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Guest Contributor | Oct 27, 2023 | 0
Diamond trade should benefit communities
The cutting and polishing of diamonds was considered not to be a valuable trade for Africa because of the high wages and little or no skills. The continent was also considered to be far removed from the market. However, this has changed and the diamond trade is now migrating to Africa with every sightholder scrambling to acquire a cutting license in southern Africa, says Kennedy Hamutenya, Namibia’s diamond commissioner.
Speaking at the 8th annual meeting of the World Diamond Council recently, Hamutenya futher said that not all sightholders rushing “to our countries has the beneficiation agenda and development of Africa at their heart.”
“We know that some people really just want to get their hands on the rough to trade and make quick margins whilst others want to send the rough elsewhere to cut and polish where the cost of labour is much cheaper. And some are really not interested in forming genuine win-win partnership with Africans but would rather have them as window dressing partners who know nothing about the running of the business and the bottom line.
“Most sightholders treat their cutting factories as cost centres and do not give a damn about profitability at the factories. To them the cut and polished stone is just a raw material with value to be added elsewhere. Some African partners in the process see the cut and polished as the pinnacle of beneficiation and want profits announced and dividends declared,” Hamutenya emphasised.
Namgem, a joint venture between De Beers and government, was the first diamond cutting and polishing factory in Namibia. It was first established in 1999. Namgem currently employs 120 people.
Namibia has also enacted a law in 2000 to enable the development of the country’s cutting industry as it made provision for licenses for cutting, dealing, tool-making and research in diamonds. The Diamond Act (1999) also created the position of diamond commissioner, removing the regulating authority from the Diamond Board – which was made up of captains of industry who were self regulating.
“In effect we levelled the playing field and paved the way for new entrants into the industry and the diversification of the industry from the downstream to upstream. Today we have established and commissioned 14 new factories- amongst them some of the biggest names in the business- such as Steinmetz, LKI, LLD, Tiffany, Schachter, Julius Klein, Trau Blau and now Pluczenik, amongst others. We had great success. We created more than two thousand jobs – a big number in a country of only 2.2 million and with unemployment figures of more than 40% – a big headache for the government,” said Hamutenya.
However, the global financial crisis had a huge impact on the industry and hundreds of jobs were lost, he further said.
“But things are now getting better as we are en route to recovery. But the recovery process is fragile as the liquidity crisis in India, the worsening economic situation in Europe, militant trade unions in Namibia and constrained supply to the factories continue to hamper the growth and potential of the sector,” Hamutenya added.
According to the diamond commissioner, the security of supply is a major stumbling block and hinders the growth of diamond manufacturing in Namibia.
He said that if the supply to the polishing and cutting factories are increased, the factories will become more viable and sustainable.
Although the number of sightholders increased from 11 to 13, the supply of diamonds to these sightholders have decreased.
Companies are now barely keeping their head above water and operating way below capacity, according to Hamutenya.
“Of course we hope to engage our partners on these pertinent matters in good faith and hope that they live up to their commitment to beneficiation in our countries, otherwise this infant industry would quickly become a white elephant. I know that there is a shortage of supply throughout the pipeline, I think we can work together as suppliers throughout the continent to ensure security of supply,” he concluded.


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The rollout of Windows 10 April 2018 Update was recently blocked to some computers because of problems with certain SSDs. Now Microsoft has issued an update that addresses the issues.
Releasing the KB4100403 patch, Microsoft says that problems with Intel SSD 600p Series or Intel SSD Pro 6000p Series, and Toshiba XG4 Series, Toshiba XG5 Series, or Toshiba BG3 Series drives, are fixed. After installing it, users should be able to upgrade to Windows 10 April 2018 Update.
While 84 percent of security professionals believe cryptocurrencies are here to stay, most don't see them as a major threat to the enterprise, despite the rise in cryptomining attacks.
A study from network protection specialist Lastline shows 45.2 percent think cryptocurrency is a mainstream alternative to conventional currencies, while 38.9 percent think it's a fringe option. 14.5 percent say they would rather collect their salary in cryptocurrency than in a traditional currency.
Most Commented Stories
Spectre and Meltdown variant 4: Microsoft, Google and Intel reveal new Speculative Store Bypass chip vulnerability
With the recent scandals involving Facebook coupled with the impending arrival of GDPR in Europe, there has been a lot of talk about privacy recently. Now the social networking giant is to start asking all of its users to review information about privacy and "how to control their experience".
The company says that it introduced updated data policies and made privacy settings easier to find, as well as making other changes, in Europe, and now is rolling out the same things to the rest of the world.
After 16 years, StumbleUpon is closing down. One of the first high-profile services that gave people a way to discover new websites and online content, it was enjoyed by over 40 million users.
The closure came out of the blue, and was announced by co-founder Garrett Camp in a blog post. He suggests that users might like to migrate to another one of his creations, Mix.com, and says that switching to the newer service has been made "as smooth as possible".
New Windows 10 feature updates get tested thoroughly both internally at Microsoft and by Windows Insiders. However, with so many PC variations and third-party programs, it's all but impossible to identify and eradicate every potential issue. That's why as soon as a new big Windows update gets released we suddenly hear of previously undetected problems arising.
In the case of the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, or Windows 10 1803 as it’s also known, we’ve seen users reporting issues with Intel and Toshiba SSDs, and some upgraders have experienced a black screen with no icons -- something I initially encountered after upgrading to the Fall Creators Update last year.
A bug has been discovered in popular chat tool WhatsApp that completely undermines the blocking feature.
The idea behind blocking people on WhatsApp -- just like any other app or service -- is to prevent them from contacting you, and to stop them from viewing your activity. But the bug means that blocked users are still able to send messages to people who have blocked them, as well as viewing statuses and profile details.
Enterprise computing has often been reliant on proprietary database architecture, but this can be both complex and costly, putting up a barrier to innovation.
Now open source database specialist MariaDB is launching its latest enterprise offering with Oracle compatibility. This allows existing Oracle Database users to reuse existing code and established skill sets when migrating applications or deploying new ones.
Donald Trump's use of Twitter has long been controversial, and he has developed something of a penchant for blocking people who dare to question or criticize him. Earlier this year a judge suggested that he should make use of the mute option instead of blocking Twitter users, and now another judge has ruled that blocking critics is unconstitutional.
Judge Naomi Buchwald said that Trump's use of the block feature is a violation of people's right to free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The Department of Justice has indicated that it disagrees and is considering what to do next.
If you are planning to do professional presentations, you must have a remote. I can't stress enough just how important it is to have the right tools for a job. The success of a PowerPoint, for instance, has less to do with the slides and more to do with the energy and personality of the presenter. If you sit in one place tapping on a mouse to move slides along, people are going to get bored. Instead, you should walk around the room while using a remote to change slides. You'll be amazed at how much more attentive your audience will be.
Logitech's Spotlight remote is the best such product I've ever used for presentations, and today, the company announces updated software to make it even better. In addition, Logitech is releasing a more affordable and basic device called R500 Laser Presentation Remote. This new device runs on a single AAA battery and is compatible with Windows, macOS, and even Linux!
Enterprise identity provider Okta is launching a new set of contextual access management capabilities that will allow businesses to eliminate passwords.
New Adaptive Single Sign-On (SSO) and enhanced Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) products allow decisions based on signals such as device, IP and geolocation context for smarter, more secure identity and access management.
Following on from a trial in Australia, Facebook is rolling out anti-revenge porn measures to the UK. In order that it can protect British users from failing victim to revenge porn, the social network is asking them to send in naked photos of themselves.
The basic premise of the idea is: send us nudes, and we'll stop others from seeing them.
While businesses often cite cost cutting as a motive for moving to the cloud, a new report reveals that 37 percent of organizations surveyed listed unpredictable costs as a top cloud pain point.
The study by cloud management company SoftwareONE also uncovers a lack of transparency into cloud resource usage -- something nearly one third of companies find to be a challenge.
If you've ever been curious about just what data Apple has gathered and stored about you over the years, now you can find out -- if you're in Europe, at least.
The iPhone-maker has just launched a new Data and Privacy portal in order to comply with GDPR which comes into force across the EU from Friday. The website lets you download pretty much every piece of data that Apple has collected about you.
Enterprise users are increasingly authenticating into applications from non-office networks, with a 10 percent increase in the average number of unique networks according to the latest Trusted Access Report from Duo Security.
Duo also found that 43 percent of requests to access protected applications and data came from outside of the corporate office and network. People are logging into applications, networks and systems wherever, and whenever as work hours start to flex to fit different lifestyles, time zones and travel.
The smartphone market is very mature these days, making it damn near impossible for a device to stand out. Even Apple’s polarizing notch is being adopted by countless Android smartphone manufacturers, making that unique thing very common. Hell, we are approaching the point where not having a notch will be odd!
Today, HTC announces its newest smartphone, and believe it or not, it doesn’t have a notch. Called the "U12+," it has all the fantastic specs you'd expect from a flagship, but unfortunately, its overall design is a little bland. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't look bad, but it is just very uninspired. It does have the second generation of HTC's cool "touch sense" technology, however, which lets you squeeze the phone's edges to interact with the OS.

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text: On April 19th, 2018 there was a special Cast Member exclusive party for certain Cast who work at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the park. As a gift and to be used as entry into the party, CM’s were given this special purple and yellow promotional MagicBand the day prior. It’s exclusive just to them and can’t be purchased. These do not take special effects at the parks and do not come in a special box. I do not know how many of these were given out, but my guess is that less than a few hundred exist.


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On Thursday, priceline.com will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise.
For years, Priceline has defied skeptics by taking a commanding lead in the online travel portal industry. The company has managed to find new ways to grow despite its already impressive size. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Priceline.com over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.
Stats on Priceline
Analyst EPS Estimate
Change From Year-Ago EPS
Change From Year-Ago Revenue
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters
Source: Yahoo! Finance.
How Priceline aims to keep growing
In recent months, analysts have kept boosting their estimates on Priceline's earnings. With a $0.15 increase in first-quarter consensus and an upgrade of more than $1.10 per share for the full 2013 year, Priceline has managed to add about 6% to its lofty share price since the end of January.
Priceline has done an excellent job over the years of not just finding ways to grow but also finding the best avenues for growth. The company hasn't been afraid to cede less lucrative markets to other players, as Expedia has more total gross bookings than Priceline. However, Priceline has been more selective about emphasizing higher-margin business like hotels in favor of lower-margin travel areas.
What has set Priceline apart is its global business. The company did a much better job than Expedia and its other competitors of setting up an international network of travel destinations, and its booking.com business has been immensely profitable in offering worldwide accommodations. That's a big reason why Orbitz has only recently managed to return to profitability, as despite its substantial revenue gains, Orbitz has almost no business outside North America.
Yet Priceline's international business is responsible for a delay in its merger with Kayak , as British regulators decided in March to look at the deal on antitrust grounds. Nevertheless, Kayak shareholders approved the merger, and with plenty of competitors worldwide, it's hard to envision an antitrust challenge holding up.
In Priceline's earnings report, watch for signs of a pickup in travel activity in Europe. With the economy having been weak there for a long time, an improving Europe could give Priceline a boost.
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The article Will priceline.com's Earnings Keep Flying Higher? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him on Twitter @DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool recommends Priceline.com. The Motley Fool owns shares of Priceline.com. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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For those who would like to attend the Junior Eurovision Song Contest… hurry! 1,500 tickets are left, while 7,000 have been sold already.
There are two ways to order tickets for the third Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in Hasselt (Belgium) on 26th November; through the web or by phone.
Belgian ticket agency Sherpa have launched the online ticket sale for the contest.
You can reserve tickets online or by phone, calling +32-(0)70-345050 (from 9:00 to 20:00 CET on weekdays, from 9:00 to 14:00 CET on Saturday).
Broadcaster VRT considers the 2005 Junior Eurovision Song Contest as the biggest event organized in Belgium since 15 years.


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July Retail Sales Edge Up
Posted on August 13, 2010 by
WASHINGTON--Overall U.S. retail sales edged up last month but home continues to be basically flat.
Overall sales, helped by automobiles, were $362.7 billion, up 0.4 percent over June and 5.5 percent over July 2009, according to figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
But home was a different story. Furniture and home-furnishings stores saw their sales decline 0.3 percent month to month, and rise just 0.5 percent year over year. Sales at department stores (excluding leased departments) dropped 1 percent from June and fell 0.8 percent from July of last year.
Commenting on the July totals, the National Retail Federation said retailers aggressively promoted back-to-school sales last month. The month saw "strong gains," NRF said, in sales of clothing and accessories, and electronics and appliances
"Household spending remains tepid amid concerns about economic stability," said Jack Kleinhenz, NRF's chief economist. "Current data on the economy is mixed, which signals that retailers will continue planning with caution until a long-term trend can be established."


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“A rice-sized microchip implanted under your skin could become your vaccine passport. A Swedish tech startup says its device could be customized to display people’s COVID-19 vaccination records.” [Source: Medicalexpress.com]
As this news story demonstrates, concepts that were once considered science fiction are rapidly becoming a reality. A few years ago, the invention of this type of device would probably not have been given major attention in the mainstream media. Today, however, the fact that the story was afforded widespread international coverage, including by the Daily Mail in the UK, France 24, and the South China Morning Post, suggests it is being taken very seriously.
Significantly, therefore, in an apparent attempt to portray the use of this invasive technology as normal, Newsweek claimed that people in Sweden are “increasingly seeking“ to have such microchips inserted into their bodies. Some media outlets are even attempting to portray them as the “ultimate convenience”. But while the chip’s manufacturer says the device wouldn’t allow people’s movements to be tracked, some experts have strongly dispute this saying that in reality anyone who scans it could use geolocation to record where a person had visited and been scanned previously.
For the time being, at least, any attempt to encourage us all to accept such chips in our bodies seems likely to meet with widespread opposition. Forewarned is forearmed, as the old saying goes.


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By Shannon Taylor, Editor
Dresden residents Ryan and Tessa Prince started their bouncy house business, Bouncing Off the Walls; Party Rentals, in August of 2023.
The business offers inflatables, bouncy houses, slides and more, with plans to expand their business by looking into acquiring the purchase of another business offering luxury bouncy houses in pastel colors for weddings and other venues.
While the Princes are located in Dresden, they travel to multiple cities in West Tennessee.
The Princes have lived in Dresden since 2016 and decided to start their own business because of one of their child’s birthdays.
“I rented a water slide for my youngest kids’ birthday and saw how much both of my boys loved it. So, we decided to start it up. They’d be set for life and birthdays,” Tess said.
Bouncing Off the Walls uses Facebook to promote, plan and distribute news about their business in an a=effort to engage and expand their customer base within the community.
The Princes can be reached to book parties at 731-571-4298. They also have a Facebook Page showcasing their inflatables. Booking is needed in advance with deposit.
Bouncing Off the Walls offers free delivery and set up if customers are located inside Weakley County and a $25 fee for those outside the County (up to 20 miles from Dresden only). The cost is $1 per additional mile after 20 miles.
Discounts are offered for multiple rentals such as school or church events.
Bouncing Off the Walls is licensed, insured and inspected by the state of Tennessee, highlighting their commitment to legality and safety in their operations.


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An extremely rare, purple-pink diamond mined in Russia, which Sotheby’s described as “a true wonder of nature”, sold for $26.6-M Wednesday, the auction house said.
Sotheby’s estimated that the flawless oval gem, “The Spirit of the Rose,” could fetch $23 – 38-M at the Geneva sale.
Bidding opened at $16-M and climbed to the final hammer price of $21-M, plus commission. It was bought by a telephone bidder who chose to remain anonymous, Sotheby’s said.
Jewellery expert Benoit Repellin, who led the sale, said it set a record for a diamond graded fancy vivid purple pink sold at auction. The stone weighing 14.83 carats was the largest pink diamond with that color grading ever to go on the block.
Mined by Russian diamond producer Alrosa in July 2017, it was cut from the largest pink crystal ever found in the country, Sotheby’s said.
The diamond was shown in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei.
Colored stones have been greatly valued as an asset class by the super rich in recent years with Top-quality pink diamonds especially prized.
Have a healthy day, Keep the Faith!
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June 13, 2019
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration has denied requests to exempt Tesla Inc’s Model 3 from 25% tariffs on its Chinese-made car computer and center screen, according to letters seen by Reuters.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office denied both requests in May 29 letters, saying they both concern “a product strategically important or related to ‘Made in China 2025’ or other Chinese industrial programs.”
The California-based electric vehicle manufacturer had warned that increased tariffs on the car computer it dubbed the “brains” of the Model 3 causes “economic harm to Tesla, through the increase of costs and impact to profitability.” Tesla had also urged the office to approve a request by its supplier SAS Automotive USA Inc, builder of the center display screen for the Model 3.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bill Berkrot)


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FRAMINGHAM, MASS. (May 30, 5:30 p.m. EDT) — Software firm Moldflow Corp. (Booth S1470) has opened a sales and technical support office in India.
The Framingham company said demand for its mold-design programs for injection molding have increased significantly in India, as that country's economy is growing about 8 percent a year. With the office in Pune, India, the company now has locations in 16 countries.
The company also said it will distribute a new viewer for its Insight-brand software at NPE 2006 in Chicago and will demonstrate a new product that lets molders and designers work together more closely.


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Hollywood, CA - Post production and visual effects company Encore has appointed Jennifer Tellefsen (JT) as Vice President of Business Development, VFX for Encore offices worldwide. Having served as VP of Business Development, Post at the Hollywood location since 2009, JT helped Encore complete its transition to file-based workflows and will now focus on piloting the company's thriving visual effects department under SVP, VFX, Tom Kendall.
"JT comes from a diverse background rooted in VFX and has a deep understanding of how projects move through our facility. She's incredibly conscious of the time constraints studios face in delivering episodic content as well as the effort required by our artists to craft compelling visuals for a given series. We've been fortunate to have such a multi-talented force within our ranks and look forward to continued success," said Encore Executive Vice President Bill Romeo.
Tellefsen added, "With the rise of new original programming from new entertainment platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, television is experiencing a resurgence of content and the demand for VFX is greater than ever. Encore's VFX department has grown more than five times over since I came on board and they recently won an Emmy for their shots on 'Banshee.' The work that is being done by our artists is amazing, and I'm excited to be a part of the VFX division."
In her post business development role with Encore, a Deluxe Entertainment Services company with locations worldwide, JT worked closely with Romeo to expand beyond traditional markets and forge strategic partnerships with outside vendors. Prior to Encore, JT spent more than a decade at Post Works Los Angeles and Technicolor, where she primarily focused on television projects. She got her start in the industry working in VFX, experience that will directly benefit her new venture and bring her career full circle.
Since its inception in 1985, Encore has been providing its clients quality service while consistently remaining at the forefront of technological advances. The combination of award-winning engineering, state-of-the-art technology, an end-to-end file-based workflow, and some of the most respected and creative artists in the industry comes together to make Encore a one-stop-shop for any production's color management, editing and visual effects needs.
About Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.
Encore is part of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., is the leading provider of a broad range of entertainment industry services and technologies to the worldwide entertainment industry including the Hollywood studios, broadcast/cable/ satellite providers, digital distribution, gaming as well as content owners and creators. Services for content creation in features, television and commercials are offered in production, post production, digital distribution, marketing services and asset management.


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New opportunities for Pork Brand
Plans were made at the Scottish Pig Industry Conference on 17th November to start working on a new promotional campaign backing the Specially Selected Pork brand.
The return of the pig levy to the Scottish industry should create welcome opportunities for the Specially Selected Pork Brand, according to Laurent Vernet, head of marketing with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).
He explained that one of the first steps will be for QMS to work closely with the Marketing Strategy Group to develop promotion plans for the brand.
Mr Vernet said: “The Quality Meat Scotland marketing team is looking forward to working with the industry to consider the options for re-launching the Specially Selected Pork brand, as levy income to support promotional activity in 2016/17 becomes available.
“Another very encouraging sign for the future is that, despite the fact that we have not yet been able to undertake any major promotional activity behind the Specially Selected Pork brand since late 2012, when the Halls of Broxburn plant run by Vion was closed, the brand is still very well recognised.
“Forty-two per cent of Scottish shoppers recognised and trust the Specially Selected Pork brand. Specially Selected Pork branded products are available in three Scottish retailers, representing a third of the fresh pork Scottish market retail share,” he added.


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El Salvador is taking necessary action to stop all those who have allegedly been misusing the new Chivo crypto wallet the country has implemented. Apparently, it only took about a month and a half for some people to resort to criminal activity to make their money via crypto.
El Salvador Is Taking Action Against Alleged Cheaters
The Chivo wallet is the new bitcoin wallet system that allows residents of the country to hold bitcoin, which they can then use to pay for goods and services. It also permits trading and selling, and many were allegedly using their wallets to engage in a process known as “scalping.”
A feature on the wallet would often pause transactions for up to a full minute prior to initiating the final confirmation. Thus, individuals had that time to quickly check out other crypto exchanges before their traders were finished. This gave them the chance to see what would be better for them at that moment: buying or selling. As a result, many traders were either seeing their asset surge thanks to ongoing rallies or they were buying dips.
This process, according to many regulators in El Salvador, would only be legal if there was no freezing feature. Given that the wallet was enabling the behavior, these regulators said that the wallet was being updated to disband the freezing option and open the door to fairer trades.
A representative of the wallet system explained on Twitter:
Unfortunately, many of our users used it for scalping, which is legal, but without the option of having a frozen price. Doing it with a frozen price, comparing it with other exchanges in real time is a type of fraud.
In addition, Douglas Rodriguez – the chief of the Central Bank of El Salvador – has stated that the Central American nation’s primary goal is to ensure that bitcoin is no longer viewed simply as a speculative asset, but rather as something that can potentially be utilized for legitimate purposes. The asset has been declared legal tender in the country. That means it must be accepted for goods and services by businesses like they would accept the U.S. dollar, which El Salvador has long been dependent on.
To ensure bitcoin takes this path, other trading features are being disabled as well. For example, customers can now only engage in limited trading (one trade every three minutes). In addition, the price at which bitcoin is often sold by these individuals is not the same as the price they receive when their transactions are fully confirmed.
Things Are Tough for People Trying to Do the Right Thing
Alexander Sermeno – a day trader and consultant in the nation’s capital – mentioned that these limits have made things hard for him to do his job and fully enjoy the wallet’s capabilities. He says:
It’s become really hard to trade, convert and even guarantee your money in dollars.


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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Elements Spa & Salon owners Jamie Cheng, left, and Bree Komagome, both former attorneys, recently celebrated the two-year anniversary of their business that they left the legal profession to open. Cheng said they've focused on retaining employees and their payroll has increased 47 percent since their salon opened.
Thinking outside the box
Small businesses in Hawaii have to specialize to survive the tough big-box world
STORY SUMMARY »
While the arrival of more big-box retailers and name-brand national chains in Honolulu's urban core has resulted in raised rents and the closures for many neighborhood businesses, there is still room for Hawaii's small businesses to thrive.
Businesses that have learned not to compete head-on with the big-box retailers and national chains and elect to specialize and differentiate themselves from the masses have found that they actually can profit from an increased customer base.
Still, Hawaii's small businesses must never forget that competition is fierce and that it's only going to get tougher,
Only about two-thirds of new employer establishments survive at least two years and only about 44 percent survive at least four years, according to the Small Business Administration in Hawaii. And when it comes to retail, those odds are even more daunting.
Still, small business that offer specialized service, expert knowledge, convenience and exclusivity often find that they have an edge on their larger competitors.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hot Mama is a maternity and nursing store in Kaimuki that is owned by Paige Bradbury, left, who is reflected in a mirror as she holds up a top by Olian. Bradbury has tried to stay ahead of the competition by offering exclusive merchandise and unparalleled service. On the right, customer Yuko Ishimura is reflected in the dressing room while looking at a dress by Noppies.
FULL STORY »
When Paige Bradbury opened up Hot Mama, a maternity and nursing store in Kaimuki, like all parents she thought there was no other "baby" like hers in all the land.
"In 2005, I didn't have much competition," Bradbury said. "But now, several other maternity retailers like Old Navy and Motherhood have opened."
While the arrival of more big-box retailers and name-brand national chains in Honolulu's urban core has resulted in raised rents and the closures for many neighborhood businesses, Bradbury used her creativity to birth a new strategy.
"We live on an island so it's all virtually one neighborhood. Any competitor cuts into your market share and makes it more challenging to turn a profit," Bradbury said. "I used to sell 40 a week of a certain item, but now everyone carries it and I'm lucky if I sell five."
Big-boxes and mainland chains create critical mass in the regions that they anchor, boost traffic and pump up sales for surrounding businesses. However, small-business owners like Bradbury often fear that they will be obscured by national chains.
To prevent that from happening, Bradbury streamlined and tweaked her business model. She's remodeled, hired more help and created brand-loyalty programs to increase comfort and service for her customers. She's also worked on differentiating her store by carrying exclusive items that her competitors don't have the rights to sell.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Tracy Ubongen received a treatment from Mayleen Lau, master stylist at Elements Spa & Salon.
"Corporate entities are taking over," Bradbury said. "I have to rely on really good service and specialized attention. I have to make sure that I have exclusive brands and high quality, and I'm constantly trying to make sure that I'm not looking like any other place on the island."
Bradbury is not alone. Plenty of businesses like Battery Bill's LLC in Mapunapuna and Elements Spa & Salon in Honolulu, and the islandwide icons City Mill and Big City Diner, have learned that when they don't try to compete head-on with the big-box retailers and national chains and elect to specialize and differentiate themselves from the masses, that they can actually profit from an increased customer base.
"We had an open market in 1988 -- there was nobody here and we sold lots of car batteries. Sears was our only major competitor," said Bill Ogawa, owner of Battery Bill's.
After Costco arrived, Ogawa spent $100,000 in advertising for two years trying to keep up with his competitor, and when that didn't work, decided to change his business plan.
"We lost 30 percent of our business when Costco arrived," he said, adding that the company stayed afloat by catering to corporate customers on contract.
But, after Wal-Mart and all the other retailers arrived, Ogawa was forced to develop another niche -- entirely. He downsized employees and space, but expanded the business's focus from a primarily auto and marine battery shop to include all types of batteries, even computer batteries.
"We sell any kind of battery that you need," he said, adding that the store has a high percentage of repeat customers because employees offer expert advice on which batteries will supply them with the most power for their money.
Offering specialized service and expert knowledge is a way for small businesses to edge out their larger competitors, said kamaaina retail analyst Stephany Sofos.
"As great as these big businesses are, they can't do everything," Sofos said. "The little guys who can offer the increased convenience of neighborhood locations and enhanced services or niche products still will pick up business."
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Paige Bradbury, center, owner of Hot Mama, has remodeled, hired more help and created brand-loyalty programs to increase comfort and service for her customers. On the left, Bradbury helped customers Yuko Ishimura, left, and her husband, David Derauf, who is holding their 4-month-old son, Evan Derauf.
Still, Hawaii's small businesses must never forget that competition is fierce and that it's only going to get tougher, she said.
Only about two-thirds of new employer establishments survive at least two years and only about 44 percent survive at least four years, said Jane Sawyer, a spokeswoman for the Small Business Administration in Hawaii. Yet the number of small businesses in Hawaii is growing, Sawyer said.
According to the latest statistics available for Hawaii, the number of people who claimed that they were self-employed grew by 9.8 percent to 72,429 in 2005 from 65,983 in 2004, she said.
When it comes to retail, the odds of success are even more daunting, Sofos said.
"According to the last census, nothing has really changed," she said. "Some people have come and some have gone, but our population has stayed relatively flat. It's the same with our visitor numbers -- they've only been declining. Yet, our retail is growing, so do the math."
The amount of retail square footage in Hawaii has risen by about 15 percent in the last three to five years and there's another 15 percent on the horizon, she said. Oahu has added 1.5 million square feet of retail in the last three to five years and there's another 1.5 million square feet planned, Sofos said.
"To put the influx of retail in perspective -- that's huge. It's almost the size of Ala Moana Shopping Center," she said. "We've added an Ala Moana in the last few years, and we've got another to go."
While Sofos said demand from retailers -- particularly from the mainland -- who want space in Oahu is unabated, there are signs that the market could be saturated in some categories.
"There's a hunger for space, but I've seen many tenants rolling," she said. "Personally from my observation, I think Hawaii customers value convenience and pricing. If a business doesn't have it, there are five people down the road that will take their spot."
The big-boxes and national chains have made it to Hawaii and are here to stay, said Bob Sigall, Honolulu-based business instructor, consultant and author of the book, "The Companies We Keep."
"I've been here 34 years, and for a long time the sentiment in the community was that Hawaii could not support big-box retailers," Sigall said.
"It was thought that our land cost and shipping and taxes and electricity were too high, but they've all shown that this sentiment isn't true. They are coming to Hawaii, and they are doing great, and the public is reaping the benefit for lower prices."
Still, in many cases, the big boxes and chains have been category killers for Hawaii businesses, Sofos said.
Barnes and Noble and Borders killed off the Honolulu Book Store, Lowes and Home Depot killed off most of the neighborhood hardware stores, and Best Buy killed off the Samsung store, she said.
Wal-Mart has killed off many small tourist-based retailers and Sam's Club and Costco have taken market share from many of Hawaii's local grocery stores, Sofos said.
"People will tell you constantly that they want the local experience, but they enjoy familiarity," she said. "That's why people seek out Starbucks and McDonald's in places like Beijing, China, or Athens, Greece. And that's why they like big-box retailers and chains."
Companies that are in an industry that Costco does well in are going to have to get out of their business model and shift to something that works, Sigall said, adding that City Mill and Battery Bill's are examples of small businesses that lasted after the big players came to town.
"City Mill said the big boxes are initially going to be far away, but they will come here, so we need to plan for it," Sigall said. "They were smart and concentrated on becoming the neighborhood place to go. City Mill customers would have to drive farther to go to Home Depot or Lowe's, and it would take them longer to get in and out of those stores."
Still, when it comes to doing business in Hawaii, Sigall, who serves as a director for the board of the advocacy group Small Business Hawaii, doesn't put competition from the big boxes and national chains in the top three challenges that small-business owners face.
"There's just a high cost of doing business in Hawaii in general," he said. "We pay 50 percent more in electricity than California, and our general excise tax is equivalent to about 18 percent. In other states, you don't get taxes on services. Here, businesses do and they have to build that into the price of goods."
High shipping, land, rent and mortgage costs, as well as high labor fees, also play into the mix of challenges, said former attorneys Jamie Cheng and Bree Komagome, who recently celebrated the two-year anniversary of Elements Spa & Salon -- the small business that they left the legal profession to open.
"Salons have notoriously high turnover rates. We've learned that it's better to nurture our employees rather than have them turn over," Cheng said, adding that their payroll has increased 47 percent since their salon opened because of the number of people that they've added.
The salon's unique product mix also has paid off, Komagome said.
"When we took over the business, it was just breaking even or losing money," Komagome said, adding that small salons in stand-alone locations like theirs face the added difficulty of having to create traffic.
By diversifying their business model to make it stand out against competitors, the salon has been able to make it past the rigorous first year, she said.
"We offer everything from cut and color to hair extensions, waxing, makeup application and lessons, and massage and facial therapies," Komagome said.
Cheng and Komagome also have upped the level of customer service that their salon offers by opening it up for children's birthdays and other group business.
And, customers are given in-store credit for referrals.
"We try to create brand loyalty by offering something that no other salon does," Cheng said.


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Facebook has announced that it is now rolling Reels out to more than 150 countries globally while also sharing more details on how creators can make money on the platform.
Reels, similar to TikTok, are short videos that will now live pretty much everywhere throughout the Facebook app. Facebook says that they’re its “fastest growing content format” and it seems determined to make sure that continues.
To do that, it’s putting Reels everywhere — in your feed, in your Stories, and more.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll roll out the following updates to make it easier to create and discover reels in new places:
- Reels in Stories: You can share public reels to Stories on Facebook, making it easy to share favorite reels with friends and giving creators more visibility and reach. You’ll also be able to create reels from existing public stories.
- Reels in Watch: You’ll be able to watch reels directly within the Watch tab and we’re developing tools to help you create reels in the Watch tab as well.
- Top of Feed: We’re adding a new Reels label at the top of Feed so you’ll be able to easily create and watch reels in just a few clicks.
- Suggested Reels in Feed: In select countries, we’re starting to suggest reels that you may like in your Feed from people you do not already follow.
Facebook is also pointing people to the Meta for Creators blog. That’s where they’ll find more information about how they can earn money from their reels via overlay ads.
Creators can also look forward to a raft of creation tools including Remix, a way to create new content alongside existing videos.
- Remix: Create your own reel alongside an existing, publicly-shared reel on Facebook. When you create a Remix, you can create a reel that includes all or part of another creator’s reel.
- 60-second Reels: Make reels up to 60 seconds long.
- Drafts: You will soon be able to create a reel and choose to “Save As Draft” below the Save button.
- Video Clipping: In the coming months, we’re planning to roll out video clipping tools that will make it easier for creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos to test different formats.
Facebook says all of these changes will kick in over the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled!


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Cyber Risk is one of the leading risks for businesses in Australia.
The Australian Government estimates almost 700,000 businesses have experienced a cybercrime. 60% of all these attacks were targeted at small to medium size business with the average cost of a cybercrime attack costing more than $275,000.
Babette Bottin from DAS INSURE will be along to give you vital tips on what you can do to protect your business and minimize cyber risk. Specifically you will learn:


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Self-Portrait has launched a high-profile campaign with the London-based brand signing up well-known Londoner Kate Moss as it star. The campaign features a series of portraits of Moss shot by Nigel Shafran.
Fashionistas love nothing more than a debut; and the biggest this season at an established luxury fashion house was the inauguration of Kim Jones at Fendi with a Bloomsbury-inspired collection in the Paris Bourse.
Dior’s menswear creative director plans to unveil his next collection for the house, pre-fall 2021, online and in Beijing on December 8, the latest stop on the almost peripatetic designer’s fashion journey.
The moodily romantic brand led by Susie Cave has teamed up with the Swedish fast fashion giant for a collection that will bring the label’s gothic glamour to the high street just in time for Halloween.


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France Approves Tax on Tech Giants Despite Threats From Trump Administration
LOOK OUT GOOGLE
France is about to start taxing American tech companies an extra 3 percent on sales generated in France. The French government’s argument is that companies like Microsoft and Facebook pay no taxes because they’re located in America, despite generating revenue from sales in France. The Trump administration has ordered an inquiry into the matter, which may result in retaliatory tariffs. Trade representative Robert Lighthizer said he was investigating to see if the new tax “is discriminatory or unreasonable and burdens or restricts United States commerce.” This new tax only applies to companies worth more than $850 million who have made at least $28 million of that money in France. It will be applied in early 2019 and is expected to generate around $565 million per year.


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A graduate student with a speech impediment claimed that a Starbucks barista in Philadelphia mocked him for stuttering.
The alleged incident took place at a Starbucks on Walnut Street in West Philadelphia last Wednesday when a barista wrote extra letters before the customer’s name on the coffee cup, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The customer, Sam, claimed that when the employee spelled his name on his Grande Iced Coffee, the employee wrote “SSSAM.”
“It’s rare, as an adult, [to see] that kind of disrespect happen,” Sam told the paper, reportedly requesting that his full name not be published. “It happens, but it’s really rare to see it in print.”
Tan Lekwijit, a Facebook user who says he is Sam’s friend, wrote in a post that the employee made fun of Sam’s stutter before his friend received his order.
“There are many people with speech disorders who are in a worse position than my friend’s and struggle with self-esteem and self-confidence,” the friend wrote. “Getting this kind of treatment from people, especially service employees, only scars them—and I beg Starbucks employees to have this in mind.”
Lekwijit reportedly commented on Starbucks Facebook page explaining what had happened, but then claimed the company deleted his post.
When Lekwijit posted the comment again on his personal Facebook page, a Starbucks representative left a statement in the comments section:
Hi, Tan. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We want our stores to serve as a welcoming place for everyone who visits and want to ensure our partners provide a positive experience. Our local leadership has reached out to Sam to better understand what took place and the specifics of his experience and apologize directly. We have zero tolerance for discrimination and are addressing this immediately.
Sam told the Inquirer that he initially reported the incident to Starbucks customer service by email, and received a $5 credit. Fox News reported that a regional vice president from the chain reportedly apologized to Sam and asked for a full investigation into the incident.
Starbucks has had an image problem since the police arrested two black men in April at a separate Starbucks location in Philadelphia for not ordering anything. The arrests prompted many social media users to urge customers to #BoycottStarbucks.
The company responded by temporarily closing its doors at 8,000 Starbucks locations on May 29 to hold mandatory anti-bias training sessions for its baristas.
But some diversity leaders say Starbucks’ anti-bias training does not go far enough to prevent these types of incidents from happening.
Breitbart News reported that NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s Sherrilyn Ifill and Heather McGhee, president of progressive think tank Demo, authored a report saying the coffee company needs to undergo a “racial equity overhaul” that includes civil rights audits and racial sensitivity training.


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This week, Arlington Economic Development (AED) is hosting the fall edition of its Arlington Premiere.
Arlington Premiere is a biannual event welcoming new businesses to Arlington — connecting new business owners with county resources, business improvement districts, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and community leaders and resource partners. And as with just about every other event in 2020, Arlington Premiere is pivoting to the virtual space to recognize more than 500 courageous business owners who started their businesses here in the midst of the pandemic.
A total of 511 new businesses received an Arlington business license in the past six months, up slightly from the 475 business licenses issued between October 2019 and March 2020. While starting a new business during a pandemic may be particularly challenging, the Arlington business community seems confident in the future. We’ve welcomed a diverse range of businesses from nonprofits and consulting companies to restaurants, retail and tech companies developing educational software.
While replicating the in-person experience and energy of the traditional Arlington Premiere is no easy task, AED is celebrating the arrival of these new Arlington businesses by introducing them to the community in a slightly different way. By showcasing them on its various social media channels, AED hopes to gain support and exposure for these businesses that are just finding their footing. Additionally, AED is highlighting local business resources and organizations that can help both new and established businesses thrive in Arlington.
This year’s fall edition of Arlington Premiere is, without question, a memorable one, and we want to give a special shoutout to all of Arlington’s new businesses.
Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar. 🕗 News recap The following articles were published earlier today…
After a relatively mild winter, cherry blossoms are expected to hit peak bloom in mid-to-late March. Today the National Park Service predicted 70% of the blossoms along the Tidal Basin…
Arlington’s Community Energy Plan Roadmap Progress It can be a challenge to know and understand a community’s far-ranging, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and changing a…
The D.C. area has surpassed the Bay Area in AI-related job postings, according to a recent report. These new jobs are a clear sign of how the emerging technology is…
Dreaming of small-town charm with big-city convenience? Look no further than 7156 Main St in Clifton, Virginia! Nestled just 30 miles from the heart of Washington D.C., this picturesque property offers the best of both worlds.
Escape the hustle and bustle of the city to find tranquility in this quaint, historic town. With its tree-lined streets and friendly community atmosphere, Clifton is the perfect place to call home. Yet, with its close proximity to the nation’s capital, you’ll never be far from the excitement and opportunities of urban living.
Imagine weekends exploring local shops, dining at charming cafes, and enjoying outdoor adventures in nearby parks. Then, commute to D.C. for work or play, soaking in all the culture, entertainment, and career opportunities the city has to offer.
Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of this idyllic lifestyle. Schedule a tour of 7156 Main St today and experience the best of small-town living near a big city!
Spring will be here before you know it, and art classes are a terrific way to welcome the season. We have some fresh new classes such as hand-building vases and flower arranging. Also on our roster are crocheting, knitting, printmaking, stitching, and sewing. Of course, you can’t go wrong with the basics: watercolor painting, gouache, oil painting, ceramics (including the wheel), sculpture, collage, drawing, and more. Classes start the week of April 1 and range from 3 to 7 weeks.
If you haven’t discovered Art House 7, this is a great time to check us out! We offer classes, workshops, open studios, and Art Nights throughout the year, as well as summer camps. We recently expanded our studio, and you can buy art supplies next door. We’re near the Lee Harrison shopping center, and free parking is outside our door. Ages 2 to adult.
5537 Langston Blvd., Arlington VA 22207
Having worked with the likes of Gary Numan, DJ Neidermeyer lends authenticity a go-go. Enough to satisfy even the purists.
The Renegade boasts all of the virtues of Arlington’s premier music venues while providing bar bites that rival most restaurants


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Last Updated on March 15, 2023 by Bitfinsider
On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted in support of new data controls that could require smart contracts to include information about a kill button to restart activity.
The Data Act, a 2022 European Union law, included provisions meant to give people more control over information from smart devices, but it has raised concerns in the Web3 community.
On Tuesday, 500 EU lawmakers voted in support of the measure, 23 opposed it, and 110 did not vote.
“The new regulations will enable consumers and businesses by giving them a say in what can be done with the data produced by linked goods,” said bill sponsor Pilar del Castillo Vera during the bill’s discussion.
Del Castillo includes provisions According to Vera’s redrafted law, smart contracts must have access controls and safeguard trade secrets. They would also need halt and reset features, which experts fear could undermine their purpose.
The measure is not universally supported.
“Article 30, as presently written, goes too far in addressing the problems presented by immutability,” tweeted Thibault Schrepel, an associate researcher at VU Amsterdam University, prior of the vote. “It puts smart contracts in jeopardy to a degree that no one can foresee.”
Schrepel, a blockchain legal expert, thinks that the legal text is ambiguous about who would have to press the kill button on a smart contract in reality, and that it violates the basic principle that automatic programs cannot be changed by anyone.
The decision authorizes del Castillo Vera and other lawmakers to discuss a final version of the legislation with governments in EU member nations.
Hardware wallets are safe and secure devices that can be used offline. They keep your cryptocurrency offline, making it impossible for you to be hacked. To find out more on the leading hardware wallets, you may view our reviews here: Ledger & Trezor
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author, or any people mentioned in this article, are for informational purposes only, and they do not constitute financial, investment, legal, tax or other advice. Investing in or trading cryptocurrency or stocks comes with a risk of financial loss.


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The PC industry has been unwell for a long time. But the true extent of its decline from the go-go 1990s and early 2000s has scarcely seemed as bad as it does today, in Gartner's latest quarterly shipment estimates for the second quarter of 2013. The market analysis firm recorded a drop of 10.9 percent in global PC shipments from this time last year, to 76 million total units, with all regions showing a decline from 2012. Worse still, this was the fifth consecutive quarter of declining shipments, which as Gartner notes, is "the longest duration of decline in the PC market’s history."
Acer shipments fell over 35 percent
The biggest losers in terms of individual PC companies were Acer, which saw its own shipments fall over 35 percent, while rival ASUS also suffered a 20.5 percent drop. Lenovo retook the title of global leader at 16.7 percent market share, narrowly edging out HP's 16.3 percent, but both companies saw total shipments decline 0.6 percent and 4.8 percent respectively. More broadly speaking, the news is grim for Microsoft and Windows 8, which powers many new flagship PCs and clearly has not been enticing enough to forestall a decline and shift in computing to mobile devies (Gartner's data notably includes x86 tablets running Windows 8).
But there is some good news for certain PCs in the US. A separate survey of the American market by the NPD group found that the cheaper end of Google's Chromebook lineup, namely the $199 Acer C7 and $249 Samsung Chromebook Series 3, have snapped up 25 percent of the under-$300 laptop market, as Bloomberg notes. Of course, that's an extremely niche category: the average cost of Windows laptops has hovered around $500 since 2010, according to NPD. But the agency notes that the under $300 category is only poised for further growth. While that may not help the Chromebook Pixel much, it is good news for Google's web-based Chrome OS, which has been knocked many times by many people for its lack of support for much common PC software. With the rest of the PC industry lagging, that fact may not mean as much anymore.


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Because social media has become the primary method of intrapersonal communication for many in today’s society as more and more companies promote their goods and services through these platforms, it has become imperative that marketers enter the workforce with a clear understanding and comfort in using all social media tools.
Alexandra K. Abney, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business, and marketing educators from three other institutions are working together to address this challenge through a social media education ecosystem designed to provide an innovative learning environment by more readily incorporating social media into their classrooms.
In the article, “Intercollegiate Social Media Education Ecosystem,” recently published in the Journal of Marketing Education, Abney and her colleagues detailed the methodology, results and implications for educators of a 12-week research project focused on the use of Twitter as a marketing tool.
“We created this ecosystem where faculty members from several universities throughout the United States use Twitter within the classroom to have their students interact with other students, other faculty members and brands in marketing discussions,” Abney said. “With more and more students becoming comfortable communicating this way, and with more companies expecting marketing graduates to immediately come in and run their social media sites, we have to give them this experience in the classroom.”
Research indicates that undergraduate students spend more than six hours per day on average using social media, defined in previous studies as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content,” primarily through mobile devices. Abney also estimates at least 90 percent of companies nationwide now review social media profiles as part of the hiring process for new employees.
It is crucial students develop an understanding of how to use social media platforms professionally and to enhance their personal brands. Students often do not get a second chance to make a first impression, especially in the social media universe.
“If I am with a company and I do an online search for a new marketing employee, I want to see something professional and marketing-related come up first,” Abney said. “That was the purpose of our research — to help students increase the scope and reach of their marketing discussions and improve their own personal brands.”
In addition to the marketing discussions, the project, which sprouted from an online, real-time Twitter discussion about Super Bowl ads four or five years ago, also included a study of Twitter analytics. The analysis of tweets from the 12-week project used the program Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count and a survey to determine the students’ satisfaction with learning in this way. The results suggested the students enjoyed learning through this expanded “ecosystem” and improved their professional communications skills while expanding their presence in the social media marketing world.
“We tested their cognitive processing skills, how they structured sentences and the meaning of their sentences, and what we found was what our students were tweeting was significantly more professional than the general Twitter population,” Abney said.
Abney and colleagues have used elements of the project in their classrooms for six semesters, and this intercollegiate collaboration now even has its own hashtag, #ICMKTG. At the start of each week throughout the semester, a new marketing-related topic or set of questions is posted, and the students have that week to interact with others within the ecosystem on the topic or questions.
A particular emphasis has also been placed on getting brands to respond, and more are doing so. Major companies such as Toyota, Walmart, Coca-Cola, John Deere, the Home Shopping Network and more have engaged in discussions as part of the project. One company responded to a student who tweeted they would like to intern there by confirming an internship was available and providing information on how to apply.
“The expansive nature of this is nice. It’s not just me replying to the same 30 students or them replying to me. We might be replying to 3,000 different people they would never have gotten to interact with otherwise,” Abney said. “When they are interacting with marketing practitioners, other academics and other marketing students, they are seeing all different types of diverse perspectives and interacting with them. That experience is vital in the real world.”
Abney admits many students at first have difficulty transitioning from the jargon-laced, emoji-filled style of their personal messages to the clipped conciseness needed for professional communications. But once they adapt, the students quickly begin to see the impact social media can have on their careers and lives.
“Bringing social media into the classroom is something we as educators have struggled with in the past for fear it would interrupt our regular processes,” Abney said. “But this isn’t going away next year or five years from now, so we need to use it. Our project has shown there is an appropriate time and place for social media in the classroom. As educators and marketers, it is our job to teach our students the most appropriate, professional ways to use it to market themselves.”
Working with Abney on the project were Laurel A. Cook, Ph.D., University of West Virginia; Alexa K. Fox, Ph.D., The University of Akron; and Jennifer Stevens, Ph.D., University of Toledo.


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The new portable oxygen machines, which are cheaper and can be put into the hands of the public for the first time, are being sold for a record price of Rs. 5,000 crore by the makers of the Nespresso and the Lathe machines.
These machines can be used to make water, heat and steam for heating.
The Nesseos use an electric motor and a battery, while the Lathes use a steam generator.
The Lathes have an additional generator which can be plugged in during the operation.
The new machines, sold at Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 each, come with an advanced thermostat, an internal pressure sensor and an integrated cooling system that is connected to a central pump that can be powered by the grid.
The machines are made by a group of companies that include Hindustan Thermoelectronics Ltd (HTLC), the makers and suppliers of other medical devices, and Mahindra Industries Ltd (MII), the maker of the medical devices that are used in hospitals.
The company that makes the Nesse machines, Nesse, is one of the biggest makers of medical equipment.
It has a market capitalisation of around Rs. 500 crore, according to data compiled by ET.
The Nesse machine uses a high-tech thermostatic device called a thermostator that is operated by a remote controller.
The machine is powered by a generator and battery and is able to operate at temperatures of up to 4,000 degrees Celsius.
A separate device, which is used for cooling the machine, also can be connected to the thermostatically controlled pump.
The machine has an air-to-air valve which allows the machine to be opened manually at a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, and a pressure gauge.
It can be controlled by a user.
The price of the machines is more than double the price of similar machines that are sold in the market.
The HTLC, which manufactures the Ness machines, is selling them for around Rs 4,500 crore, while Nesse’s maker Mahindrani, which makes the Latches, is offering them for Rs 5,800 crore.
The cost of the Latges is not disclosed.
The HTLC has been selling the machines for about six years and has sold more than 20,000 units, said S. Rajagopal, the company’s president and CEO.
The machines have also been sold to companies such as the Indian National Manufacturing Engineering Association (INMEA), the manufacturing unit of the National Industrialists’ Federation of India, which provides technical assistance to the government and industry.
The NHMIA also has a patent on the Nesses machines, and is currently selling them in the country.
It says the machines are “very economical”.
The HTLCs is also selling the NSE machines, with prices starting at Rs 5 lakh for a set of three machines.
The units cost around Rs 2.5 lakh.
The prices for the Latkes, meanwhile, are not disclosed and do not come close to the price per unit of those made by the Nsepresso machines.
The ET article has been updated to add the statement from Hindustans Thermometer and Thermodynamics Pvt Ltd.


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Before Netflix officially arrived in South Africa last week plenty of tech-savvy locals were already using the service by spoofing their IP addresses using VPN or proxy services. In other words, they were making it look like their IP address was in a supported region so the service would work. Now Netflix is looking to crack down on that sort of trickery.
Even with Netflix now in 130 additional countries, licensing agreements mean certain content isn’t available in all regions. For example, even though House of Cards and Orange is the New Black are shows made by Netflix, they’re not currently available on the service in South Africa thanks to Naspers’ DStv service having secured exclusive broadcast rights to both shows.
“If all of our content were globally available, there wouldn’t be a reason for members to use proxies or ‘unblockers’ to fool our systems into thinking they’re in a different country than they’re actually in,” says David Fullagar, Netflix’s VP of content delivery architecture in a post on the video streaming company’s website on Thursday.
“We are making progress in licensing content across the world and, as of last week, now offer the Netflix service in 190 countries, but we have a ways to go before we can offer people the same films and TV series everywhere,” Fullagar adds.
“Over time, we anticipate being able to do so. For now, given the historic practice of licensing content by geographic territories, the TV shows and movies we offer differ, to varying degrees, by territory. In the meantime, we will continue to respect and enforce content licensing by geographic location.”
In other words, now that Netflix is available far and wide it’s tougher for it to turn a blind eye to those bucking the system, and licence holders know it.
“Some members use proxies or ‘unblockers’ to access titles available outside their territory. To address this, we employ the same or similar measures other firms do,” Fullagar says without, you know, expanding on what those measures might entail. “That means in coming weeks, those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are.”
Fullagar says Netflix is “confident” that whatever measures it implements to enforce this new policy won “won’t impact members not using proxies”. So if you’re playing by the rules you should be wholly unaffected.
Of course, first prize for Netflix would be having the same catalogue available in all 190 regions, but the legacy of licensing jiggery-pokery doesn’t allow for that. At least, not yet. With Netflix now being the most widely available video streaming service on earth, and with it releasing new shows all the time, there’s plenty of reason to believe that may one day come to pass. And you can bet the company is doing its utmost to avoid letting new shows it creates get bogged down in the same legal quagmire as some of its existing content.


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Most of the headlines about America’s best-managed companies may go to Web 2.0 corporations, led by Facebook Inc. (NYSE: FB) or long-time successes such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN). Yet Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), which operates in a brutal industry that is decades old, may be the best run company in America. Costco reported extraordinary sales numbers in a sector that has largely fallen apart.
For the year that ended on August 31, Costco posted same-store sales that rose 7%. That makes it the envy of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: WMT) at one end of the spectrum and companies like Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) at the other. Costco’s revenue for the year was up 3% to $113.7 billion. The figures seem mundane against those of e-commerce giant Amazon. However, Costco fights a ground war in brick-and-mortar retail, primarily, which is crowded with desperate competition that will do nearly anything to hold eroding sales, and a market share battle that is part of a zero sum game.
The 52-week improvement at Costco has been adjusted so that the primary results are for its core business. They exclude the effects from gasoline price deflation and foreign exchange.
Wall Street’s evaluation of Costco has been positive. Despite the recent market sell-off, its shares have risen by 12% over the past year. Walmart’s have fallen 16% and Macy’s by 6%. Shares of deeply wounded J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) and Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) each have dropped 14% over the same period.
Experts would argue that one of the keys to Costco’s success is its membership model. Over 50 million people have memberships, which cost between $55 and $110 a year. Of course, any of the other large retailers could match the successful model, but as they try to hang on to customers, up-front fees would drive these customers away. Costco built the model years ago, and it cannot be replicated now.
Another argument in Costco’s favor is that its merchandise tends to be of better quality than that of other big-box retailers and department stores. If so, it is because Costco has the financial leverage to stock the higher priced inventory and the brands to get people to come and pay for memberships as access to that inventory.
Costco is 40 years old, relatively young compared to other national retailers. Some might argue that it did not get into the bad habits of older retailers, most of which have begun to disintegrate financially, if they have not already. However, there is nothing about the Costco model that cannot be mimicked. As other brick-and-mortar retailers struggle, they cannot afford the time and risk to take such a radical redirection.


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Who says suit-boot is the hallmark of corporate only?
A video of suit-clad youth from Patiala selling Chaat in Mohali has set the internet on fire.
A hotel management graduate, Manjinder Singh started selling Chaat after failing to get a job in the industry. He along with his brother invested Rs. 2.5 lakhs into the business in Mohali. And ‘I Love Punjab’ was born.
From Golgappa to Bhalla Papdi and from Papdi Chaat to Aloo. Singh’s customized items are setting a new trend. They are also serving summer drinks including Mojitos. The duo has hired three employees who help in preparing the food.
With business growing, the Singh duo has purchased a shop and is shifting soon. Unashamed of his profession, Singh’s business model has grabbed many eyeballs in the industry.


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In order to enhance the nutritional needs of Nigerians, Sotibe Nigeria has introduced into the Nigerian market, Dolait yoghurt, a non-preservative tasty yoghurt.
Dolait Yoghurt is packed with enormous nutritional value suitable for Nigerians. It is rich in calcium, saturated fatty acid which helps in weight loss, aids quick digestion amongs many other value.
Speaking at the product launch in Lagos last week, a nutritionist, Austine Anyanwu said the product is effective in high blood pressure management due to its potassium content and helps to regulate the mood.
Anyanwu said, “This product is heart friendly and good for the prevention of cancer that affects the large part of our intestine. It is also good for mood stabilization.”
On his part, Monah Chalabi, General Manager, Sotibe Nigeria, said Dolait is a natural and healthy yoghurt drink which had consistently served other African countries for years without compromising quality.
Chalabi said the company has a factory in Cotonou which serves Benin Republic and Nigeria markets.
“Dolait Yoghurt has been the favorite of Camerounians and some other African countries for 16 years, giving the yearning populace a healthy product with nutritional values.“
According to Chalabi, the company has been in existence in Nigeria since 2016 and, “we thought this is the right time to formally launch our tasty and nutritious product to the yearning people of Nigeria at a pocket friendly price.” he added.
Dolait yoghurt comes in various sizes and variants such as vanilla, strawberry, mango, banana, pineapple and apricot.


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Motorola’s nostalgic Razr smartphone, the company’s first foldable, will release in the U.S. on February 6th, but the company has yet to release Canadian specifics.
The American telecommunications company announced it would delay the new Razr in December just days before the device was available for pre-order. Motorola said it decided to delay the device due to high demand for the phone and not because of technical issues. Samsung, which also released a foldable device in 2019, had to delay the Galaxy Fold due to issues with the display.
At the time, Motorola said the delay wouldn’t significantly shift the original launch timeline. The device was expected to be available in January 2020 in the U.S. Now, however, it will be available for pre-order exclusively through U.S. carrier Verizon starting January 26th and will release on February 6th.
Unfortunately, Motorola has not shared details about how or if the delay will affect Canadians. At the Razr’s unveiling in Los Angeles in November, Motorola told me that the Razr would be available in Canada in early 2020. It didn’t specify an exact date, or share other availability details including price.
The vague ‘early 2020’ timeline has not changed and Motorola hasn’t shared new information since the delay.
So far, it appears only Telus will offer the Razr. The Vancouver-based national carrier launched a page in December for customers to sign-up for notifications about when pre-orders launch for the phone.
Motorola has not shared Canadian pricing, but the phone is expected to cost $1,499 USD (roughly about $1,973 CAD) when it does launch. If the Canadian pricing doesn’t differ significantly from that, the phone will likely be cheaper than other foldables on offer, including the $2,600 Samsung Galaxy Fold.


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A couple of years ago, four friends gave up their comfortable jobs in Mumbai to form OOO Farms in the Sahyadri hills of western India.
The foursome (made up of Shailesh Awate, Abhay Bhatia, Pranav Khandelwal and Karan Khandelwal) wanted to do something about the growing deforestation taking place in the area. Awate has trekked the hills of this biodiversity hotspot since he was a young boy, and he had grown concerned about the issue.
After a little research, they realized that the local tribes who used to forage for food and practice subsistence farming were now growing produce to sell to urban markets. This was largely the result of road construction that began a couple of decades ago and linked these villages to Mumbai and the rest of the state. In order to grow their crops in paddies, the tribes were cutting down trees and clearing vast swathes of the forest. They had abandoned their traditional farming methods and were using government-provided hybrid seeds, fertilizer and pesticides that were damaging local ecology. “We realized these hybrid seeds were the villain. They had destroyed the crop diversity,” Awate said.
Looking to combine sustainable agriculture and environmental protection, the friends’ first attempt to tackle deforestation was to plant 500 saplings. Awate says only two survived and the rest were eaten by domesticated animals. Then they tried offering the hill tribes money to stop cutting down trees, but that didn’t work either. The four men then spent two months in 2017 criss-crossing the Sahyadris, covering more than 28,000 miles by Awate’s estimation, to soak up all they could about traditional farming practices and indigenous seeds. Part of the solution OOO Farms came up with was to sell wild food villagers foraged in the forests to businesses in Mumbai. The centerpiece of this strategy is a collaboration with Bombay Canteen, a high-end restaurant in the city, in which OOO acts as the middleman between the tribes and the restaurant. The eatery has agreed to buy as much wild food as the tribespeople can provide (and all of the money goes back to the tribes). OOO also organizes wild food events in Mumbai where the tribes sell their foraged produce directly to consumers.
Awate says this gives the tribes an incentive to regrow and protect the forest, as wild greens need forest cover to grow. It also gives villagers regular income throughout the year so that they don’t necessarily need to expand their farms.
With support from BAIF Development Research Foundation, which aims to provide a sustainable livelihood to the rural poor through climate-resilient agriculture, OOO also started growing crops using native seeds, and it encouraged the local farmers to use them.
OOO trains farmers to follow sustainable practices and provides indigenous seeds for free, along with organic fertilizers. Today, OOO Farms works with more than 500 farmers in 30 villages and grows 30 varieties of indigenous grains and more than 100 types of wild food. So far, it has distributed three tons of seeds, sold 25 tons of produce and 700 kilograms of wild food. The organization sells its own produce at farmers’ markets in Mumbai, food events and on its website.
Villagers work in a field in the Western Ghats. Photo courtesy OOO Farms
Navnath Maruti, a 21-year-old tribal farmer living in the Sahyadris, uses seeds from OOO Farms. “If there was too much water, or too little, the [government seed] crop would be ruined,” he said. “That is not the case with the native seeds.” During a visit to Janewadi village in October, Maruti said the forest used to extend past their land, which is now almost devoid of tree cover. “In the last 10 years, people have been cutting down or burning the trees,” he said. “We need to save what’s left.”
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- CV Check has reached record revenue during the first quarter of the 2020 financial year
- The company specialises in background checks on employees for companies
- CV1’s revenue jumped to $3.5 million, with majority coming from business to business sales
- CV Check’s share price is up 3.85 per cent today, currently sitting at 14 cents per share
CV Check has topped record revenue during the first quarter of the 2020 financial year by reaching $3.5 million.
Business to business (B2B) sales drove the growth, accounting for $2.6 million of the revenue, recording a 24 per cent increase on the previous year.
“CV1 is delighted to report record top line revenue growth for the quarter, driven by new B2B tender wins, increased high quality revenue conversions and successful new product rollouts,” company CEO Rod Sherwood said.
The company specialises in providing background check services for employers on prospective employees. This includes police clearances and international checks.
Going forward CV Check explained to the market it remains in a financially secure position.
“With additional revenue currently being onboarded from recent large
enterprise wins CV1 remains well positioned to continue its strong start to FY2020,” Rod said.
Cash balance at the end of the quarter is $5.8 million.
Shareholders can expect a more detailed update on the first quarter finances towards the end of the month, the company advised.
Heading towards the market close, CV Check’s share price is up 3.85 per cent today, currently sitting at 14 cents apiece.


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2 new RLC malls to open in Ormoc, Tacloban
Gokongwei-led Robinsons Land Corp. is expanding its nationwide shopping mall empire with the opening this year of two new malls in Leyte, an island-province which has rebounded from the devastation of SuperTyphoon Yolanda in 2013.
After recently completing the major expansion of Robinsons Place Tacloban, RLC is now constructing Ormoc City’s first full-service mall as well as Tacloban City’s second Robinsons mall.
“We have taken note of the progress in the economy of Eastern Visayas and Robinsons Land intends to be a partner in this growth in economic activity,” RLC president Frederick Go said in a press statement on Tuesday.
“This is a testament to our commitment to serving the needs of the country’s growing economy, particularly in Eastern Visayas.”
Robinsons Place Ormoc and Robinsons North Tacloban (Abucay) will be RLC’s 12th and 13th malls in the Visayas, respectively. Overall, they will be the 48th and 49th in RLC’s nationwide chain, respectively.
Robinsons Place Ormoc is rising on an 11-hectare property with a direct access from the Palo-Carigara-Ormoc City Road and is around four kilometers from Ormoc City proper.
Ormoc’s economic base has a good mix of aquaculture, industry, tourism, commercial services, and agriculture. The queen pineapple – being one of the bulk produce of the agriculture sector and also the city’s most famous produce – is the main inspiration for the overall design of the new RLC mall.
With a building footprint of 16,530 square meters, Robinsons Place Ormoc will have a gross floor area (GFA) of more than 34,900 square meters (sqm) and a gross leasable area (GLA) of more than 23,700 sqm. spread over three floors.
On the other hand, Robinsons North Tacloban is now being built in Abucay, which is the new fast-growing commercial center of Tacloban City. It will have a GFA of 57,750 sqms and a GLA of 26,750 sqm, including four cinemas, spread over three floors.
The home of the largest fertilizer factory in Asia, Abucay’s economy is driven by the agriculture, aquaculture, bag making, garments, and food processing industries.
“Both malls will feature an exciting mix of local and international brands, a broad range of retail shops, and a wide selection of fine and casual dining options,” said Go.
The anchor tenants of the new malls will be affiliate retailers Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Appliances and Robinsons Movieworld.
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In a 21st century world dominated and driven by groundbreaking technology, driverless cars are set to be the future of transport.
In a recent announcement, Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, reported that Italian company Brembo has moved part of its production to Mexico in order to reduce costs and delivery time of brakes to the Tesla plant located in California.
The machinery sector is changing and, thanks to a growing global demand, the market is diversifying.
Samsung is planning to invest more than $1bn in its Austin-based Texas facility by the first half of 2017 in order to expand its manufacturing capabilities.
Senior figures from across the UK manufacturing landscape discussed the trends, technologies and influences that are transforming the future of industry during the UK’s largest event of its kind, The Manufacturer's Annual Leaders Conference 2016.
RoboVent, the leading provider of clean air technologies for manufacturing, has announced it is expanding its operations to Europe in response to the increased need for clean air solutions.
Almost a year ago managers and engineers from the Bosch manufacturing site, in Mondeville, France, began utilising 3D printing technology to streamline their operations.
While there is a great deal of prestige involved with receiving an engineering degree, it is important that recent graduates understand the breadth of opportunities their area of study can offer.
United Parcel Service (UPS) announced last month that it plans to expand its recently developed on-demand 3D printing service for its Asian network and customers.
October 7, 2016 maked the end of an era for the Australian motor industry as Ford ended 91 years of manufacturing in Australia by closing its Broadmeadow factory.


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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Faculty from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences produce some of the nation’s tastiest fruits and vegetables.
Researchers at UF’s Plant Innovation Center breed new cultivars and conduct research to boost the taste, smell and appearance of Florida fruits, vegetables and foliage. But the PIC does much more, said UF environmental horticulture Professor David Clark.
“The big thing is this: No other university in the country can pull off what we’ve put together here, so we are novel,” Clark said. “We cover the whole supply chain, from the conception of an idea to the realization of a product.”
UF faculty, administrators and friends gathered Monday at the UF president’s house in Gainesville for Flavors of Florida 2015, a premier event showcasing the edible research products of the UF/IFAS Plant Innovation Center. Industry leaders, donors and guests savored the sensations of tasty tomatoes, flavor-filled fruits and other Sunshine State food and drinks while learning more about the impact that UF/IFAS makes for the agriculture industry. This is the second year the event has been held.


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The popularity of ordering food online has become a major business in the UK ever since the first lockdown was enforced in 2020 due to the covid pandemic. According to various studies, online ordering and delivery are only getting more popular now as an easier way to get food from your favourite restaurants.
Most restaurants throughout the UK have now taken up online ordering with collection or delivery options available. This is mostly due to the first lockdown which was enforced in March 2020 and resulted in many people opting for online ordering with deliveries and collections with restaurants not being able to host any of their clients.
Overall, the UK has seen a 37% increase in online food ordering from 2019 to 2021 showing significant growth in activity. Many delivery companies have also opened up to provide the public with deliveries from restaurants that do not have online ordering as an option for their customers.
The delivery companies that started operating during the first and second lockdown has been thriving with adding restaurants to their apps to make it easier for the public to look at the menus and choose the meals they want to be delivered.
In Cumbria, the most well-known local operators include Deliveroo and uber eats. These companies are mostly dedicated to restaurants that do not provide deliveries themselves but are also active with restaurants doing their own online ordering and deliveries.
It is estimated that one out of every 12 consumers ordered online for the first time during the lockdown resulting in a large spike in popularity. More than a quarter of consumers have increased their usage of online ordering and most of them still prefer ordering and reviewing products online.
Although the online ordering services only saw a spike in popularity due to the lockdown, it’s still thriving and growing with more online ordering activity taking place every month. Some restaurants are now opening up with the service already intact and some only operate as an online ordering platform.


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All the latest news, posts, videos, and features for 2016
We’ve got the latest on everything from the Oscars to the latest fashion trends.
You can also check out our Top Ten Most Influential People of 2016.
What do you think of the top 10 most influential people of 2016?
Let us know in the comments below!


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G19-watch continues: Now available for pre-order
More news on the G19: Amazon is now taking pre-orders. No more news on the release date, other than that it’s supposed to be in May.
I just hope Logitech doesn’t have to slip it again. I’m really looking forward to this sexy thing.


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Scammers use Caller ID Spoofing to Trick Victims in Indiana
The Attorney General in Indiana has asked persons who receive calls from the utility company asking for delinquent payments to simply HANG UP, after a rash of calls have made victims of unsuspecting consumers.
The scammers have in part been able to deceive their victims by using caller ID spoofing services, such as http://Spoofcall.org/spoofcard/, to change the caller id display on the victims phone to reflect that of the utility company. Thinking that they were receiving a call legitimately from the utility company, the victims were less hesitant to provide personal data as well as credit card information for payment.
Individuals who feel they may be a victim should file a consumer complaint with the Attorney General’s office by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or by calling 1-800-380-5516.
If you purchased a cell phone after January of this year, it is now illegal - and worse criminal - to unlock your cell phone. Cell phone unlocking is not new, a quietly practiced process by many consumers enabling them to change cell phone carriers at will without having to purchase a new mobile phone. PhoneMerchant.com offers phones that allow users to swap out SIM cards, a practice that can lead to tremendous phone bill savings when traveling overseas.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which passed Congress in 1998, prohibits consumers from circumventing technological restrictions on what they can do with the music, DVDs, software and even cell phones. The debate is on, as many consumers feel they should be able to use their purchased tech in any way they please. For more information see the full article featured in the Washington Post.
Using a Voice Changer to Make Calls
Sometimes using a voice changer on your phone is necessary. Beyond the typical prank call antics that come to mind, single women might use them to return calls to unknown numbers. By changing their voice to sound like a male on the phone, they'll quickly discover the motives of the caller.
Physical voice changers that attach to telephones are also a good idea for kids home alone or people that live alone. If incoming calls are not known, the call recipient can answer without hesitation about being home alone.
There are many types of voice changer devices and software on the market, but spoofcall.org has an interesting view on some of those available. Certainly worth a visit to investigate further.


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Audi CEO Rupert Stadler this week admitted in the German newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, that the company’s bold claim to be the top-selling premium brand in the world by 2015 is unlikely to be achieved in time. Stadler cited the European economic down turn as the reason business has become “bumpier” for the European based manufacturer. Growth in Europe for Audi is only 2.8% and down on the same figure from 2011.
Audi fanatics never fear though, because Stadler still believes it is only a matter of time before Audi sales pass its Bavarian rival, BMW, in the luxury car segment. That time will be roughly five years from now Stadler claims. “By 2020 at the latest – It is not about overtaking BMW tomorrow or the day after, but to seize and secure the top position,” said Stadler. The Audi CEO did not confirm how many units he hoped Audi would be selling by 2020.
BMW are going to be a tough nut to crack, however, with global sales having increased by 8.1% and Mercedes-Benz figures going up by 6.9% so far this year. Mercedes-Benz has also made bold claims to re-overtake Audi by 2015 on their way to challenging BMW for top premium spot, presumably by 2020 as well.
Counting against Audi is that Mercedes-Benz and BMW are not far off introducing smaller C- and B-segment cars to battle the Audi A1 and A3 in their traditional sales stronghold. Hopes in China are also starting to fade somewhat too, with news suggesting market growth is slowing. Mercedes-Benz attributes its slowest sales for June this year as being due to the lower than expected Chinese demand. According to Stadler, however, Audi global sales are up 12.3% so far this year and the company is on track for annual sales of 1.4 million vehicles this year – a figure which will amount to their best sales year yet.


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After months (and months and months) of rumours, including one rumour that it was partnering with Ford, Google’s self-driving car is going into manufacturing mode, with a new prototype based on the Chrysler Pacifica minivan. But hold the grocery-getter jokes, please. An autonomous minivan is exactly what Google should be making.
Google announced the partnership today, along with several reasons why a Fiat Chrysler partnership make sense:
This collaboration with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is the first time we’ve worked directly with an automaker to create our vehicles. FCA will design the minivans so it’s easy for us to install our self-driving systems, including the computers that hold our self-driving software, and the sensors that enable our software to see what’s on the road around the vehicle. The minivan design also gives us an opportunity to test a larger vehicle that could be easier for passengers to enter and exit, particularly with features like hands-free sliding doors.
This decision to go with this kind of vehicle emphasises the goal that’s always been behind Google’s self-driving car project: It will allow unprecedented independence for people who are blind, deaf, and disabled. A minivan can be easily adapted for wheelchairs and other assistive devices that will help people to get in and out of the vehicle easily.
But there’s also another important benefit to a minivan: More seats means that these autonomous vehicles can be easily shared, allowing them to function more like public transportation. There’s a reason that Elon Musk hinted about developing some kind of autonomous bus. Self-driving shared vehicles are the future.
Chrysler will make 100 autonomous 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans, which will start to be on roads by the end of 2016. In addition to scooting around Mountain View, the vans will make their way to Google’s other test cities like Austin, Phoenix, and Kirkland, Washington. The Pacificas will join the rest of the vehicles in Google’s self-driving fleet which includes modified Lexus hybrids and other customised vehicles that Google built itself.