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Icontrol Networks, the company behind the most widely-distributed interactive security and home automation platform in the industry, announced a new wave of participants in OpenHome Labs. It also announced the Zen Thermostat, an inaugural OpenHome Labs participant, has successfully completed the program and is now OpenHome Certified – meaning it can work seamlessly with Icontrol-powered solutions, including many of the most well-known service provider smart home offerings.
As part of OpenHome Labs, companies receive hands-on mentoring and resources from crowdfunding through go-to-market; a potential base of smart home customers via compatibility with most widely-deployed connected home platform in the industry; and special branding support, so funders have more confidence in the likelihood for success.
OpenHome Labs launched in September 2014, with several inaugural members, including the Zen Thermostat. Zen – which boasts a simple yet beautiful design along with easy-to-use functionality – saw a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, reaching its goal within the first week, and it was recently named a winner of Connected World Magazine’s IoT Innovations Awards. Now, as an OpenHome Certified device, it is compatible with leading smart home service provider solutions.
New members of OpenHome Labs include:
- Halo SmartLabs, which successfully funded their Halo smoke/fire and carbon monoxide detector and exceeded their Indiegogo campaign goal by 46%. Halo brings an industry-first combination of sensor technology for flash fires, smoldering fires and carbon monoxide in a single device. It is also the only smoke alarm equipped to deliver warnings for hazards outside the home including tornadoes.
- Jalousier, the company behind Comfee, the first device to make ordinary blinds smart. A simple clip allows blinds to automatically adjust themselves based on lighting and temperature changes.
- Nanoleaf, with the success of the world’s most energy-efficient LED light bulbs – the Nanoleaf One and Nanoleaf Bloom – is set to release the Nanoleaf Ivy, the world’s most energy efficient connected bulb, later this year. The Nanoleaf Ivy is a 60W-equivalent smart bulb that lasts 30,000 hours and uses only 7W of energy to produce 800 lumens of warm, comfortable light with a 3000K color temperature.
“We launched OpenHome Labs last year to help new products we thought consumers would love come to market faster. Often times, the best innovations come from smaller companies, and we think our new OpenHome Labs members are a perfect example of that.”
Kate Drane, hardware lead for Indiegogo, explained:
“The success of the Zen Thermostat shows just how powerful the idea of ‘crowdfunding-plus,’ is. We’re excited to add that extra layer of mentorship to help new connected device companies see an equally successful go-to-market process.”
Michael Joffe, co-founder of the Zen Thermostat, added:
“Working with the Indiegogo and OpenHome Labs team on developing and launching the campaign really gave us an edge because we could bounce ideas off the experts, as well as leverage the promotional activities that were being rolled out by them.”


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Molson Coors says Canadian beer sales remained flat in fourth quarter
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MONTREAL—Molson Coors Brewing is hiking its dividend by 16 per cent despite a flat beer market in Canada.
The international beer company says its sales in the United States and Europe did well in the fourth quarter while its Canadian operations struggled due to several factors.
Part of the reason for the weak results from Canada was the lower value of the loonie compared with the U.S. dollar, but Molson Coors said it also faced promotional challenges and soft consumer demand.
The company said its Canadian pre-tax income was down 14 per cent to US$88.9 million and, even in Canadian currency, was down nine per cent from a year earlier.
Overall, however, Molson Coors says its underlying fourth-quarter profit improved and its dividend will rise to the equivalent of 37 cents US per share on March 17, an increase of five cents.
Under standard U.S. accounting rules, including taxes, it had $131.3 million (U.S.) of net income or 71 cents per share — compared with $60.1 million or 33 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2012.
On an adjusted basis, Molson Coors reported $125.8 million of after-tax income, or 68 cents per share, compared with $126.1 million or 69 cents per share a year before.
Molson says its pre-tax income from Europe was up 11.8 per cent to $39.7 million, due to higher volumes, closer costs, better prices and a positive impact from currency fluctuations.
In the United States, its equity income from the MillerCoors beer company increased to 26.9 per cent from a year earlier to US$102.7 million.
Molson Coors’s underlying net income for the quarter increased 30.2 per cent to $241.9 million, driven by marketing and administrative cost reductions, domestic pricing and brand mix, partially offset by the impact of lower volumes and commodity and brewery inflation.
Correction - February 14, 2014: This article was edited from a previous version that made an incorrect reference to MillerCoor's underlying net income.
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Data breach at ride-hailing company spurs Uber to take to the courts to identify the “unauthorized third party” behind the hack.

domain: news


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Microsoft announces it will no longer support running Android apps on Windows 11, 2025 operating system. Such a decision ends one of the most touted features of Windows 11 at launch, leaving many users confused and disappointed.
Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), a technology that allows users to run Android apps on Windows 11 computers, will be officially discontinued on the above date. Therefore, the Amazon Appstore and all apps and games that rely on WSA Will stop running in Windows 11 after this deadline.
When Windows 11 was released, the ability to run native Android apps was one of the highlights that excited many users. Microsoft promotes this feature to provide users with a richer experience and greater flexibility Integrate the world of mobile apps with your desktop operating system.
However, Implementation of WSA was limited from the start. Instead of providing access to the Google Play Store, Microsoft has chosen to partner with the Amazon App Store. This choice greatly limits the selection of available applications. Additionally, the implementation of WSA support is incremental and limited, making adoption difficult for users.
Reasons behind the decision
According to sources close to Microsoft, WSA user adoption is disappointingly low. The Company believes that the effort and resources required to maintain and improve this feature are unreasonable compared to actual use.
Another reason may be related to Lack of purpose-built Windows devices Take advantage of mobile apps. The lack of Windows tablets and hybrid devices on the market limits the appeal and usefulness of this feature.
Alternatives and an uncertain future
Despite Microsoft's decision, some members of the open source community expressed their thoughts Interested in forking the WSA project and keeping it alive With new features and support for future versions of Android. But the program still faces challenges, and its long-term success is uncertain.
also, Google recently launched its own Android emulator for PC,namedGoogle Playgames, mainly focusing on games. The emulator is still in beta, but could be a viable alternative for those interested in running Android games on a Windows computer.


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This Wednesday, Bitmain, the manufacturer specializing in bitcoin mining equipment, revealed its latest offering—an air-cooled BTC miner dubbed the T21 Antminer. The machine promises a hash rate of as high as 190 terahash per second (TH/s) and operates with an efficiency measure of about 19 joules per terahash (J/T).
Bitmain Launches T21 Antminer Amidst Industry Competition
In the wake of Microbt revealing its newest mining technology, Bitmain has countered by expanding its comprehensive lineup of hashing machinery with the T21 Antminer. On the 25th of October, Bitmain showcased the capabilities of the T21, which includes a peak hash rate of 190 TH/s and an energy efficiency rating of 19 J/T.
Moreover, Bitmain has announced an auxiliary plan to protect customers against bitcoin price volatility. This ensures that customers will be financially compensated if the market price of BTC drops below a predetermined threshold on a specified reference day during a safeguarded timeframe.
The bitcoin price volatility protection plan is structured in several levels based on the length of the safeguarded period. Bitmain has clarified that should a triggering event occur, the affected customers would receive immediate compensation.
This new T21 Antminer is the most recent addition to a sequence of product releases by Bitmain. Last month saw the introduction of two devices from the S21 series—the S21 Hyd, capable of achieving a hash rate of 335 TH/s with an energy efficiency of 16 J/T, and the air-cooled S21, which can reach up to 200 TH/s with an efficiency of approximately 17.5 J/T.
While the S21 air-cooled version holds marginally better specifications in comparison to the T21, the latter excels over the previous generation of S19 Antminers when it comes to efficiency. Technical specifications for the T21 outline a power consumption of 3,610 watts, and the product is slated for shipping in the first quarter of 2024.
In terms of physical dimensions, the T21 is roughly equivalent to its S21 air-cooled counterpart. The current year has witnessed the debut of multiple new mining devices by the three predominant bitcoin mining equipment manufacturers—Bitmain with three releases, Canaan with two, and Microbt with another three.
We invite you to share your perspectives on Bitmain’s latest bitcoin mining technology, the T21 Antminer, in the comments section below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Bitmain T21 Antminer
What is the Bitmain T21 Antminer?
The Bitmain T21 Antminer is the latest air-cooled bitcoin mining machine introduced by Bitmain. It boasts a peak hash rate of 190 terahash per second (TH/s) and an energy efficiency ratio of approximately 19 joules per terahash (J/T).
How does the T21 Antminer compare with previous models from Bitmain?
The T21 Antminer excels over the previous S19 Antminer series in terms of efficiency ratios. While it does not perform as well as the recent S21 series in hash rate, its energy efficiency is competitive, making it a considerable option in Bitmain’s product lineup.
What is Bitmain’s BTC Price Volatility Protection Plan?
Bitmain has also introduced a BTC price volatility protection plan alongside the T21 Antminer. This plan aims to financially safeguard customers by offering compensation if the market price of bitcoin falls below a predetermined level on a specified reference day within a protected timeframe.
How is the compensation determined in the BTC Price Volatility Protection Plan?
The plan is structured in several tiers, depending on the duration of the protected period. If a triggering event, such as a significant drop in BTC price, occurs within this period, Bitmain asserts that compensation will be paid to the customers immediately.
When is the T21 Antminer expected to ship?
The T21 Antminer is expected to be available for shipping in the first quarter of 2024.
How does the T21 compare to other miners in terms of power consumption?
According to the technical specifications, the T21 Antminer has a power consumption of 3,610 watts.
What other manufacturers have released new mining devices this year?
Apart from Bitmain, which has released three new devices this year, other leading bitcoin mining machine manufacturers like Canaan and Microbt have also unveiled new products. Canaan introduced two new devices, while Microbt announced three.
How does the T21 Antminer compare in size and weight to the S21 series?
The T21 Antminer is roughly equivalent in terms of physical dimensions and weight to the S21 air-cooled Antminer.
More about Bitmain T21 Antminer
- Bitmain Official Website
- T21 Antminer Product Specifications
- Bitcoin Market Analysis
- Overview of Mining Equipment Manufacturers
- Guide to Bitcoin Mining Efficiency
- Details on BTC Price Volatility Protection Plans


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First unveiled at Formnext 2019, the Motor Additive Manufacturing BOat (MAMBO) was produced by Continuous Fiber Manufacturing (CFM), a patented 3D printing technology that involves the use of robots guided by generative algorithms.
“We participated in the Genoa boat show in 2017, and it was during this event that we came up with the idea of making MAMBO,” said Gabriele Natale, CEO and Co-founder of Moi Composites. “We saw the project take shape first, then brought it to life, and finally MAMBO arrived today at the sea. We have a 3D printed boat, enhancing the concept of customization with a one-of-a-kind design created and tailored from the owner’s mind, to give everyone the opportunity to understand and experience the sea in their own way.”
Additive manufacturing in the marine sector
3D printing is being utilized on a growing scale within the marine, maritime, and naval sectors, and has seen significant investment over the last couple of years.
In 2018, Maine Technology Institute (MTI), a business development service, awarded $500,000 to the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center, enabling researchers to explore ways to economically 3D print boat structures on a large scale. A year later, the center received three Guinness World Records for the world’s largest prototype polymer 3D printer, largest solid 3D printed object, and largest 3D printed boat.
Elsewhere, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) developed a 3D printable autonomous fleet of boats, while Singapore’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and Maritime Port Authority (MPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the digitalization and advancement of manufacturing in the maritime sector, specifically with 3D printing. Shortly after, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) also signed an MoU to explore additive manufacturing and data analytics for naval applications.
Most recently, the Department of Defense naval research company Navatek and the University of Maine were granted a $5 million contract by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to advance 3D printing materials and manufacturing processes for the construction and optimization of Navy and Marine Corps vessels.
Making the MAMBO
Led by Moi Composites, the project brought together experts from across the automation, composite materials, and nautical industry, including Autodesk, Catmarine, Confindustria Nautica, Mercury Marine, MICAD, Osculati, and Owen’s Corning.
Spanning 6.5 meters by 2.5 meters, the 3D printed boat weighs approximately 800 kg and boasts a navigation system and a 115 cv engine. MAMBO’s hull forms an inverted triangle shape based on Sonny Levi’s famous Arcidiavolo design.
Utilizing the CFM process, sections of the boat were 3D printed using two KUKA Quantec High Accuracy robots at Moi’s Milan headquarters and Autodesk’s Advanced Manufacturing Facility (AMF) in Birmingham, U.K. The robotic machines deposited continuous fibers infused with thermosetting resin to create the fiber-reinforced parts, which exhibited similar mechanical characteristics to that of unidirectional fiberglass. Once printed, the parts were joined together and laminated to produce a one-piece sandwich structure.
In total, the design and printing process lasted two months. Since its conception, MAMBO has won the special award in yachting from Monaco Yachting Cluster‘s board and took home the audience choice award for the 2020 Mark Challenge.
Nominations for the 2020 3D Printing Industry Awards are still open, let us know who is leading the industry now.
The fourth edition of the 3D Printing Industry Awards Trophy Design Competition is now underway. Enter your design for the chance to win a CraftBot Flow 3D printer.
Are you looking for a job in the additive manufacturing industry? Visit 3D Printing Jobs for a selection of roles in the industry.
Featured image shows Moi Composite’s MAMBO fiberglass boat to be showcased at the 2020 Genoa Boat Show. Image via Moi Composites.


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Wurl Delivers Over 1 Billion Personalized Ads in First Full Year
In its first year of operation, Wurl’s network has grown to reach nine countries
PALO ALTO, Calif.—Broadcasters who question just how important targeting individuals with advertising via new NextGen TV capabilities take note: Wurl, a connected TV service provider, today says it has delivered 1.2 billion personally targeted ads in its first full year of operations.
The company, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Wurl, announced that over the past 12 months it has expanded its network to nine countries, reaching 100 million connected TVs and delivering 225 million hours of programming.
During the period, the company launched 180 streaming channels on the Wurl Network. Key metrics reveal ad impressions grew more than 15 times from the last quarter of 2018 to the same quarter in 2019; average revenue per user (ARPU) for the period grew 75%; and the company’s revenue tripled for the fiscal year 2019, said Wurl.
From Q3 to Q4 2019, the number of channels on the company’s network grew 41% and ad impressions climbed 45%, the company said.
“Our growth has exceeded our own expectations,” said Sean Doherty, Wurl CEO. “Our business model is built on key areas of expansion: adding more video producers to our network, launching more streaming channels, increasing viewers per channel and increasing the advertising fill rate.”
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Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.


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Cooliris has released a free iPhone version [App Store] of their browser plug-in that allows users to browse and search through images and video on the web.
Cooliris makes finding news and search results a breeze by displaying them as an endlessly streaming 3D Wall, complementing the touch screen perfectly.
Search across Google, Flickr, Yahoo and much more. Discover News, Sports, Technology and Business - faster than ever before with the flick of a finger. These channels take advantage of location-based services to deliver regional news just for you.
The 3D wall view allows you to take advantage of the iPhone's multi-touch to scroll and zoom your way around the images.
App Store Link: Cooliris
Update: Cooliris has pulled the app after discovering that a bug in the iPhone firmware 2.1 affects the uninstallation process of Cooliris. A revised version of the app containing a workaround for the bug has been submitted to Apple for review and release.
Update #2: The revised version is now available.


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Suara.com – Hearing the word honey is certainly not foreign to the ears of many people. But have you ever known about the ins and outs of cultivation?
One thing that is not widely known is that honey cultivation has provided benefits and has supported the economy of a number of honey bee cultivators. One of them is from the Industrial Plantation Forest Company (HTI) one of APP Sinar Mas’ business units, PT Wirakarya Sakti.
The Independent Business Group in Sungai Rambai Village, Senyerang District, West Tanjungjabung Regency, Jambi, for example, has started beekeeping since 2020. Now the group, which has 11 members, has managed 2,000 boxes of Apis Mellifera bees.
This Independent Business Group partners with PT WKS through the Desa Makmur Peduli Api (DMPA) program–APP Sinar Mas’ flagship program–to manage honey non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The group was given a facility in the form of an allocation of a beekeeping site within the acacia forest concession area.
4 Benefits of Drinking Lemon and Honey for Health
“We are also given facilities in the form of capacity and resource development. The plan is that on October 3, 2022, we will participate in an exhibition in Jakarta which is facilitated by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN),” said Wanudin, Head of the Independent Business Bee Farmer Group in his statement, Friday (30/9/20220).
Since partnering with the company PT. WKS, Wanudin, admitted that he had made many changes to the group’s economy. From the beginning this group only focused on sharing the results of the partnership, now the group has other income from beekeeping so that it helps support its income.
In addition, honey products from captivity that they manage continue to increase. In a month his group can produce as much as 7 tons of pure honey. However, according to Wanudin, the increase in honey production still has problems and has not been fully absorbed.
“On average 1.5 tons are sold a month, so the rest is stocked in warehouses,” said Wanudin, adding that the average monthly turnover of this group is tens of millions with an average price of Rp. 40-70 thousand per kilogram.
Since a month ago their group has opened a marketing branch in Batam, Riau Islands. Through marketing offices outside this area, it is expected to increase sales and also higher prices.
Ask the Doctor: Consumption of Angkak Honey When You Have DHF Is It Safe, Doc?
“In Batam the prospects are still good, and the selling price is still high. But because we are still new, we have not been able to absorb all of the production,” he said.
In addition, through this partnership program, the Mandiri Usaha Group, which is chaired by Wanudin, now has its own trademark. Their honey business has the brand “Melifira Pure Honey”.


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KUALA LUMPUR (April 26): Top Glove Corp Bhd has resolved all 11 International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicators of forced labour, the glove manufacturer said in an exchange filing today.
The group highlighted that the resolution of the 11 ILO indicators of forced labour has been verified by independent international UK consultant Impactt Ltd in its report dated April 22.
“Top Glove has engaged Impactt in July 2020 to advise on measures for improving the company’s labour policies and practices,” it said.
According to a statement issued separately by the glove maker, the 11 ILO issues are:
- abuse of vulnerability
- retention of identity documents
- restriction of movement
- excessive overtime
- abusive working and living conditions
- debt bondage
- withholding of wages
- physical and sexual violence, and
In late March this year, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it has directed personnel at all US ports of entry to begin seizing disposable gloves produced in Malaysia by Top Glove Corp Bhd.
The directive came after the CBP Office of Trade, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, published a forced labour finding against disposable gloves produced by Top Glove, in which the CBP said it has sufficient information to believe Top Glove uses forced labour in the production of disposable gloves.
Meanwhile, the glove manufacturer stated its assurance to stakeholders of its continued efforts to improve the welfare of its employees.
“Top Glove remains committed to [being] the best company that it can become, ensuring high quality welfare, health, safety, working conditions and living accommodation of its 21,000 strong workforce,” it added.
At noon break today, shares of Top Glove ended 11 sen or 1.92% higher to RM5.84, valuing the world’s glove manufacturer at RM47.93 billion.


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A blogger once called click fraud Google’s ‘Achilles Heel’. As far back as 2005 this was recognized as a severe problem, as Donna Bogatin pointed out on zdnet:
Google’s efforts to undermine third party click fraud auditing services is but the latest tactic employed by Google in an aggressive public relations campaign to sway the public to believe that Google has the click fraud problem “under control.”
Google now calls click fraud “invalid clicks” and purports to provide advertisers data proving they are “filtering out” invalid click activity.
The Google AdWords feature claiming to provide advertisers a “detailed picture of invalid click activity,” however, merely reflects Google self-reported, internally generated data.
The post came out around the time the first big click fraud case occurred, with Samuel Lassoff, a Philadelphia-based attorney, filing a class action complaint against Google, Inc., in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, accusing Google of: ‘breach of contract, negligence, unjust enrichment and unfair business practices,’ due to click fraud.
According to Lassoff’s filing:
In December 2005, plaintiff received an invoice regarding his Pay Per Click advertrising, where it was discovered that plaintiff was the victim of hundreds of dollars worth of fraudulent clicks… The defendant engaged in a scheme to hide their negligent handling of plaintiff’s advertising account. The defendant never warned the plaintiffs of fraudulent clicks or made any recovery efforts for the plaintiffs.
Now reports are that click fraud is on the rise, with reports showing that click fraud is way up, according to Search Engine Watch:
Anchor Intelligence saw the attempted click fraud rate increase from 18.6% in Q3 2009 to 25.7% in Q4 2009. Anchor Intelligence defines attempted click fraud as those with malicious intent, and listed the top 5 countries with the highest attempted click fraud rate in 2009 as: Vietnam, U.S., Egypt, Canada, and Australia. The U.S. and Canada accounted for the largest sources of traffic volume.
Click Forensics saw the click fraud rate increase from 14.1% in Q3 2009 to 15.3% in Q4 2009. The click fraud rate in Q4 2008 was 17.1%. Click Forensics identified the countries outside North America as producing the most fraudulent traffic as being: Ukraine, Japan, and the Czech Republic.
Here’s a graph from Anchor Intelligence that gives a good visual of the problem:
How do you protect yourself against click fraud? Watch your site analytic closely for visits from competitors and use article marketing and high quality content creation to attract targeted traffic that converts.


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Major publisher Electronic Arts has officially announced plans to release the next game in Criterion's collision-centric Burnout
racing series with Burnout Paradise
for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game, which is again being developed by the EA-owned Criterion Games, will launch in winter 2007.
As earlier confirmed
by EA, this latest edition of the franchise will move from the series' traditional lineup of pre-formatted races, and instead adopt an open-ended 'sandbox' style game world offering players “an unprecedented level of crash deformation” where players can “do anything, anywhere, anytime.”
The announcement further notes that players will “explore the city, discover events, and look for the best opportunities to crash, jump and pull signature takedowns.” Burnout Paradise
follows the recently launched Burnout Dominator
, released in March 2007 exclusively for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, as well as the current-gen debut of Burnout Revenge
in late 2005 and Xbox 360 SKU debut in early 2006.
“We have been working towards Burnout Paradise
for quite some time. Next generation consoles have opened up a raft of new gameplay opportunities and the Criterion team has leapt at the chance to innovate and raise the bar to an all-new high,” commented Pete Hawley, the game's executive producer.
He added: “There are going to be some big surprises and a lot of new features but the core of the game is still pure Burnout
. Instant accessibility will be reinforced by innovative on-line capabilities which will see Burnout Paradise
smash racing conventions.”


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Finnlines selects OpusCapita’s Purchase-to-Pay solution
November 18, 2014
The shipping company Finnlines and OpusCapita, a specialist in financial management processes and automation, have signed an agreement concerning a Purchase-to-Pay processes automation solution. The solution, which is to be implemented as a cloud service, will be implemented in stages throughout the Finnlines Group.
Under the agreement, OpusCapita will provide Finnlines with an international, highly automated, global service concept that includes, among other things, multichannel receipt of purchase invoices, invoicing automation and versatile payment solutions. These will be offered as SaaS services.
Finnlines is already using a service provided by OpusCapita for integrating processes between companies and online message exchange.
“The recently concluded agreement means that Finnlines will have one service provider for Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) and Order-to-Cash (O2C) transactions, which will substantially improve cost management, transparency and the ability to make forecasts. We are also committed to increasing the degree of electronic processing in the company’s invoicing, and standardizing and further automating the processing of these invoices globally,” explains Seppo Korhonen, Sales Director at OpusCapita.
Finnlines is a part of the Italian Grimaldi Group, one of the world’s largest operators of ro-ro vessels and the largest operator of Motorways of the Sea in Europe for both passengers and freight.
Seppo Korhonen, Sales Director, OpusCapita Solutions Ltd
Tel. +358 40 824 5713, email@example.com


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Futurists predict the jobs that will emerge in Australia in the future
Online shopping world still a mystifying place in the corona-era
Workplace health and safety is going to a new level in the COVID era
Rescue flight brings stranded Aussies home as US death toll soars
Chinese company claims to have invented suit capable of killing the coronavirus
Fashion & Beauty
Tammy Hembrow embraces ‘upside-down bikini’ trend
Resurgence in classic toys to inspire kids in 2020
It's not about being clever, it's about lasting through the day
Generator that uses bacteria to create electricity ‘out of thin air’
University develops mini blood pressure device.
The Sunshine Coast will again host the Australian Body Art Festival this year, as...
A CREATIVE talent known for her unique and colourful jewellery designs, will...
CES 2020: Top tech show reveals future trends we’ll be using
Here is what we know about this year’s occasion.
The Jetsons got it right when it comes to smart homes.
Tracking your dog’s health get hi-tech with new wearables.
This wristband will help you say ‘no’ to junk food.
Gadgets, products, inventions at the world consumer electronics show
Cooroy is set to host free family art activities for the school holidays.
Cooroy has received a special State boost for Australia’s ‘revealing’ arts...


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UPDATE: UK: Union wants Tesco to "up pressure" on Eddie Stobart
Tesco targeted in driver strike
Unite, the union representing 180 Doncaster-based delivery drivers who are facing redundancy, has said that it wants Tesco to step in and increase pressure on Eddie Stobart to reach a "reasonable settlement" in negotiations.
The drivers' contracts were transferred to Eddie Stobart when the transportation group purchased Tesco's Doncaster distribution centre in August. One month later, Eddie Stobart informed the drivers that their positions were to be eliminated.
"We believe that this was a betrayal of a hard working workforce by Tesco," a spokesperson for Unite told just-food. "Tesco have to bare some responsibility for what has happened."
While Unite is currently in talks with Stobart management over redundancy terms, the union said that it wants Tesco to step in and use its weight to influence negotiations.
"We don't think that Eddie Stobart are showing an appropriate degree of seriousness... Tesco, as Stobart's client and the drivers' former employer, could put pressure on Stobart to get it sorted," the spokesperson said.
Unite plans to target Tesco by staging a demonstration outside a store in London tomorrow (31 October). The move will coincide with a three-day strike that will also begin shortly after midnight tonight and follows a previous two-day strike that was held earlier this month.
Unite said that it believes that the strike action has - and will - cause "quite a large and severe" disruption to Tesco deliveries in the Yorkshire and Humber regions.
Retailers in Europe are looking again at the in-store experience for shoppers, refurbishing outlets and using technology, writes IRI's Laura Volpini....
The GM debate has re-emerged in the UK in the last couple of weeks with the news four major supermarket operators will allow their suppliers to use GM feed for poultry and eggs....
Sainsbury's has insisted it has "no plans" to open stores in India following a claim from a local government minister the UK grocer was interested in entering the market....
Cheese manufacturer Joseph Heler has launched what it claims is the first reduced salt cheddar to the UK market....
- Why US foodservice could offer route to growth
- Foodservice in the US - what the analysts say
- How can brands capitalise in US foodservice?
- Why "simple" and "real" will be industry buzzwords
- UK organic industry's bullish outlook
- UPDATE: Mondelez confirms Irish plant changes
- Thorntons sales, profits fall
- WhiteWave launches "Australian-style" yoghurt
- Saputo's Warrnambool to buy Lion's cheese arm
- Greenyard Foods, Univeg, Peatinvest mulling merger


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Earlier this year, a successful marketer was invited by her CEO to present the new ad strategy for her biggest brand to the board.
PepsiCo has been giving tours of its new content studio in New York.
A marketer told me, not long ago, that he had fired his advertising agency after the last two ads it had made for the brand were named and shamed as Campaign Turkeys of the Week.
No apologies for adding to the noise around ISBA's salvo in media agencies' direction last week, with clients concerned that they can't trust agencies on issues like "click fraud, viewability, verification and brand safety".
I saw a punk on the Tube this week and felt a warm rush of nostalgia for a time when people enjoyed looking interesting (in a tribal kind of way) and challenging.
Meet the man who, in less than four years, captured the hearts of the tight-knit London scene and established Advertising Week Europe as a fixture in the industry calendar
There was a moment, pretty early on, in the talk between Sir Martin Sorrell and Bernie Ecclestone at Advertising Week Europe when it seemed the world had slipped on its axis. Were we back in the 70s?
Claire Beale meets the man who, in less than four years, captured the hearts of the tight-knit London scene and established Advertising Week Europe as a fixture in the industry calendar.
Advertising Week Europe kicks off this week with a new venue in London's Picturehouse Central and four days of seminars featuring agency chiefs and marketing leaders.
Next week will be dominated by Advertising Week Europe and D&AD's festival, where the world's best creative work will be judged and displayed (and we've dedicated more of this week's issue to creativity than usual to mark the occasion).
Integration is the theme of the week.
The School Reports are the definitive assessment of how the biggest advertising and media agencies performed last year.
I was in Campaign's US headquarters in the fashion district of Manhattan last week when the New York Post published a story headlined: "JWT CEO made rape jokes, mocked Jews and blacks: suit."
A small story from a senior woman in our industry.
Apparently, if you tally up the winners of the major effectiveness awards around the world over the past year, you'll discover that Procter & Gamble has displaced Unilever as the world's most effective advertiser.
I had a drink the other day with a young designer who has just struck out with a couple of partners to launch their own business.
Setting a budget can be a crude and unsatisfactory process.
There were a lot of unanswered questions when Publicis Groupe announced its restructure last autumn.
A researcher with a big brain told me the other day that the word "creative" is becoming toxic.
Two subjects dominate this week - wildly different but both important to secure the industry's future health.


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As reported by the specialized website Bloomberg, Apple is readying a series of bundles that will let its customers subscribe to several of the company’s digital offers at a lower monthly subscription. According to the website, the already mentioned packages would be launched in October under the ‘Apple One’ brand, alongside the next iPhone line.
Always according to Bloomberg, there will be different tiers: a basic package will include Apple Music and Apple TV+, the company’s new SVOD OTT, officially launched in November, but not yet available in Latin America; while a more expensive variation will have those two services and the Apple Arcade gaming service. The next tier will add Apple News+, followed by a pricer bundle with extra iCloud storage for files and photos. The offerings are designed to save consumers about USD 2 to upwards of USD 5 a month, depending on the package chosen. In addition, the new bundles will be geared toward families, meaning they will work with Apple’s ‘Family Sharing’ system, that provides access to as many as six people for each service.
Apart from the services bundles, Apple is also planning new software and hardware bundles, including giving buyers of the Apple TV STB a free year of Apple Arcade. That would follow a free year of Apple TV+ offered to those purchasing new Apple devices. Last year, when launching its new OTT, the company offered students free access to Apple TV+ with a subscription to Apple Music.


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Renault has officially confirmed that it intends to launch a budget EV in Europe under its Dacia brand. According to its end-of-year financial results report for 2019, it aims to launch an all-electric Twingo Z.E. in 2020, while the electric Dacia is slated for reveal sometime in 2021 - 2022.
And it’s not an electric version of the Duster, which has soared in popularity in Europe and other markets over the last few years (although such a model is still in the cards, since a mule was spotted one year ago). Renault calls this future budget EV the “Dacia Urban City car,” hinting at the fact that in terms of size, it will slot below its Sandero subcompact.
It has been speculated that this Dacia EV will be a rebranded version of the Renault City K-ZE, a China-only all-electric crossover that was first shown at the 2018 Paris motor show. These speculations may prove true, because the K-ZE (the EV version of the Renault Kwid) already kind of looks like a Dacia model, hinting at the fact that it was planned from the start to be suitable to bear both the Renault diamond badge and the Dacia bottle cap opener badge.
The Dacia Urban city car’s specs will undoubtedly be similar (if not indentical) to those of the Chinese market K-ZE. It has a not very powerful 45 horsepower electric motor whose maximum torque output is 125 Nm (92 pound-feet), and it draws from a 26.8 kWh battery pack - top speed is 105 km/h (65 mph)
Its claimed range, calculated based on the old NEDC cycle, is 271 km (168 miles), but it will probably drop to around 200 km (124 miles) or even lower, as per the new WLTP test procedure. It has also been speculated that the Dacia EV really is a rebranded Renault K-ZE, then it will continue to be manufactured in China and shipped to Europe, and not built at Dacia’s main plant in Romania.
The fact that the French automaker would bring a version of the K-ZE to Europe was confirmed back in 2019 by Olivier Murguet, Renault’s Sales Manager, that bringing the model to the Old Continent would be “a first step.” He went on to state that it would incur some reengineering in order to improve its safety credentials, as well as changing its charging port to be compatible with what’s used in Europe; he also confirmed it would be renamed, when interviewed by automobilwoche.de.
Last but not least, since this is a Dacia, whose models mainly sell because they offer an unbeatable value for money proposition, the brand’s first EV will surely undercut rivals in this respect. Expect it to cost from as little as €15,000 ($16,260), seriously undercutting similar size rivals like the VW e-Up! which can be had from around €20,000 ($21,680).
Gallery: 2019 Renault City K-ZE
This is considerably more than what it costs in China, where it can be had from the equivalent of around €8,000 ($8,760).


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Fortune 500 execs - only 14.3% of women
Updated 8:19 pm, Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Number of the day
That's the portion of women who hold executive positions at Fortune 500 companies. Women have made few inroads this year in joining corporate boards and executive teams despite high-profile appointments such as Marissa Mayer as CEO at Yahoo. Catalyst, a nonprofit researcher, says less than a fifth of Fortune 500 companies have at least 25 percent of their board seats filled by women. More than a quarter have no women in executive roles.
"For somebody to buy it, you have to figure out what you are really paying for."
Sameet Sinha, an analyst at B. Riley & Co. in San Francisco, on the possible sale of Groupon. The online-coupon service is now worth $2.8 billion; its shares have plunged 79 percent this year amid accounting missteps, increased competition and growth that failed to materialize. To turn things around, the Chicago company rolled out Groupon Goods, which sells everything from bed frames to perfume at discount prices and competes with giants like Amazon.com, the world's largest Internet retailer.
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- 2 min read
India clears $2.7 billion Micron chip testing plant as PM Modi arrives in US: Report
China in May said Micron had failed a security review and barred operators of key domestic infrastructure from purchasing products from the United State's biggest memory chipmaker
India's cabinet has approved U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology's $2.7 billion plan for a new semiconductor testing and packaging unit, a senior government source said on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US on a state visit.
The government agreed production-linked incentives worth 110 billion rupees ($1.34 billion) for the plant, which is set to be built in Gujarat, the Indian official added. He declined to be identified ahead of a planned announcement during Modi's visit.
Cabinet approval was required due to the size of the incentive package, the source added. Micron's plan had been previously reported but not the approval by cabinet.
During his visit, which starts on Tuesday, Modi will meet the chief executives of a number of top American companies, including FedEx and MasterCard, and will be hosted at a state dinner in the White House on June 22.
Micron Technology's plans come as the White House presses U.S. chip companies to invest in India with talks ongoing about possible further investments, U.S. administration officials told Reuters.
Biden wants domestic companies to decrease the risks of doing business in China while better integrating the U.S. economy with that of the world's largest democracy, one U.S. official said.
A senior Biden administration official said the White House was "encouraged" by the number of U.S. firms considering India investments.
China in May said Micron had failed a security review and barred operators of key domestic infrastructure from purchasing products from the United State's biggest memory chipmaker, angering the Biden administration. The U.S. Commerce Department declined to comment.
An Indian industry source familiar with Micron's approvals said the so-called Assembly Testing Marking and Packaging will be built in the city of Sanand.
Such units test and pack semiconductor chips, but do not manufacture them. Micron could procure and package chip for clients at the plant, or other companies could send their chips for testing before shipping.
The source added that Micron's India plant would boost Modi's vision of making India a semiconductor base but true success would require actual manufacturing.
Reuters reported this month that three big companies, including a Foxconn joint venture, that bid for Indian semiconductor incentives were struggling due to the lack of a technology partner.
The Micron deal "helps the vision but not in a phenomenal way because still the major part of puzzle lies in setting India as a semiconductor base," said the industry source.


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Toyota's CEO and President Akio Toyoda, who admitted yesterday he feels "ashamed" of the motor company's latest recall troubles, will be asked to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill when he reportedly plans on visiting the U.S. in the coming weeks.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), a ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said today that he will ask Toyoda to meet with the congressional panel and will request the committee's chairman Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) also invite Toyoda to a hearing scheduled Feb. 24.
In a statement, Issa said the requested meeting is due to "the number of outstanding questions surrounding Toyota's relationship with U.S. regulators."
"I would think that Mr. Toyoda would be receptive to the opportunity to meet with policymakers and there certainly is widespread interest from Capitol Hill and the American people to hear directly from him," Issa said.
Snowstorms in Washington, D.C. delayed the hearing, which was originally set for today.
Yesterday, the Toyota CEO said he was now personally taking charge of the recall situation and promised to visit the U.S. soon "to explain the conditions and the situation to those people."
"Let me assure everyone," Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, said from the company's global headquarters, "that we will re-double our commitment to quality as a lifeline of our company with myself taking the lead."
U.S. and Congressional investigators want to know why the Japanese car company waited at least a month to inform its customers and government agencies of the braking problem, well after it had introduced a fix to the software in cars being manufactured.
The Toyota CEO told reporters he "did not recall the exact month and day" when the company first learned of the brake problem with the Prius. "I consistently receive all sorts of information," he said. "If you ask when, the answer is this year."
Toyota Acceleration Accidents
Some Toyota owners in the United States have been in rebellion over the company's slow response to their complaints of unwanted and uncontrolled acceleration that resulted in runaway cars.
Since 2003, the company has received reports of more than 2,000 accidents and 19 deaths tied to the acceleration problem.
Toyoda, who will address Toyota employees about the situation when he visits the U.S., said he has not yet fixed his own Prius.
When asked by ABC News if any Toyota officials would be held responsible for the global recall Toyoda said, "In regards to responsibility, Toyota's responsibility is that we have to truly cooperate together to regain the trust of our customers."
"I don't personally believe Toyota is failure proof," Toyoda said as translated. "But when we receive inquires or reports from customers we make sure that all of those things are corrected and modified, (we) implement improvement so that we can provide better products for our customers. We have done that in the past and we will continue to do so in the future as well."
"We will do everything in our power," Toyoda said in English, "to gain the confidence of our customers."


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Brazil's national data protection authority (ANPD) is investigating the first leak of instant payment credentials under the custody and responsibility of the Bank of the State of Sergipe (Banese).
The Central Bank reported the incident on September 30 saw 395,009 phone numbers of non-account holders used as "keys" for transactions carried out through Pix, the country's instant payments system.
According to the IT department at Banese, the details are likely to have been obtained through social engineering or phishing techniques.
In a statement, ANPD noted that it received a communication "from a financial institution about a security incident around the leakage of holders' personal data through the Instant Payments System (Pix)" on September 30.
The data protection body added that, on the same day, it was contacted by the Central Bank about a security incident on the same fact. This is the first major leak involving Pix since its launch last November.
According to ANPD, preliminary analysis on both communications has been carried out "to identify the responsibility of the multiple [data] treatment agents" involved in the case.
"Within the scope of its legal mission, [ANPD] will work with those responsible to ensure that the [Pix key] holders are properly informed, to ensure all the technical measures are adopted to avoid new similar incidents and that the appropriate actions are taken to reduce the impact of what happened on [key] holders", the note added.
With major information security incidents becoming more frequent in Brazil, ANPD recently launched a data protection guide as part of efforts to raise awareness on the issue among the general public. The material includes guidance on the steps that should be taken in case of incidents relating to personal data.
The Banese leak follows the Central Bank's decision to cap the value of transactions carried out through Pix between individuals at night at 1,000 reais ($182). The decision aims to reduce kidnappings and will also apply to debit cards used for payments via WhatsApp Pay.


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With the upcoming release of the next technical preview build for Windows 10, Microsoft has updated the way the Wi-Fi connections pane currently works and it is likely the first change of many.
...of Windows 10 Mobile, Samsung's latest slip-up and Clippy's machismo
Hands on with Verizon's Lumia 735
Discover all of our Windows 10 PC and Mobile coverage here!
Review: Ulefone Be Touch
Polling app Straw goes global with 2.0 release (and we chat about it with @BenThePCGuy)
Microsoft: Windows Insider program is not a free upgrade path for XP users to Windows 10
In the latest build of Windows Threshold, the virtual desktop feature is being polished up and the Charms bar has apparently come back from the dead to maybe live again.
Rumours surrounding the release of Windows 8.1 are flying thick and fast - the most recent of which suggests the Start Button will be returning alongside an updated Charms Bar.
Another day, another leak of screenshots from Windows 8 build 8220. While the classic desktop is still more of the same, there is a new tasty UI tidbit - and it's not the Start orb.


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We’re still waiting for Council to take action on vehicles for hire, so here’s some more reading on the subject to keep you up to date on what’s happening elsewhere.
A question asked and then tentatively answered about a possibly beneficial side effect of having companies like Uber and Lyft and the added transportation options they would bring to one’s city. It’s hardly a ridiculous question to ponder – Grits was pondering the same thing over two months ago, after some high-profile DUI fatalities in Austin, including one particularly tragic on at South by Southwest. More transportation options was the subject of a Statesman story at the time, and Uber and Lyft were suggested as possible remedies. The data so far is extremely preliminary and comes from Uber itself, but again, the premise is sound. It’s worth considering and keeping an eye on.
Chron tech writer Dwight Silverman and his wife visited Atlanta, used Uber exclusively to get around, and generally had a great experience with it. Note that in Atlanta, as in Houston, Uber is currently operating without the authorization of city officials, and they are as fast and loose with the rules there (picking up people at the airport even though their not supposed to) as they are here. Make of that what you will.
For those of you that think cab companies should just adapt to changing technology or suffer the market consequences, I give you this:
Uber Monday evening called Seoul city government’s earlier statement a sign that it lags behind in adopting what it called an innovation in transportation. “Comments like these show Seoul is in danger of remaining trapped in the past and getting left behind by the global ‘sharing economy’ movement,” the statement said. An Uber spokesman in Seoul denied that the service was illegal as Uber is “a technology company that connects drivers with passengers” and doesn’t directly run a taxi service with rented cars.
The Seoul city government said Monday it would seek a ban on a car-hailing smartphone app from Uber Technologies Inc., joining a global battle by municipalities and traditional taxi services against the service.
The local authority said in a statement that Uber is illegal under South Korean law, which forbids fee-paying transport services using private or rented motor vehicles unregistered with the authorities.
The city added that it will launch in December an app that will provide similar features to Uber for official taxis, such as geo-location data on cabs nearby, information about them and their drivers, as well as ratings.
A Seoul-based Uber spokesman said the company was preparing a response to Seoul’s move, which follows a string of other actions taken by the city against the service in recent months.
Be careful what you wish for, I suppose. Definitely worth keeping an eye on this as well.


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Optimism is growing among the CFO ranks as finance executives see an end to the Great Recession. Fifty-eight percent of finance execs say they are more optimistic about the economy than they were last quarter, and 48% say they are more optimistic about their own companies than they were three months ago, according to the latest Duke University/CFO magazine Global Business Outlook Survey, which queried 657 U.S. finance executives in early September. For the first time in a year, CFOs expect earnings growth over the next 12 months.
J.B. Blackwelder, finance chief at ThorWorks Industries, a maker of specialty coatings and equipment for use in construction, says his business has been flat over the past year, which he considers a victory. “We expect another basically flat year in 2010, but then I’m hoping we can move into fast-growth mode because we are really positioned to move forward,” he says. Some competitors have struggled, says Blackwelder, while ThorWorks has retooled machinery, examined its sourcing processes, and honed its collections procedures.
Shawn Carroll, CFO at Crown Services, a temporary-staffing firm, says his business, typically a leading indicator because companies often hire temporary staff before committing to full-time workers, has picked up by about 15% compared with earlier in the year. “We’re actually getting some orders,” says Carroll. “But it’s slow going.”
Indeed, while CFOs are feeling notably better than they were last December, when just 9% said they felt more optimistic than they had the previous quarter, less than 20% believe the recovery is under way; another 20% think it will begin this year. A full 50% predict recovery in 2010, and the remaining 10% don’t see recovery until 2011 or later. What recovery will look like is also up for debate. “I think we’re going to go into a corrected economy where people are going to have to learn how to make money at lower margins, and companies are going to have to watch their costs significantly,” says Carroll.
Perhaps reflecting this cautious mood is the fact that while finance chiefs plan to loosen some corporate purse strings in the coming year, they are still holding back in other spending categories. CFOs expect spending on advertising, research and development, and technology to be flat over the next 12 months after several quarters of decline. Capital spending is still expected to shrink, although by much a smaller percentage than last quarter. “These numbers are all moving in the right direction, and I think that movement is preparation for the future,” says John Graham, finance professor at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and the director of the survey. “We’re treading water now instead of sinking. Still, we’d really like to see positive numbers.”
While spending in many areas has stopped declining — small comfort, perhaps, but comfort nonetheless — there are more layoffs to come. Even though more than 60% of survey respondents have smaller workforces today than they did before the recession began, more than 40% plan to eliminate jobs in the year ahead. Of those CFOs who have made layoffs, just 13% expect to return to prerecession staffing levels in 2010. Nearly a quarter say they may never reach those levels again.
Duke’s Graham says a number of factors are contributing to the bleak employment outlook. Many companies have furloughed workers rather than making layoffs; as their business starts to pick up, they will likely bring those workers back full-time as a first step. Rather than hiring new employees, companies may also ask some workers to pick up overtime hours. “Those two things let you potentially increase production without taking the risk of increasing your workforce,” says Graham. “A company might gain a 5% increase in workers’ hours without hiring anybody.”
Companies are continuing to seek low-cost labor overseas. The evidence: finance executives predict a slight increase in the hiring of offshore workers at the same time they expect U.S. hiring to decline by about 3%.
Norman Boling Jr., finance chief at Compact Power, a small manufacturer of landscaping and construction equipment based in South Carolina, has seen his workforce shrink from more than 500 people to 350 as business has fallen off dramatically over the past year. The company’s service business, which maintains small machinery for such companies as Wal-Mart and Best Buy, has remained stable, however, and Boling is exploring new avenues for growth. “I think we will staff back up,” he says. “But we’ll be hiring in different areas.”
The company just signed a deal with Home Depot to run the retail giant’s large equipment-rental business, a move Boling says marks a dramatic shift in his business and an opportunity to hire new staff. “Our resources are going from a focus on wholesale distribution to a focus on rentals,” he says, in an effort to capture consumers and businesses that are more willing to rent than to buy.
Finance executives overseas are also increasingly optimistic about their own country’s economy. In Europe, 52% of finance chiefs are more optimistic than they were last quarter; in Asia that number surges to 75%, while in China 54% are more optimistic. Finance executives in all regions are also markedly more optimistic about their own businesses than they were three months ago.
Still, there are signs that growth in Europe and Asia will also resume slowly. Nearly 60% of European companies have reduced their workforces since the end of 2007, and less than half expect to return to prerecession staffing levels before 2012. In Asia finance executives say capital spending will remain flat over the next 12 months. Chinese CFOs, however, plan to increase capital expenditures by 6% over the same period.


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UK inflation shock raises chance of June rate hike
UK inflation came in way higher than expected in April, which undoubtedly puts pressure on the Bank of England to hike by another 25bp in June
UK inflation has come in higher than pretty much anyone, including members of the Bank of England's committee, expected in April. Headline inflation came in at 8.7%, higher than the 8.2% consensus. Core inflation picked up from 6.2% to 6.8%. This undoubtedly makes life harder for policymakers and no doubt raises the chance of yet another 25bp rate hike in June.
Of course, April's headline figure was still much lower than it was in March. That's a well-telegraphed effect of last April's 50% surge in electricity/gas prices dropping out of the annual rate. By July, when consumer bills are set to fall by roughly 20%, utilities will be contributing almost nothing to the overall inflation rate – and by October, will be a net drag.
Instead, it's food prices that are now the biggest headache. We're now in an unusual situation where food inflation – at around 19% YoY – has diverged noticeably from the relevant producer output price measure. The latter has undoubtedly peaked on a year-on-year basis. Assuming the most recent month-on-month increases in output prices were to continue through the remainder of this year, it implies that food inflation should be back to the 6% area or below by Christmas.
In practice, we doubt the deceleration will be that aggressive, but there are nevertheless good reasons to think that food will be contributing less to overall inflation by the end of the year.
Consumer and producer food inflation is diverging
Ultimately though, what matters for the Bank of England is services inflation, and that edged up to 6.9% from 6.6% previously – higher than expected. Much of this seems to be down to firms making more widespread changes to prices that are typically reset on an annual basis. Some of this was expected, for example, telecoms prices typically change this time each year. But there were some surprises, including rents which rose by 1.4% on the month, which was the highest month-on-month increase in more than a decade.
There are good reasons to think services inflation is at its peak, and we think the fall in gas prices should alleviate one major source of cost pressures in the sector. Nevertheless, this latest data raise the chance of another rate hike next month.
It's not a foregone conclusion, not least because we still have another set of data before the meeting, and remember the jobs/wages data has been moving in the right direction, as have broader survey measures of price-setting behaviour. If nothing else, market pricing, which on the back of this data is now pricing more than three additional hikes from the BoE, looks too aggressive.
TagsInflation Bank of England


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On behalf of 27 quality-assurance employees at Raven Software, the studio that is the principal developer for the “Call of Duty” series, Activision Blizzard announced Friday that it will begin talks with Communications Workers of America union representatives to negotiate a contract.
New trade union organization “Call of Duty” recognized by Activision Blizzard
Microsoft president Brad Smith declared last week that the company would be more sympathetic to employee unionization attempts in order to “avoid public disagreements” that have plagued other tech titans such as Amazon and Google.
The turnaround comes as Microsoft prepares to make a $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard, which was revealed in January. The companies have stated that the merger, which would be the largest-ever in the video-game industry, will be completed by mid-2023.
“We are committed to creative and collaborative approaches with unions when employees wish to exercise their rights and Microsoft is presented with a specific unionization proposal,” he wrote in a blog post.
On Friday, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick wrote in a memo to U.S. employees, “With the [Raven Software union] election having concluded, we will engage in good-faith negotiations to enter into a collective bargaining agreement.”
On May 23, the QA team at Wisconsin-based Raven Software successfully formed a CWA-affiliated union called the Game Workers Alliance. The union said at the time, “We look forward to working with management to positively shape our working conditions and the future of Activision Blizzard through a strong union contract.”
Previously, Activision Blizzard had refused to voluntarily recognize the Raven Software union. Last month, after the employees voted to unionize, company rep had said in a statement, “We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 Raven employees,” referring to the number of staffers who voted to unionize.
An open letter posted on the Game Workers Alliance’s website addressed to “Activision Blizzard leadership” says, in part, “Following the layoffs that began on December 3, 2021, it has become apparent that the current working conditions have become untenable. These firings came after eight months of assurances that restructuring and increased wages were being negotiated. All of the twelve employees were top performers, all of whom were crucial to the ongoing health of our title, ‘Call of Duty: Warzone’ – which generates over five million dollars in revenue per day. This event is but one instance of the company breaking the trust it has requested of us — and is only one contributing factor that has led us to organizing.”
Check the latest news about tech news section for best information.


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Stratis is a development platform for enterprise businesses to establish their own blockchain. This helps in detangling the developmental processes that must be carried out. Team Stratis is also an expert consulting service and hosting dApps. It is a Blockchain-as-a-Service platform for the development of blockchain-based applications that is said to operate through the cloud which discards the need to maintain to a full client for a target blockchain. Each blockchain that is created is a private sidechain of the main blockchain. This altogether eliminates the need for changing the main Stratis blockchain without having to halt the private blockchain. Stratis now ranks 37 in the crypto verse.
Stratis took one of the most important steps in its lifetime recently. On October 24th this year, Stratis Group Ltd. had been certified as the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV). The Stratis team has their application available on the Azure Marketplace (Microsoft’s cloud marketplace) which also includes their ICO platform and the Stratis C# Full Node.
Stratis also entered a major partnership with UK Meds, the fastest growing online pharmacy, back in August. Stratis’ blockchain solution would be needed to prevent the patients from making multiple orders of potentially harmful drugs from different online pharmacies. The partnership can handle the threats to the patient safety by involving the latest technology available with Stratis in association with the shared Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) led by UK Meds.
CEO of Stratis, Chris Trew stated:
“This is a great example of blockchain being deployed where it’s unique qualities will make a real difference. The days of filling out multiple online forms, from different pharmacies to obtain unsafe levels of medication are over. With blockchain, the industry can cooperate on the critical issue of patient safety using a shared version of the truth.”
Stratis technology is also useful in improving UK Med’s own supply-chain by deploying Stratis’ Smart Contracts in C#. This will lead to the ensuring of each shipment of medication logged on the blockchain when manufactured including it’s a journey to the pharmacy.
Stratis is currently trading at $138,674,998, priced at $1.40 and a circulating supply of 99,146,032 at the time of writing. It’s been trading in green at a praising 67.68%. Even though it is recording a loss of 13.72% if observed by the last 24 hours scale, it had also been struggling hard to cope up with it by registering a profit of 2.54% for the recent past hour.
At a time when the entire crypto verse is trying to come back to steal the crypto show after a massive crypto market collapse, the technologically advanced blockchain platforms like Stratis is what steals the show. The users’ trust which has been broken with the major blockchain platforms have come and sought shelter with brilliant platforms like Stratis. It is exceptionally making a fast move towards its major success with more and more users daily. It had been trading with a flaunting 98% (approximately) as per the weekly reading a few hours ago.


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Twin Cities health IT firm picks new CEO from McKesson
Bauleke will take over as top executive of the St. Louis Park-based company July 8. He was most recently president of health IT giant McKesson's RelayHealth business unit.
Former Healthland CEO Angie Franks will take on the role of president.
Healthland focuses on providing health IT services to community and rural hospitals. Last month, the company acquired Jackson, Miss.-based American HealthTech, which offers electronic health record systems to long-term care providers.
>Click here to read Healthland's news release.
Katharine Grayson covers med tech, clean tech, technology, health care, and venture capital, and she writes the Innovation|Minnesota blog
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China International Industry Fair to open in Shanghai
The China International Industry Fair 2023, a top-level global industrial fair, will open on Tuesday in Shanghai, showcasing the latest industrial innovation and products.
Robots able to make coffee or assemble cars, super-thin stainless steel wires, industrial drones and new materials powered by bio-synthetic technology are expected to shine at the show, Shanghai Daily learned through a media tour on Monday.
Most exhibitors are actively preparing for the show, setting up their booths, testing machines and networks, and optimizing demonstration effects.
The industrial event, known as the CIIF, will take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Qingpu District from September 19 to 23, with an exhibition space of over 300,000 square meters. More than 2,800 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions will participate in this year's fair.
It's a real global industrial festival, "bigger than Hannover Mess" both in terms of exhibition size and exhibitor numbers. It has established a platform for high-quality industrial development in Shanghai and nationwide, with trends covering internationalization, digital transformation and low carbon development, officials and organizers said.
Meanwhile, the offline event shows China's market opening-up policy and improves market confidence for industrial supply chain stability, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.


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Welcome to the premiere issue of Venture Michigan Magazine. The team that brought you X-OLOGY Magazine is proud to introduce a new publication that delivers even more about Michigan businesses and lifestyle.
With a stronger print and digital presence, Venture Michigan presents the people, companies, technologies and ideas that make our state and region a major player on the world’s business stage. We’re also focusing on the Michigan startups and venture capitalists who are changing the face of business in the state.
Plus, Venture Michigan explores education initiatives, recruitment trends and personal profiles of those making news in the business world.
This issue takes a close look at cybersecurity, with writer Mike Brennan covering all the bases — from automotive-related cyber risks and those involving the Internet of Things to ransomware and more. Mike’s knowledge of the region’s cyber community ensures an abundance of need-to-know information for the business world as well as for personal security.
On that same topic, our business profile features Secure-24, a leading global provider of managed cloud services, IT operations and applications hosting. The company cautions every business to be prepared for some type of data breach by having the right preventive services in place. “Something is going to happen,” warns Secure-24 Chief Security Officer Brian Herr, so preparation is key.
On a lighter note, we’re featuring topics that showcase the many attributes that make Michigan an ideal place to live and play. In this issue, for example, our Weekend travel article presents some of the state’s unique wineries that might inspire you to explore this robust wine country.
If wine isn’t your thing, but fishing is, our Weekend lifestyle article highlights many of the lakes and streams throughout the region where the fish are sure to be biting now and well into fall.
Finally, Michigan writer Mike Brogan, our resident book reviewer, shares his thoughts on Keep Calm, a new suspense thriller by Michigan native Mike Binder. The book, which involves a bomb, a setup and Great Britain’s political system, foretells of the country’s decision to cut ties with the European Union.
We look forward to hearing your feedback about Venture Michigan Magazine. Let us know if we’re covering the stories you want to read. Simply email at: email@example.com.
– The Venture Michigan Team


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Rumor has it that the next generation iPhone 5 could actually be waterproof. Believe it or not the technology for waterproofing iPhones, iPads and Smartphones is already out there. There is a phone waterproofing company out there called Liquipel.com who offers a send in service you have your iPhone, iPad or your smartphone treated (waterproofed) and returned to owner. Services start at $69. Now this is not a 100% waterproof guarantee but it has been proven to protect against spills, weather and accidental drops in puddles and even the toilet. How many smartphones and iphones do you think are lost or destroyed evey year from water, thousands, millions. Either way if it works its far more economical than shelling out a $600 for a new iPhone. If this technology comes standard on the new iPhone 5 it would be a smart move by Apple and would definately be a huge selling point. Well lets hope this rumor is true, but only time will tell until the iPhone 5 is released.
This article is written exclusively for iPhoneWeekly.com. Any reproduction or use is strictly prohibited
Photo Provided by: Liquipel


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The first half of a large planned IMF sale of gold went to India, [Nov 2, 2009: International Monetary Fund to Sell One Eighth of Gold Stake to India] and speculation was China would snap up the second half. But it appears the remaining 191 tons will instead be sold on the open market; since this was announced gold has been under some pressure but it might be more of a knee jerk reaction (as the Reuters article below says) since I would assume the sales will happen in intermediate steps over time. While under the guise of raising money to help poor countries, I think the IMF can see the sovereign debt issues that they are going to need to assist with over the next decade and might as well start getting liquid.
As for gold itself, for now a series of lower highs the past few months. A move over $1160 would strike me as bullish ...
- Spot gold dropped about 1 percent on Thursday after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it would sell its remaining gold reserves, but settled in a narrow trading band as the market absorbed the news.
- The IMF announced it would begin phased open-market sales of the remaining 191.3 tonnes of gold under a program launched last year to raise new resources for lending. To avoid disruptions of the gold market, the IMF said the open-market sales will be conducted in a phased manner over time.
- This wasn't totally unexpected given what the IMF has been saying, but it was still enough to give the market a rattle, a gold dealer in Sydney said.
- This is probably a knee-jerk reaction. At the end of the day, the sales from the IMF are well-known, said Jacob Oubina, senior currency strategist for forex.com.
- “This could be regarded as negative, as no central bank wants this gold at this market price,” Dincer said of the IMF’s announcement. “On the other hand, the 191.3 tons will not distort the physical gold market, as buying interest for investment purposes is still intact.”
- Transactions under the previous tranche of the IMF gold-sale program consisted of a 200-ton sale to the Reserve Bank of India in October, followed by November sales of two tons to the Bank of Mauritius and 10 tons to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka


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Starbucks Corporation Board of Directors on Monday provided an update to affirm the search details for the company’s next CEO.
The Wall Street Journal confirmed that the next leader will come from outside the organization.
As stated during the company’s quarterly earnings call last month, the board’s search continues to be on track to identify a successor CEO in the coming months, and the board has agreed with founder Howard Schultz that he will remain as interim CEO through the first fiscal quarter of 2023. This timeline provides the company the ideal runway for a seamless transition and continuity of leadership through the 2022 holiday season, as the business transformation continues.
Starbucks announced in mid-March that former CEO Kevin Johnson would retire in April. To facilitate a smooth transition, the board of directors appointed Schultz as interim CEO. Schultz previously served as CEO from 2008-2017 and 1985-2000 and as president from 2008-2015 and 1985-1994. During his time as leader, Starbucks grew from 11 stores with 100 employees to more than 28,000 units in 77 countries.
Johnson is serving as a special consultant to Starbucks and the board of directors through September.
Since returning as interim CEO on April 4, Schultz has engaged deeply with partners (employees) of all levels of the company, working directly with the leadership team to shape a strategic plan for the future of a reimagined Starbucks Coffee Company. The reinvention plan is being designed through co-creation across the organization with a focus on exceeding the expectations of both partners and customers.
As the next chief executive is named to the position, he or she will undergo full immersion into the company, collaborating with Schultz directly. Driving toward an announcement this fall, the official handoff will take place in the first calendar quarter of 2023. Thereafter, Schultz will remain on the Starbucks Board of Directors.


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Ontario will launch a new Commercialization and Innovation Voucher pilot program for SMEs and global trade forums based on key recommendations from the Jobs and Prosperity Council.
In FP Tech Desk’s Startup Roundup series, we take a look at Canadian startup news from the past week
The Ontario government appears to be throwing its support behind moves to loosen securities laws to allow equity-based crowdfunding
The tragic accident, which also killed three crew members, ended a career that oversaw the biggest expansion of the French energy giant in at least 15 years
Sure, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos devours bookstores. But he also devours books, and has said the he learns more from novels than non-fiction
Apple said it will lump Apple Watch with the iPod, Apple TV, Beats headphones, and other accessories into an 'other products' category in its financial statements
When Vancouver’s RB Energy flamed out this month, investors were shell-shocked. But it’s not the only lithium producer to cost shareholders millions
Martin Pelletier: Large daily swings in the markets recently have not been uncommon, making it a rather challenging environment for investors


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New Study Finds That Legal States Have Lower Rates of Cannabis-Impaired Driving
by Chane Leigh
The United States is set to become sandwiched between two countries that have legalized cannabis on the national level. This comes as Mexico moves ahead with its legislation to federally legalize cannabis for a variety of uses. The United States will thus be stuck between Canada and Mexico’s federally legal cannabis statutes. Will there be an impact on the United States? Currently, the citizens of Canada are free to consume cannabis for both recreational and medicinal purposes thanks to national legalization. Canada’s cannabis legalization has made history as its legalization happened ahead of the rest and it marked the beginning of mobilizing the global cannabis market. When Canada legalized cannabis several years ago, they managed to channel a lot of funds through the Canadian markets since the federal legalization of cannabis made such opportunities viable. Will the federal legalization of cannabis in Mexico have similar opportunities for their markets? Let’s find out.
Federal legalization can be defined as reclassifying something that was previously classified as illicit into something that is no longer illicit but at the level of the governing system. Federal means that it relates to the system of government where the federal government is the head of the house, where the states remain independent but heed the federal government.
For example, if we look at the state of cannabis legalization in the United States, we would find that several states have legalized cannabis on the premise of their own design but cannabis remains illegal at a federal level. This means that in those states, cannabis may be used according to state regulation but that the federal government has the right to pursue anyone outside of state lines permitting cannabis use.
The federal legalization of cannabis in Canada and (soon-to-be) Mexico means that there is only one set of cannabis regulations that apply to the entire country but this also means that citizens will be allowed to consume cannabis in any state of the country. Federal legalization is better than what the United States has going on- simply due to the fact that federal legalization grants ALL citizens the equal rights and responsibilities of cannabis consumption. In the United States, many citizens often have to cross states if they are looking for cannabis in a legal setting.
Mexico is set to become the largest populated country in the world to legalize cannabis and is also predicted to see the biggest consumer market for cannabis products. Mexico has a population of around 125 million people who will all be benefiting from this big leap towards cannabis legalization. Mexico is currently on track to becoming only the third country to legalize cannabis not only for medical purposes but also for recreational use. Canada and Uruguay are the two other countries that have legalized cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes, which has set the example for Mexico. Mexico’s Senate has decided to approve the cannabis legalization bill and will be moving forward to creating a legal framework for turning the illicit market into a licit one.
For many years, the Mexican cannabis market has been the center of cartel business but since certain states in the United States have legalized cannabis, the cartels have had to expand their “drug-line” of products. Unfortunately, the effects of the legalization of recreational and medical cannabis on the cartels and organized crime groups are yet to be understood and even established. Much like how any system legalizes, there will be some time before citizens will see products become available as the country solidifies its legal cannabis programs. Mexico still has a lot of work ahead of them before recreational and medical cannabis legalization takes effect nation-wide. Rules must be established and policies must be developed appropriately before citizens can enjoy the federally legal cannabis market as well as before the country can allow companies to invest and open up cannabis operations in Mexico.
Unfortunately, the deadlines associated with Mexico’s plans to federally legalize cannabis by the end of 2020 have hit many obstacles and delays due to the pandemic or other factors. A last-minute petition was accepted by the Supreme Court to delay the vote until April 2021 instead of meeting the 2020 deadline. The delay in plans is certainly disappointing but it is not surprising to find that the pandemic is to blame. Mexico’s plans to legalize cannabis for medical and recreational use will move ahead, albeit a bit delayed.
The United States has basically lost out on any opportunity to control financial markets and dollar funneling into cannabis industries due to the laissez-faire attitude surrounding cannabis in the Trump Administration. While this may simply seem like an opportunity missed, there’s an underlying impression that the problem is much larger in terms of the global cannabis economy.
With President Biden as the new president, it’s uncertain what the reception will be to Mexico’s nationwide cannabis legalization. However, one thing is for sure, being “sandwiched” between two countries that support federal legalization for both medicinal use and recreational use, will be putting the United States in some questionable spotlight. For a superpower nation who has been on the frontline of many historical movements, the United States is certainly falling way behind and being out-shown by its neighbors on either side.
Smoking cigarettes can impact one’s oral health by putting them at a higher risk of developing the likes of cancer, gum problems, tooth decay, and complications after oral surgery, according to the Better Health Channel. Does smoking cannabis pose the same risks? Unfortunately, it seems that oral health is put at risk regardless of what…
Cannabis is being increasingly chosen as an alternative to pharmaceutical medication, specifically those like opioids that are intended to reduce pain. Cannabis has been shown to effectively block pain, and recent research confirms that it reduces the need for opiate pain killers among cancer patients. These patients arguably have the most to gain from cannabis,…
Have you ever experienced that dreaded “cotton mouth” after smoking a joint? If so, you are not alone. Cannabis, depending on the chosen strain, may reduce saliva gland production. Because of this, the body produces less saliva and the mouth becomes drier than the Sahara Desert! But does this mean that cannabis dehydrates you? This…
Cannabis prohibition started back in the early 1900s in America. States in the east were among the first in the nation to support prohibition. Lawmakers of the time limited public access to cannabis for strictly medical use back in 1914. By 1927—a decade before cannabis was outlawed federally—the state of New York had outlawed cannabis…
Some folks absolutely love moon rocks and others want nothing to do with them. I’m not talking about rocks from our moon—I’m talking about cannabis moon rocks. These mega-balls of THC have started trending in recent years, but many members of the cannabis community still don’t know what they are or what they’re designed for….
Germany began crafting legalization legislation, Rob Dyrdek and DJ Diplo launched a line of cannabis-infused seltzers, and Oregon passed the first-ever synthetic…


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In a drought-stricken country where a majority of farmers still rely on lentils for their staple crops, some farmers are resorting to growing beef and beans instead.
This is the case of Nandu Singh, an elder of Kurukshetra village, in Uttar Pradesh’s Meghalaya state, who has been selling lentils in the village for years.
“My family had used to buy the lentils from the market for about two or three rupees, but we have no money.
Now we have to sell them to pay our rent,” Singh said.
With the drought hitting the state hard, many farmers have started planting beans in their fields.
This is a good opportunity for farmers like Singh, who are facing a tough time.
A drought-hit farmer from the village sells lentils to his neighbours to buy his rent.
The lentils are being sold in the markets of neighbouring districts in Uttar and Bihar, Singh said, adding that they have been growing in the fields of the village since the last few months.
“We have started buying the beans for Rs 5-10 from the farmers in our neighbourhood.
They are not doing it because they are in the midst of a crisis.
But now they are thinking of buying them,” he said.
The beans are not only important for the farmers but also for the locals who are getting ready for the next crop.
“It is a new way to eat lentils,” said a farmer from Nalgonda village in the district.
The farmer, who declined to be named, said that Lentils are a staple in his village and the demand is growing.
“When the crop is sold, it will help the farmers get enough money to pay their rent and other bills,” he added.
Ranjeet Bhatt, another farmer from Thane in Uttar, said, “Lentils are our main food.
The money earned is helping us feed our family and give our children a better start in life.”
This is not the first time that lentils have been used for food in the state.
Earlier this year, farmers from a small village in Uttar state sold lentils on the market to get enough cash for their monthly rent.
In 2014, the government announced a special scheme for farmers that would provide cash grants of Rs 2,000 per hectare to the poor farmers and Rs 10,000 for farmers who are in debt.


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Old Navy has brought on Sarah Holme as vice president of women’s design, a key role of heightened significance in light of the brand’s accelerating overseas expansion and development of “a global collection.”
This story first appeared in the March 3, 2014 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
“Essentially, it’s one broad line that each of the countries selects from,” said Jill Stanton, the chain’s executive vice president of global product design and development, describing the global collection.
Old Navy’s first store in China opened Saturday on Shanghai’s Nanjing West Road. Simultaneous with the opening, Old Navy, which is a 1,000-unit division of Gap Inc., launched a dedicated e-commerce site for China. The plan is to open a total of five stores in China in fiscal 2014. Inclement weather didn’t stop a crowd of umbrella-wielding shoppers from descending on the Shanghai flagship opening.
“This is it! China is where the apparel growth is and bringing Old Navy here is a central part of our global strategy,” Robert Frank, Old Navy’s executive vice president of international, said. “This is the hopping off point to make it work for the rest of Asia.”
Located on Nanjing West Road, the premier shopping street in Shanghai’s downtown Jing’An District, the store’s opening was celebrated in exuberant fashion with performances from the University of Southern California’s drumline.
Old Navy is planning to open a total of five stores in China this year, concentrating on Shanghai for the time being, before testing the waters in other Chinese cities.
In about a month, Old Navy plans to launch a franchise business in the Philippines. Old Navy’s Asian expansion commenced with a pilot store in Japan in 2012. Last year marked Old Navy’s Asian expansion in earnest, with about two dozen stores opening in Japan. The brand sees 43 units operating in Japan by the end of 2014.
Outside the U.S., Old Navy operates in Canada and has an e-commerce presence in nearly 80 countries. Last week, Gap Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Glenn Murphy singled out Old Navy International as potentially delivering among the highest return on investment for the corporation, among the retailer’s growth strategies. He also singled out the potential of the emerging Athleta division, creating a “seamless inventory” and omnichannel initiatives.
Holme will head up all of Old Navy’s women’s design, which is considered the major driver of the Old Navy business, representing an estimated 50 percent of the volume. Most of Old Navy’s shoppers are women, who also buy the value chain’s men’s and kids’ merchandise.
Holme previously was the creative director of U.K.-based Jack Wills, where she was instrumental in growing the brand in that country and bringing it to Asia and the U.S. Earlier, she worked at Laura Ashley and Abercrombie & Fitch.
At Old Navy, she reports to Stanton, who said that while Holme’s arrival does not signal any major shift in the design direction, her skill set will be critical to Old Navy’s expansion. “She brings a broader skill set. Instead of just product design, she understands brand building,” Stanton told WWD. Stanton also cited Holme’s expertise in textiles, colors, patterns and prints. Holme takes the job previously held by Lenard Matias, who left the company.
On the design front going forward, Stanton said Old Navy is building up its assortment of pixie pants, which have stretch and are a bit more dressed up than jeans while still casual. She also cited cropped pants as becoming more important to the assortment, as well as maxidresses, linen, slub T-shirts and color.


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According to video game prognosticator Michael Pachter, Microsoft paid a whole bunch more than we imagined for Grand Theft Auto IV to find its way to the Xbox 360.
Of course, we know to take anything he says with a liberal helping of salt – but he reckons the sum was around 75 million US dollars. Think about that for a bit. That’s enough for 21,008,403 Big Macs, or 150 000 nights – about 5 lifetimes – with a high class Swedish hooker.
â€œGTA IV was going to be a PS3 exclusive, but Microsoft paid Rockstar and Take-Two to make it a non-exclusive, and they paid them a lot,â€ said Pachter.
â€œThe number I’ve heard, and I’m sure this is right, is $75m, and that probably includes the funding for the first DLC packs too. It’s more than the $50m that people talk about.â€
If this information is correct, that’s a HELL OF A LOT of money just to have a game appear on your system, and not be completely exclusive. Was it worth it though? GTA IV did end up selling a boatload on both system – as did the DLC packs which, while exclusive to the 360 for a year, eventually made its way to the PS3 and PC too.
Did Microsoft sell enough systems and resultant games off the back of GTA IV for that sort of outlay to be worthwhile, or was it just an incredibly expensive blunder?
Source : Eurogamer
Last Updated: May 14, 2010