies, tap into new avenues of growth and enhance customer engagement.
The recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas showcased the widespread influence of AI to accomplish just that across diverse industries, including home automation, appliances, health tech and especially automotive companies who are integrating AI to redefine the driving experience.
Amidst this AI revolution, Momentum Design Lab, an HTEC Group company, is at the forefront of using AI to help companies transform digitally. Using a cognitive design approach, they can augment human cognition utilizing AI capabilities. Established in 2002, Momentum Design Lab has been a driving force in UX, CX, and digital product design. The company's experts leverage data analytics, machine learning and human-centered design to help hundreds of companies across various industries reimagine their products and customer experience and move into the digital age.
"Our Cognitive Design methodology marks a paradigm shift in human-centered AI design. We are set to shape the future of intelligent interfaces," David Thomson, CEO of Momentum Design Lab, shares. "We are thrilled to present this innovative approach to the world and to companies so that they can transform their businesses.”
This cognitive design methodology focuses on creating more natural and intuitive human-AI experiences. By delving deeply into users' mental models and reasoning patterns, Momentum Design Lab seamlessly integrates AI with human strengths, such as emotion and creativity. Thomson adds, “We utilize sophisticated methods such as cognitive interviews and walkthroughs to grasp users' cognitive frameworks, thinking processes, and areas of difficulty, shifting the emphasis from efficiency to exploration, innovation and education.”
Through extensive user testing and feedback, Momentum Design Lab ensures that its designs resonate with real human needs and thought processes. “Our goal is to create AI-enhanced systems that act as collaborative partners,” Peter McNulty, Head Designer, explains. "We envision and are creating a future where human traits and AI abilities blend seamlessly. Cognitive Design serves as our guiding principle in creating AI that seamlessly integrates with our cognitive processes, enhancing human-centered experiences."
As American businesses embrace digital transformation, the strategic integration of AI becomes paramount. By leveraging AI, Momentum Design Lab enhances user journeys, and by embracing innovative methodologies like cognitive design, they are empowering businesses for sustainable growth and resilience in this tech-fueled era.
Learn more about Momentum Design Lab to discover how their unique Cognitive Design approach can kick-start your journey toward digital transformation.
Momentum Design Lab is a global product design firm specializing in human-centric customer experiences across digital product innovation, transformative business processes and inventive marketing.
See this article on USA Today


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In the third quarter, 12% of luxury car shoppers considered a Tesla
product. That’s down three percentage points from the second quarter — the biggest drop in consideration among luxury brands. BMW
led all makes as the brand more shoppers consider.
Kelley Blue Book’s quarterly Brand Watch Report is a consumer perception survey that also weaves in shopping behavior to determine how a brand or model stacks up with its segment competitors on a dozen factors key to a consumer’s buying decision.Drop may have limited impact Tesla’s drop may not mean much in the short term. Its shoppers behave differently than buyers of other cars. Many traditional luxury car shoppers research multiple brands before buying, while many Tesla buyers only ever look at a Tesla. The company rose to become America’s best-selling luxury automaker without ever topping the Brand Watch survey. But its slip to sixth place could also be a sign that increasing competition from other automakers is eroding its edge in the electric car market. CEO Elon Musk’s controversial $44 billion acquisition of Twitter and provocative political comments may also have contributed to Tesla’s drop. Related: The brands and models car shoppers want most—despite inventory levels BMW took home the title comfortably, with 22% of luxury car shoppers considering a BMW product. Lexus and Cadillac tied for second at 17%. Fifteen percent of shoppers …


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
is venturing into drone technologies with an announcement that it has signed a deal with a Shenzhen-based hardware maker to jointly develop unmanned aerial vehicles.
Rapoo Technology, which specializes in making earphones, keyboards and gaming mice, said its drone unit Xiro will work with Tencent to enlarge its market share. Tencent will set product specification and help with marketing and sales channels, according to a Rapoo stock exchange filing. The partnership is valid until May 30, 2018.
Rapoo last year set up a joint venture with Xiro, after investing 50 million yuan ($7.65 million) for a 10% stake in the drone maker. Xiro’s four-propeller camera drone series Xplorer sells for about 2,499 yuan ($383).
China’s drone market is dominated by Shenzhen-based Dajiang Innovation Technology (DJI), which succeeded with its $1,000 easy-to-fly devices. The company, valued roughly at $8 billion based on its latest fundraising round, recently set its eyes on agricultural drones by launching a $15,000 model that is designed to spray pesticides. It also opened a brick-and-mortar store in Shenzhen.
Global investors are opening their checkbooks to DJI’s smaller peers as well. ’s venture capital arm last year put more than $60 million into Shanghai-based Yuneec International, which makes drones and electric-powered planes.
Follow me on Twitter @yueyueyuewang


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Anime tourism grows as visitors return to Japan
Plus: Experimenting with NFTs in manga businesses; Saudi media group invests in anime production committees; Contracts in anime voice acting; and more
This is the weekly newsletter of Animenomics, covering the business of anime and manga. Today is Wednesday, October 25, 2023.
In case you missed it: Crunchyroll is launching a 24-hour anime television channel for several free, ad-supported over-the-top services to attract “anime-curious” audiences.
Public–private partnerships promote anime tourism
Six months after Japan lifted its last remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions for international tourists, some tourism sites around the country are promoting their ties to anime and manga while others are struggling with overtourism.
Why it matters: International arrivals into Japan rose in September to 96 percent of levels seen during the same period in 2019, signaling a return to pre-pandemic norms.
At the same time, Japanese officials want to reduce the concentration of tourists in popular cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.
On the ground: The Anime Tourism Association, a public–private partnership of businesses and local governments, is among those promoting anime “pilgrimage sites” around the country.
The association is holding its annual fan survey through the end of October to select the 2024 edition of Japan’s top 88 anime tourism sites.
U.S. mobile payment company Square, which entered the Japanese market in May, is also promoting its payment gateway products and services to small businesses located near such pilgrimage sites.
Zoom in: A hot spring resort town in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, is one tourism destination that is seeking to balance the needs of visitors and locals.
Yuwaku Onsen is home to the Yuwaku Bonbori Festival, an annual event begun in 2011 in honor of the anime Hanasaku Iroha, whose setting is modeled after the town.
Festival-goers were restricted for the second year in a row to overnight guests, ticket purchasers, and individual sponsors to prevent overtourism, the local business association told The Hokkoku Shimbun newspaper.
While the festival drew more than 15,000 people annually before the pandemic, this year’s edition was capped at 3,000 visitors.
Zoom out: Anime-driven tourism was a popular topic at this month’s Cool Japan DX Summit, which held a panel discussion on the subject.
Anime journalist Yumiko Watanabe highlights a pre-pandemic survey by the travel agency AirTrip that showed female travelers were more likely to visit locations featured in anime, films, and other entertainment works.
Noritaka Emoto, a writer and editor of travel guides for JTB Publishing, gave the example of the seaside city of Numazu, Shizuoka prefecture, a poster child of anime tourism for embracing its association with Love Live! Sunshine!!
Yes, but: Anime mecca researcher Ebisu, who uses a pseudonym, points out that anime pilgrimage sites are faced with the challenge of turning their new visitors into returning regulars that invest in the local community.
Media Do showcases NFT business for books, manga
At the presentation of Media Do’s second quarter financial results for the fiscal year ending February 2023, the e-book and digital manga distributor provided an example of how anime and manga businesses continue experimenting with NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.
Why it matters: While global interest and publicity around NFTs remain low after the cryptocurrency market collapsed last year, Japan is one market where NFT projects are still doing well.
The details: Media Do’s FanTop subsidiary acquires licensed digital content and attaches them to books as NFT benefits, allowing publishers to upsell the product.
By the numbers: The company says attaching NFT bonuses increases the sticker value of books by an average of 41 percent.
For one particular manga release, last year’s 30th anniversary volume of The Kindaichi Case Files, the NFT-bundled limited edition had sticker price that was more than double that of the standard edition.
What they’re saying: “NFT businesses around the world generally deal with art rather than content like copyrighted works. Taking advantage of the position of trust we have cultivated in the publishing industry, we develop authentic licensed content, rather than art and user-generated content posted by individuals,” Media Do chief executive officer Yasushi Fujita told investors.
Fujita also told The Japan Times last year that NFTs based on licensed content will provide royalties to creators when those tokens are sold in the secondhand market.
Yes, but: Media Do chief financial officer Hiroshi Kanda told investors that while FanTop aims for profitability within the next four to five years, the business is still seeing a deficit of several hundred million yen (several million U.S. dollars).
There are four avenues in FanTop’s path to profitability says Fujita: the QR code issuance fee for the digital token, the higher sticker value of the book, the fee paid by publishers to FanTop for producing the token, and usage fees for FanTop’s NFT marketplace.
Clippings: Saudi group invests in anime production
Saudi media conglomerate MBC Group, in cooperation with Tokyopop made its first anime investments by joining the production committees of KamiErabi and Protocol: Rain, both airing starting this month. (Animation Business Journal)
Until now, anime titles distributed in the Middle East have often been sublicensed by European and North American companies that have acquired global licenses from Japanese producers.
Manga grows popular among students, according a survey of librarians at U.S. schools and youth public libraries. Manga titles today make up 43 percent of high school graphic novel purchases. (School Library Journal)
Yes, but: Stocking manga, especially long-running titles, in libraries comes with its own challenges, Anime Herald reported last month.
Shueisha’s Jump Toon webtoon service has announced winners of its first Jump Toon Award, with Kohei Kato winning the grand prize of ¥1 million (US$6,700) and a webtoon serialization contract for his fantasy title Million Dead. (Jump Toon)
Lawyer: More scrutiny needed in voice actor contracts
An oversupply of anime voice talent is disrupting the power balance between actors and their agencies, leading to unfair contracts that put voice actors at the mercy of agencies’ decisions.
Driving the story: Kensuke Sadanaga, a lawyer who consults for video game and anime production companies, told voice actor Atsuko Enomoto in an interview that the freelance status of many voice talents today makes having solid contracts a necessity when working with agencies.
Backgrounder: There are generally three types of contracts between voice actors and agencies, says Sadanaga.
The first is an employment contract, where the actor is directly employed by the agency and receives a fixed salary, but this contract type is rare.
A second, more common type is the management contract, where the actor acts as outsourced labor. Agencies receive work requests and subcontracts the work out to voice actors, paying them by the job with incentives.
The final, most common contract is the agent contract. In this scenario, the actor acts as an independent business, and a business partnership is formed between the talent and the agency, with the agency taking a certain margin from the payment for the actor’s work.
Reality check: It’s often considered taboo for voice actors to ask about money to their agencies, says Enomoto, so details are often glossed over when discussing a contract.
On the other hand, Sadanaga believes it’s in the agency’s best interest to be transparent about contracts so be able to retain their voice actors.
One thing in common: An area where Sadanaga and Enomoto draw parallels in their fields is the use of calendar holds.
Lawyers use calendar holds to accommodate court scheduling arrangements, and voice actors may be asked to hold certain dates in the future for dubbing sessions for an anime series.
However, voice actors are often required to block off their calendars even if they don’t appear on all of the anime’s episodes. This prevents them from making personal plans or taking on other work.
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Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 10:20 AM
The National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) has ordered Samsung to pay up Rs 37.85 lakhs for not passing on the benefits of lower goods and services tax (GST) rate to consumers on televisions. The authority noted, “The prices of the products affected by the rate reduction were not decreased commensurately, hence violating section 171(1) of the CGST Act 2017,” in its order dated February 27. The NAA further said in its order that Samsung India had increased prices for appropriating the tax reduction 'with the intention of denying the benefit to consumers.' The GST Council has reduced rates on LED/LCD TV sets to 18% from 28% from January 1, 2019.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 6:06 PM
Smartphones have become an integral part of our lives and are used by most citizens. Gone are the da ...


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Redmond Company Strengthens Participation in Seattle Neighboring Societies; Eco Dot and Eco's second generation devices can now buy their stores
Microsoft began selling eco devices in its retail space. The Twitter user's vaccinations company has now found that it sells new eco-dot and second generation Eco.
Both the devices are also available online at Microsoft locations. This figure was founded in association with Redmond, which connects with Amazon, with Alex and Cartana, the first to announce this year.
Microsoft has taken part with Amazon's integration into integrating it with Axel and its virtual assistant, Cortina, has left behind its main rivals.
Currently, Xbox One is compatible with the unlocking, and Microsoft's own application access Windows 10 to bring digital assistant to all applications. In this sense, Cordana now seems to be a strange place for Microsoft. The software developer moves more and more to commercial-centric areas such as chat boats than its consumer-centric releases.
The Windows Wizard was first used by Windows Phone four years prior to finding a new home in Windows 10.
When a redesigned version of Cortana was released in iOS recently, It is not clear what Microsoft plans to do with the future of Digital Assistant. As soon as the platform handles its experiences and tools from its artificial intelligence research division, news may arrive immediately.
Discover the latest in digital economy, startups, fiestek, corporate innovation and blockcheck


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A UK Court of Appeals has dismissed Google’s request to have a case dropped over its use of use of tracking cookies in Safari browsers back in 2011 and 2012. Contrary to their claims it turns out the cookies could not be disabled by users regardless of their default privacy settings, preferences or even by opting-out.
Google contended that even though the cookies were indeed sucking information about user’s surfing habits, searches and Web activity consumers suffered no financial hardship and therefor the case, originally brought by three British users, was moot.
The court disagreed saying, “These claims raise serious issues which merit a trial. They concern what is alleged to have been the secret and blanket tracking and collation of information, often of an extremely private nature. The case relates to the anxiety and distress this intrusion upon autonomy has caused.”
UK Web users who accessed the web through Apple devices, including Macs, iPhones and iPads during the nine-month period are now free to take the company to court if they feel their privacy has been invaded.
It’s an interesting, and for Google a somewhat distressing ruling that touches on a rather sore spot for many people these days – how much information is being gathered by companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and a host of others who see bulk data as a road to building advertising revenue.
Google might contend that since people access the search engine and other Web-based tools for free, Google can do whatever they want with the information they gather (although some might also point out that Google doesn’t make it clear exactly what information they gather or what they do with it and should be more transparent). And, in this particular case, even though people specifically opted out Google still gathered info about them.
One of the things that bothers me about companies gathering data about my surfing habits or searches or GPS location is that they are essentially selling information about me without my knowledge (or sharing any of the revenue).


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NEW YORK – Oil futures pulled back sharply today after fears of a major disruption of Iraqi oil exports dissipated. A stronger U.S. dollar also lessened investors' appetite for crude.
At the pump, meanwhile, retail gas prices rose closer to record levels, while diesel prices continued to slide.
In Iraq, a key oil export pipeline that was bombed Thursday will likely be repaired by tonight, Dow Jones Newswires reported. Word of the explosion had raised concerns that Iraqi exports would fall sharply and sent oil prices surging higher.
Meanwhile, the dollar strengthened against the euro today, making oil and other commodities less appealing as a hedge against inflation. A stronger dollar also makes oil more expensive to overseas investors.
Light, sweet crude for May delivery fell $2.82 to US$104.76 a barrel today on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Over the previous three days, oil prices rose $6.72, or 6.6 per cent.
"We've had a big price increase, and I think traders are looking for excuses to take profits," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Ill.
Concerns about the economy also weighed on futures. The Commerce Department said consumer spending edged up by just 0.1 per cent last month, the poorest showing since September 2006. Energy investors worry that a cooling economy will use less fuel.
Analysts are split on oil's direction. Many think prices will rise to new records in coming months as the dollar resumes its decline. The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates several more times this year, and lower interest rates tend to weaken the dollar. Many analysts say the weaker dollar has been largely responsible for oil's run to a record near $112 last week.
Other analysts argue that such high prices can't be justified in an environment in which supplies are rising and demand is falling. Several forecasters have cut oil demand growth predictions for this year, and demand for gasoline has fallen for nine straight weeks. Domestic supplies, meanwhile, have mostly risen in recent weeks.
"The price of oil still is out of whack with normal supply and demand fundamentals," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago, in a research note.
At the pump, gas prices rose 0.8 cent overnight to a national average of $3.275 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. That's just a cent shy of a record set less than two weeks ago. Retail gas prices, which tend to lag the futures market, have followed oil higher in recent days.
Diesel prices, on the other hand, slipped 0.4 cent overnight to a national average of $4.018 a gallon. Diesel prices have ebbed slightly in recent days; some analysts think diesel prices have peaked for the year since demand is declining in Europe, which is particularly dependent on the distillate fuel.
The high prices of both fuels are weighing on consumers already feeling the effects of falling home values, tight credit and high food prices. In fact, diesel, which is used to transport most of the world's consumer products, industrial materials and food, is a large part of the reason food prices are rising and that retail sales are struggling.
Other energy futures were mixed today. April heating oil futures fell 4.83 cents to $3.10 a gallon while April gasoline futures fell 2.23 cents to $2.694 a gallon. May natural gas futures rose 7.8 cents to $9.765 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Brent crude futures slipped $1.85 to $103.15 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.


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Police are warning web surfers to beware of an African-based internet scam.
Durham Police have been swamped with complaints from people and businesses who have received unsolicited letters, faxes and e-mails after logging on to sell goods on internet auction sites.
Police believe the correspondence, originating from Nigeria, is designed to trick victims into handing over their bank account details.
Although details of the scam vary, the conmen usually ask the recipient to hold a sum of money in their bank account, claiming for various reasons the money has to be reinvested on a temporary basis overseas.
The money is then meant to be returned in due course to Nigeria with the victim being told they will receive a substantial sum of cash in return as a 'thank you'.
The scheme is simply a way of tricking the victim into handing over account details. One victim lost £6,000 from his account.


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Cops, dump, Revolucion, rain, taxis, upholsterers, flower sellers, abandoned cars, stealing electricity
Various Authors 8:14 a.m., Oct. 22
Video game developer THQ quietly announced this week that it will sell its rights to publish video games based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship series of mixed martial arts competitions to competitor Electronic Arts. As a result, the company on Monday also closed its San Diego studios, where the games are developed.
Numerous technology and gaming industry bloggers are speculating that THQ, which has suffered from poor sales and has faced de-listing of its company stock from the Nasdaq exchange since early this year, is attempting to bury the news of its contraction by timing the announcement to coincide with the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a major industry trade show being held this week in Los Angeles.
THQ president Jason Rubin bristles at the suggestion, calling it “a conspiracy theory,” and stating that “it’s simply not the case” that the company tried to bury the news.
“I apologize to everyone who has lost their job. I'm not shying away from the fact that it's a terrible thing to lay people off, but it's essential for THQ to focus on its future. We are doing the things that are necessary to move forward,” Rubin added.
THQ says some of its 50 San Diego staff members may be able to transfer to other positions in the company with the abrupt closure of the San Diego studio, while some designers may be hired on to work in a similar capacity with Electronic Arts.
In exchange for giving up its UFC rights early, THQ received an undisclosed lump sum payment.


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Individual liberty is at risk again. What may lie ahead was projected in November 2016 when the WEF published “8 Predictions for the World in 2030.” According to the WEF’s scenario, the world will become quite a different place from now because how people work and live will undergo a profound change. The scenario for the world in 2030 is more than just a forecast. It is a plan whose implementation has accelerated drastically since with the announcement of a pandemic and the consequent lockdowns.
According to the projections of the WEF’s “Global Future Councils,” private property and privacy will be abolished during the next decade. The coming expropriation would go further than even the communist demand to abolish the property of production goods but leave space for private possessions. The WEF projection says that consumer goods, too, would be no longer private property.
In a promotional video, the World Economic Forum summarizes the eight predictions in the following statements:
- People will own nothing. Goods are either free of charge or must be lent from the state.
- The United States will no longer be the leading superpower, but a handful of countries will dominate.
- Organs will not be transplanted but printed.
- Meat consumption will be minimized.
- Massive displacement of people will take place with billions of refugees.
- To limit the emission of carbon dioxide, a global price will be set at an exorbitant level.
- People can prepare to go to Mars and start a journey to find alien life.
- Western values will be tested to the breaking point..


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Zoom Meeting ID: 817 4762 7585
Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan has come forward to collaborate with Alibaba.com to conduct a series of educational sessions with associations, SMEs and trade leaders from different key industries and would invite Alibaba.com team to educate them how to harness the potential of B2B digital commerce.
This Wednesday, we will host an event to focus completely on the food and agriculture industry. The attendees can learn-
1) The potential of B2B business in the food & agriculture industry
2) The global trends and insights of food and agro industry
3) How Alibaba.com is enabling Pakistani SMEs to sell globally


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Current Temp 25.0 °F
Wind : East at 4.6 MPH (4 KT)
Humidity : 75 %
Pressure : 1026.1 mb
Teen charged after Walmart incident
UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - A Utica teenager is charged after an incident that led to the evacuation of the North Utica Walmart on Friday night.
Utica Police say at 8:10 p.m. Friday night the store phone rang and a male on the other end said he had a gun. The employee that answered the phone was concerned the call came from someone inside the store and contacted police.
Officers evacuated the store and searched the building before giving the all clear.
Police were able to determine the call came from a home. Tyler Beniot, 17, of Utica is charged with falsely reporting an incident.


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Cracked, the E.W. Scripps-owned humor brand, is now available on Apple TV, furthering the over-the-top reach of its satirical video content.
Cracked’s Apple TV app will feature new videos daily, as well as and long-running series including After Hours, Honest Ads and We’re Not Alone, according to Scripps. The brand targets millennials.
Cracked has more than 1.4 million subscribers to its YouTube channel, Scripps said. It is also available on Roku, Pluto TV and Xumo, the company said.
Viewers spend an average of one hour watching Cracked content, according to Scripps, engagement that appeals to advertisers wanting to reach them.
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Lottery is starting up another four new scratch-off games for Floridians to win their fortune.
Tuesday, the lottery announced the debut of the $5,000,000 Crossword Cash, The Game of Life™, Cash Drop, and $50 Frenzy games.
The first game, $5,000,000 Cross Cash, sells tickets for $20 each. Those who play this game have the chance to win one of eight top prizes of $5 million, among other big prizes.
The Game of Life, available for $5, takes the classic Hasbro game and makes it a scratch-off that offers 14 top prizes of $500,000.
For $2, players can purchase a ticket for the Cash Drop game, with a chance to instantly win $50,000.
Finally, the $50 Frenzy game allows players to spend a dollar for a chance to win $50.
Scratch-Off games made up about 77 percent of ticket sales in Florida Lottery’s fiscal year for 2022 to 2023.


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Hallelujah! Colgate Just Came Out With A Recyclable Toothpaste Tube
Your toothpaste tube is in for a much-deserved makeover. After five years of development, Colgate has announced a new one that can be recycled curbside.
If you're wondering why tubes weren't already recyclable, it turns out that making them more earth-friendly is harder than you might expect. According to an interview with the Association of Plastic Recyclers in Plastics in Packaging, tubes are one of the last remaining forms of plastics packaging we use every day that still can't be recycled. (Here's some other stuff you might be recycling wrong.)
Since the collapsible metal tubes of the olden days went out of style, companies have been making theirs out of a combination of plastics that are sandwiched between an aluminum layer to preserve the paste inside. This mixing of materials means that the tubes can't be broken down in a traditional recycling facility. In search of a nimble, recyclable plastic material, Colgate landed on a combination of different types of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)—the stuff you'll find on milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles.
The new tube shouldn't feel much different from your current one, and it will be available worldwide by 2025. Rollout will begin next year with Colgate's natural toothpaste brand, Tom's of Maine. Colgate—which is sold in over 200 countries and used in more than half of the households around the world by some estimates—has also partnered with the innovative new Loop program to pilot ways that their toothpaste vessels can eventually be reused.
The brand eventually plans to open-source their tube design so other companies can follow their lead so, hopefully, some of your other balms, creams, and pastes are in for an upgrade too. Because in an age when we have to start proactively healing the planet—not just harming it less—sending billions of empty tubes to the landfill every year really isn't an option anymore.
Emma Loewe is the Sustainability and Health Director at mindbodygreen and the author of Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us. She is also the co-author of The Spirit Almanac: A Modern Guide To Ancient Self Care, which she wrote alongside Lindsay Kellner.
Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She's spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.


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McDonald’s will begin replacing its plastic drinking straws with paper in all of its UK and Ireland branches, in a bid to reduce waste.
From September, the chain will begin rolling out the change at its more than 1,300 restaurants across the two countries.
The paper straws will disintegrate in the environment, rather than plastic ending up as litter or landfill.
Customers reacted positively to trials of moving plastic straws to behind the counter at some stores, with many enthusiastic about protecting the environment, chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland Paul Pomroy said in a statement.
“Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws but to do so without compromising their overall experience when visiting our restaurants.
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“The government’s ambitious plans, combined with strong customer opinion, has helped to accelerate the move away from plastic and I’m proud that we’ve been able to play our part in helping to achieve this societal change,” he said.
McDonald’s is also testing alternatives to plastic straws in Belgium, France, the US and Norway.
There is no word yet on whether McDonald’s stores in Australia will follow the lead of the UK and Ireland, but here’s hoping.


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The Droid Incredible might want to consider making a permanent change to LCD screens after seeing the latest report from iSuppli on the shortage of AMOLED screens in the mobile market. In fact, maybe HTC should decide to move completely away from them as this new report is predicting shortages for years to come.
With Samsung and LG as the only major AMOLED producers in the world, neither has been able to keep up with demand for their screen technology. And now that Samsung has its own line of high-end Android devices, they plan on using what they can produce for themselves, which only makes sense.
Does this mean the end of AMOLED technology?


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Javier Olivan, a 15-year veteran of Meta Platforms, will take over as the company’s chief operating officer after playing a critical but mostly behind-the-scenes role in the social media company’s meteoric expansion.
Sheryl Sandberg, who announced her departure from Meta on Wednesday, will be replaced by the Spaniard.
Meta is making the move as it grapples with declining growth and increased costs. It’s transitioning from a social networking company to one dedicated to creating the metaverse, a collection of virtual worlds that may take a decade to develop.
Olivan, who grew up in northern Spain’s Pyrenees region, has degrees in electrical and industrial engineering from the University of Navarra as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University.
Olivan, 44, worked at NTT and Siemens before joining Facebook in late 2007 as head of international growth.
When he started, Facebook had roughly 40 million members. It currently has about 3.6 billion users across Facebook and other services like Instagram.
According to an interview he provided to VentureBeat in 2010, Olivan pushed Facebook’s development into nations such as India, Japan, Russia, Indonesia, and Brazil while monitoring its worldwide moves.
According to critics, the firm pursued this expansion without providing adequate protection against the spread of misinformation, hate speech, or damaging content in emerging nations.
Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, and whistleblower disclosed internal documents last year that she claimed indicated Facebook prioritized profits over user safety and lacked basic controls to eliminate hazardous information in languages other than English.
Olivan was most recently the company’s chief growth officer, and he enjoys paragliding and surfing. He was in charge of Facebook and Instagram features and services, as well as WhatsApp and Messenger communications apps.
He will continue to drive infrastructure and business development in his new role. However, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated in a Facebook post on Wednesday that his portfolio will include advertising and business tools.
One thing is certain: Nothing will change. Olivan will remain out of the spotlight as he does his duties as COO. In contrast, Sandberg testified before Congress, wrote a best-selling book about women in the workplace, and frequently represented Facebook to external audiences.
“This will be a different job than Sheryl’s,” Zuckerberg says. “Javi will take on a more typical COO role, concentrating on internal and operational concerns and building on his exceptional track record of improving the efficiency and rigor of our execution.”
Olivan may have less autonomy now that Meta is a mature corporation with $118 billion in revenue than Sandberg did when she joined in the company’s early years, according to Brian Wieser, global head of business intelligence at ad agency GroupM.
Wieser believes a crucial concern is whether Olivan will be “more attentive” to data privacy issues as well as safeguard brands from having their advertising shown next to inappropriate content.


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Top 10 reasons to grow a garden
A recent survey of gardeners yielded the top 10 reasons people garden, said University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Martha Smith.
The top reason was to grow safe, healthy food. Widely-publicized outbreaks of foodborne illness and a growing awareness about issues such as preservatives and pesticide have driven people to grow their own fruits and vegetables.
Second was gardening for exercise. “Studies show an hour of moderate gardening can burn up to 300 calories for women and almost 400 calories for men,” Smith said. Activities include walking, stretching and lifting weight. Adaptive tools allow people with physical limitations to participate.
If you have any technical difficulties, either with your username and password or with the payment options, please contact us by e-mail at email@example.com


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Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subdivision of Amazon that provides on-demand APIs and cloud computing platforms, has recently announced its plans to unveil an infrastructure region in Thailand.
Notably, the novel AWS Asia Pacific (Bangkok) Region would comprise three Availability Zones, further adding to the 87 Availability Zones currently existing around 27 geographic regions.
On a global level, AWS has also revealed plans to make additional 24 Availability Zones through eight more AWS Regions in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Spain, India, Israel, Switzerland, and Thailand.
This new AWS Region in Thailand will empower startups, developers, and enterprises, along with government, education, and nonprofit organizations to run their applications.
It will also offer services to the end users from the AWS data centers in Thailand, to ensure that customers who want to keep their data in Thailand can do so.
Additionally, in line with its commitment to the Region, AWS plans to invest approximately $5 billion (190 billion baht) in Thailand through the forthcoming 15 years.
Speaking on the latest move, Vice President of Infrastructure Services, AWS, Prasad Kalyanaraman, mentioned that the firm is committed to supporting Thailand’s digital transformation.
The investments made in local infrastructure and the fast pace of innovation will assist in providing Thailand-based customers with the cloud's full potential to revolutionize how business and institutions cater to their stakeholders, Prasad claimed.
Prasad further stated that the AWS Asia Pacific (Bangkok) Region would empower organizations to build with leading AWS technologies like data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT).
As per sources, AWS enables governments with better engagement with citizens and enterprises to help in their next growth phase as well as entrepreneurs to develop businesses and global competitive power.
The new AWS will authorize customers who prefer or require data residency to securely store data in Thailand whilst providing even lower latency across the country.
Through this launch, customers ranging from startups to enterprises to government organizations and nonprofits will be able to use advanced cloud technologies to drive innovation.


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Last December Excalibur announced it would be releasing 12 Hit Combo’s Space Overlords on PS4 in April 2016, a month which did not see such a release. Now a new release date has been set and Excalibur has confirmed that Space Overlords will be available on PS4 and Vita from December 6th. The game allows players to create their own galaxies, visit others, and destroy others that the community creates after downloading them.
Space Overlords has both a single player campaign and up to four player co-operative multiplayer. The game has been available on PC since March this year.
Source: PS Blog


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Activision has launched a teaser site for Call of Duty: Ghosts - the unannounced Call of Duty title leaked by retailers last week.
Visitors to the official Call of Duty website are automatically redirected to the mysterious new site, which asks users to "take [their] place in history on the Call of Duty Mosaic" by submitting a picture of themselves via a Facebook or Twitter account.
Submitted avatars gradually appear to be forming the image of a face mask similar to the one found on the game's leaked box art.
But the cat could already be out the bag: NeoGAF users have already discovered an image of the completed mask (pictured above) in the site's source code.
Call of Duty: Ghosts was leaked by UK retailer Tesco last week, with additional details on the game's new "next-generation" engine accidentally revealed over the weekend.
The game is expected to be formally announced this Wednesday, May 1.


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Hog Futures Gain as Cutout Values Outperform Expectations
February 1, 2021
Profit Maximizer Report
Steiner and Company produces the National Pork Board Newsletter based on information we believe is accurate and reliable. However neither NPB nor Steiner and Company warrants or guarantees the accuracy of or accepts any liability for the data, opinions or recommendations expressed.
Lean hog futures maintain premiums for the spring and summer on expectations of robust demand and lower slaughter.
• Poor weather conditions in Iowa caused some slaughter disruptions last week and yet overall slaughter was still over 2.6 million head. Hogs continue to come to market on the heavy side, which has bolstered pork supplies. Production last week was 1% higher than last year but 15% higher than two years ago.
• Good domestic demand and strong exports continue to underpin wholesale pork prices. The pork cutout is currently 13% higher than a year ago and 22% higher than two years ago, despite more pork coming to market each day.
• Ham primal value last week was 47% higher than it was in 2019. Mexico remains a big buyer, with USDA reporting shipments for the most current week over 18,000 MT.
• Pork inventory in cold storage as of January 1 was 30% smaller than a year ago and the inventory of hams was down 37%, both supportive of pork prices in the near term.
There was a lot of uncertainty at the start of the year about the outlook for pork/hog prices given expectations for higher slaughter and a potential slowdown in demand.
In the last two weeks, however, February hog futures have gained about 6% and April futures are up 7%.
For the entire 2021 futures are currently pricing hogs 42% higher than the COVID affected 2020 prices. Hog prices for 2021 are also 12% higher than in 2019.
As we noted in our last report, higher grain prices have been a big factor driving prices in addition to the improvement in demand. The grain export story received another boost last week as China booked the equivalent of 230 million bushels of corn.
At this time the amount of corn that has either been exported or is currently on the books to be delivered before the end of the marketing year represents near 85% of all
exports USDA has projected for the year.
And we are not even half way through the marketing year.
Higher feed costs may further pile on the pressure on hog producers to rein in any expansion plans and, more likely, encourage further liquidation.
Sow slaughter in December was 11% higher than the previous year but that was in part because of an extra marketing day.
In January there will be two fewer marketing days so even as weekly slaughter has been up the last two weeks, the total for the month will likely be lower than last year.
Our forecasted sow slaughter for the Dec-Feb quarter (using the quarters that correspond to the hog inventory) currently stands at 816k head, 29k head or 3.7% higher than the previous year.
More importantly, the ratio of quarterly sow slaughter to the breeding herd inventory on December 1 is currently projected at 13%. One has to go back to 2011 and 2012 to find a similar ratio, likely not a coincidence given grain market trends.
As for producer profitability, that is always a tough thing to figure out given all the different ways in which producers price hogs as well as the ability of hogs to hedge or integrate hogs in their overall production.
IA State runs a producer profitability model and for a farrow/finish operation they calculate that in 2020 producers lost an average of $2/head/month.
Using their model as a base, we calculate that $5.25 corn and $425 soybean meal pushes hog breakevens over $80/ cwt.
Consider that when you think about why futures are currently pricing 2021 hogs at an average $79/cwt, 42% higher than the previous year.
Tight pork cold storage supplies and a more inflationary outlook for Q2 helped bolster prices in the short term.
The combined inventory of beef, pork, chicken and turkey in cold storage at the end of December was estimated at 2.029 billion pounds, 10.6% lower than the previous year.
In the last five years, red meat and poultry supply at the end of December was about the same as at the end of November, this year the supply increased 1.2%, mostly due to more boneless beef going into the freezer.
Pork supply in cold storage remains significantly below year ago levels despite robust pork production during December.
Good exports and strong holiday demand has underpinned pork values and helped support the overall cutout.
With limited pork in the freezer and expectations of higher price inflation, it appears end users are more willing to build some inventory position. This continues to help the cutout in the near term.
The total pork inventory at the end of December was 408.4 million pounds, 29.6% lower than a year ago and 21.4% lower than the five year average.
Pork inventories declined 2.7% compared to the previous month vs. a 5-year 2.5% average drawdown in. Pork inventories were already quite low in November and inventory became even tighter in December.
Ham inventory was 53.6 million pounds, 37.6% lower than a year ago and 28.8% lower than the five year average.
Easter will be early this year and with less product in the freezer, processors have little time to shore up their needs.
Belly inventory was 30.7 million pounds, 54% lower than a year ago and 30% lower than the five year average. Given expectations of higher prices in Q2, the race is on to get some more product around.


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click the download button at the bottom of this page.
The rumour mill – In our world 20 years ago, the magazine had been busy sorting through a plethora of “rumours, innuendo and outright speculation” from in and around the industry.
Such snippets included the rumour of the sale of Bond & Bond by PRG to Roger Bhatnagar and Greg Lancaster no less, a decade after they got shot of Noel Leeming to the Murray Group.
Of course, that never happened and it would be several years before a major brown goods brand supplied The Warehouse, despite the rumours of the time.
Whirlpool makes a big entry – By 1999 Whirlpool was making progress with an aim “to be the market leader in New Zealand.” It was a mark of its aggressive intent that the brand bought five pages in Wares to tell its story, an inside front cover for microwaves and a four page advertorial.
We were reintroduced to the New Zealand front line team of Calvin Sandford (“Where are they now?” June 2012) who led the side as Country Manager, Alan Dalton as Account Manager Lower North Island and Chris McKee who covered the South Island in a similar role.
For some years now, Calvin has had his own company, ActionCOACH, Alan is GM Australia & New Zealand for Electrolux Home Care and Small Domestic Appliances and Chris is MD and owner of Jalmac Sales & Marketing, a sales agency and importer which manages sales for Sharp NZ and Arisit NZ, and is the importer and distributor for ACQUA refrigeration, Sensibo Wi-Fi heat pump controllers and MAP Coffee.
Hail to the chief – It’s always an occasion when a supplier’s international chief comes to our shores and Nilfisk-Advance was thrilled to welcome Ole Jakobsen who was Global President and CEO of the mother ship, Nilfisk-Advance A/S in Brøndby.
Ole hosted a dealer lunch for the company’s leading resellers, both in consumer and commercial & industrial.
He spoke of the group’s goal of becoming the world’s leading supplier of professional equipment then announced that in the 1998, Australasia had been the leading region for the Nilfisk brand in consumer.
“In New Zealand,” he went on,” our growth in domestic was 47.5% over 1997, so to our dealer associates, thank you for your great support.”
Nilfisk has just recently announced it would be pulling out of the consumer market here
Out of the frying pan… – These days Groupe SEB in New Zealand comprises Darryl Brown as Country Manager and Bronwyn Muldrew as Account Manager.
But, 20 years back, Deane Westwood was the man in charge with new Tefal and Rowenta products ready for release through Ecco (NZ), led by Howard Mackley, with a CV that also included Swatch telephones and Bosch GSM mobile phones.
Today, Deane is Sales Manager at Coffee Biz NZ, marketing Jura domestic and commercial coffee-making machines plus Necta automatic coffee vending machines, while Howard is Director at Novo, an import/distribution business catering to commercial and domestic electrical contractors and electricians.
New Plymouth’s finest – In retail, the Sunbeam Award for Excellence in Retailing went to Mason Appliances in its impressive New Plymouth premises.
Brian Mason and Robbie Peel were on hand to accept the award from Sunbeam’s Greg Stevens and Fiona McKinnon.
Speaking with Wares at the presentation, Brian’s comments were typical of the attitude and atmosphere prevailing in our industry back then.
He said: “We love serving the people of New Plymouth. It’s not a matter of getting up and doing a day’s work, it’s about enjoying the day’s work. And when customers come into our shop we want them to enjoy the part of their day they spent with us.”
Nowadays Brian is with Property Brokers in Hawkes Bay and Robbie is retired after spending eight years at Harvey Norman.
Greg and his partner Lisa own Civic Video in Whitianga, half of which they have converted into a homeware outlet called Civic Style Homeware.
No sign of Fiona.
Retravision retrospective – Retravision’s 1999 Australasian conference was staged in Canberra with approximately 700 delegates in attendance.
Rex Gibson of Gibson Retravision in Rangiora carried the torch at the “sports day” at Australia’s Institute of Sport which was won by Victoria/Tasmania.
Retravision had grown to impressive proportions after 40 years of existence with Kiwi Chairman, Rob Duckworth, numbering 43 identified Retravision stores in New Zealand including five new members following the implementation of a new structure and associated new policies.
These days, Rex is an International Employment Consultant at Business Immigration in Christchurch while Rob is busy investing in and developing commercial and domestic properties (not to mention the golf).
Movers & Shakers – Philips announced Errol McKenzie as Director, on top of his duties as GM Consumer Electronics; the company also announced that Brett McMeekin was the new Marketing Manager Consumer Electronics.
Errol keeps himself busy these days as a Director, along with wife Sarah, at Futurescape Global as well as partnerships in MMD, Viaduct Quay Holdings and Amam Consultants (not to mention the golf).
Brett has worked for Lion Nathan and Telecom since he left Philips and most recently was National Events Director for Fairfax Media. He has been enjoying a well-earned break in Mount Maunganui with a plan to move back to Auckland in the near future. Give him a call on 021 814 583.
Check out previous instalments in our "Rolling back the Years" series here.


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It is clear petrol and diesel will not be around forever, therefore car manufacturers are seeking new fuel alternatives. This is nothing new but there still seems to be no decisive way forward. Electricity is all the craze at the moment but I’m not convinced this is the sure bet, I’m much more interested in the hydrogen variety. Step forward Honda.
Now even hydrogen isn’t exactly a new concept, even a small brand called Riversimple in Wales has been able to develop a car that runs on hydrogen. Not that I’m taking anything away from Riversimple of course. Let’s focus on Honda though and its Clarity Fuel Cell, which has recently been deemed to give a range of 366 miles by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This means it’s able to better the 315 miles offered by the all electric Tesla and is able to offer 68 mpg.
What’s more, Honda’s hydrogen Clarity Fuel Cell car is the first car of its type to be able to fit the entire drivetrain under the bonnet. Not surprising really when I suppose the amount of innovation Honda has provided throughout the years. However, there are a few problems. Firstly, this car will not be making its way over to Blighty, instead it will be sold in the US only – California to be exact. It doesn’t get much better there as anyone who does happen to buy one will have a choice of just 12 filling stations.
Despite this extremely limited start, could hydrogen be the future of modern motoring?


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Coldwater Creek deployed Oracle Retail Merchandise Planning and Optimization solutions as part of a strategic initiative to reduce inventory while ensuring the right styles and colors are available to meet customer demand in stores, online and via catalog.
The Oracle Retail solutions provide Coldwater Creek the ability to create both pre-season and in-season plans to deliver immediate, color-level performance detail across all sales channels.
With this level of cross channel and cross category collaboration, Coldwater Creek is better able to tailor and monetize its product assortments and respond more effectively to evolving customer demand.
Coldwater Creek is using Oracle solutions to budget and forecast demand more accurately, allowing it to make better buying decisions, and react quickly to how well an item is selling by either purchasing more or using promotional mechanisms to strategically clear merchandise faster.
Coldwater Creek expects the integrated inventory management and planning processes to improve the productivity and profitability of store, online and catalog channels.
Relying on an internal team of merchandising and IT experts supplemented by minimal external consulting, Coldwater Creek implemented the suite of integrated of Oracle Retail applications in just nine months.
"The new Oracle-based inventory planning system provides inventory visibility that simply was not possible for us in the past," said Jim Bell, Executive Vice President and CFO/COO, Coldwater Creek. "Ultimately, this should lead to further reductions in aged inventory and allow us to increase our full-price selling, making us more productive and profitable."
"The new planning process underpins one of our strategic business objectives for this year, which is to optimize the effectiveness of our inventory investments without diminishing our ability to meet customer demand, across all channels," said Deanna Emsley, Senior Vice President of Inventory Planning and Corporate Strategy, Coldwater Creek. "The Oracle Retail solution represents a significant change in the way we approach assortments and inventory by facilitating a 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approach to planning."
"Assortment and inventory levers shape the customer experience as well as margins for the season," said Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Retail. "Coldwater Creek is using Oracle Retail to transform critical processes to get closer to the customer and ultimately drive store and online performance."
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By Cate Cadell BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have issued a warning to the country's top e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba Holding Group Ltd's Taobao.com, over the sale of illegal virtual private networks that allow users to skirt state censorship controls. Five websites have been asked to carry out immediate "self-examination and correction" to remove vendors that sell illegal virtual private networks (VPNs), according to a notice posted by the Zhejiang provincial branch of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), China's top cyber regulator. This is the latest in a series of measures taken by China to secure the internet and maintain strict control over content.
Original Article: China targets Alibaba's Taobao, other e-commerce sites, in VPN crackdownNEXT ARTICLE


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Windows RT, Microsoft's first tablet-focused operating system, is not proving to be a hit in Europe. Actually, demand on the old continent is so weak that Samsung will reportedly stop sales of its Windows RT tablet in Germany.
Acer's DA220HQL looks like a giant Android tablet, with its 1920 x 1080 pixel, 21.5-inch touch screen -- but you wouldn't want to carry it around.
iPhone 6 rumours: 'iPhone 5S' and low-cost plastic and fibreglass iPhone to be unveiled in June, says analyst
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that Apple will unveil a new iPhone and a low-cost model of the smartphone in June before they hit the shelves in July.
Apple could be planning to launch its iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 as soon as April, according to a new report.
Touch-based Windows 8 notebooks have been selling well for Taiwanese PC maker Asus, but overall Microsoft's new operating system has yet to find a major following, the company said.
Intel has expanded its bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program, which has been a resounding success, providing around 5 million hours of annual productivity gains last year, the company said.
A new Apple job listing hints that the company could be planning to introduce new colours for its next-generation iPhone, dubbed iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S.
The fact that LTE connectivity is becoming ubiquitous in smartphones and tablets isn't lost on Intel, which aims for its baseband processors to be used in more mobile devices and base stations.
Asus has started rolling out an update to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean for its Transformer Pad TF300 tablet.
Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet will go on sale in Europe in the second quarter priced somewhere around €899, while a local telco is now reselling the latest editions of its Office 365 hosted productivity suite, the company announced ahead of the Cebi...
New reports from Asia suggest that Apple has cut back its chip and panel orders for its iPhone 5 as the launch of the next-generation iPhone, known as iPhone 5S or iPhone 6, grows nearer.
Technology teardown site iFixit has published its first 'Tablet Repairability' list, ranking several popular tablets in terms of how easy they are to repair, including Apple's iPads, which have found themselves with scores that place them near the bo...
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Peripherals giant Mad Catz is to keep its newly-acquired label Joytech to spearhead its efforts in Europe – dismissing fears that the brand would disappear altogether.
Having acquired the accessories firm last month, Mad Catz’ general manager for Europe Brian Andersen told MCV that the beefed-up company is looking to strengthen its presence on both sides of the Atlantic.
We’re enormously proud and gratified that in acquiring Joytech from Take-Two, we have managed to keep all UK members of the Joytech team and relocate them to our European HQ in Milton Keynes,” said Andersen.
Mad Catz is the established leader in North America whereas Joytech has always been strong across Europe. The short-sighted move would be to simply merge the brands and close down the Joytech name. It makes good business sense to allow each a chance to prosper.”


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It’s a wrap!
The 6th Association for Vertical Farming (AVF) Summit on the theme ‘Unifying New Food Systems’ – held together with VertiFarm, the first ever International Trade Fair for Next Level Farming and New Food Systems – was successfully held on September 27-29th, 2022 at the Dortmund Exhibition Center in Germany.
The essential stakeholders of the Vertical Farming Industry gathered once again at this time of extraordinary global disruptions. Diverse industry, scientific and government experts and participants from five continents huddled for three days to discuss regional trends, technology innovations, business and financing strategies, and the road ahead for Vertical Farming.
Consistent with this year’s theme, the topics covered ranged from alternative proteins to new vertical farm initiatives in China and Saudi Arabia; a holistic method to scale up Vertical Farms; the emerging and imperative role of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in the inclusive global spread of Vertical Farming; advances in lighting, automation and data-driven growing strategies; a regenerative food vision for cities; a new Vertical Farming model for growing food on the Moon and Mars as well as the Antarctic Eden ISS project; AI applications in Vertical Farming; cultivation of medicinal plants in Vertical Farms; microalgae photobioreactor production in controlled environment; new financing instruments for Vertical Farming; best seeds and plant breeding for Vertical Farming; crafting favorable policies and guidelines; and more.
The summit also featured a new project opportunity to build a consortium to refurbish an old industrial area in the heart of Cologne in Germany and transform it into an integrative growing space for Vertical Farms and alternative proteins. This will include education, retail, and many more for future urban production.
AVF also highlighted at the Summit two of its own prime initiatives – the AVF-Control Union Sustainable Indoor Farming (SIF) Certification and the establishment of the new AVF Canada Chapter.
AVF’s diverse and timely Summit program in conjunction with VertiFarm’s global trade fair that was exclusively devoted to Indoor Farming and the New Food Systems created an enlarged and inclusive platform for synergistic communication and cross-fertilization of ideas and strategies among growers, operators, suppliers, manufacturers, investors, researchers, policymakers, academics, students, and other vital industry stakeholders.
AVF and VertiFarm certainly look forward to the next exciting — and even better and larger — edition of its partnership next year on 26-28 September 2023 in Dortmund. And everyone is invited!