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|By Maureen O'Gara||
|July 1, 2012 01:15 AM EDT||
California District Court Judge Lucy Koh Friday enjoined the Android Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone that Google co-developed because, she said, Apple is likely to prove it at trial that it infringes four Apple patents including the Google nose-pulling Siri unified search patent.
Without a preliminary injunction, she said in her 101-page ruling, Apple was “likely to lose substantial market share in the smartphone market and to lose substantial downstream sales of future smartphone purchases and tag- along products.”
The harm to Samsung is outweighed by the “irreparable harm” to Apple, she said, but there’s still a hearing scheduled for Monday regarding a Samsung appeal and try for a stay.
The threat to Samsung is serious. It remains to be seen whether it’s the thermonuclear bomb Steve Jobs wanted to drop on Android.
According to IDC Samsung owns 29.1% of the global smartphone market to Apple’s 24.2%.
The eight-moth-old Nexus phone is pure unvarnished Android with no OEM-added “skins.” It currently sells with the Ice Cream version of Android and is supposed to be updated to the days-old Jelly Bean rendition of Android in mid-July.
The other patents Apple won on were its data tapping patent, its slide-to- unlock patent and its autocorrect patent, all like the Siri patent judged likely to prove valid.
The judge also found that, contrary to Samsung’s minimizing contentions, Siri is a “substantial driver of consumer demand” infringed by Google’s Quick Search Box technology. She’s less sure that the three other patents drive as much market share, FOSS Patents noted.
Apple will have to post a $94 million bond for the preliminary injunction to take effect. The ink on that check is probably already dry. Apple posted a $2.6 million bond to cover damages to Samsung in case it loses the day after it got a preliminary injunction against from the Android-based Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet from Koh earlier in the week.
Reuters said Koh, who was pushed to order the injunctions by the Federal Court of Appeals, might rule Sunday on staying the injunction against the Galaxy Tab.
Apple is expected to go after the new Galaxy S III smartphone next.
The week before a Chicago court forbid Apple to chase an injunction against Motorola Mobility and its Android devices. However, as FOSS Patents deemed more important the judge said FRAND patents can’t be used for an injunction, a decision expected to weigh down the litigation strategies of Motorola, Samsung and Google with cement shoes.
Buzzword alert: Microservices and IoT at a DevOps conference? What could possibly go wrong? In this Power Panel at DevOps Summit, moderated by Jason Bloomberg, the leading expert on architecting agility for the enterprise and president of Intellyx, panelists peeled away the buzz and discuss the important architectural principles behind implementing IoT solutions for the enterprise. As remote IoT devices and sensors become increasingly intelligent, they become part of our distributed cloud enviro...
Mar. 29, 2017 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 7,869
SYS-CON Events announced today that Auditwerx will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Auditwerx specializes in SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 attestation services throughout the U.S. and Canada. As a division of Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CRI), one of the top 20 largest CPA firms nationally, you can expect the resources, skills, and experience of a much larger firm combined with the accessibility and attent...
Mar. 29, 2017 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 614
SYS-CON Events announced today that T-Mobile will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc., is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. The Company's advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences to 67.4 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on ...
Mar. 29, 2017 11:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,558
SYS-CON Events announced today that Infranics will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Since 2000, Infranics has developed SysMaster Suite, which is required for the stable and efficient management of ICT infrastructure. The ICT management solution developed and provided by Infranics continues to add intelligence to the ICT infrastructure through the IMC (Infra Management Cycle) based on mathemat...
Mar. 29, 2017 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 3,408
SYS-CON Events announced today that Interoute, owner-operator of one of Europe's largest networks and a global cloud services platform, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 20th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017 at the Javits Center in New York, New York. Interoute is the owner-operator of one of Europe's largest networks and a global cloud services platform which encompasses 12 data centers, 14 virtual data centers and 31 colocation centers, with connections to 195 add...
Mar. 29, 2017 10:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,691
SYS-CON Events announced today that Cloudistics, an on-premises cloud computing company, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Cloudistics delivers a complete public cloud experience with composable on-premises infrastructures to medium and large enterprises. Its software-defined technology natively converges network, storage, compute, virtualization, and management into a ...
Mar. 29, 2017 10:00 AM EDT Reads: 2,329
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Eric Lachapelle, CEO of the Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB), will provide an overview of various initiatives to certifiy the security of connected devices and future trends in ensuring public trust of IoT. Eric Lachapelle is the Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB), an international certification body. His role is to help companies and individuals to achieve professional, accredited and worldw...
Mar. 29, 2017 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 926
In his General Session at 16th Cloud Expo, David Shacochis, host of The Hybrid IT Files podcast and Vice President at CenturyLink, investigated three key trends of the “gigabit economy" though the story of a Fortune 500 communications company in transformation. Narrating how multi-modal hybrid IT, service automation, and agile delivery all intersect, he will cover the role of storytelling and empathy in achieving strategic alignment between the enterprise and its information technology.
Mar. 29, 2017 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 7,509
Microservices are a very exciting architectural approach that many organizations are looking to as a way to accelerate innovation. Microservices promise to allow teams to move away from monolithic "ball of mud" systems, but the reality is that, in the vast majority of organizations, different projects and technologies will continue to be developed at different speeds. How to handle the dependencies between these disparate systems with different iteration cycles? Consider the "canoncial problem" ...
Mar. 29, 2017 06:00 AM EDT Reads: 9,063
The Internet of Things is clearly many things: data collection and analytics, wearables, Smart Grids and Smart Cities, the Industrial Internet, and more. Cool platforms like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Intel's Galileo and Edison, and a diverse world of sensors are making the IoT a great toy box for developers in all these areas. In this Power Panel at @ThingsExpo, moderated by Conference Chair Roger Strukhoff, panelists discussed what things are the most important, which will have the most profound e...
Mar. 29, 2017 04:00 AM EDT Reads: 15,115
Keeping pace with advancements in software delivery processes and tooling is taxing even for the most proficient organizations. Point tools, platforms, open source and the increasing adoption of private and public cloud services requires strong engineering rigor - all in the face of developer demands to use the tools of choice. As Agile has settled in as a mainstream practice, now DevOps has emerged as the next wave to improve software delivery speed and output. To make DevOps work, organization...
Mar. 29, 2017 03:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,164
My team embarked on building a data lake for our sales and marketing data to better understand customer journeys. This required building a hybrid data pipeline to connect our cloud CRM with the new Hadoop Data Lake. One challenge is that IT was not in a position to provide support until we proved value and marketing did not have the experience, so we embarked on the journey ourselves within the product marketing team for our line of business within Progress. In his session at @BigDataExpo, Sum...
Mar. 29, 2017 03:30 AM EDT Reads: 3,255
Web Real-Time Communication APIs have quickly revolutionized what browsers are capable of. In addition to video and audio streams, we can now bi-directionally send arbitrary data over WebRTC's PeerConnection Data Channels. With the advent of Progressive Web Apps and new hardware APIs such as WebBluetooh and WebUSB, we can finally enable users to stitch together the Internet of Things directly from their browsers while communicating privately and securely in a decentralized way.
Mar. 29, 2017 03:00 AM EDT Reads: 6,096
DevOps is often described as a combination of technology and culture. Without both, DevOps isn't complete. However, applying the culture to outdated technology is a recipe for disaster; as response times grow and connections between teams are delayed by technology, the culture will die. A Nutanix Enterprise Cloud has many benefits that provide the needed base for a true DevOps paradigm.
Mar. 29, 2017 01:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,523
What sort of WebRTC based applications can we expect to see over the next year and beyond? One way to predict development trends is to see what sorts of applications startups are building. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Arin Sime, founder of WebRTC.ventures, will discuss the current and likely future trends in WebRTC application development based on real requests for custom applications from real customers, as well as other public sources of information,
Mar. 29, 2017 01:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,132
In his General Session at 17th Cloud Expo, Bruce Swann, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Adobe Campaign, explored the key ingredients of cross-channel marketing in a digital world. Learn how the Adobe Marketing Cloud can help marketers embrace opportunities for personalized, relevant and real-time customer engagement across offline (direct mail, point of sale, call center) and digital (email, website, SMS, mobile apps, social networks, connected objects).
Mar. 28, 2017 11:15 PM EDT Reads: 3,529
With the introduction of IoT and Smart Living in every aspect of our lives, one question has become relevant: What are the security implications? To answer this, first we have to look and explore the security models of the technologies that IoT is founded upon. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Nevi Kaja, a Research Engineer at Ford Motor Company, will discuss some of the security challenges of the IoT infrastructure and relate how these aspects impact Smart Living. The material will be delivered i...
Mar. 28, 2017 09:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,268
"My role is working with customers, helping them go through this digital transformation. I spend a lot of time talking to banks, big industries, manufacturers working through how they are integrating and transforming their IT platforms and moving them forward," explained William Morrish, General Manager Product Sales at Interoute, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Mar. 28, 2017 09:30 PM EDT Reads: 3,914
SYS-CON Events announced today that Ocean9will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Ocean9 provides cloud services for Backup, Disaster Recovery (DRaaS) and instant Innovation, and redefines enterprise infrastructure with its cloud native subscription offerings for mission critical SAP workloads.
Mar. 28, 2017 08:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,393
Your homes and cars can be automated and self-serviced. Why can't your storage? From simply asking questions to analyze and troubleshoot your infrastructure, to provisioning storage with snapshots, recovery and replication, your wildest sci-fi dream has come true. In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 20th Cloud Expo, Dan Florea, Director of Product Management at Tintri, will provide a ChatOps demo where you can talk to your storage and manage it from anywhere, through Slack and similar services ...
Mar. 28, 2017 07:00 PM EDT Reads: 4,562


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Since 2008, the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance (GMA) has been supporting the manufacturing community in the state. At their Tenth Anniversary Party, held February 1st at the 57th Fighter Group restaurant, the achievements of Jason Moss, the founder of GMA were recognized in an official Commendation from Governor Nathan Deal.
“I was honored to address the attendees and to present the Governor’s Commendation recognition to Jason Moss. I met Mr. Moss in 2007, and he shared his vision for creating the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance (GMA). Manufacturing is the backbone of our economy, and GMA has had a tremendous impact on the manufacturing industry in our state.” - Mr. Melvin Everson, Director of the Georgia Commission of Equal Opportunity.
The Governor’s Commendation also noted the many accomplishments and resources that Mr. Moss has developed including:
- The Georgia Manufacturing Directory which provides a list of GMA members and is an online and printed resource for manufacturers and suppliers to find local services, parts, and equipment.
- The Georgia Manufacturing Summit, held October 10, 2018 at the Cobb Galleria, which highlights the people, plants, and products that make a vibrant manufacturing environment.
- The Georgia Manufacturing Hall of Fame which honors the people that have had a tremendous impact on manufacturing in the state.
- The Georgia Manufacturing Calendar which features events from affiliated industry associations including plant tours, training workshops, tradeshows, and networking events throughout the state.
“I saw a need for manufacturing professionals to have events where they can share best practices and to provide resources where they can form strategic alliances with each other. We started the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance with just a few members and now we have five regional chapters across the state. We are uniquely positioned to help Georgia capture much of the re-shoring of manufacturing to America.”
- Jason Moss, CEO of the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance

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A new edibles company has launched with a team of seasoned chefs and hospitality professionals.
Olli Brands is a company focused on bringing high-quality cannabis-infused products to Canada in a variety of edible products. Co-founder and CEO Sarah Gillin says that the company’s vision was to merge the culinary and cannabis lifestyle to create absolutely delicious edible products with quality ingredients at the forefront.
To achieve this, Gillin says they’ve hired the best people to bring the project to life. The company launched back in 2017, and have since partnered up with respected Toronto chef Adrian Niman of the Food Dudes to oversee recipe development and a world-renowned tea sommelier in Richard Guzauskas to govern the tea production.
“We wanted to put our best foot forward,” says Gillin, a Toronto native and expert in luxury goods marketing.
The company currently has two products available for sale with more on the way. Both items are fruit chews––one strawberry flavoured that is infused with a higher CBD content, and a dragon fruit flavour infused with a higher THC content.
The difference between the two is simply the contents––CBD, or cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive component of cannabis while THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, has psychoactive components most commonly associated with cannabis use. Olli offers a guide on their website that breaks down the differences of the two more in depth that can help their customers better enjoy their experience.
The two gummies are available for sale through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), as well as select licensed retailers across the province.
Gillin says that they are looking to bring more edible options this year and are excited where their industry is headed.
The company currently innovates and manufactures all their products at their licensed facility in Etobicoke, Ont. While they’ve launched with just two gummies, Gillin is excited to bring their other products in the upcoming year, including a series of baked goods and infused teas.
“We have a variety of different products in the pipeline,” she says. “Our ultimate goal is to create products that are delicious and that are consistent and that people enjoy and that makes them feel good.”
The company first started before the official legalization of marijuana in October 2018, when casual cannabis use was legally prohibited unless used for medical purposes. Though cannabis can now be enjoyed leisurely, Gillin states that Olli is also focused on maintaining the natural health and wellness benefits that cannabis offers.
“Right now, most of our products are relatively low dose. Our highest THC level right now is 5 milligrams,” says Gillin. “We wanted to create something that was a bit more approachable.”
Olli is looking to build a trusted brand that can help customers introduce cannabis into their life either for the first time or for the first time in a while. They’re also looking to help others who are curious about edibles––who may have been smokers and want to try edible products.
Olli is currently available through OCS for online orders, as well as a handful of local retailers across the city, including all four Hunny Pot locations in Toronto, Tokyo Smoke on Bloor Street and Alchemy Canna to name a few.


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This growth can be attributed to the rise in the food safety concerns within the food industry, which has led to an increase in the adoption of food traceability technologies across the globe. The market is forecast to grow from $11.63 billion in 2016 to $16.09 billion by 2022.
The global increase in the number of food recalls has posed serious threats to the public health as well as to the growing economy. On an average, the direct cost of a product recall borne by the food company varies between US$10 million to US$12 million, in addition to the loss of sales.
The major concerns pertaining to food safety have put human life and companies at stake. The food industry addressed the issue with the introduction of food safety procedures such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)—which attempts to avoid hazards rather than attempting to inspect finished products for the effects of those hazards. The HACCP system can be used at all stages of a food chain, from food production and preparation processes including packaging and distribution.
With the rise in the issues such as false labelling and the occurrence of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as the mad cow disease, there has been a decline in the trust for the food products among the consumers within the food industry.
The growth for this market is driven by factors such as improvements in the food recall process, ease of compliance in global regulation, greater visibility within the inventory system, improved return processes, and rapid shift in consumer preferences. However, the market consists of certain challenges which are inhibiting the overall growth such as overlapping and conflicting demand of food traceability systems, lack of unifying requirements, and weak technical system prohibiting rapid response time.
Traceability is gaining widespread recognition in developed and developing countries and therefore tends to be global, dynamic and complex in nature. The market is expected to progress a substantial extent due to the rising global population and food sufficiency concerns.


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PORTLAND, Ore. ( TheStreet) -- It's almost amusing that consumers think holiday shopping and the retail calendar have anything to do with the actual calendar or when shoppers think they're ready to buy gifts.
Because that's exactly what retailers want to do when the economy's sputtering and sales are slow: Wait for you to come around.
Home and garden stores and department stores will always put out Christmas decorations in September because the lawn furniture, grill sets and air conditioners just have to go.
Sam's Club and
BJ's Wholesale Club
will routinely put out reindeer lawn ornaments and bulk packs of wrapping paper in late August because they know you're there to shop roughly that far ahead anyway.
is going to start throwing around the words
Black Friday in July
just to remind summer shoppers that they're closer to this Christmas than to Christmas 2012. Other stores have given
a reason to exist this early in the year by releasing their toy catalogs in early October. If last year's lineup of sales circular releases is any indication, at least one major discount store or department store will join the fray before November.
Sure, that place that used to be a Borders still has racks of Trashy Librarian and CGI Hero From That Summer Movie costumes lining its walls. Yes, your grocery store has basically built a gantlet out of chocolate and sugar that you'll have to pass through several times in the next few weeks, with the occasional Snickers or pack of Skittles making their way into your cart as collateral damage. You may even be under the impression that anybody in the retail world cares in the slightest about your plans for Thanksgiving -- known to them as Black Friday Eve.
A full 22% of shoppers told market research firm
last year that they planned to start shopping Thanksgiving night. Knowing that, are you still so surprised by holiday shopping creep? If so, here are five more reasons Black Friday is already on the minds of folks on both sides of the register:


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Start-ups to Watch in 2012
Founders Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp founded Birchbox, a $10 per month subscription service that sends beauty samples to members, last year. Less than a year old, Brichbox currently has around 45,000 users and 25 employees. Birchbox closed a $1.4 million seed round, from investors including First Round and Accel Partners. The service has expanded to giving beauty advice, via their blog. “We were inspired by the idea that every woman would want a best friend who’s a beauty editor and is helping them curate the clutter,” says Beauchamp.


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Tim Tebow can add something else to his remarkable resume.
According to a report in the Washington Post, the Denver Broncos quarterback is the author of the top-selling religious book of 2011.
"Through My Eyes," which chronicles Tebow's life as a football player growing up and his Christian faith, has sold more than 220,000 to make it the top religious-based book sold in 2011.
Publisher HarperOne is expected sales of the book to continue to soar once Tebow can promote it during the off-season, and there are now 450,000 copies of the book in print.
Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com
Check out our partners at TiqIQ for the best deals on all games on the 2014 NFL schedule.
SEP 19 Jeff Fedotin
Jets hold out hope cornerback can bolster beleaguered secondary.
SEP 17 Jesse Lawrence
Jesse Lawrence of TiqIQ takes a look at the hot tickets this weekend.
SEP 16 Joel Corry
After registering 19 sacks in 2013, the St. Louis pass rusher cashes in big.


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The card allows users to load multiple currencies on the same card with global reach of MasterCard, while it is also accepted at 35.9 million locations worldwide. Cardholders can currently load up to four currencies on the card: US dollar, British Pounds, Euro and the Australian Dollars. More
“Although there are other prepaid travel cards in South Africa, they can only carry one currency at a time. The Multi-currency Cash Passport card has the ability to allow customers to carry foreign exchange loaded with multiple currencies on one card,” says Head of Retail Banking Arrie Rautenbach.
He continues: “When the card is used in the destination country, the system intelligently chooses the correct currency depending on the country the cardholder is in, as long as the currency is available (for example, if in the US the system will automatically debit the US Dollar purse on the card).”
“If an ATM withdrawal or point of sale transaction is made in a currency which is different to any of the available currencies on the card, or exceeds the relevant available currency balance on the card, the amount will be funded by converting the transaction amount onto the next available currency balance on the card.”
As the demand for immediate payments implementation grows in the United States, Iliad Solutions have identified one of the largest risks to face the payments industry over the next few years.
Barclays has signed contracts with six of the fintech startups that just graduated from its second New York accelerator programme.
Company card killer Pleo has raised $3m in new funding as it prepares for public launch in the UK and Denmark.
Cheques are become less and less common in the UK according to new research from global market research firm Mintel which claims contactless card use has overtaken cheque payments in the UK for the first time.


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Paypal CEO, Dan Schulman gave interesting insights into why the online payment processor left Facebook’s Libra.
In an interview with Fortune’s editors and writers, Schulman revealed why the online payment processor left Facebook’s Libra. To remind, it was among the first companies to leave the Libra Association.
Schulman explained that when Head of Libra, David Marcus approached him he framed things differently. Hence initially the Libra project with its financial inclusion agenda appealed to Paypal.
However, Schulman revealed that eventually, his team learned more about the Libra project. And they discovered it had a lot of areas to cover. The online payment processor also had a lot of things on its roadmap outside of Libra. Hence, it decided to focus on it as that way they’ll be able to advance financial inclusion faster than investing resources elsewhere.
Additionally, Schulman mentioned the decision wasn’t an acrimonious divorce or anything of that kind. Quoting him: “It’s just that they’ll start going down a road that we’re very interested in looking at and monitoring.”
Nevertheless, the CEO said that it’s not out of the question for the two companies to join forces again later on.
Concerning regulatory scrutiny, Schulman mentioned regulation didn’t determine much. He said: “That wasn’t really what spooked us on it. It’s simply about, where we want to put our attention. Also, what we want to do today to advance our mission. Once they start figuring things out, we’ll take another look at where they are.”
Schulman’s view on cryptocurrency
When asked about Paypal’s works on blockchain and cryptocurrency, he said PayPal finds it intriguing. He pointed out that the technologies are promising.
However, he also said that the industry needs to produce something that the traditional rails can’t. As the present system already runs efficiently. And the benefits of blockchain they find intriguing revolve more around identity than efficiency.
Furthermore, Schulman shared that merchants on PayPal do not have a lot of demand for crypto. Primarily, because of the high volatility. Therefore, he believes that cryptocurrencies will become less volatile merchants will start accepting it on the web.
Interestingly, Paypal CEO does have some crypto. Thus, he admitted that he owns some Bitcoin.
To remind, popular cryptocurrency Verge experienced a surge in price following Paypal’s ban on adult entertainment site, Pornhub. Find out more here.


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A new sign that points the way to what downtown Smithers has to offer will be constructed this summer after council gave its approval to a design last Tuesday.
The sign is budgeted at $15,000, with $10,000 coming from the Open for Business Award the town won last year. The other $5,000 comes from a Northern Development Initiative Economic Development base grant.
“The sign is something the merchants have been working on for the last two years,” said Downtown Merchants Association chair Corina Brewer.
“It’s important in that we really wanted to promote the downtown core and really give tourists coming down the highway a reason to want to turn onto Main Street and see all the amazing things that are down off the highway.”
The decision to have the words “experience downtown” was also important to Brewer.
“It’s not just Main Street. There a lot of amazing shops and businesses that are off of Main Street, but they’re down in that downtown core.
“And the events are held downtown, in the summer the buskers are downtown, there are amazing cafes and restaurants downtown. There are so many reasons for you to take that left or right off the highway, and I think that sign represents everybody incredibly well,” said Brewer.
The timber design was created by local artist Facundo Gastiazoro.
“It’s about trying to have a more contemporary view of the theme of the town, which is alpine, using the elements of alpine which would be big wood, rock and timber frame. I tried to do it in the most light way we could,” explained Gastiazoro.
The design had to be “light” according to Gastiazoro especially because of the curved roof that will protect the sign from the elements of northern B.C.
“Not having knee bracing for example… the intention is to have a floating roof.”
Space under the main sign is reserved for promoting events in town. It will also be lit up using electrical infrastructure already in place from the former gas station sign that used to stand at the corner of Main Street and Highway 16.
Bovill Square upgrades
Also receiving approval at last Tuesday’s council meeting was the second phase of Bovill Square.
The upgrades will add seating to the square at a cost of $20,000 to the town, which hopes to offset some of that by selling dedicated memorial plaques at $1,000 each.
A report to council stated that the lack of proper seating was a major complaint of residents for the square built in 2013.
“I think it’s time that we do this. I’m really pleased to see the plan and the layout. I’ve walked around there quite a few times looking at places where people can sit, and I think it’s just the part that’s needed to make this more usable, more viable,” said Coun. Gladys Atrill at the meeting.
Centre arm rests are being included on the seven benches to avoid having people sleep on them.
The economic development reserve money will also buy three picnic tables to put in late this spring.


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The guy who wrote United Breaks Guitars and became a YouTube sensation is roaming around the CeBIT tech conference in Sydney.
Dave Carroll wrote United Breaks Guitars when the American airline’s ground staff broke his Taylor guitar and wouldn’t take responsibility.
He posted the video below on Youtube in 2009, gained worldwide attention and caused a PR headache for United Airlines. Almost five years it has almost had more than 14 million views.
Speaking at the CeBIT tech conference in Sydney on Monday he said his “bad experience” with the airline drove him to create the video on a $150 budget.
He said the rise of social media and digital technology makes it easier for customers to voice their opinions and makes it more important for companies to understand and connect with consumers.
“That was one of the first instances where we saw the power of social media to make businesses crumble,” Flamingo founder Dr Catriona Wallace said when discussing the rise of the consumer and the importance of customer experiences.
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The Inquirer recently compared the Samsung Galaxy S3 to the iPhone 4S of Apple. They looked at things such as design and build, the performance, the OS and software, camera, battery, amount of storage and connectivity. They then said that the two phones were equally as good as the other and it was tie. They said that the Samsung S3 won over the iPhone 4S in many categories but on the whole the iPhone 4S won over for day to day use.
Readers however disagreed and they were inundated with comments about the article and flooded the comments section with what they really thought.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S
One reader said that the Samsung Galaxy S3 was in their hand for just one hour and it made the iPhone S4 seem like a heavy brick. Another said that the thanks to the small screen of the iPhone 4S it was easier to make typos. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a superb screen said another, and this makes it perfect for watching movies. Readers also said that the Samsung Galaxy S3 looks sleeker and is a lot more powerful than the iPhone 4S thanks to the processor and the rest of its specs.
It seems that all of the individuals who responded to the article are pro-Galaxy S3. Other readers said that they were waiting for the iPhone 5 to be released before passing judgement on which of the devices was the best.
When it comes to the readers of the story, one thing for sure is that they think the Samsung Galaxy S3 beats the iPhone 4S, at least 9 out of 10 times. When the iPhone 5 is revealed this of course could all change.


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Adventure farming sim Stranded Sails has been given a release date. The game will be available digitally in a couple of weeks, while its physical editions are expected to ship in November.
Tagged: Merge Games
Action adventure RPG Sparklite has a release date. RPGamers can join Ada in her quest to defeat the Baron this November.
Merge Games has announced that it’s Signature Edition for Children of Morta will also be available on PC. The game currently out now digitally on PC, with its console versions set for October.
Colourful action adventure RPG Sparklite is coming to PC and consoles later this year. Anna Marie Privitere was able to check the game out at PAX West, collecting many Beats in the process.
Island-based adventure farming sim Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands coming to PC and consoles next month. Anna Marie Privitere was able to spend a little bit of time in its archipelago at PAX West and find out what the game is all about.
Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands is an adventure farming sim coming digitally to PC and consoles later this year. Those wanting a fancy physical edition instead can now pre-order one for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Release dates have been announced for hack-and-slash roguelike Children of Morta. PC RPGamers will be assisting the Bergsons next month, with console owners joining in October.
A physical Signature Edition for Children of Morta has been announced to complement the game’s standard releases. Offering some extra goodies, this edition is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 releases.
Those wishing to check out 11 bit studios and Dead Mage’s Children of Morta have the chance to do so. The demo is only available until the end of this week, however, so those who do will need to act fast.
11 bit studios has revealed that Children of Morta will be releasing for PC and consoles this summer. The game will also be getting a physical release courtesy of Merge Games.
Vaporum was designed and released for the PC a couple of years back. Does the PS4 release hold up for this grid-based steampunk dungeon crawler?
Ironoak Games’ For the King is heading to consoles next month. The strategy RPG/board game hybrid will be available in both physical and digital versions.
While looking cheap and unpolished, perhaps there is something decent to be found in the indie dungeon crawler Crimson Keep. Will that hope hold true? Let’s find out.
Fatbot Games’ steampunk dungeon-crawler Vaporum is coming to consoles. The game will be released on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in April.
Merge Games and Team Crimson have announced their dungeon-crawler title Crimson Keep is coming to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game will be coming out next week.
Moonlighter now has a release date for most of its platforms. The shopkeeping action RPG hits at the end of next month, though Switch owners may need to wait a little longer.
Digital Sun Games’ part-shopkeeping, part-dungeon-crawling RPG Moonlighter is getting a physical release. The boxed version is just coming to PS4 and Switch though, so PC and Xbox One owners will need to settle for digital.
As if exploring the Darkest Dungeon wasn’t enough, now some people want to take it home with them. For those crazy enough to do so, Red Hook Studios has answered the call.


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A decade ago, it would have been unimaginable that a tech company like Google could successfully challenge automakers, that Tesla would be worth more than Ford, or that ridesharing firms would be major players in personal transportation.
Fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to massively disrupt the car industry, but who will win the hearts and minds of consumers and the inevitable self-driving car war: Automakers, tech giants, or ridesharing companies? It's "a new battleground," according to Bob Pishue, a senior economist at Inrix.
US Trusts Tech
In a recent survey, Inrix polled about 5,000 people from five countries who purchased a new vehicle in the last four years.
Respondents were asked who they trust most to build an AV: traditional automakers (e.g. BMW and General Motors); established tech giants (e.g. Apple and Google); newer carmakers (e.g. Tesla and Fisker Motors); ridesharing companies (e.g. Uber and Lyft); or trust all equally or none of the above.
The level of trust varied by region. For example, respondents in the US were slightly more trusting in tech powerhouses like Google and Apple than automakers to build AVs (27 percent vs. 23 percent, respectively).
This outlook shifts significantly in Germany, where nearly three times as many respondents trust traditional car makers most to build AVs. Interestingly, in all the countries surveyed (France, Italy, and the UK were also included), fewer than 4 percent of respondents had confidence that ridesharing companies will get robo-rides right.
Despite Americans' marginally higher faith in tech providers over automakers, the survey found that car companies have a distinct advantage in several respects. "With unknown and potentially unproven technology such as autonomous driving, consumers may default strongly to trusted brands such as the traditional car manufacturers," Inrix said.
"It will be important for car manufacturers to demonstrate that they can develop successful high-tech products," Inrix argued. My cynical side says good luck with that, since automakers have had a difficult time successfully integrating smartphone interfaces into cars, allowing Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto to gain traction.
But building a smartphone interface—or a smartphone—is nowhere near as complex as manufacturing a car, and this is where tech companies could falter and consumer confidence could waver. "A problem that new entrants like Google, Apple, Uber, and Lyft may face in convincing consumers to purchase or use AVs they manufacture is that they have no experience or familiarity of these brands in this space."
As car owners become more familiar with semi-autonomous driving technologies such as Volvo's Pilot Assist, it could also help automakers keep consumers in the fold in a future of autonomous driving. The survey also says that "familiarity with these emerging technologies and their benefits will be central to winning customers, especially early adopters of AVs."
While it's inconceivable that some automakers could be sidelined within a decade, history hasn't been kind to incumbents in the tech space and is littered with once prominent, pioneering brands such as Kodak, Atari, and Palm. Car companies at least have a potential head start in the AV race.


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By: Tan Ze Han Dylan, Lau Pei Tong, Lau Say Heng and Chn’g Jun Bin
May 2022 - Megaminds team comprised of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) students who are Tan Ze Han Dylan, Lau Pei Tong, Lau Say Heng from Computer Systems and Chn’g Jun Bin from Computer Networking was declared as First Runner Up of I-UM Disrupt Hackathon 2022 organized by Universiti Malaya and they have a cash prize of RM1000 and one unit of Chrome Flip Notebook. I-UM Disrupt Hackathon 2022 was organized through online due to the current situation which was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and students from various local Universities have participated in this event.
I-UM Disrupt Hackathon is a two week long hackathon for students regardless of their level of knowledge about entrepreneurship, coding and field of study to participate in. It is a competition for students to bring innovation and ideas to solve the problem statements stated by I-UM Disrupt Hackathon. I-UM disrupt Hackathon have released a total of three problem statements related to Retail Track and Transportation theme for the participants to select. Megaminds have selected the problem statement that is related to the retail track theme to solve during the hackathon. I-UM Disrupt Hackathon was held from 1st of May to 15th of May 2022 where they conduct activities such as technical and business pitching workshops which were organized by Intel and Lizard Global and also a final demo day for each team to develop, improve and pitch their start up Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Team Megaminds have developed a product called Freshbox which is an online platform for local SME and wet market vendors to market and sell their products. Freshbox is aimed to solve problems such as reduce human contact, help vendors that have shortage in manpower and long queue of customers. For the customer side, Freshbox is able to help customers to bring a whole new level grocery shopping experience with features such as price comparison, live streaming of products, community platform and bargaining using vouchers offered by the local SME and wet market vendors. Team Megaminds hopes that this product will bring a very big impact not only in terms of the business aspect but also to bring simplicity in the daily routines for both vendors and customers.
Date of Input: 26/05/2022 | Updated: 26/05/2022 | haris_harun
Universiti Putra Malaysia
43400 UPM Serdang
Selangor Darul Ehsan


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The BUDS are available to buy from AGM’s online store for £54.99
Rugged vendor AGM Mobile has expanded its accessories range following the launch of its own AGM BUDS range.
The BUDS deliver up to 120 hours of standby plus four hours of playtime, according to AGM.
These hearables are available to order from AGM’s online store for £54.99.
Each BUD weighs three grams, while the product is IPX5 certified meaning it’s both waterproof and sweatproof.
AGM Mobile Europe CEO Robert Pryke said: “The AGM BUDS are the latest of our branded accessories to come to market and are part of our ongoing plans to enlarge and diversify the AGM product offering.
“We believe that with their stylish design and IPX5 certification they represent great value for consumers and will be a useful accessory for which ever AGM device you are using.”


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14 March 2022 – The Corporate Carbon Database, an innovative carbon footprint and mapping solution, was officially launched today by a new start-up company.
This unique data platform brings more transparency on corporate climate metrics.
Shopify has positioned itself as one of the most successful eCommerce store creation and running platforms all over the globe. The company takes care of all heavy shoplifting for you as you count the profits and returns for your efforts.
WordPress is one of the top options for anyone planning to start an E-Commerce website. It’s the fastest way to shop these days, and if you haven’t tried picking things up online, are you even into shopping?
The design agency has been in the design sector for many years and has earned a prestigious reputation. The team has an advantage because it is conscious of the environment and does not utilize cheap design.
It's crucial to look out for the right react js development company when hiring an ideal ReactJS developer. To alleviate the complex issue of finding suitable candidates, Uplers provides pre-vetted Indian ReactJS developers.
Ajackus is a well-known name in the market as it provides various businesses no matter their size with the best technology teams enabling its growth, empowering visions, and solving real-world problems
Tight budget, fast custom software development, and limited tech talent are among the main indicators of working with a software vendor. Learn more.
Check out the main signs that it's time to outsource your software development needs.
It’s crucial to look out for the right react js development company when hiring an ideal ReactJS developer. To alleviate the complex issue of finding suitable candidates, Uplers provides pre-vetted Indian ReactJS developers.
Talygen has provided innovative software solutions to companies of all sizes and industries. Talygen’s clients range from small businesses to large enterprises. For more information on Talygen’s employee task management software,


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For the record, yes, I went out of my way to find a Maria Sharapova swimsuit spread. So sue me.
It has been announced that Sports Illustrated and Sony Network Entertainment have teamed up to bring 3D beauties into your living room in high definition. They're calling it a "cutting-edge transactional licensing agreement" initially based on the 2011 SI Swimsuit issue. Basically, it delivers a 3D Swimsuit video to the PSN and PS3, as well as Sony's 3D-compatible and network-enabled 2010 and 2011 Bravia HDTVs and 2011 Blu-Ray players (the latter thanks to Qriocity). Said Mark Ford, President of the Sports Illustrated Group:
"Just when you think the bar couldn't get any higher for the Swimsuit franchise, we've raised it once again with our partners at Sony. Swimsuit in 3D has extraordinary potential and we're thrilled to deliver its millions of fans a new perspective through the exciting world of 3D video."
In addition to the 3D stuff, there will be around 12 hours of Swimsuit video available, complete with behind-the-scenes "making of" videos. PS3 users will also have access to "Dynamic PS3 Themes" based on shoots from the '90s, 2006, 2009 and 2010. "We strive to deliver unique content to our users, and are delighted to offer this first-of-its-kind high definition 3D Swimsuit video," said Tim Schaaff, President of Sony Network Entertainment.
Well, you know…another good reason to be a PS3 owner.


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Innovate UK has today announced the launch of a £175k competition to discover the retail start-ups ‘of the future’. The competition will be run by IC tomorrow, an Innovate UK body that works to achieve innovation and economic growth in the digital sector.
Matt Sansam, digital economy programme manager for IC tomorrow, and lead technologist, said in a statement:
“Digital has already transformed the retail environment. The customer experience in retail has come on in leaps and bounds in the last decade with digital technology as a catalyst”. He added: “the Future of Retail innovation aims to drive the evolution of this huge industry.”
The competition will also offer participants the chance to collaborate with IC tomorrow’s partners, including: Tesco, WRAP, Unilever, London College of Fashion, UAL, Barclays, and the Greater London Authority.
The five winners will trial their innovative solutions with industry partners across a period of 3 months.
Application must be submitted by midday on the 23rd of February.


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SIN Chew Media Corp Bhd's net profit of RM59.8mil for the financial year ended March 31 exceeded its prospectus forecast by 9.3%. Its prospectus estimated net profit of RM54.67 mil.
The company, which released its full-year results to Bursa Malaysia yesterday, posted sales of RM409.5mil. No figures for year-on-year comparison were given as the company made its debut on the main board on Oct 18, 2004.
On a quarterly basis, Sin Chew's sales fell in the fourth quarter to RM109.5mil from RM110.3mil in the third. Net profit was also lower at RM11.8mil against RM18.1mil in the third quarter.
It said the quarter-on-quarter decline in net profit was due to the provision for deferred taxation liability and higher operating cost.
It expects positive performance in the next financial quarter on the back on the country's improved economy and the expected growth in advertising expenditure.
A research head at a local brokerage said the company's results were not “particularly outstanding”. He said it was trading at a price/earnings (PE) ratio of 13 times, which was lower than Star Publications (M) Bhd's PE of 15 times.


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China Mobile has offered to help fund research by the biggest phone makers to help it resolve technology problems that are threatening its expansion, the Financial Times reports.
In an interview with the newspaper, Wang Jianzhou, chairman of China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile operator by a market capitalisation, said the company had approached Nokia, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson with an offer to co-fund R&D.
China Mobile opted for TD-SCDMA as its 3G solution, an unusual, unproven choice. The operator struggled with trials of TD-SCDMA handsets. While it leads the Chinese market with 464 million customers, unless it fixes its 3G problems quickly, it will find its rapidly growing rivals, China Telecom and China Unicom snapping at its heels.
Wang said in the interviews that the new TD-SCDMA handsets were better, but still not good enough, nor was there enough choice. He is offering to co-fund R&D to address both issues. Only 40 models are available, he is looking for hundreds to compete against the wealth of choice that will be available for his rivals' WCDMA 3G networks.
He added China Mobile wants dual-mode handsets that can run on its 3G and 2G wireless networks.
Wang declined to comment on how much money was on the table and said as yet no agreement had been reached, but apparently the handset makers had talks with China Mobile at the MWC in Barcelona last month and were "very excited" by the prospect.
No mention was made of Motorola, which along with the others is one of the world's top five handset makers, at least for the moment.


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December 12, 2018
Image from Salvatore Ferragamo's spring/summer 2018 campaign. Image courtesy of Ferragamo
By Sarah Jones
The looming trade war between the United States and China and crackdowns on the daigou market are weighing on luxury stocks, as the business’ biggest public companies saw their share price slide last month.
Share your thoughts. Click here


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- Eduardo Pelleissone Named Chief Transformation Officer
- Alex Santoro Named Executive Vice President, Operations
XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO), a leading global provider of transportation and logistics solutions, today announced the appointments of Eduardo Pelleissone as chief transformation officer and Alex Santoro as executive vice president, operations. The positions are effective August 3, 2020.
Brad Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of XPO Logistics, said, “Eduardo and Alex are rare, talented operators who will work with our business leaders to turbocharge our profit improvement initiatives. Both have deep C-suite experience and track records of creating substantial value for multinational public companies. Their considerable strengths complement our constant drive for improvement.”
Eduardo Pelleissone joins XPO with 20 years of experience leading multinational operations in the food, logistics and transportation industries. He was most recently with Kraft Heinz Company and its predecessor H.J. Heinz for six years, where he led key strategic projects and served as executive vice president of global operations. While with Kraft Heinz, Pelleissone transformed the company’s global infrastructure, quality initiatives and financial performance, saving approximately $3 billion in costs while improving operational excellence.
Prior to Kraft Heinz, Pelleissone held executive roles with America Latina Logistica SA (ALL) during 14 years with the rail logistics leader. His positions with ALL included chief executive officer, chief operating officer and commercial vice president of the agriculture division, as well as chairmanships of two ALL subsidiaries: cargo services provider Brado Logistica and road transportation provider Ritmo Logistica. Pelleissone holds a master’s degree in logistics, operations and services from COPPEAD Graduate School of Business in Brazil, and has completed the executive program of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Alex Santoro has two decades of executive experience with industry leaders, including Restaurant Brands International, Inc. (RBI), parent company of Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes. Santoro served as chief supply chain and operations officer for RBI, and most recently was president of Popeyes – a flagship subsidiary of RBI and majority owner 3G Capital. While with Popeyes, he led the company to become one of the fastest-growing quick service restaurant brands in the world and doubled EBITDA in three years as one of the architects of its hugely successful chicken sandwich.
Earlier, Santoro held executive positions in Latin America for 17 years, including chief executive officer, president and vice president of logistics for America Latina Logistica, senior operations manager for Danone, and finance and distribution manager for Anheuser-Busch InBev. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Faculdades Salvador in Brazil, and has completed advanced management programs at the Wharton School and the MIT Sloan School of Management.
WIT's Top Companies for Women


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There’s never been a better time to go vegan. With a host of new products on the shelves (ranging from the much lauded Impossible Burger to the Gregg’s vegan sausage roll), 2019 might go down as the year that plant-based diets went mainstream. A record 250,000 people signed up to this year’s Veganuary, more than in the previous four years combined.
But while plant-based diets are undoubtedly good for the environment – not to mention assuaging concerns about animal welfare – it would be fair to ask whether they’re any good for your health. Can vegans actually get a balanced diet? Or does the old stereotype hold – vegans are undernourished and not eating in the way our bodies are ‘designed’ to eat?
Read the rest of this article at Patient


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Panasonic’s GH4 has been rumored to get an upgrade with a V-Log recording option for wider dynamic range and greater flexibility in color grading. We saw this feature alongside the anamorphic firmware upgrade back at NAB 2015.
What we didn’t know at the time was when it would be released and if it would cost extra. We still don’t have answers to these questions but new rumors from Digicame-info suggest that Panasonic may introduce a new model, the GH4R, which comes with V-Log capabilities out of the box. [Read more…]


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"I think that's what the public wants the mayor to do," NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the New York Times yesterday shortly after announcing a proposal to ban sale of sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces.
The plan does come with several major caveats: The ban will not apply to supermarkets and convenience stores, nor will it cover juices, dairy drinks such as milkshakes, diet drinks, and alcohol. Also, while cups will only be allowed to contain up to 16 ounces, refills are permitted.
A New York City Beverage Association rep responded to the proposal with unsurprising opposition.
"There they go again. The New York City Health Department's unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top," said the spokesman in reference to previous attempts by the Bloomberg administration to place a state tax on sodas and prohibit the use of food stamps to purchase sodas. Both efforts failed.
"The city is not going to address the obesity issue by attacking soda because soda is not driving the obesity rates," he continued. "It's time for serious health professionals to move on and seek solutions that are going to actually curb obesity."


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Activist investor Carl Icahn has amassed a large stake in smartphone giant Apple and believes that if its CEO Tim Cook pressed for larger buyback of shares, the price of each share could be worth as much as $700.
Icahn, who values the company at more than $12bn, however didn’t disclose the size of the stake he bought in the company.
Industry experts estimate that Icahn may have bought $1bn worth of shares in Apple. Icahn also noted on Twitter that he had a positive discussion with Apple CEO Cook.
"We currently have a large position in Apple. We believe the company to be extremely undervalued," Icahn said on Twitter.
Icahn was quoted by Reuters as saying that Apple could presently go for a $150bn buyback by borrowing funds at 3 per cent.
This move may push up Apple’s stock value further. On Tuesday, Apple shares grew by almost 5 per cent to $489.57.
Scott Kessler of S&P Capital IQ told the Financial Times: “We believe Icahn’s position in, and potential role as an activist in, [Apple] could have a notable positive impact on the stock.”
Earlier in April, the company, best known for iPhone and iPad, is estimated to pay $100bn to shareholders by the end of 2015.
Apple in a statement said: “We appreciate the interest and investment of all our shareholders.”
The activist investor Icahn, who owns a 10 per cent stake in Netflix, was in a battle to acquire PC maker Dell in recent times.
The US fund manger Vanguard Group holds about 4.76 per cent of Apple stake.


text: The planned release of the so-called stateful API will make it cheaper for corporations to create functions by remembering the conversation historical past of inquiries. This may dramatically scale back the quantity of usage developers must pay for. Currently, processing a one-page doc utilizing GPT-4 might cost 10 cents, depending on the size and complexity of the enter and output, according to pricing on OpenAI’s web site. The new options Technology news mark the corporate’s ambition to expand beyond a consumer sensation into one additionally offering a success developer platform, as its Chief Executive Sam Altman has envisioned. The company toiled in relative obscurity exterior of the tech business as a non-profit co-founded by Elon Musk and Altman in 2015. The European Space Agency has shared an animation offering an overhead glimpse of one of the Red Planet’s most beautiful spectacles, Noctis Labyrinthus – Latin for ‘Labyrinth of Night’.


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At the end of 2007, TomTom was on top of the world. The Dutch satnav maker had taken record revenues of €634m (£445m) in the Christmas quarter, sold a record 4.2m devices, and was making a net profit of €107m, an all-time high. The fall, when it came, was going to be hard, and it took less than two years: by the first quarter of 2009, revenues had slumped to €213m and it recorded a net loss of €37m.
What happened? Corinne Vigreux, the chief executive who is also one of TomTom’s four co-founders, puts it down to two factors: “The economic crisis in 2008 – plus smartphones became popular, and Google began offering navigation for free on [Android-powered] phones.”
The arrival of a search engine company in the field of in-car navigation is not the sort of threat you would normally plan for. But Vigreux, 50, has seen enough change in the technology business to know that “your competitors come from different fields – they’re not the ones you expect them to be. Hilton Hotels would never have expected their margins would be eaten away by Airbnb. Every company starts with a blank sheet of paper, and some of them then arrive like a tsunami.”
For TomTom, survival would quickly become a matter of adapting to the new reality, in which Google could undermine the paid-for satnav business – which was then selling millions of units each quarter – with software that would quickly be in everyone’s hands. But where would the money come from?
TomTom had already decided that the future lay in providing map data and telematics for vehicle makers. In July 2007, it made a €2bn offer for Tele Atlas, the company’s map data supplier, which was one of only two independent mapping companies (and also supplied Google). In October 2007, Nokia bid €5.7bn for Navteq, the other independent. US-based Garmin tried to snatch Tele Atlas, but a brief bidding war saw TomTom prevail with a €2.9bn bid; the deal closed in June 2008.
But the stock market did not like TomTom’s purchase, which was funded by debt and a new share issue. Its shares plunged from their high of €64.80. At the start of 2009, the company wrote off more than €1bn on the Tele Atlas purchase. Shares hit an all-time low of €2.84.
For Vigreux, however, reinvention and building from the ground up is what she is used to. Her first managerial role was running exports at Psion, the iconic and hugely influential British technology company, in the 1990s. She travelled widely, which was her original aim in getting into business. “North Africa, Israel, Europe,” she said, having joined Psion from business school in 1987.
Psion was a stalwart of British technology, producing a much loved handheld computer series that rivalled the Palm, from the US, in the 1990s. But the rise of mobile phones pushed it to a software-only path: its Symbian software became the basis of the first successful range of smartphones, from Nokia.
Vigreux is following a similar route. After four years at Psion – “it was one of the most interesting tech startups around; we learned a lot, there was a bunch of smart people” – she moved to Holland to join a software distributor for the Psion and other handhelds, and then helped set up TomTom in 1991. Initially, it made business-facing products for meter reading and barcodes for the popular handhelds – Palm Pilot, Compaq iPaq and Psion Series 5. Smartphones were not yet in use.
At first, it wrote mapping applications for the handhelds, squeezing data into tiny (by today’s standards) amounts of storage. “It was very difficult to put everything into one product; we had a city [map] product, but we were already very good at compressing data so we could fit it in.”
The company then saw an opportunity to make mapping devices for consumers. Before May 2000, civilian GPS systems were accurate to within only 100 metres; only the military could get its “full” accuracy of a few metres. But a Bill Clinton-enacted change made it open, and Vigreux and the team at TomTom saw an opportunity.
Rather than having to rely on people who already owned expensive PDAs, they realised they could sell them dedicated objects for less. The first, the TomTom GO, cost £499 and was released in March 2004. “And the first touchscreen,” Vigreux says proudly. “We created the [satnav] category.”


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São Paulo – Corporate Finance International (‘CFI’) is pleased to announce that they acted as the exclusive advisor to Quero Frete on its 100% sale to Expresso Nepomuceno, boosting its new digital business strategy.
Quero Frete is an app for companies, customers or truck drivers who look for affordable and faster alternatives to transport cargo. Its free downloadable tool, available online and also for Android phones, allows truck drivers, self-employed or not, to offer their freight, while companies/individuals will keep an eye on hiring them.
Amongst the top ten largest logistics companies in Brazil, Expresso Nepomuceno has been operating in the transport and logistics market for over 57 years, offering customized logistical solutions, in order to meet different customer profiles, covering all segments.
The transaction closed in Aug 2020.
has received refinancing from
has been acquired by


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|By Business Wire||
|January 10, 2013 07:05 AM EST||
Keynote Systems (NASDAQ: KEYN), the global leader in Internet and mobile cloud testing & monitoring, intends to report its fiscal first quarter 2013 financial results for the period ended December 31, 2012 after the market closes on Tuesday, January 29, 2013. Keynote will host an earnings conference call at 2:00 P.M. Pacific Time (5:00 P.M. Eastern Time).
To access the call in the U.S., please dial (800) 588-4973, and international callers should dial (847) 230-5643. Callers may provide the following confirmation number 34004609 and are encouraged to dial into the call 10 to 15 minutes prior to the start to prevent any delay in joining the call. The webcast can be accessed at www.keynote.com and is available for replay for 90 days. In addition, a replay of the call will be available via telephone for two business days, beginning two hours after the call. To listen to the telephone replay in the U.S., please dial (888) 843-7419, and for international callers dial (630) 652-3042 and enter access code 34004609#.
Keynote® (NASDAQ:KEYN) is the global leader in Internet and mobile cloud testing & monitoring. Keynote maintains the world’s largest on-demand performance monitoring and testing infrastructure for Web and mobile sites comprised of over 7,000 measurement computers and mobile devices in over 275 locations around the world that enable companies to continuously improve the online and mobile experience. Known as ‘The Mobile and Internet Performance Authority™,’ Keynote offers three market-leading product platforms:
Keynote Perspective® provides on-demand performance monitoring for enterprise Web and mobile sites including online portals, e-commerce sites and B2B sites. Over 2,000 customers rely on Keynote Perspective services to know precisely how their websites, content, and applications perform on actual browsers, networks, and mobile devices.
Keynote DeviceAnywhere® is an enterprise-class, cloud-based, mobile application lifecycle management (ALM) testing & quality assurance platform. It is used by over 1,000 mobile developers and enterprises to deliver mobile applications, content and services faster while reducing downtime and testing costs.
Keynote SIGOS® offers active end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) testing and monitoring solutions for mobile, fixed and VoIP communications. Its SITE and Global Roamer products are used by over 200 network operators, content providers, carriers and regulators in over 100 countries worldwide.
Keynote's 4,000 customers represent top Internet and mobile companies and include American Express, AT&T, Disney, eBay, E*TRADE, Expedia, Google, Microsoft, SonyEricsson, T-Mobile and Vodafone. Keynote Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Mateo, California and can be reached at http://www.keynote.com/ or by phone in the U.S. at 1-800-KEYNOTE.
The trademarks or registered trademarks of Keynote Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries include Keynote®, DataPulse®, Keynote Customer Experience Rankings®, Perspective®, Keynote Red Alert®, Keynote WebEffective®, The Internet Performance Authority®, MyKeynote®, SIGOS®, SITE®, keynote® The Mobile & Internet Performance Authority™, Keynote FlexUse®, Keynote DeviceAnywhere®, Keynote DeviceAnywhere Test Center®, Keynote DemoAnywhere® and Keynote MonitorAnywhere® All related trademarks, trade names, logos, characters, design and trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Keynote Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SYS-CON Events announced today that Grape Up will exhibit at SYS-CON's 21st International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on Oct. 31 – Nov 2, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Grape Up is a software company specializing in cloud native application development and professional services related to Cloud Foundry PaaS. With five expert teams that operate in various sectors of the market across the U.S. and Europe, Grape Up works with a variety of customers from emergi...
Apr. 25, 2017 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,982
While some vendors scramble to create and sell you a fancy solution for monitoring your spanking new Amazon Lambdas, hear how you can do it on the cheap using just built-in Java APIs yourself. By exploiting a little-known fact that Lambdas aren’t exactly single threaded, you can effectively identify hot spots in your serverless code. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, David Martin, Principal Product Owner at CA Technologies, will give a live demonstration and code walkthrough, showing how to o...
Apr. 25, 2017 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 258
SYS-CON Events announced today that T-Mobile will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc., is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. The Company's advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences to 67.4 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on ...
Apr. 25, 2017 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 914
Multiple data types are pouring into IoT deployments. Data is coming in small packages as well as enormous files and data streams of many sizes. Widespread use of mobile devices adds to the total. In this power panel at @ThingsExpo, moderated by Conference Chair Roger Strukhoff, panelists will look at the tools and environments that are being put to use in IoT deployments, as well as the team skills a modern enterprise IT shop needs to keep things running, get a handle on all this data, and deli...
Apr. 25, 2017 03:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,278
SYS-CON Events announced today that Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi LTD., will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City. Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) will be featuring the Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) portfolio. This is the industry’s only offering that allows organizations to bring together object storage, file sync and share, cloud storage gateways, and sophisticated search an...
Apr. 25, 2017 03:04 PM EDT Reads: 198
Developers want to create better apps faster. Static clouds are giving way to scalable systems, with dynamic resource allocation and application monitoring. You won't hear that chant from users on any picket line, but helping developers to create better apps faster is the mission of Lee Atchison, principal cloud architect and advocate at New Relic Inc., based in San Francisco. His singular job is to understand and drive the industry in the areas of cloud architecture, microservices, scalability ...
Apr. 25, 2017 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,400
SYS-CON Events announced today that CollabNet, a global leader in enterprise software development, release automation and DevOps solutions, will be a Bronze Sponsor of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, taking place from June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. CollabNet offers a broad range of solutions with the mission of helping modern organizations deliver quality software at speed. The company’s latest innovation, the DevOps Lifecycle Manager (DLM), supports Value S...
Apr. 25, 2017 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 423
With billions of sensors deployed worldwide, the amount of machine-generated data will soon exceed what our networks can handle. But consumers and businesses will expect seamless experiences and real-time responsiveness. What does this mean for IoT devices and the infrastructure that supports them? More of the data will need to be handled at - or closer to - the devices themselves.
Apr. 25, 2017 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 498
Bert Loomis was a visionary. This general session will highlight how Bert Loomis and people like him inspire us to build great things with small inventions. In their general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Harold Hannon, Architect at IBM Bluemix, and Michael O'Neill, Strategic Business Development at Nvidia, discussed the accelerating pace of AI development and how IBM Cloud and NVIDIA are partnering to bring AI capabilities to "every day," on-demand. They also reviewed two "free infrastructure" pr...
Apr. 25, 2017 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,243
Blockchain is a shared, secure record of exchange that establishes trust, accountability and transparency across supply chain networks. Supported by the Linux Foundation's open source, open-standards based Hyperledger Project, Blockchain has the potential to improve regulatory compliance, reduce cost and time for product recall as well as advance trade. Are you curious about Blockchain and how it can provide you with new opportunities for innovation and growth? In her session at 20th Cloud Exp...
Apr. 25, 2017 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,762
DevOps is often described as a combination of technology and culture. Without both, DevOps isn't complete. However, applying the culture to outdated technology is a recipe for disaster; as response times grow and connections between teams are delayed by technology, the culture will die. A Nutanix Enterprise Cloud has many benefits that provide the needed base for a true DevOps paradigm.
Apr. 25, 2017 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 503
[session] The IoT Evolution Will Be Led by Novel ‘Abstraction’ By @InteractorTeam | @ThingsExpo #IoT #M2M
Most technology leaders, contemporary and from the hardware era, are reshaping their businesses to do software in the hope of capturing value in IoT. Although IoT is relatively new in the market, it has already gone through many promotional terms such as IoE, IoX, SDX, Edge/Fog, Mist Compute, etc. Ultimately, irrespective of the name, it is about deriving value from independent software assets participating in an ecosystem as one comprehensive solution.
Apr. 25, 2017 01:45 PM EDT Reads: 307
SYS-CON Events announced today that CA Technologies has been named "Platinum Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, and 21st International Cloud Expo, which will take place in November in Silicon Valley, California.
Apr. 25, 2017 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,248
New competitors, disruptive technologies, and growing expectations are pushing every business to both adopt and deliver new digital services. This ‘Digital Transformation’ demands rapid delivery and continuous iteration of new competitive services via multiple channels, which in turn demands new service delivery techniques – including DevOps. In this power panel at @DevOpsSummit 20th Cloud Expo, moderated by DevOps Conference Co-Chair Andi Mann, panelists will examine how DevOps helps to meet th...
Apr. 25, 2017 12:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,200
SYS-CON Events announced today that Hitachi, the leading provider the Internet of Things and Digital Transformation, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., offers an integrated portfolio of services and solutions that enable digital transformation through enhanced data management, governance, mobility and analytics. We help globa...
Apr. 25, 2017 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 962
@DevOpsSummit has been named the ‘Top DevOps Influencer' by iTrend. iTred processes millions of conversations, tweets, interactions, news articles, press releases, blog posts - and extract meaning form them and analyzes mobile and desktop software platforms used to communicate, various metadata (such as geo location), and automation tools. In overall placement, @DevOpsSummit ranked as the number one ‘DevOps Influencer' followed by @CloudExpo at third, and @MicroservicesE at 24th.
Apr. 25, 2017 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,709
Quickly find the root cause of complex database problems slowing down your applications. Up to 88% of all application performance issues are related to the database. DPA’s unique response time analysis shows you exactly what needs fixing - in four clicks or less. Optimize performance anywhere. Database Performance Analyzer monitors on-premises, on VMware®, and in the Cloud, including Amazon® AWS and Azure™ virtual machines.
Apr. 25, 2017 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,808
SYS-CON Events announced today that Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Juniper Networks challenges the status quo with products, solutions and services that transform the economics of networking. The company co-innovates with customers and partners to deliver automated, scalable and secure network...
Apr. 25, 2017 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 4,821
Back in February of 2017, Andrew Clay Schafer of Pivotal tweeted the following: “seriously tho, the whole software industry is stuck on deployment when we desperately need architecture and telemetry.” Intrigue in a 140 characters. For me, I hear Andrew saying, “we’re jumping to step 5 before we’ve successfully completed steps 1-4.”
Apr. 25, 2017 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,658
Five years ago development was seen as a dead-end career, now it’s anything but – with an explosion in mobile and IoT initiatives increasing the demand for skilled engineers. But apart from having a ready supply of great coders, what constitutes true ‘DevOps Royalty’? It’ll be the ability to craft resilient architectures, supportability, security everywhere across the software lifecycle. In his keynote at @DevOpsSummit at 20th Cloud Expo, Jeffrey Scheaffer, GM and SVP, Continuous Delivery Busine...
Apr. 25, 2017 10:30 AM EDT Reads: 651


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You have searched for "vogue"
Showing 21-30 of 1925
She was left in disbelief when she was told there was no rice prepared for her before the Met Gala.
The two idols became the first ever female K-pop stars to walk the red carpet.
New York is done with dressing down. The splashy black-tie Met Gala returned with a cohort of Gen-Z's glitterati hosting the A-lister bash famed around the world for its over-the-top panache.
These days what Internet users want from influencers is authenticity.
Long seen as the ultimate feminine piece, the dress could become the emblem of a movement in fashion that is no longer defined by gender – a trend, even a social phenomenon.
While the pandemic is far from over, it seems the fashion world is yearning to just forget what we have lived through for the past year and return to life as normal.
These actresses will be starring in different shows set to premiere in the coming months.
The shelf styling trend involves displaying fewer objects, but arranging them in a more aesthetically pleasing way.
News highlights from Asean countries in the Star-AseanPlus section for Wednesday (Aug 11)


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The Nigeria Customs Service Zone “B” Strike Force, on Thursday, raided a warehouse and seized smuggled goods worth N22.76 million in Kano.
A statement issued by the Strike Force Coordinator, Deputy Controller Aliyu Olorukooba, confirmed that 899 bags of foreign rice with duty paid value of N19.68 million and 410 cartons of Macaroni valued N1.27 million were seized.
The statement added that 143 cartons of Tomato paste with duty paid value of N3.33 million and 249 cartons of cream milk worth N4.73 million were also confiscated.
“Others include 318 cartons of spaghetti with duty paid value of N985,800, five cartons of Eva soap with duty paid value of N110,000 and Cuscus Lina with duty paid value of N229,400.”
The raid was in line with the Comptroller-General of Customs’ matching order, Col Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), for all personnel to redouble efforts in suppressing smuggling.
Olorukooba advised smugglers to embrace legitimate businesses that would boost Nigeria’s economy and create jobs.
The command reiterated its determination to track, arrest and prosecute smugglers operating in the zone, NAN reports.


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(ConservativeSense.com) – The cost of running an electric car has soared in recent months with one British survey revealing that it costs around $10 more to charge a car than it would cost to fill the same vehicle with gas. Leader of Britain’s Automobile Association Jack Cousens said, “While pump prices are falling, electricity prices are going in the other direction.”
Not only is it cheaper to fill a car with gas, the time it takes when compared to electric vehicles presents another obstacle to electric car ownership. While it takes only minutes to fill a car with gasoline, it can take up to 48 hours to charge an electric car. On top of this, in 2022, the average cost to purchase an electric car in America was $66,000.
While the British government wants all cars to be electric by 2030, the Biden administration has committed to 50% by that time. It is unclear how half of the US population will be able to afford such cars, and it is unclear how the electricity to power them will be generated. At present, the power is generated by fossil fuels. As 60% of the world’s energy is produced using fossil fuels, on average, an electric car produces about as much CO2 as a petrol or diesel car.
Environmental campaigners argue that while electric cars will mean vastly increased demands on energy production, such energy will be produced using cleaner methods such as wind and solar.
Peter Grossman, an economist and energy policy expert, said relying on wind and sun is disastrous for consumers and our wider economy. “Blackouts are unavoidable with solar and wind because the wind can stop blowing strongly, sometimes for weeks, and the sun sets daily and may be blocked out by clouds for many days consecutively. Where a large percentage of electricity is generated by solar and wind, the cost of electricity to consumers has risen dramatically,” he said.
Copyright 2023, ConservativeSense.com


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By Ryland Barton
In a glitzy Audi showroom in Oriental Plaza on Wangfujing Street—Beijing’s answer to New York’s Fifth Avenue — a Chinese toddler points at a brand new candy apple red R8 Audi Quattro at the front of the store and proclaims, “All the cars here are not as good as my grandfather’s.”
Welcome to 21st century China where what you drive increasingly determines your social status. The BMW 5 Series is strictly for middle management while the 7 Series model signals corporate executive. The Audi A6 is reserved for government officials and businessmen while old money sticks to the Mercedes Benz E Class.
When discussing “nice cars,” an Audi salesman laughed, saying, “You had better go down the street to Porsche—we just sell Audis here.”
In the midst of China’s impressive economic takeoff, consumers have developed conspicuously refined tastes in luxury goods, especially cars. In the wake of the country’s 1979 open-door policy, newly moneyed Chinese citizens may have been satisfied with buying their own bicycle. But with more money in their pockets today, Chinese people have been turning to cars show off their increasing affluence.
“The first thing people do when they get money is buy a car—not a functional car—but because of the image, they buy a nice car,” says William Yao, a salesman at a BMW dealership in central Beijing.
China overtook the United States to become the world’s largest car market in 2009 after it employed tax incentives to promote vehicle purchases. That year, China sold nearly 13.6 million vehicles, surpassing the U.S.’s 10.4 million.
“We know the U.S. has a very long history of car culture, but in China we have stepped from this time of knowing nothing about cars to trying to learn everything,” Yao says. “Now people are trying to consider everything… affordability, reliability, and performance.”
In China’s big cities today you’ll no longer see the streets packed with a river of bicycles. Cyclists and motorbikes are now relegated to ancillary bike lanes, separated by barricades on the sides of the main streets. And they need them. Chinese drivers tend to veer toward the aggressive, and when they aren’t stymied by the ubiquitous traffic, they drive fast.
“There’s one guy who drives around the 2nd Ring road in 13 minutes every Friday night,” says Yao. The 2nd Ring is a highway that encompasses central Beijing. To drive the 2nd Ring’s 20-mile circumference in 13 minutes, the driver would be averaging 93 mph through traffic and stoplights. “He’s bought two BMWs from us,” adds Yao.
Reckless drivers have come under fire over the past year in China after young speedsters injured or even killed pedestrians in high-profile incidents. The most famous of these stories involved a 23-year-old student in Hebei Province named Li Qiming who ran over and killed a pedestrian. When confronted by police Li reportedly said, “Sue me if you dare, my father is Li Gang!” – the elder Li being the deputy police chief of Baoding city in Hebei Province. The younger Li evidently invoked his name to get off the hook.
Instead, the incident has become a national punctuation point that’s helped amplify public criticism of young, reckless, and often wealthy drivers.
“Young people usually aren’t able to afford these cars, only ones with rich fathers,” says Fan Qunwen, a student milling around the BMW auto lot. “These people buy cars not through their own ability, and they never have to make any decisions for themselves. Even ethical decisions.”
Beijing streets are packed with cars, but obtaining a car is difficult. Fan makes about 2,000 RMB ($308) a month editing part-time for Xinhua News and doesn’t have the cash to buy a car. He doesn’t consider taking out a loan to be an option.
Traditionally aversive to debt, only about 30 percent of Chinese car buyers take out a loan when purchasing a car. Comparatively, auto loans account for 60 to 80 percent of vehicle sales in the U.S.
But the pressures to buy a car are still great. As status symbols, cars signify stability, maturity but—maybe most importantly in China’s male-majority population—cars signify marriageability.
Standing with his girlfriend, Fan says he longs to own his own car one day. “Traffic is a serious problem, but it’s easier to have a girlfriend if you have a car,” Fan says. “Your parents know you’ll be able to get a girl and get married, find a good job and a house one day.”


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March 05, 2014
Doctor Who: The Web of Fear has become the biggest selling classic Doctor Who DVD in the 15 year history of the range.
The recently-recovered Second Doctor adventure, regarded by many as a classic of the era, sold 15,000 units in the first week of sales, in the UK alone. The previous sales record-holder was preceding adventure The Enemy of the World, recovered from Nigeria alongside The Web of Fear.
Unseen in the UK for over 45 years, they were discovered in a relay station in Jos, Nigeria by TV archive specialist Phillip Morris, before being lovingly restored by the Doctor Who restoration team in the UK. They were subsequently released on iTunes. 300 fans gathered to enjoy a marathon screening of the two stories at the Prince Charles Cinema in London to celebrate the release of The Web Of Fear on 22 February.
Fiona Eastwood, Director of Consumer Products at BBC Worldwide said, “We knew that The Web of Fear would be a popular release; Yetis on the London Underground – need I say more? There’s a real appetite for exploring the extensive back-catalogue of classic stories, particularly following the 50th anniversary last year, and we’re committed to continuing that exploration for Doctor Who fans in the future.”
These figures continue a successful year for Doctor Who DVDs, with strong sales across the classic range and contemporary releases alike. The 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor achieved the biggest ever week one sales for a Doctor Who title when it was released in December 2013.
The Web of Fear will be available on DVD from the following dates:
- Region 1 (US, Canada): 22 April
- Region 2 (UK, Europe): 24 February
- Region 4 (Australia, Latin America): 26 February
Watch a trailer of The Web of Fear below:


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VantageScore Solutions announced this week its longtime CEO Barrett Burns would step down and Silvio Tavares, a financial services and fintech veteran, will fill the role.
Tavares has held senior positions at Visa and FiservFirst Data, and most recently led the Digital Commerce Alliance, a global trade association which counted Bank of America, Discover, MasterCard and Microsoft among its members. Burns will stay on as vice chairman, a newly created position at VantageScore.
Tavares’ new role as CEO comes at a time of great opportunity for the company, which develops consumer credit scoring models. It awaits the conclusion of a years-long process details ⇒
BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: HousingWire.Com


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After announcing its decision to stop retailing vehicles on May 18, the company sent mails to employees the very next day about the VSS that will close on June 15, 2017.
General Motors India President and Managing Director Kaher Kazem had stated around 400 employees engaged in domestic sales and after sales activities would be impacted.
According to the internal communication accessed by PTI, the company offered compensation of "45 days salary for every year of completed year of service or part thereof in excess of six months" in normal cases.
On the other hand, for those who are nearing retirement, GM offered employees compensation of "monthly salary multiplied by the remaining months of service till normal age of retirement".
The minimum compensation payable eligible shall be three months salary, it added.
According to sources, nearly 250 people in marketing, sales, finance and administration are likely to be given golden handshakes by September itself.
Kazem had, however, stated at the time of announcing the company's decision to exit from domestic operations that only half of 400 affected employees "are expected to move on by the end of 2017".
Employees in after sales department have, however, been issued letters for continuation of service till further notice, the sources added.
When contacted, a GM India spokesperson said: "GM understands this is a difficult decision that impacts a number of our hard working and professional employees, and we are providing counselling, financial advice and outplacement support, as well as a separation package in excess of the statutory requirements."
In case of Halol plant, where the company has ceased production since April this year, GM India had come out with a fresh voluntary retirement scheme last month for a short period citing request from workers.
The company had reportedly increased VRS offer to workers at the plant to 100 days of salary per year of work from an earlier 40 days of every year of completed service.
Already, dealers of GM India are gearing up to drag the auto major to court while also exploring possibility of a class action suit in the US over inadequate compensation.
A majority of 96 dealers, which operate around 140 showrooms across India, are unhappy with the company's offer of just around 12 per cent of total investments they have made as compensation.
Moreover, they also said there would be job losses of around 9,500 due to closure of showrooms and service outlets.
In 2015, the company had announced to invest $1 billion (Rs 6,400 crore) in India to enhance manufacturing operations and roll out 10 locally produced models in the country over the next five years.
In January this year, the American firm put on hold its investments on new models for the country as it undertook a full review of its future product portfolio in India.
On May 18, General Motors suddenly decided to stop selling its vehicles in India as there was no turnaround in its fortunes here after struggling for over two decades to make a mark.
The company will now focus on exporting vehicles from its manufacturing plant at Talegaon in Maharashtra after it stopped production at its first plant at Halol in Gujarat last month.
GM India sells models like Beat, Sail and Cruze in India.
Sunday, 10 Dec, 2023
- Reform Push Laid Ground for India’s Robust Growth: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday that the priority given to policy, good governance and citizens’ welfare in the past decade has resulted in India becoming a robust economy with a GDP growing 7.7% in the last six months.IT Cos Take Pole Position on CEO Pay Front in India
The IT services industry continues to be the top CEO paymaster in India despite business headwinds in the past two years, going by FY23 numbers when seven out of the 10 highest earning CEOs in the country were from this sector.Discounts Reign with Early Yr-end Sales
Big discounting is making a comeback as brands and retailers including ecommerce platforms are advancing their end-of-season sale events by 7-10 days, in a rush to clear unsold inventories and notch-up revenue that remained under pressure for most part of the year.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
- Pune property registrations tops 14,600 deals in November, up 7% on year
- Housing affordability to rise to 3-year high on anticipated interest rate cuts in 2024: Report
- Gautam Adani details green elements of Rs 7 lakh cr investment planned across verticals
- "Historic day for Rajahmundry," says Scindia after laying foundation stone of airport's new terminal bulding
- Tata Motors to hike price of commercial vehicles by up to 3% from Jan 1, 2024
- Proposed US bill to charge fees from large apps should be adopted in India: COAI
- India's coal imports drop over 4% to 148 million in April-Octber period
- India's power consumption grows nearly 9 pc to 1,099.90 billion units in April-November
- Sony confident for double-digit growth journey in India, helped by premiumisation
- Mahindra’s Anish Shah takes over as FICCI President


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In the past couple of years, along with the rest of the world, India witnessed tectonic shifts in the way it made transactions and did business. While the pandemic raged across geographies, physical exchanges and social interactions had to take a back seat and social distancing became the norm. As a substantial part of the population remained indoors, transactional, recreational, and educational habits had to undergo a change in form. Even with certain fluctuations, consumption was inescapable, and more or less in place. The mode of delivery, however, required innovation. This is where digital technology took over. The financial space too witnessed a growing wave of digital. As we stand at the doorstep of a new year, 2022 might witness the following trends in the fintech space.
Digital banking will continue to witness steady growth. Enabled by cutting-edge technology that ensures the safety and security of consumers, virtual banking is hassle-free, and convenient for the end-user. Lesser time required for documentation and enhanced security measures are some of the reasons that attract new-age urban users. In rural areas and hinterlands, inadequate availability of brick-and-mortar outlets will result in the popularity of micro ATMs that enable people to conveniently withdraw cash from their bank accounts without having to travel long distances to avail of banking services.
The age of artificial intelligence is here and while AI is a key component for fintech companies, it has also been adopted by traditional establishments for introducing automation. AI assistants are now a frequently found feature on apps and websites of traditional banks. Going forward, right from further enhanced automated advisors to algorithms that can assess credit profiles, we are set to witness companies increasingly take to artificial intelligence. While making life easy for the end-user, these new technologies like AI, machine learning, and process automation will also increase efficiencies in the financial industry, like decreasing the risk from loan defaults, superior risk management, and other operational enhancements that involve rigorous data analysis and logic. This would also be used to create customer profiles and easy access to loans for people in the rural areas, who have to struggle to get access to legitimate credit, and often fall victim to unscrupulous moneylenders and the likes.
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)
The pandemic has witnessed a surge in online shopping. This will only continue, with the introduction of convenience features like Buy Now Pay Later, which is an already popular global fintech phenomenon, especially among millennials and Gen Z. Its growing popularity in India makes it poised to emerge as one of the most preferred credit options, especially for smaller purchases like groceries, movie tickets, food delivery etc. Consulting and research firm RedSeer estimates India’s BNPL market to increase tenfold, to a whopping $45-50 billion by 2026 from the current $3-3.5 billion now. The research firm also estimates that the number of BNPL users in the country may rise to 80-100 million customers by then, from the current 10-15 million. BNPL can be a potential game-changer in rural areas, with the communities and individuals low on liquidity now getting an option to purchase instantly. Instead of first having to travel long distances to withdraw money or get a loan from a moneylender, they can get a transparent and formal BNPL deal.
Embedded Finance and Embedded Credit
A manifestation of embedded finance which includes in-game purchases, integration of wallets in e-commerce platforms etc., was already popular before the pandemic. Other forms like embedded credit, which involves application and repayment of loans within a merchant platform, and embedded insurance, which involves buying insurance within a merchant platform, are set to only grow in popularity over the next year.
These are exciting times for the Fintech industry. This new year, the industry in its entirety will witness further growth as small, medium and large players embrace deeper tech, and introduce more and more innovations, bridging gaps wherever required, ensuring customer convenience and delight, while also growing their business. I’m hopeful 2022 will see Fintechs innovating more with the support of cutting-edge technology and the digital divide in India will see significant changes. Together, we’re moving towards achieving financial inclusion and the holistic progress of the nation.