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Samsung has sent one of its Tablet, SM-T545 to the Wi-Fi relationship for certification. In any case, this document does not certify much about this contraption, save that it is a tablet with the model number SM-T545. Samsung hasn’t shared much data about this contraption.
A comparable number has jumped up in a Geekbench spill starting late that pegged it as a Snapdragon 710-energized device with 4GB of RAM.
The Samsung SM-T545 has surfaced in another accreditation for its Wi-Fi capacities. In any case, this file does not confirm various nuances from earlier spills about a contraption with a comparable model number.
They demonstrate that this tablet has a broadly engaging Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 4GB of RAM. This contraption will keep running on Android 9.0. It will have one UI custom skin.
It will be an absolutely unprecedented contraption. The gadget is sent for FCC and Wi-Fi accreditation. The last tablet moved by Samsung was Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 in February this year. This contraption was made accessible to the detriment of Rs 50,990.
It went with an 8-inch show up with the targets of 1280×800 pixels. On the other hand, it is conceivable that the SM-T545 will be known as the Galaxy Tab Active Pro, another item name Samsung has as of late trademarked.
The latest leaks encompassing this plausibility indicate the extension for a tough undercarriage that may have a storehouse for a stylus. It isn’t yet clear when this putative tablet might be discharged, albeit a discharge occasion during IFA 2019 is as likely as not now The contraption scored 1618 in the single-center test and 5641 in the multi-center test.
There has been no data given by Samsung about the gadget yet. Individuals are excitedly monitoring things for the gadget data articulation. It will be incomprehensible to see what Samsung places in its extraordinary gadget.


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Debit card dangers: A Cloverdale couple says their bank failed to protect them
VANCOUVER -- Who’s monitoring your bank accounts to prevent fraud? If you ask a Cloverdale couple, it’s not the banks. Thousands of dollars disappeared from their accounts and they’re being held liable for some of the loss because their debit card’s personal identification number, or PIN, was used.
It’s your responsibility to guard and to protect your PIN but just because a PIN is used doesn’t mean you’re automatically liable. A bank has responsibility to examine all factors involving fraud but David and Amelia Petrunia say one of their banks should have also blocked suspicious activity.
“They bled this thing dry. It was incredible how fast they did what they did," said David.
Amelia's credit and debit cards were stolen after she left them in her wallet in the back seat of her van. But the thieves were clever, taking just the cards and leaving the wallet in place.
“And then they zipped it all up, (and) put it back where it was so I didn't even know it was missing," she said.
It happened on a Friday and the thieves went wild. There were multiple fraudulent transactions involving three different financial institutions with a total loss of about $28,000.
Normally, you’d be entitled to compensation involving debit card fraud if you met the bank’s requirements and did everything you could to protect your accounts and your PIN.
"Consumers should not be held liable automatically if their PIN or means of authentication has been used to do this or the unauthorized transactions," said Phiippe Pellerin of the Consumer Financial Agency of Canada.
But you have a responsibility to make sure your PIN is hard to guess; if you have to write the number down, you need to keep it safe and to keep the numbers separate from your card. And you’re never supposed to share it with anyone.
Unfortunately, three years ago Amelia had shared her PIN with a caregiver for their daughter, who has special needs. She says she was honest about that when reporting the fraud to the bank.
The withdrawals and purchases occurred in several areas, and RCMP in Burnaby, Coquitlam and Surrey have been investigating. Officers obtained two suspect photos and are looking for the public’s help identifying them.
After investigating, two of the financial institutions forgave the losses but RBC is still holding the couple liable for $12,000.
“They treated me like I was honestly the criminal from the very beginning," said Amelia.
Since the PIN was used, RBC is holding them responsible but David said he had a different PIN on his business account and didn’t share it. It also had numerous fraudulent transactions.
Apparently those caught RBC’s attention. He got a call from their fraud department the morning after the cards were stolen.
“A total of nine times I tried to call them at the number they gave me," he said.
He said he couldn’t get through until it was too late.
“I assumed that if anything would go wrong with that that it would be similar to a credit card where they would shut it down right away.”
The couple wonders about RBC’s responsibility in monitoring their accounts to block unusual transactions.
“400, 400, 400, 400 dollars at a time,” he said, many in the middle of the night.
“Everything about them were abnormal transactions," Amelia added.
RBC told CTV News that they have fraud systems in place but wouldn’t tell us why the transactions weren’t blocked, saying they review fraud and unauthorized transactions on a daily basis. Even though the bank is holding the couple responsible, it says it’s not accusing them of the fraud.
AJ Goodman, Director of RBC External Communications, Personal & Commercial Banking, said in emails to CTV News:
“We understand that any time a client is impacted by unauthorized or fraudulent transactions it can be difficult for them. We review potential fraud and unauthorized transactions on a case-by-case basis, considering all relevant facts before making a decision on the matter. Regarding fraud prevention, we employ a diverse range of technologies, procedures and measures into our fraud detection systems to ensure the safety, confidentiality and integrity of our clients’ information and transactions.
In our Client Agreement, clients are given guidance on how to protect and safeguard their PINs. This includes not sharing their PIN with others, and making their PIN unique and unrelated to personal information so it cannot be easily guessed. We offer a number of tips and resources about how clients can transact safely and securely on our website.
But I also want to make clear that we have not accused, nor are we accusing, the couple of trying to defraud the bank or engage in similar misconduct.”
“I don't feel any protection any more with them," said David.
"It can be stressful, it can be difficult for people to go through and that's why there're consumer protection measures in place," explained Pellerin.
The Consumer Financial Agency of Canada says it’s up to the banks to determine how they monitor customer’s accounts for fraud.
However, the agency recommends that if you’re not satisfied with a bank’s investigation, to escalate it to the bank’s ombudsman. If, after that, you still believe you’re not being treated fairly, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Agency of Canada.
“It also allows us to identify if there’s a need to investigate further with financial institutions that we oversee,” added Pellerin.
“People need to be aware that your debit cards are not protected the way we think your credit cards are," David said.
The couple said they’ve been customers of RBC for 14 years and also have all investments with the bank. They say they are now going to take their business elsewhere.

domain: news


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After the close, a couple of companies gave signals that the sluggish U.S. economy is slowly recovering.
CSX rises 1 percent after hours as Q1 earnings and revenues easily exceeded Street estimates. While earnings of $0.78 topped expectations of $0.69, most encouraging was a 5 percent rise in volumes, the railroad's first increase in 3 years.
Greater shipments of fertilizers (up 32 percent), metals (up 27 percent), and a rebound in chemicals (up 7 percent) led the way, a sign that economic conditions were improving. One weak spot remained: a 13 percent decline in coal shipments, but that decline was still smaller than the drops in recent prior quarters.
One other positive sign: like some other companies in the retail space recently, CSX saw employee wages increasing due to "higher incentive compensation" in the quarter.
Chip giant Intel made similar comments, saying businesses are spending again and that global demand for personal computers is increasing. They also said they were planning the first increase in workers in five years.
CNBC Data Pages:
Questions? Comments? email@example.com


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Southeast Announces Hult Prize 2020 Challenge Winners
The winners of the inaugural Hult Prize Challenge at Southeast Missouri State University were announced at a Common Hour program Nov. 6.
This year's challenge topic was "Bold Businesses for a Better Planet." Participating teams, using the topic as inspiration, created startup businesses that have a positive impact on the planet with every sale completed, dollar earned and decision made. The Douglas C. Green Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship hosted the competition.To view these students click here: https://semo.meritpages.com/achievements/Southeast-Announces-Hult-Prize-2020-Challenge-Winners/114625


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Listen to the Podcast:
Google has released new details about the Universal Speech Model (USM), a system the company describes as a “critical first step” toward realizing its goals.
The company is now getting closer to its goal of building an AI language model that supports 1,000 languages to beat ChatGPT.
In November last year, the business revealed its USM model and its aspirations to construct a language model supporting 1,000 of the world’s most spoken languages.
The tech giant describes USM as a collection of cutting-edge speech models with 2 billion parameters trained on 12 million hours of speech and 28 billion sentences of text in 300+ languages.
“USM, which is meant to be used on YouTube (for example, for closed captioning), can do automatic speech recognition (ASR) not only on widely spoken languages like English and Mandarin, but also on languages that aren’t as common, like Japanese and Korean. on under-resourced languages like Amharic, Cebuano, Assamese, and Azerbaijani, to name a few,” Google wrote in a blog post.
Google says that USM works with more than 100 languages and will be the “base” for a much bigger system.
Meanwhile, Google is scheduled to release a slew of AI capabilities for its products in the next few months, including Gboard for Android, which is planning to integrate the Imagen text-to-image generator.


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The first McDonald's fast-food restaurant in Italy firmly planted its golden arches above a doorway in the heart of the Piazza di Spagna on March 20. Since that day, life for Valentino, the Italian fashion designer, has not smelled the same.
According to Valentino, who this week began legal action aimed at closing the restaurant, which backs on to his Rome headquarters, the McDonald's created a ''significant and constant noise and an unbearable smell of fried food fouling the air.'' He has asked Italian magistrates to order it closed immediately on the ground that it is a nuisance.
Valentino's is just one name in a long list of Romans who are not very happy about the new restaurant. The Land of Pasta
Recently, several thousand people rallied in the picturesque piazza in protest. The gathering, organized by the ''Save Rome'' committee, featured Italian singers, actors and politicians speaking out against the coming of the all-beef hamburger to the land of pasta.
Plates of spaghetti cooked to a perfect al dente in vast iron skillets were served to supporters. And from a makeshift stage positioned under a cluster of giant palm trees, celebrities spoke out against the hazards of fast food. They proclaimed the ''degradation of Rome'' and the ''Americanization'' of Italian culture if McDonald's was allowed to continue doing business here.
The recently elected Mayor of Carmel, Calif., Clint Eastwood, was the undisputed hero of the day among these Italians. One of his first decisions on taking office was to crack down on several fast-food restaurants in the seaside community. Pictures of the actor turned Mayor in a cowboy hat and a three-day growth of beard appeared on poster boards and T-shirts across the piazza. The message ''Clint Eastwood, you should be our Mayor,'' was printed underneath.
The Rome McDonald's, billed as the biggest in the world with seating for 450 people, opened to record crowds on March 20. The owner, Jacques Bahbout, an Egyptian-born Frenchman, made the fast-food parlor out of a former coffee bar he owned adjacent to the American Express office just a block away from the famous Spanish Steps. Before the grand opening Mr. Bahbout said that Rome was more than ready for its first taste of American-style fast food. In fact, with more than 500 McDonald's already established throughout Europe, Italy might have been considered behind the times.
Yet, even before the lines of curious Italians formed outside its doors at noon on opening day, the McDonald's was the focus of a heated controversy. Newspapers reported a motion by city officials to stop the opening on claims that the management had altered the facade of the building without first obtaining the necessary permits from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. Mr. Bahbout dismissed those charges as unfounded.
The McDonald's opened as scheduled despite the efforts to thwart it. However, since the first day of business complaints against the restaurant have piled up faster than the empty hamburger wrappings on the sidewalks of the square.
Recently, the Rome City Council voted to examine a Communist Party-backed proposal to shut down the restaurant because of the alleged ''degradation of the historic center'' that it blames on the fast-food parlor. Litter and health problems were cited as the main causes of concern.
The Council also charged the McDonald's with contributing to congestion in the center of the city. In fact, the confusion was so great in front of the restaurant that security guards were called in following the opening to hold back the crowds that formed each day outside its doors.
Also, the hundreds of motorcycle-riding youths who frequent the McDonald's each day cruise the square from noon to midnight, compounding an already chaotic traffic situation in the center of the city. Mr. Bahbout offered to close the restaurant on Saturdays in hopes that this might alleviate some of the problems. Still, he insisted that his McDonald's could not be held responsible for ''all the ills of the city.'' 'Harassment' Charged
In statements before the recent rally, Mr. Bahbout said that the council's charges against his business were ''exaggerated'' and ''over the top.'' He also added that ''at this point it's getting very close to harassment.'' When a local politician called McDonald's ''the principal cause of degradation of the ancient Roman streets,'' Mr. Bahbout said that ''degradation is a very vague word.''
In the midst of all this controvery one thing seems certain; the city's battle against fast food may be only beginning. Two more McDonald's restaurants are scheduled to open in the Eternal City sometime this year. One is planned for the Piazza Sonnino in Trastevere and the other at a site near the Piazza Navonna.
Romans throughout the centuries have stoically watched invaders come and go. McDonald's, however, just might be here to stay.


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WILMINGTON, Del. (WPVI) -- A Wilmington neighborhood has a new grocery store Friday.
The 7 Day Farmers Market opened on the 39 hundred block of Lancaster Pike, right where the Pathmark used to be.
The store actually hired back many of the workers who lost their jobs when that Pathmark closed.
The manager says in addition to fresh produce and other groceries, this store will focus on international and ethnic foods.


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Payments solutions provider and mobile wallet Oxigen Services was one of the 41 applicants who had applied to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a payments bank licence. Although they were not in the final 11 who got the in-principle nod from the RBI to set up a payments bank, Pramod Saxena, chairman and managing director of the company tells MediaNama that the company will continue to push aggressively on the financial inclusion space. He also spoke to us on the details the RBI was looking from applicants and their foray into POS machines. MediaNama: Oxigen has not got its payments bank licence. What will be the company's plans going forward now? Saxena: Well our activities of building the last-mile infrastructure will be continuing. That was there even before payments bank announcement. So our core business is to create a footprint for access network where transactions, payments and also all money transfer related activities can happen. And all of this was part of our core proposal to the RBI. We really don't understand how and what got mixed and what's the real criteria for selection. So we will continue to build our network and hope that there will be people who want to partner with us, use our network, share our network. And under our PPI licence, we continue to do a whole lot of these activities anyway. So we're looking to keep our push aggressively and when there's an opportunity next time in the future, we do hope we will have…
- MediaNama Daily: Caught red-handed March 25, 2023
- US govt warns businesses of ‘AI deception’, calls for mitigating risks before launching AI products March 24, 2023
- Here’s what TikTok’s CEO said in his U.S. Congressional Committee Hearing March 24, 2023
- Cyberabad police bust a gang selling personal data of 16.8 Crore citizens March 24, 2023
- Explained: What is Namma Yatri app and why is it joining ONDC March 24, 2023
MediaNama’s mission is to help build a digital ecosystem which is open, fair, global and competitive.
Amazon announced that it will integrate its logistics network and SmartCommerce services with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
India's smartphone operating system BharOS has received much buzz in the media lately, but does it really merit this attention?
After using the Mapples app as his default navigation app for a week, Sarvesh draws a comparison between Google Maps and Mapples
In the case of the ‘deemed consent' provision in the draft data protection law, brevity comes at the cost of clarity and user protection
The regulatory ambivalence around an instrument so essential to facilitate data exchange – the CM framework – is disconcerting for several reasons.
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Superior crops or 'Frankenfood'?
Americans begin to reconsider blas attitude toward genetically modified food.
If genetic engineering portends a revolution in the way the world eats, Americans have not seemed to notice.
While Europeans took to the streets in protest, consumers in the United States calmly digested tomatoes designed to ripen slowly. While Asians and others passed labeling laws to differentiate the foodstuffs, Americans chowed down on steaks from cows fed pest-resistant corn and on vegetarian burgers made with herbicide-resistant soybeans.
But after spending five years rapidly adopting this technology, the US appears set to take a long, second look at its risks. While the technology offers tremendous potential for creating better, healthier, and cheaper food, opponents argue it has not been tested thoroughly enough to ensure it won't hurt people or the environment in the long run. Such protests are beginning to be heard in executive suites and farm fields, shareholder meetings and the halls of Congress.
If opponents of genetically modified food manage to sway consumers, they'll slow down the biotech revolution that already has lost steam in Europe and elsewhere.
"I think we'll lean a little toward Europe's cautious approach," says Marshall Martin, an agricultural economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. "But I don't think the United States will go as far as Europe has."
Some US companies are already bending to the pressure against genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Last year, for example, Gerber and Heinz announced they would not accept genetically modified material in their baby food. Now, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, maker of Enfamil baby formula, is also backing away.
"We believe GMO technology has been shown scientifically to be safe," says Pete Paradossi, spokesman for the Evansville, Ind., company. "But given consumer concern on this issue, we have made a decision to reduce and/or eliminate GMO ingredients from our products."
Other infant-formula companies are standing firm, however, pointing out that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved genetically modified food. "We concur with the FDA," says Mardi Mountford, executive director of the International Formula Council, an Atlanta-based nonprofit industry group that represents Nestle and Ross Nutrition (maker of Similac). "The ingredients that are produced through this technique are safe."
Bending to pressure
As long as the controversy was confined to specialty markets, such as baby food or health-food chains, mainstream food companies felt little competitive pressure to change. But last month, snack-food giant Frito-Lay announced it was asking its growers not to use genetically modified crops.
It's not clear how the Plano, Texas, company plans to enforce the request. Still, "that's potentially an important step," says Michael Hansen, research associate with the policy-research division of Consumers Union, based in Yonkers, N.Y. "It's just moving on to the larger, more mainstream companies, which is what's been happening over in Europe."
Anti-GMO activists are pushing other companies to take similar stands. For example, they have initiated shareholder resolutions at 18 large US companies that would require them to stop using GMOs until long-term testing proves them safe. Such resolutions rarely succeed but often embarrass corporations. PepsiCo (which owns Frito-Lay) tried but failed to get the Securities and Exchange Commission to drop the vote.
Meanwhile, the Organic Consumers Association and BioDemocracy Campaign have targeted 15 food companies and distributors - the "Frankenfoods Fifteen" - to get them to stop using GMOs.
For economic reasons, farmers are also taking a hard look at genetically modified crops. While genetically modified soybeans remain popular because they have simplified planting and weed control, some grain processors are likely to offer farmers a premium for growing non-GMO crops - especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, where terminals export grain to Europe and Asia. Already, in the eastern Corn Belt, many farmers appear to be pulling back from genetically modified corn and going back to conventional corn, says Mr. Martin of Purdue.
"We see a little bit of a shift, but it's still a little early to tell," adds Leslie Cahill, vice president of government affairs for the American Seed Trade Association in Washington. Nevertheless, more than 80 percent of elevators still plan to accept GMO corn, a recent survey found.
The issue is also heating up in Congress. Last month, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) of California introduced a mandatory labeling bill for genetically engineered food. The European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan already require it or are moving in that direction.
How different are they?
The heart of the debate hinges on the notion of how new these foods really are. In one sense, they're not new at all. All the foods Americans eat are genetically modified. Plant breeders have spent centuries creating new strains and hybrids.
So when the FDA first examined the issue and took four years to approve the genetically altered Flavr Savr tomato, many scientists and food companies felt the process took too long for such a minor change.
On the other hand, shooting an exotic new gene into a known food represents a far different process than traditional cross-breeding, other scientists argue. It's not clear it's more dangerous, but it represents potential changes in a food's genetic code that researchers don't fully understand, they add.
"As consumers become aware of the fact that foods are increasingly genetically modified, they first want more information about it and, second, they begin to demand choice in the marketplace," says John Fagan, chairman and chief scientific officer of Genetic ID, a large testing company in Fairfield, Iowa.
"This pattern is something that already has become full-blown in Europe.... If you get in a cab in London and you say: 'What do you think about these GMOs?" you'll have a 15-minute discussion on it," he says.
His guess is that it's only a matter of time before the same happens in the US.
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society


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McDonald's confirmed on Friday that 95,000 job applicants had their personal information stolen in a large hack on the company's career website. The hack targeted people who applied for jobs at McDonald's restaurants in Canada between 2014 and 2017, and saw saw their home addresses, email addresses, former employment history and phone numbers compromised.
The company said in a statement: "When we learned of this privacy breach we immediately shut down the site and launched an investigation. The careers webpage will remain shut down until the investigation is complete and appropriate measures are taken to ensure that this type of security breach does not happen again."
Applicants are to be informed if their information was compromised by mail, and if the company doesn't have a person's address, it will contact them by telephone or email. There's a telephone number affected applicants can call, and a website set up by the company providing assistance. McDonald's says it has "no information that the information taken has been misused." The burger empire's Twitter account was also hacked earlier this month when it called Donald Trump "a disgusting excuse of a president" and praised Barack Obama.
It seems that fast food hacks aren't really what they seem. In February, Arby's was the victim of an online hack that compromised thousands of customers' credit card information. And last July, Wendy's was ensnared in its own hacking fiasco.


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We love the progress being made...DMC and now WSU! original FREEP article
Merchants move into building near WSU
BY GRETA GUEST • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • September 14, 2008
National and local retailers are moving into a new apartment building on Woodward near Wayne State University in Midtown, a big plus for the area that serves students and professionals.
So far, Utrecht Art Supplies and Radio Shack have opened in the 30,000 square feet set aside for retail on the first floor. Coming this fall are Fifth Third Bank, Biggby Coffee and Starter's Bar and Grill.
"This is the first new apartment building in the city for many years," said Marcel Burgler, developer of the 124-unit Studio One Apartments. "It's got a lot of light and space, it's secure and has covered parking. I think we'll do well."
Burgler said the building is about 40% leased. The one- and two-bedroom apartments range from 650 square feet to 1,008 square feet and rent for $870 to $1,395. Each unit has a balcony, hardwood floors, walk-in closets, a washer/dryer combination, granite countertops, floor-to-ceiling windows, appliances and exposed concrete ceilings and duct work.
Burgler, with Grand Rapids-based Prime Development, developed the building in a joint venture with Wayne State University. The university contributed $14 million, including the 950-space parking deck that is linked by a walkway to the apartment building.
Prime Development invested $22 million to build the project on two acres on Woodward near Warren. It has an option to develop another campus housing project on a nearby 2-acre plot, Burgler said.
The building is attracting more faculty and professionals than undergrads, he said. It is particularly attractive for people who don't want to buy property they may not be able to sell quickly with the real estate market slump.
The Wayne State market is attractive to Fifth Third Bank, which is to open Sept. 29 in the first-floor retail space.
Jeff Wagner, vice president for corporate real estate for Fifth Third Bank, said the branch would be the Cincinnati-based bank's fifth in the city.
"This location we are excited about because of the redevelopment happening adjacent to it and on the Wayne State campus," Wagner said. "We are looking forward to a positive experience there. Wayne State continues to have a lot of energy."
Jon Parlangeli, store manager for Utrecht Art Supplies, said the new location is cleaner and safer than the old one on Woodward where the retailer had been for 70 years.
"If you get this much retail in one spot, it will draw people," he said. "We can all kind of cross-pollinate each other."
Contact GRETA GUEST at 313-223-4192 or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Lordstown, Ohio – Steve Burns knows the electric vehicle (EV) pickup markets is going to be a crowded place by 2022 with models planned by Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Bollinger, Tesla, and other automakers. But the CEO of Lordstown Motors has a few things going for him – a plant fully stocked with functional gear, plans to beat his competitors to the market, and a different technological approach that should make the truck easier to build.
On Thursday, the company celebrated the unveiling of the Endurance, the EV pickup that Burns hopes to have on the road by next summer; plans to begin production this year fell victim to COVID-19.
“Normally, you wouldn’t start sales until this moment, until you had something to show potential buyers,” Burns said from his plant’s floor, pointing to the prototype Endurance truck. “We couldn’t afford to do that. We had to know, before we sunk this much into this project, is there a demand.”
The company is targeting 75 miles per gallon equivalency (mgpe), the U.S. Department of Energy’s measurement of how a user would spend on electricity to match a gas-burning vehicle. Lordstown’s initial market will be commercial buyers, and Burns said his initial sales pitch is telling fleet managers that a $52,000 EV pickup will have one-third the operating costs of the equivalent gas burner. To date, the company has about 14,000 pre-orders, enough to fill its first year’s production expectations.
A key advantage for Lordstown is General Motors’ former Chevy Cruze plant. GM shuttered that facility last year and sold it to Burns soon after. GM is even funding much of that deal, lending Lordstown Motors much of the cash needed to purchase the plant, and the company agreed to leave behind hundreds of functional, well-maintained robots, stamping presses, and assembly equipment.
Thursday’s unveiling took place in the Lordstown campus’ body shop – the facility has three distinct buildings: body shop, paint plant, assembly line – and rows after row of Fanuc robots with Leoni weld kits were on display, rotating and running through display programs.
GM completely overhauled the plant during the 2008-2009 Great Recession, replacing all robots, swapping out pneumatic wrenches and tools for computer-driven electric ones, and upgrading inspection equipment to build the then-new Cruze. The company upgraded individual machines several more times in the decade it built that vehicle. So, while used, the Lordstown equipment is in better shape than Burns expected.
“We were prepared for a certain percentage of the robots and stamping presses and body shop equipment to not operate properly,” Burns said. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised. GM shut it all down perfectly, and they helped us open it up with people who knew how to do things, people who had shut it down for them.”
Those robots must still be reprogrammed, the functional stamping presses need new dies to form truck parts, industrial engineers are still working on assembly processes, and there’s a long list of jigs and fixtures that need to be produced. However, Burns says he’s ahead of some competitors who don’t even have a building yet.
First to market
While Lordstown had to abandon plans for a 2020 launch, given the inability to fully staff a plant during the pandemic, if it can go into production early next year, it will still beat others to the electric pickup market by nearly a year.
Much of that advantage comes from having a plant, but Burns said the truck’s design will be easier to build than other models, allowing the company to go through proveout and initial assembly faster than competitors.
“It’s really all about timing for this,” Burns said. “Reinvention at the wrong time – if you’re too early or too late – it doesn’t work. Our timing is perfect. The technology is ready and the market is there for this.”
Most of the initial truck orders that have been places are from utility companies that are encouraging their customers to invest in EVs – more EVs mean more demand for electricity, so Duke Energy, First Energy, and others have ordered trucks to show what they can do for commercial customers. Another early customer is ServPro, a fire and water damage restoration company that has ordered 1,200 trucks.
The critical technological component for the Endurance is hub motors in each of the truck’s wheels instead of a traditional electric motor that sends power to the wheels through a transmission. Hub motors simplify the build by eliminating dozens of sub systems – the truck has four moving parts, the wheels.
Automakers have toyed with hub motors for years, using them in dozens of concept cars. Engineers have discussed adding hub motors to the rear wheels of gasoline-driving front-wheel-drive (FWD) cars to enable all-wheel drive without complicated transaxles. However, for decades, high costs, durability concerns, weight distribution concerns, and power limitations have prevented the motors’ use in actual cars and trucks.
Some commercial vehicles use hub motors for secondary systems, electric wheelchairs have used them, and a handful of golf carts employ the technology. Burns said he began experimenting with them several years ago with his former company Workhorse, a Cincinnati-area EV van maker that’s competing to replace the current postal fleet with hub-motor-powered vehicles.
Power levels are higher than ever with new motors, costs are lower, software is more sophisticated, and several suppliers have good options. Last month, Lordstown Motors licensed a hub motor design from Slovenia’s Elaphe Propulsion Technologies. Employees at the Ohio plant will build the motors in house.
The pickup on display Thursday highlighted the motors with copper-colored wheel coverings that at a distance looked like the copper windings of an electric motor. Upon closer inspection, the covering were mostly cosmetic, although Burns said the vertical lines on the covers that look like motor windings are functional heat-exchanger fins designed to cool the engine as it operates at full load. The company will offer less eye-catching wheel covers at launch, he added, but the company wanted to motor-like covers for the launch.
Burns said using hub propulsion to eliminate vehicle complexity will dramatically increase the production capacity at the plant. GM produced about 400,000 Cruze models per year at Lordstown’s peak. Burns said Lordstown Motors could produce 600,000 trucks if demand is there, despite the fact that the trucks are nearly twice as big as the cars.
“It’s a much easier build. That, more than anything else, is our big advantage,” Burns said.
About the author: Robert Schoenberger is the editor of Today’s Motor Vehicles and Today’s eMobility and a contributor to Today’s Medical Developments and Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. He has written about the automotive industry for more than 20 years at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio; The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky; and The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi.
This content was originally published here.


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Chinese solar PV manufacturer and clean energy company, Shunfeng International Clean Energy (SFCE) has seen considerable improvement in its 2017 financial results.
The company, in fact, saw turnover climb by 21% on 2016, with net loss improving by around 65.2%.
Total sales amounted to 10,017 million CNY (US$1.58 billion), compared to 2016, where turnover reached about 8,276 million CNY. Meanwhile, net loss improved year-on-year, from 2,399 million CNY ($380.5 million) to 834 million CNY ($132.2 million).
Around 82% of the company’s revenue for last year came from the sale of solar products, which accounted for 8,249 million CNY, while the solar power operation segment accounted for 1,320 million CNY, thanks to a revenue increase of around 22.9%.
Overall, Shunfeng shipped approximately 3.85 GW of PV products last year, up 30.6% from 2016, when total shipments hit 2.95 GW.
Of the 3.85 GW shipped in 2017, 37.6 MW were for wafers, 1,346 MW for solar cells, and 2,475 MW for PV panels. China was still the company's largest market, accounting for 74.9% of total sales.
As for its solar power sale business, Shunfeng said its operational PV plant portfolio had reached around 1.5 GW as of the end of December 2017, and that sales of power for last year totaled 1,564 million kWh, up 17.8% from 1,328 kWh in 2016.
“Apart from leveraging on the positive brand awareness of “Shunfeng” and “Suntech” established over years in the global market to continuously expand the businesses of construction and operation of global solar power plants and manufacturing of solar products, the Group also pursues other clean energy related businesses to realise diversified business development,” the company said in its statement.
As of the end of December, the group had 6,397 employees, while at the end of the prior year their number stood at 6,921.
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Tehran (ISNA) – President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced that the country exported $5.6 billion worth of non-oil goods and commodities to foreign countries from March 21 to May 15, 2021.
Speaking at 23rd meeting of Representatives Board of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) on Tuesday, Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi said, “Iran imported 4.5 million tons of products worth $5.6 billion since the beginning of the current year (started March 21) up to May 15, showing a 28 percent increase compared to the same period previous year”.
“Some 15.5 million tons of non-oil goods worth $5.6 billion were exported from the country from March 21 to May 15, 2021, registering a 46 percent growth compared to the same period previous year,” he added.
According to the statistics, totally 145.7 million tons of non-oil goods worth $73 billion were exported and imported from/to the country last year (from March 21, 2020 to March 20, 2021),” IRICA president noted.
He went on to say that 10,343,000 tons of commodities worth $5.762 billion were exchanged between Iran and its trader partners from March 21 to April 20, showing a 32 and 62.5 percent increase both in terms of weight and value respectively.


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Tesla humanoid robot prototype to be ready next year – CBS News
Elon Musk said that Tesla is building a humanoid robot. The prototype is expected to be ready next year. Musk said he hopes that one day, the bot will be able to do “repetitive and boring” jobs, like picking up groceries.
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November 28, 2011 Amazon Growth Reaches 58 Percent Over the Holiday Weekend
Online Sales Accelerated Throughout the Weekend; Record Cyber Monday Growth Expected on all Channels
Research Triangle Park, NC – November 28, 2011 – ChannelAdvisor, a global e-commerce software provider that helps retailers sell more across online channels, today announced that its customers experienced a 58 percent growth in Amazon same-store sales over the holiday shopping weekend, as sales on all channels climbed steadily each day. A highlight of the holiday weekend included ChannelAdvisor’s Amazon gross merchandise value (GMV), which on Black Friday topped the GMV record from Cyber Monday 2010, becoming ChannelAdvisor’s highest day of Amazon GMV in company history and setting the stage for what is likely to be its highest-ever Cyber Monday today.
“This year Amazon same-store sales growth is steadily climbing instead of fluctuating between daily highs and lows like last year, indicating that this Cyber Monday GMV could be another one for the record books,” said ChannelAdvisor CEO Scot Wingo. “EBay too is performing well, especially considering that it is a channel that tends to be more back-end loaded as shoppers look to eBay for toys that are sold out elsewhere.”
This year ChannelAdvisor is tracking the smartphone and tablet sales of paid search customers, and found that 10 percent of Thanksgiving Day sales were conducted via smartphones and tablets, with the vast majority (eight percent) occurring on tablets. For Black Friday and throughout the weekend, smartphone and tablet sales totaled nine percent of retailers’ sales.
“Couch commerce was clearly a big winner on Thanksgiving Day with so many consumers making purchases via tablets,” continued Wingo. “On Black Friday there was a higher volume of orders through smartphones, suggesting that more shoppers were visiting brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday, comparing prices via their smartphones then making purchases when online offers were better.”
Same-store sales highlights from the holiday weekend include:
- E-Commerce same-store sales started with 17 percent growth on Thanksgiving Day followed by 20 percent growth on Black Friday, 21 percent growth on Saturday and 27 percent growth on Sunday
- Amazon same-store sales increased from 30 percent on Thanksgiving Day to around 50 percent on Black Friday and Saturday, followed by 59 percent on Sunday
- eBay same-store sales remained steady all weekend with approximately 15 percent growth
- Paid Search same-store sales increased by 19 percent on Thanksgiving Day, 22 percent on Black Friday, 27 percent on Saturday and 34 percent on Sunday
- Comparison Shopping Engines gained extreme momentum as well starting on Thanksgiving Day with a 4 percent increase and finishing out the weekend on Sunday with a 14 percent increase over last year
“We’ve predicted 15-17 percent growth for e-commerce throughout this holiday season, and these numbers are a great early indication that we’re headed in the right direction,” said Wingo. “We’re still cautiously optimistic as we won’t have a definitive idea until the results from Cyber Monday and early December are in, but we’re very pleased to see this level of growth early in the holiday season.”


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A joint survey by NASSCOM and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (DTTILLP) predicts that organisations with an ER&D presence in India are looking to increase investments in their India Global Capability Centres (GCCs) or Engineering Service Providers (ESPs); of these, almost 50 per cent plan to increase investments by more than 10 per cent.
These survey results support the global prediction that ER&D organisations will drive the next wave of offshoring in the country. One of the biggest motivators for global organisations has been India’s response to COVID-19 over the past two years. The proactive strategies adopted by the ecosystem to ensure business continuity and their resilience when faced with the need to scale rapidly, positioned India as the preferred investment destination. This, clubbed with the availability of rich talent, digital capabilities, and a diverse start-up ecosystem for collaboration, has also pushed the demand for India Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and Engineering Service Providers (ESPs) across the globe.
About 72 per cent respondents with an India GCC plan to step up their spend on it in 2022; of these, 50 percent plan to increase this spend by more than 10 per cent, which is a higher than the rise in global R&D budget. Nearly 52 per cent of the surveyed companies with India ESPs plan to increase their spend on them in 2022, and of these, 50 per cent plan to increase this spend in the range of 10-25 per cent.
Keerthi Kumar, Partner, DTTILLP, said, “The Indian ER&D market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12-13 percent until 2025 and this growth story has been well reinforced by the findings of this ER&D pulse survey. With more companies planning to strengthen their presence in the country, the growth prospects for India GCCs and ESPs have grown manifolds.”
Keerthi Kumar added, “Globally, ER&D in many organisations have started prioritising building a technology ecosystem, developing key skills and talent, and improving the ER&D performance by digitalising the end-to-end product development lifecycle. What is interesting to note is that about 40 percent of such companies, plan to route investments for these initiatives to their India GCCs and ESPs. India is thus poised to be at the forefront of this revolution, playing a crucial role in augmenting the overall R&D strategy of global companies.”
KS Viswanathan, Vice President, Industry Initiatives, NASSCOM, said, “In the last few decades, the engineering R&D sector has really grown by leaps and bounds across the world and has continued to witness impressive growth in revenues. India continues to be the destination of choice for global ER&D. Companies across geographies are looking to leverage their India GCCs to deliver more activities due to the availability of key skills and talent at scale. Indian GCCs and ESPs are driving end-to-end innovation, product strategy and development, and manufacturing products from India for the world.”
According to the survey findings (drawn after analysing responses from 104 R&D leaders across 19 countries and 12 sectors), more than 75 per cent of the industry leaders have projected the development of Industry 4.0 solutions, and innovative customer-centric products as crucial investment areas for the global ER&D industry in the next three years, while the immediate priority is to develop sustainable products and enable a circular economy.


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Home Tags Cryptocurrency
Digital wallet Coinbase raises $100m Series D
Digital wallet service Coinbase has raised $100m in its Series D funding round led by IVP.
Stox nabs $30m in ICO which lasts two days
Financial data provider Stox.com has raised $30m in its ICO after just two days raising and makes it the ninth biggest ICO to date.
Australia-based Bitcoin.com.au has netter $815k
Australia-based Bitcoin exchange Bitcoin.com.au has reportedly netted $815,000 in its series A funding round.
The Hive Project bags $1.5m in 100 hours for ICO
Cryptocurrency invoice financing platform The Hive Project has received $1.5m for its ICO in only 100 hours.
Funding to Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies companies is set to hit a...
Investments to the Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies sector made a strong start to the year with 72% of last yearsâ€™ total funding already committed.Â Total investment...
Cryptocurrency casion FunFair raises $26m in four hours
Cryptocurrency casino FunFair Technologies has raised $26m in only four hours after token sale.
Compcoin launches $45m ICO
Compcoin launches its ICO with an aim to raise $45m, which it plans to use to develop new investor technologies, customer acquisition and company growth.
Bancor raises $153m from ICO in less than three hours
Cryptographic token creator Bancor Protocol has raised around $153m for its ICO, in less than three hours.
Crypto and fiat currency banking platform Wirex bags $3m
Crypto and fiat currency banking platform Wirex Limited has raised $3m in Series A funding from Japanese financial services firm SBI Group.
The number of active FinTech companies in Switzerland is now over...
The funding rounds for the FinTech sector in Switzerland are getting larger year-on-year as the sector matures, with the total funding for larger investments...


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Today, through the guys from tabletowo.pl we get to know that Samsung is currently developing a new tablet device with the model number SM-T239, suggesting that it might be a successor of the last’s year Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 slate. However, at this moment is difficult to say if this one is indeed a Galaxy Tab 4 variation.
While this model number was revealed by Samsung in an User Agent Profile from its website, it seems that a while ago two other models with similar names were certified last year by Bluetooth SIG, more precisely the SM-T231, and the SM-T232.
In terms of specs, according to some leaks, this tablet will bring a 7-inch screen with a 1.280 x 800 pixels resolution, 3G or 4G LTE connectivity, a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, dual-band WiFi and Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system. This new model could be introduced at MWC 2015 in March.


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So why, three years after that declaration, is the old model still working so well for P&G, which has been on a sales-growth tear built on record ad spending in the U.S.?
The answer is mainly that P&G is uniquely situated to benefit from today's marketing model because it uses its operating efficiency and unmatched clout as the world's biggest marketer to massively outspend its rivals and meticulously measure everything it does, so it knows what's working. And the brand and marketing managers who ultimately make the decisions regarding P&G's media spending (Mr. Stengel isn't among them) continue to ply that advantage ruthlessly.
Last week Mr. Stengel trumpeted a shift to a new era of relationship-building communications at the American Association of Advertising Agencies' Media Conference, saying, "It's not about telling and selling." But the reality is that P&G continues to do plenty of both successfully.
Last year, P&G spent about $3.5 billion on measured media in the U.S., according to data from TNS Media Intelligence. That is up about 17% from the $3 billion it spent in 2004, the last time Mr. Stengel took the assembled media world to task for the decline of advertising effectiveness. P&G's sales last quarter were up a healthy 7.6% to $23 billion.
Of course, a lot of that media spending was around relationship-building themes, which have become increasingly common in P&G advertising in recent years -- Dawn dish detergent shows how it saves ducks slimed by oil slicks, and Pantene shampoo asks people to cut off locks of their hair to use in wigs for cancer patients.
Telling and selling
But plenty of old-fashioned telling and selling remains in the mix too, such as ads touting the efficacy of Olay Definity anti-aging products or Head & Shoulders Intensive Treatments shampoo, which have helped lift both brands to double-digit sales gains in recent years.
P&G's executives have a habit of making powerful speeches chronicling the decline of traditional marketing. But its brands still have a habit of loading up on gross ratings points like no one else, and generally outspend their rivals in measured media by margins of two-to-one or more.
It all leads some competitors to wonder aloud if Mr. Stengel and his boss, Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley, aren't engaging in a bit of disinformation each time they make new pronouncements on the future of marketing.
The reality likely isn't so Machiavellian. The brand managers, marketing directors and general managers who pull the trigger on P&G's massive media budgets get rewarded for doing what works today. And for the most part, that remains TV -- particularly as P&G has invested more heavily in recent years in marketing-mix modeling and other analytics to ensure every dollar gets spent optimally.
Anticipating the future
But Messrs. Stengel and Lafley also get paid to anticipate what's going to work in the future. So while no other marketer in any major sector has a bigger spending edge on its rivals, P&G also has far more to lose than anyone else from the marketing model's decline.
It can afford its big spending edge on traditional media today in part thanks to its superior scale as the first $80 billion consumer-products company and in part because it's the low-cost producer in many of its categories. In its main competitive set, only Colgate-Palmolive Co. boasts similar operating margins. But media spending for P&G's Crest regularly totals more than twice what Colgate spends on all of its brands combined. Colgate has remained competitive in part because its huge edge in Latin America has translated into a major advantage in the fastest-growing U.S. demographic: Hispanics.
When traditional media truly begin to fail P&G's brands, they'll be the first to know. All that clout and efficiency also pays for the biggest market-research budget in the world. Each of P&G's top 20 brands gets not one but three reports of brand health quarterly -- sometimes more -- including survey research, P&G's version of the net promoter score and syndicated market-share data. Some of its competitors make due with only the latter.
And so far, all that data is leading P&G's brands to keep spending on traditional media like there's no tomorrow.


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Woolworths supermarkets have announced a huge change to its iconic “Bag For Good” green reusable bags.
The retail giant has slashed the price of the popular shopping bags by almost 50 per cent.
A Woolworths spokesperson has confirmed that the bags have been reduced from 99c to just 50c in the lead-up to Christmas, and will remain at the new low price until January 11, 2022.
Woolworths say it hope the price drop will help customers save money as we head into the festive season.
“The majority of our customers bring their own reusable bags when they shop,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ve reduced the price of our Bag for Good in the lead-up to Christmas to make it easier for customers to stock up on reusable bags during the busiest time of the year for grocery shopping.
“These sturdy bags come in handy over the festive season, not only for big Christmas shops, but for picnics and transporting supplies to the family celebrations we hope to enjoy this year.”
Woolworths supermarket’s Bag For Good is a favourite with customers thanks to the store’s replacement policy, which can be found on the front of the bags.
The policy states that the bags, which are designed to be used over and over again, can be replaced for free at any Woolworths store if it becomes damaged, no matter when it was purchased.
200 items reduced
The bags are just one of 200 items which Woolworths has reduced in the lead-up to Christmas. Many meat, festive and baking buys have been reduced as Australians head into the festive season. Reductions include:
- Woolworths Porchetta Roast, down from $22 to $18
- Woolworths 6pk Fruit Mince Pies, down from$4 to $3.80
- Nine Wiltshire Easy Bake pans and sheets have been reduced, with savings up to $3.60 on selected items.
- Sistema Klip It Plus Container (4pk - 2x1, 2x2.2l), down from $18 to $13
- Variety of cheeses, including Mon Ami French Brie Portions 240g, down from $7.50 to $6.50
- Tassal Cold Smoked Salmon 150g, down from $10.25 to $9
- Arnotts biscuits and crackers, savings of up to 70c
- Lindt pouches 123g - 125g, down from $8 to $6
- Armada 10pk paper bowls, down from $3 to $2.50
- Macro baking ingredients, savings of up to $3.00
“It’s been another challenging year, so to help customers continue to get great value right through Christmas, we’re pleased to drop the prices of more than 200 products in store and online,” said Woolworths Supermarkets General Manager Everyday Needs James Hepworth.
“The price drops cover a range of food and groceries ideal for entertaining in warmer weather.
“Many customers start planning their Christmas shop months in advance, so this gives them plenty of time to save on their spring picnics, Christmas feasts, and News Years’ Eve celebrations.”
A full list of all products with prices dropped can be found here.
7NEWS.com.au received no monetary benefit for this content.


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Free, fast shipping became table stakes for e-commerce prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but consumers have since adjusted their expectations. A new study by fulfilment platform Shipstation has found that consumers have increased their expected delivery timelines, are more likely to be willing to pay for fast shipping, and care more about the delivery experience than prior to March 2020.
Despite the popularity of Amazon’s well-publicized two-day shipping promise, in 2019 the average consumer was willing to wait five days between placing an order and receiving their purchase, reports Shipstation. Since the pandemic began, this has increased and the new expected delivery timeframe is 8 days. And while 79% of respondents expect delays as a result of COVID-19, 13% consider these a potentially permanent adjustment.
These relaxed expectations can create an opportunity for retailers who may otherwise struggle to compete with larger, faster shipping networks. Less focus on the speed of delivery can free up retailers to focus on improving other aspects of the experience that are within their control; much of the delivery process depends on the carriers themselves.
“Smaller retailers can use this adjusted expectation to their advantage by taking the time to enhance different aspects of the customer experience, such as implementing increased visibility pre-checkout in the order listing itself,” said Krish Iyer, head of industry relations at ShipStation. “With this new timeline, they can also offer local delivery and curbside pickup options, and prioritize having strong inventory visibility between their brick-and-mortar and online channels.”
Whereas previously customers seemed unified in their desire for both free and fast shipping, 2020 has seen customers need to choose between the two on a more regular basis. The Shipstation survey found that 47% of consumers would be likely to pay more for expedited shipping, up from 31% in 2019; 66% expect merchants to offer a slow but free delivery option too.
In order to serve all customers, regardless of preference, Iyer recommends that merchants aim to provide a range of delivery options that are clearly communicated at the point of purchase. For the time being, businesses may want to subsidize the cost of expedited shipping in order to “meet the customer halfway” but the emphasis on transparency and choice is paramount. Additional shipping tools like free return labels can also help improve that quality of service.
“Consumers are willing to pay the price to get an enhanced delivery experience, with to-the-minute tracking and promised delivery timelines,” said Iyer. “More importantly, however, consumers want these delivery timelines as an integral part of the purchase decision making, not just a passive, after-the-fact notification. Peace of mind is the priority for consumers right now.”
While pace of delivery is now more flexible, Shipstation’s survey still found that consumers care deeply about the experience of the delivery. A poor shipping experience would negatively impact a view of a retailer for 86% of consumers; 83% would be unlikely to repurchase from that merchant, although that was slightly lower than the 88% reported in 2019. However, this isn’t a death sentence – 93% would be willing to revisit a retailer if they acknowledged or rectified a poor experience.
“Over-communication is what differentiates the good from the great shipping experience,” said Iyer. “Most retailers will only conduct communication when there is a problem with the delivery or as a confirmation message. Delivery expectations and return information must be communicated well in advance of the order. If brands are able to incorporate this into the listing of the product itself before the item is even bought, it can be a real game-changer for [conversion].”


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New York City; a place that is so clogged with traffic gridlock, that almost anything, even a Segway would be preferable to a street-hogging car (or a limo). Half a world away in Shanghai, China, hip 50-year-old corporate-types, sick of their three-hour commutes in second gear, hop on to something that’s even better than a Segway – a battery-powered bicycle, built for long-distance commutes – and speed silently away, the wind in their hair, all dressed up in a suit ready for the executive grind. New York hasn’t yet decided whether to officially allow the battery-powered bicycle motor on its streets; but not all places in America are hanging back; California, with its world-leading environmental awareness laws, certainly loves it. And so do most countries in Europe.
Transportation plans in any country are long-term, complicated, and involve the government. Electric bikes somehow seem to have stormed in, completely oblivious of all the existing interests established in the car, and public transportation. They give you a cheap, effortless, maintenance-free transportation experience that the government seems to have had no part of. The electric bicycle motor, first came up in China, surprisingly, back in the 90s. China has traditionally been a country of bicycles; and the cheap battery bicycle that costs around $500, seemed to them to be a natural step up, an aspirational and practical product.
A billion population, most of whom need bicycles, is a godsend to every industry involved; as China’s bicycling industry began to switch to the bicycle motor, their industry matured, and pretty soon, the rest of the world began to look to China for this original and imaginative innovative way out of their pollution problems. When they first began to show up in Europe, these flashy scooterette-like machines really shook the market up. People found remarkable how the silent bicycle motor made rides seem almost as if they were gliding on air. In a city like San Francisco, with all its slopes and inclines, an electric bicycle just becomes the great road equalizer. And it is just as popular with manufacturers and bicycle retailers. Typically, when a shop sells a bicycle, that is the last he hears of the customer, for a good long time. A bicycle motor however, is powered by a battery, that needs replacement from time to time. All the better to make a service charge off.
The Netherlands and France have always been bicycle country; and in the last two years alone, these have taken over traditional bicycle sales. Back home, the bicycle designer Gary Fisher, is selling a great made-in-Wisconsin design at Best Buy across California and Oregon. Baby boomers with discretionary income, are really welcoming this innovation. In the US, they don’t resemble the snappy scooterette design seen in the rest of the world. They really do look like bicycles, and the bicycle motor kicks in only when going uphill or into a headwind. They can go at about 15 miles an hour, and can sometimes go as far as 50 miles before they need to recharge. But still, most states, like New York, haven’t actually legalized them. They don’t quite know what to make of these.
They are non-polluting, but the lead in the batteries are rarely safely disposed of; they can’t put them on the bicycle path in the cities, and they can’t put the street where they would be too slow. When the government in China tried banning them from the bike paths, there was such an outcry, that they had to allow them back. But more and more people get caught in accidents involving people irresponsibly revving up their bicycle motor, for extra fun. But the surprising thing is, the New York doesn’t actually seem to be giving people any traffic tickets for driving these non-permitted vehicles.


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MANKATO, MN - Production of soy fiber particleboard is underway at Agristrand Mankato LLC's 160,000-square-foot plant.
Agristrand touts itself as the only North American manufacturer of soyboard and door core products, an alternative to composite wood products made with urea formaldehyde resins. "The company is providing a new value added crop for area farmer/producers, and supplying the construction trade with a true 'green' alternative"
Agristrand purchased the dormant facility in November 2011, becoming its fourth occupant the original owner being Phenix Biocomposites. The company said it raised $10.25 million for relaunching the mill which it said has "undergone major transformations>' Mill improvements under Agrsistrand's ownership include the addition of a proprietary fiber processing plant and many upgrades and improvements to automate the production line.
The company said the facility has the capacity to convert soy straw, a waste product resulting from soy bean harvests, to product iup to 40-million-square-foot production capacity. It will utilize soy straw harvested by farmers on approximately 45,000 acres within a 75-mile radius of the Mankato mill.
"It has been a long road fixing up this very distressed mill," said Dan Biller, vice president of marketing for Agristrand. "We have done it and are very proud of the improvements. We're still fine tuning, but great strides have been made. We have an extremely talented leadership team from the composite panel industry and we are very proud of their hard work. It will take us a while to ramp up production, but the interest we are finding is excellent. We feel like our timing is very good for our green product."
Agristrand said its soyboard and soycore products qualify for points under several "green" certification schemes, including the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program, Green Globes and the National Association of Home Builders' National Green Building Program.
Blog: Fourth Time the Charm for Strawboard Plant? 1-20-12
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One of the most popular mobile game, Fruit Ninja, in the foreseeable future can be downloaded for free for iOS devices.
Quoted from Slashgear, Friday (12/4), it also makes Fruit Ninja as ‘App of the Week’ in the iTunes App Store.
The owners [...]
Review TechBoom will discuss about one of the innovative products from Samsung, Galaxy Camera.
As is known, the digital camera is equipped with the Android operating system. Want to know more? Check out his review below.
Design of Samsung Galaxy Camera
Astronomers finally managed to track down the origin of a meteor that hit the central part of Russia, and injure about 1000 people at the beginning of February, as the BBC reported on Tuesday (2/26).
Utilizing amateur video recordings depicting the fall [...]
Smartphone Sony Yuga is estimated by some analysts will be the mainstay.
A number of people have stated that Sony was preparing his most recent flagship smartphone, which is rumored to be a major competitor iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III.
According to [...]
The launch of Apple’s tiny tablet, iPad Mini, Tuesday (10/24) morning was really a magnet for lovers of the gadget world, to the extent that the presence of a fourth-generation iPad was released simultaneously ignored.
The fourth generation of [...]
CloudFlare, a Web accelerator is having network-wide DNS problems as reported ubergizmo.com (03/03).
“We are experiencing a network-wide issue,” said the CloudFlare via the company’s official Twitter account.
For those of you who [...]
Good news for all you lovers of the game The Sims. Electronic Arts officially announced that The Sims 4 ready to be released in 2014.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Tuesday (7/5), EA sure about human life simulation game is being developed for PC and Mac.
Cover story this week will discuss the new smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4.
One thing that most attracted the attention of the successor to the Galaxy S3 is the availability of Octa-core processors (8-core), which is believed to provide exceptional performance.
Two more top-tier titles that are ready to enliven the new Microsoft console, Xbox One, namely Battlefield 4 and Watch Dogs.
Quoted from IGN, Wednesday (22/5), specifically for Battlefield 4, DICE as a developer of the game will use the Frostbite 3.
Players must try yourself to get the additional level.
Good news for lovers of the game Angry Birds. Rovio, the company behind games angry bird, the re-launch 24 new levels for Angry Birds Rio.
Angry Birds Rio was first launched in March 2011 and never [...]
PT. Samsung Electronics will soon bring the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the Indonesian market.
And starting Thursday, pre-orders already open. Read Samsung Galaxy S4 Can Ordered Today.
Yesterday (18/04), in Publico, Senopati, Jakarta, the features found on [...]


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Burger King has dropped the food processing plant which supplied contaminated burgers to supermarkets.
The fast food chain joined supermarkets Tesco, Aldi and the Co-operative Group in dropping Irish company Silvercrest over the horsemeat debacle.
Burger King said the failure to deliver 100% British & Irish beef patties was a violation of contracts.
Diego Beamonte, vice president, global quality, at Burger King Corporation, said: "Our supplier has failed us and in turn we have failed you. We are committed to ensuring that this does not happen again."
More top news
On the day of the race, the fundraising website went down due to a rush of last-minute donors.
The device was found outside the gates of Holy Cross Boys' Primary School in Belfast.
The Liberal Democrat leader has been attacked after he refused to say that he does not believe gay sex is a sin.


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The Sports Authority has selected Allurent‘s on-demand technology to boost its e-commerce capabilities. The sports apparel brand is looking to the software-as-a-service company’s product to help bolster its presence on SportsAuthority.com as well as various social media and affiliate sites.
“Sports Authority knew of our presence in the industry,” explained Graeme Grant, CEO of Allurent. “We had put out a case study on work we did with Reebok and that caught their eye and that started the talks.”
Strategy and timing are still being discussed, Grant said, but work is expected to be rolled out in the next few months.


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‘ThaiThonburi’ Drives Thai Organic Products to World’s Premium Market
On 14 August 2020, Gen. Anupong Paochinda, Minister of Interior, gave opening remarks and delivered the policy to “Develop Model Areas for the Kok Nong Na Model which adheres to King Rama 9’s New Theory”. 330 participating parties included all governors, deputy governors, community development officers, and Ms.Onthicha Thamkirdsup, Managing Director at Thaithonburi Corporation Co., Ltd.
From basic agricultural produce, to forward-thinking principles in innovation and production standards at mind, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)’s New Theory & Sufficiency Economy remains one of the main foundation in attempt to raise the quality of life of farmers and the Thai economy as a whole. The concept is proven using research and development and innovation to increase the value by a hundred folds – guaranteed by an international innovation award from the UK in 2019 amongst 400 other products from 58 competing countries.
One of the most evident and successful piece of research towards innovative excellence lies upon the Longan of Nan Province and Lingzhi Mushroom (MG2) of Thailand by Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Chulalongkorn University. Over the three years of research, the faculty found that the product actively repaired acute cell inflammation across the body which, in turn prevents chronic diseases. It also contains high anti-oxidants, and helps improve your immune system. Clinical trial and actual cases were conducted for more than 6 months, all of which resulted in positive outcome and all volunteers requested continued consumption.
With such results came the product “Longan Syrup with Lingzhi Extract” under the brand “Immu Xtract” in early 2020 and is distributed by Thaithonburi Corporation Co., Ltd.. It received positive feedback from customers, especially those with body aches and joint pain. Immu Xtract is a thick syrup made from longan and ganoderma lucidum, with no sugar or additives.
“We are proud and honored to take part in driving quality Thai products to the world market. Immu Xtract, while ultimately benefiting consumers, is a success model that wouldn’t be possible without the joint effort of all sectors, and will help bring income into the country with sustainable supporting income for farmers.” says the Managing Director of Thaithonburi Corporation
Immu Xtract is currently available via an online platform focused on premium products targeting countries with high purchasing power such as China, countries in Europe, and the UAE. Due to overwhelming feedback, the product may be distributed through physical stores and leading department stores of targeted countries in the near future.
Order yours now or read more information at www.thaithonburi.com


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Ralph Breaks The Internet Pop Vinyls Announced
Funko have announced a new wave of Pop Vinyls based on Disney’s new animated movie, Ralph Breaks The Internet. The series includes Wreck It Ralph, Fit-It Felix, Vanellope, Yesss, KnowsMore, Fun Bun, Shank and Taffyta. There is also a chase variant version of Yesss.
There will also be some retailer exclusives including Vanellope at Walmart and a Yesss variant at Amazon.
These will be released in October and can be pre-ordered from retailers including Entertainment Earth.


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Withings has added a bunch of customization options for its Move fitness watch, but only on its European store for now.
The watch, which the companyin January, is available in five standard colors for $70.
European buyers can pay a little more to tweak the dial, case, strap and second hand color to their liking, and they can check out how it’ll look on the local versions of Withings’ site. In the UK, the price jumps from £60 ($78) to £70 ($91) for the custom style.
The option will come to the US later this year, a spokesperson for the French health technology company said via email.
The watch is water-resistant to 50 meters, measures steps and sleep, and has a battery life of up to 18 months.
The customization isn’t available for the $130 electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) version of the watch, since that isn’t out yet. It’s likely to launch in a range of colors, then add custom options later, the spokesperson said.
Withingslast May, following Nokia’s .
First published at 5:48 a.m. PT.
Updated at 6:02 a.m. PT: Adds more details.


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After donating its 3 billion dollar company to fight climate change in September, American outdoor clothing company Patagonia is bringing its ‘1% for the Planet’ project to China to support a number of small and medium-sized non-profit organisations concerned with environmental protection in the country.
Starting from December 2022, Patagonia China will take 1% ‘Earth Tax’ of sales from each product sold in offline stores, Tmall and Mini Programme stores and donate it to environmental protection projects in China. So far, the movement has garnered more than 5,000 donating members from all around the world.
Within the Chinese market landscape, Patagonia owns four direct-sale stores as well as an official e-commerce shop in Tmall as of October 2022. The outdoor brand primarily targets nature enthusiasts and environmentally conscious consumers in first-tier cities, as well as lower-tier cities through its e-commerce stores.
Additionally, the brand hosts a variety of offline educational and hands-on workshops that are highly favoured by Chinese netizens, from its hiking trail cleanup project in Nanjing to DIY upcycle projects that cater directly to China’s burgeoning outdoor fad.
According to Vogue Business Index, sustainability has become more prevalent among Chinese consumers in the post-pandemic market. In the past few years alone, there has been a growing demand for greener products. According to a survey conducted by Daxue Consulting, 88% of millennials and 89% of Gen Zs are willing to pay at least 5% extra for greener fashion products.
Contrary to most fast fashion brands who use sustainability as a mere publicity stunt, Patagonia takes its pledge to the environment very seriously. This can be seen in its ‘anti-consumerist’ marketing strategy in China. In 2021, the outdoor brand completely went against the grain by defying China’s 618 shopping festival with its ‘No sale’ campaign, calling on consumers to “buy less and demand more”.
Additionally catching the attention of the Chinese market was the selling of the company in September 2022. Following the announcement that Patagonia’s founder would donate its 3 billion-dollar company to combat climate change, searches on Baidu of “Patagonia” skyrocketed. On Weibo, the hashtag “Founder of Patagonia donated the whole company” amassed 715,000 views as of October 2022.
Overall, Patagonia’s 1% Earth Tax project paves the way for more corporate responsibility in the business community and the recognition, support and conscientious consumers who value serious commitment to the environment. As a matter of fact, their activism and proactive approach to eco-friendly manufacturing show that profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive in the business world.


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Blizzard Entertainment’s epic celebration of games and communities, BlizzCon, is making a triumphant return to the Anaheim Convention Center on November 3-4, 2023. The first wave of tickets will be available for purchase on July 8, with a second wave hitting the market on July 22. All on-stage content will be available via live streaming at no cost, ensuring gamers worldwide can join the fun.
April McKee, the executive producer of BlizzCon, expressed her excitement about the event, stating,
This year, we are doubling down on the community experience for both in-person and virtual attendees.
General Admission tickets are available for $299 USD, offering attendees a live event ticket, in-game goodies, the official BlizzCon Backpack, and early access to the BlizzCon Store. For those seeking a premium experience, the Portal Pass is available for $799 USD, offering all the General Admission perks plus exclusive access to the Portal Pass Lounge, private viewing lounge, gameplay experiences, concierge support, and more.
As always, see our news section for more gaming updates.


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Food and Drink News, Articles & Analysis
Read the latest Food and Drink News, Articles & Analysis at Campaignlive UK
Weber, the barbecue brand, has been touring a double decker bus around Europe to promote the launch of its new
Soft drinks brand Coca-Cola has devised a football-themed augmented reality experience to get fans in the mood for the World
To mark the arrival of summer and the UK's love of all things Scandi, Time Out and Rekorderlig are partnering
Restaurant chain Nando's is opening a pop-up art gallery and hosting workshops focused on different art and craft styles.
Tea brand Tetley is encouraging people to boost their daily vitamin intake ahead of the summer, with a pop-up combining
AB InBev's anti-abuse campaign for Carling Black Label won the Radio & Audio Grand Prix at Cannes Lions this year.
For brands, football is incredibly connective on a global scale. But World Cup marketing campaigns can be anything from classic
Mars has promoted its chief marketing and customer officer, Andrew Clarke, to the role of global president of Mars Wrigley
Absolut, the Pernod Ricard vodka brand, has wrapped two London buses in a rainbow print to support the LGBTQ community.
Taste of London welcomed around 55,000 visitors to Regent's Park for a food festival over the weekend. This year its
Project Manager - Communications Consultancy Competitive salary + bens package Ann Sharman Recruitment, London (Central), London (Greater)
Senior Account Manager - independent branding agency £40,000 to 50,000 Gabriele, London (Central), London (Greater)
Sales Director / Business Development Director £80-90k with an OTE of £130k plus benefits The Jefferson Group, Berkshire - 25 mins direct out of Paddington


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A proposal to oblige online viewing services to invest in domestic production will ultimately benefit Swiss cinema, says the secretary-general of the consumers’ federation in western Switzerland.
More and more viewers are choosing to stream films and television series online. But Netflix, Disney+, Amazon and others provide little space for local production.
An amendment to the cinema law, which comes before voters on May 15, would oblige streaming services to invest 4% of their local revenue in Swiss productions. In addition, at least 30% of their programming will have to consist of European productions.
Similar measures are already in place in neighbouring countries. France, notably, has introduced an obligation to re-invest 26% of revenue into domestic production – in Italy, it’s 20%.
To learn more about what’s at stake in the vote on the new cinema law, see our explainer:
But the law has been forced to a vote by the youth factions of the right-wing parties, who argue that audio-visual production already receives adequate subsidies. They believe that the proposal ignores consumers’ needs.
Sophie Michaud Gigon, who heads the consumers federation and is a parliamentarian with the Social Democrats, says that, if anything, the amendment could give Swiss productions more international visibility.
swissinfo.ch: If the new cinema law is accepted on May 15, will the streaming platforms pass the costs on to consumers – as opponents of the law claim they will?
Sophie Michaud Gigon: No, there is no correlation between the introduction of obligations to invest and the prices the platforms set. In countries like France, Spain and Italy, where such measures have already been introduced, subscription fees have remained more affordable than in Switzerland. The streaming services set their fees according to the population’s purchasing power. That is why the Swiss already pay the highest subscription fees in the world.
Netflix raised its prices at the beginning of the year, incidentally. The platform can do that whether or not there is an obligation to invest in local production. The real problem we have to address is the uniquely high prices that people in Switzerland have to pay for all of these services. This has nothing to do with the cinema law.
If they don’t raise prices, isn’t there a risk that the streaming giants will limit their offer in Switzerland so that they don’t have to re-invest as much?
The platforms are free to choose what they show in each country. The different services are in a fierce competition to attract an audience. Netflix won’t limit its offer, because that would mean giving up parts of the market to Apple or Amazon. From a business point of view, it would be nonsensical.
What’s more, several European countries have already introduced either an obligation to re-invest between 1% and 26% [in France] or a direct tax. By demanding a re-investment rate of 4%, Switzerland is being rather conservative. There is no reason why this measure would have an influence on what the providers offer. The platforms themselves are not part of the campaign against the new law. They are ready to apply it – as they already do in many other countries.
The young members of the right-wing parties who initiated the referendum believe that people want to dictate to them what they should watch. Do you understand their fears?
Are they afraid they won’t be able to watch Heidi on their streaming platform? There is no risk of that happening, because young people would simply opt for another service.
The aim of the law is not to force Netflix to show only Swiss films. The platforms themselves will continue to select the products they want to offer to attract audiences. At the moment they earn considerable profits in Switzerland, all of which are transferred abroad. Thanks to the new law, a small part of their earnings would be invested here. This mechanism already exists for television. There is no reason why video-on-demand services should be exempt from it. This could also help some Swiss series to get more international visibility.
In Switzerland, the financing of independent audio-visual production has risen to some CHF105 million ($108 million) per year. Isn’t that enough?
No, these are modest sums that don’t give the sector enough scope to develop, given the high costs of cinema production. This measure will not only strengthen the audio-visual sector, but it will also have positive repercussions on the Swiss economy as a whole. If a film is shot in Switzerland, the crews spend money in the country. So hotels, restaurants and regional businesses benefit from this.
Opponents of the law say that the obligation to show European programmes is discriminatory. What’s your response to that?
The opposite is true – this quota [of 30%] would allow us to increase diversity. It’s normal to give some form of support to films produced near us. This doesn’t change anything for consumers. It’s not as if non-European productions are going to disappear from programming. International streaming services already respect this requirement, which is part of a European Union directive adopted in 2019. As far as Swiss television channels are concerned, they already now apply a quota of 50%.
Translated from French by Catherine Hickley
In compliance with the JTI standards


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Praia, Cape Verde, 06 Dec – Cape Verdean air carrier, TACV, is expected to be privatized within a year and the government has already instated US Company, Sterling Merchant to prepare the company, officials said.
Sterling Merchant’s aim is to prepare the carrier for its privatization, which according to the Government, should take place within a year.
TACV (Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde) is going through a drawn out financial crisis, which Sterling Merchant and its German partner Morz Transport Consult, are expected to turn around so that the company can be privatized under conditions that are advantageous to the Cape Verdean state.
TACV, which is Cape Verde’s flagship air carrier, was set up in 1958 and is now a public company with 750 workers. (macauhub)


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Mediascope Publicitas, an international media representation company based in India, has bagged the marketing and sales mandate for ForbesTraveler.com. The website is the third online business from media company Forbes and is designed exclusively for the affluent, discerning traveller and provides them with all the necessary travel information, bookings, reservations, etc. for them.
“India as an inbound tourism destination is witnessing a huge surge. Forbes as a media brand is well recognised across the world, including India, and its latest offering ForbesTraveler.com is already drawing huge traffic from discerning travelers, making it an ideal media vehicle for Indian advertisers,” said Marzban Patel, CMD, Mediascope Publicitas.
Edited by Barry Golson, ForbesTraveler.com is an exclusive site with specialised focus on luxury resorts and hotels, and also provides other useful information to travellers. Various other traveller guides and tools like Flight Tracker, Frequent Flyer Distance Calculator, Mileage Manager and more are also available on the site. It also includes the active participation of the world’s leading experts on luxury travel opportunities, including adventure, sport, leisure and more.
The ForbesTraveler 400 will be announced soon and will highlight the 400 hottest hotels and destinations in the world.
With this, Mediascope Publicitas has added one more to its list of titles in print, electronic, in-flight, online and ambient mediums across categories.


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Gore unveils new membrane for outdoor apparel and gear
The ingredient brand has combined its expanded polyethylene (ePE) with another polymer, polyurethane (PU), to create a new membrane that improves durability and performance.
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Beginning in fall 2022, select outdoor gear with GORE-TEX technology will boast a new expanded polyethylene (ePE) membrane the company says will improve durability and performance for products such as apparel, footwear, and accessories.
W.L. Gore & Associates, Elkton, Md., unveiled the technology breakthrough this morning. While it’s not new technology, Gore said it “expanded the polyethylene in just the right conditions and combined it with another polymer, polyurethane (PU), to create a new membrane.”
The company added that the consumer business of its fabrics division will be introducing the use of ePE as a “new complementary material platform to serve as the basis for their membrane technologies.”
Gore said select customers include (but aren’t limited to) Adidas, Arc’teryx, Dakine, Patagonia, Reusch, Salomon, and Ziener.
Read more: Polartec eliminates toxic chemicals from its fabrics
“The development of the materials is the starting point to building integrated and highly functioning systems,” said Matt Decker, global technical and innovation leader for consumer fabrics at Gore. “Combining ePE with polyurethane (PU) exploits its light, thin yet strong characteristics and creates a durably waterproof, windproof, and breathable membrane. The membrane can then be bonded to textiles (such as backer or face textiles) to form a GORE-TEX laminate. The laminate is used by customers to create finished products including footwear, gloves, and garments that are backed by the brand’s renowned Guaranteed to Keep You Dry promise.”
According to Gore, here are some benefits of the new ePE membrane:
- Leverages high strength-to-weight ratio to create extremely lightweight and thin composites that are still mechanically robust.
- Enables durable performance and a low environmental footprint.
- When combined with Polyurethane (PU), the result creates a durably waterproof, windproof, and breathable membrane.
- The combination of the ePE material and low membrane mass results in a lower carbon footprint, as measured by Higg MSI.
- Advances Gore Fabrics Division’s goal for being free of PFCs of Environmental Concern (PFCEC) over the lifecycle of its consumer products.
“As a materials science company, much of the knowledge that we’ve developed over the last 40 years isn’t specific to a singular material,” Decker said. “This expertise and deep understanding of our applications is what enables us to create complementary, durable ePE products for use in GORE-TEX brand consumer products.”


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"Ad Tech merger mania today."
Luma Partners founder & tech M&A advisor Terence Kawaja on Twitter. Looks like he's expecting more consolidation in the sector after Yahoo buying Interclick. This seems to be a widely-held view--there are too many companies chasing the same opportunities, so there will be a shakeout with some big losers and big winners. Put Interclick in the "winner" column.


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automotive ai news search results
Developer news items we found relating to automotive ai
ZF Group automotive manufacturing to use Vizru's nocode platform
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 by Richard Harris
Vizru says that ZF Group has signed a multi-year contract to enable a digital transformation across ZF’s global enterprise. ZF will use Vizru’s no-code Autonomous Application Development and Digital Decisioning Platform to implement a series of artificial intelligence (AI) driven systems for next-gen process automation. ZF selected Vizru for this ambitious m...
Bright Box delivers AI marketing system for dealerships
Monday, October 30, 2017 by Christian Hargrave
Bright Box has recently released Honda Connected Car services for European countries, and implements an AI system that could replace salesmen in car dealerships. This AI can evaluate the customer's lifestyle and recommend accessories, can sell cars based on driving style and the individual’s lifestyle. Not only that it is able to predict when the user needs to go in for...


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There's no doubt about it: Being thrifty is trendy again -- and coupons are back. Ever since the recession hit, people have been reaching for their Sunday newspapers and clipping away like mad. Coupon redemptions grew by 27 percent in 2009, and for the first time in a calendar year, Coupons.com surpassed a billion dollars in printed coupon savings.
And then there's the new generation of coupon users -- the younger, more affluent crowd who are flocking to social buying sites like Groupon and LivingSocial. Even though digital coupons are growing at a faster rate than newspaper coupons, the old-fashioned way is still the most popular.
The revival of the coupon, in all of its forms, will no doubt be evident this holiday season. Retailers are trying to keep the shopping momentum going after Black Friday -- when hordes of shoppers showed up at stores at 3 a.m. in search of a bargain. Analysts forecast this to be the best holiday season in three years, and customers are already preparing to search for more deals this Cyber Monday.
But if you're going to save money using coupons in the long run, there's lingo to learn and shopping strategies to master. That's where coupon classes come in.
A Coupon Craze
A few years ago, Kelly Thompson and Kasey Trenum would clip coupons and stuff them in their purses, never to be seen again.
"I would use them here and there, but honestly, I had that mindset of, 'OK, I saved $1.50, woo-hoo.' What was the big deal behind it?" Thompson tells Weekend All Things Considered guest host Audie Cornish.
Then the housing bubble burst. Both families owned properties that they couldn't sell and were forced to come up with ways to save money fast.
Thompson and Trenum were desperate, so they turned to coupons. They started studying sales cycles and coupon websites, and to their surprise, they began attracting crowds at the checkout counters after they'd walk out fully stocked without spending more than a few dollars. Today, the two Tennessee women run the website Time 2 Save and teach coupon classes.
Thompson explains that most people are familiar with some coupon lingo, but she says if we really want to save money with coupons, we have to understand the fine print.
"For instance, a BOGO -- people are like, what is a BOGO? That stands for Buy One, Get One. And that's a sale that most people are familiar with ... but actually in the grocery store the price is split in two, so whenever you buy one, you can actually put a coupon with both of those items, and that doubles your savings," she explains.
That coupon lingo is just a part of what Thompson and Trenum now teach in their coupon classes. And those classes aren't just for the stereotypical coupon cutter.
"I would have thought it would have been stay-at-home moms [that showed up], but I have been very surprised and learned something -- everybody eats. So really, our audience is everyone because there is no one right now that doesn't want an opportunity to contribute back to their household," Trenum says.
America: A Frugal Nation?
Coupons are nothing new in America. The first ones were published in 1887 for Coca-Cola. Businessman Asa Candler purchased the formula for the drink and decided to try using paper tickets for free glasses of Coke to get customers to try the new beverage.
"His strategy apparently worked, because within a few years, Coke was available in every state of the nation," author Lauren Weber tells Cornish.
Weber, who wrote a book about living cheaply called In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue, says coupons have gone in and out of style over the past century.
"But they really gained in popularity during the Depression," she says. "People were looking for every way they could to save money, [and] at the same time stores and manufacturers were looking for every way they could possibly get consumers to part with their money."
Since then, coupon popularity has wavered, but it has gone up significantly since the recession hit.
"They're finding new and innovative ways to encourage people to use [coupons], and I think we'll see that continue," Weber says.


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“What’s the most you’ve ever spent with Apple Pay? I’ll bet it’s nowhere near as much as $1 million,” Killian Bell reports for Cult of Mac. That’s how much one user spent to claim a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that was recently auctioned off through Coys of Kensington.”
“The largest Apple Pay transaction to date could well be a vintage Aston Martin DB5 — the first historic vehicle to be sold through social media,” Bell reports. “The Vero app for iPhone was used to place bids on the car, which had been fully restored with a new engine, gearbox, and more.”
Bell reports, “The winning bid was £825,000 (just over $1 million), and the buyer paid with Apple Pay, according to a report from Columnm, which says the car ‘will remain the highest selling ‘in-app’ purchase via a social media platform for a little bit longer.'”
Read more, and see the actual car sold, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Now, there’s a gorgeous car!