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Do Your Customers Actually Want a “Smart” Version of Your Product?
Harvard Business Review
AUGUST 8, 2017
There’s been a gold rush happening in technology these last few years, focused on the Internet of Things, or IoT. And while we’ve found customers for IoT connectivity, the number of our customers who value the new technology has been much lower than industry projections led us to believe. Analysts at Ericsson, for example, have shaved 20 billion off their early estimates. We began selling this new smart fan option and had several thousand excited early adopters.
Let's personalize your content


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Digital TV News: John Godfrey
Samsung and partners demonstrate live UHD HDR TV via ATSC 3.0 at CES2016
Jan 6, 2016 – At CES 2016, Samsung, Sinclair Broadcast, ONE Media, Pearl TV and TeamCast are demonstrating the broadcast and receiving capabilities of ATSC 3.0. The demonstration includes reception of Ultra HD HDR 4K content in a live transmission originating from a local broadcast TV station.
News categories: Samsung, Sinclair Broadcast, ONE Media, Pearl TV, TeamCast, John Godfrey, Mark Aitken, Kevin Gage, Anne Schelle, Eric Pinson, ATSC 3, CES2022, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Smart TV, Terrestrial, Worldwide
Technicolor and Fraunhofer announce MPEG-H Audio licensing program
Aug 26, 2015 – Technicolor (Paris: TCH; OTCQX: TCLRY) and Fraunhofer IIS have announced the formation of a licensing program as part of the market introduction of the TV audio system developed by the MPEG-H Audio Alliance.
News categories: Technicolor, Fraunhofer, Sinclair Broadcast, Samsung, Manuele Wahl, Bernhard Grill, Mark Aitken, John Godfrey, ATSC 3, Digital TV, Licensing, Patent, USA, Worldwide
Samsung, Pearl TV and Sinclair to collaborate on ATSC 3.0
Jun 17, 2015 – Samsung has announced an MOU with Pearl TV, a partnership of nine leading TV broadcast companies, and Sinclair Broadcast to work collaboratively to support the development and the implementation of the ATSC 3.0 standard.
News categories: Samsung, Pearl TV, Sinclair, John Godfrey, Anne Schelle, Mark Aitken, ATSC 3, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Terrestrial, USA
Samsung, Comark and TeamCast demonstrate ATSC 3.0 at CES
Jan 6, 2015 – Samsung, Comark and TeamCast will demonstrate the world’s first terrestrial broadcast of full ATSC3.0 technology at CES 2015. The demonstration will show a live transmission of MPEG-H HEVC Ultra HD video and MPEG-H 3D audio content.
News categories: Comark, TeamCast, Samsung, Richard E. Fiore, Eric Pinson, John Godfrey, ATSC 3, CES2022, Content Distribution, Digital TV, USA
ATSC 3.0 Technology Group To Explore Next-Generation Broadcasting
Sep 6, 2011 – The ATSC has formed a new technology group to develop 'ATSC 3.0,' a series of voluntary standards and recommended practices for a next-generation digital terrestrial TV broadcast system that would serve viewers and TV stations for decades to come.
News categories: Advanced Television Systems Committee, ATSC 3, Digital TV, Mobile, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, Terrestrial, USA, VR
Samsung Helps Move A-VSB Mobile TV Standard Closer to Adoption and Nationwide Availability
Jan 6, 2008 – Samsung Electronics provided several exciting updates to the audience at CES 2008 on the progress of Advanced-VSB (A-VSB), its proposed mobile television standard that will be a dramatic enhancement to the transmission of digital television in the United States.
News categories: Samsung Electronics, CES2022, Digital TV, Mobile, Tablet, USA
- Tata Sky expands quality and availability monitoring with DataMiner
- Slow recovery in European pay TV revenues expected
- Share of smart TVs and UHD TVs in Germany continues to grow
- Vewd enables Smart TV for pay TV operators with Vestel
- LG brings more content to third-party TVs powered by webOS
- 70% of audiences reached via streaming are not reachable via linear
- t4h. Android TV remote control for SKY Brasil
- ATEME joins Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program
- discovery+ to launch in Canada on October 19
- LiveRamp launches enhanced TV platform
- Comscore enables deduplicated ad campaigns on YouTube and YouTube TV
- Four Hartford TV stations launch NEXTGEN TV
- Vestel rolls out Red Bull TV app to Smart TVs across Europe
- Viaccess-Orca powers Vialis hybrid DTT/OTT service
- TalkTalk selects Netgem for launch of 4K TV service
- 39% of U.S. OTT viewers access video services for specific content
- 60% of UK marketers expect to spend more on Advanced TV
- Foxtel confirms syndication of Sky Glass streaming platform
- Survey highlights attraction of interacting with streaming video
- Yahoo and Tubi partner to streamline CTV ad buying

domain: news


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SAN JOSE, Calif. With chip sets and single-chip solutions now being sampled, and the software drivers and utilities being qualified, wireless USB (WUSB) system hardwareWUSB hubs, host dongles and peripheralswon't be far behind.
The potential market for WUSB nodes is huge, with an estimated 11 million nodes in 2007 growing to over 300 million nodes by the year 2010 according to market research presented at the Certified WUSB developer's conference here by Jeff Ravencraft, the president and chairman of the USB Implementer's Forum.
The goal of WUSB is to eliminate the USB cable tethers that connect peripherals to their host computers, thus giving users the freedom to wirelessly connect to printers, cameras and many other peripherals at full USB 2.0 high-speed transfer rates of 480 Mbits/s.
To accomplish this, the WUSB solutions must be effortless, secure, and reliable, said Fred Bhesania, the lead program manager for WUSB at Microsoft Corp. Without these three aspects, user adoption will falter and return rates of hardware to the vendors will escalate since most potential users don't want to read set-up manuals and install drivers and step through complex set-up procedures. At Microsoft, drivers for Windows XP and the forthcoming Vista operating systems will provide seamless connectivity, with Beta copies of the drivers now available to IHVs (independent hardware vendors), stated Bhesania.
One of the thorniest issues with UWB has been getting the spectrum approvals in all countries to truly make WUSB a worldwide standard said Stephen Wood, president of the WiMedia Alliance. Now, thanks to efforts of the Alliance, consumer devices will soon interoperate as hundreds of industry players commit their resources to ensure interoperability.
Currently the U.S. has committed the spectrum for WUSB, while Japan is expected to approve it in July. Korea, Europe and Canada are also expected to approve the spectrum in the second half of 2006, while China will take until early 2007 to get the spectrum allocation approved. Thus, by the end of the first quarter of 2007, WUSB should be a worldwide standard, stated Wood.
In addition to the spectrum, interoperability is a key concern to ensure users have a true UWB wireless personal area network. To that end, a interoperability testing event held several months ago allowed six vendors of UWB physical (PHY) interface solutions (Alereon Inc., Realtek Semiconductor, Staccato Communications, WiQuest Communications, Wisair and TZero Technologies Inc.) to test their chip-level implementations.
At the same time, test vendors such as Agilent, LeCroy, and Tektronix were able to demonstrate the ability to do analytical measurements on the PHYs, including tests such as error vector magnitude, power spectral density and various signal-quality measurements to ensure compliance to the PHY specification set forth by the Alliance, explained Wood.
At this week's Certified WUSB conference, additional interoperability demonstrations showed the ability of various vendors to talk to other vendor's hardware. The first five-way multivendor interoperability demonstration based on Certified WUSB at the conference illustrated the interoperability between multiple media access controllers (MACs) and PHYs.
In one example, a laptop with an Intel host adapter that incorporates an Alereon PHY transferred data to a Philips Semiconductor subsystem that combines a Realtek PHY and Philips MAC, all using Windows XP and drivers supplied by Microsoft. Many companies also displayed production and near-production-ready silicon and silicon-germanium implementations of WUSB solutions.


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To start with it went through $US20,000. Then 10 days later, it broke through $US25,000, and then, with hardly taking a breath, it crossed $US30,000. At this point just a few days into 2021, the cost of bitcoin has crossed $US40,000.
Nothing’s brand new with the digital currency of the month since it crossed $US20,000 – there’s been no significant change in the way it is generally used. Although some investors now are using the notoriously volatile currency as a “store of value,” that is usually a title conserved for safe haven investments like gold and other precious metals.
“Will you be ready to buy a cup of coffee with bitcoin? Most likely not with the present variant of Bitcoin. It’s mainly turn into a market of value,” said Mike Venuto, a co-portfolio supervisor of the Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF, a $US391 million ($503 million) exchanged-traded fund that focuses on blockchain technologies as well as businesses that deal with cryptocurrencies.
Media attention to its rise has just extra fuel to the rally. But investors in digital currencies as well as firms that trade or even “mine” them are actually warning individuals to be sceptical of Bitcoin’s recent rise and to be braced for a lot of volatility.
It’s been a wild ride for bitcoin the previous three years. The digital currency made its big Wall Street debut in December 2017, when the major futures exchanges rolled out bitcoin futures. The focus drove Bitcoin to about $US19,300, a then-unheard of selling price for the currency.
In that case all of it evaporated. The currency’s value plunged sharply in 2018, and by December of that season Bitcoin was worth lower than $US4,000 a coin. Up until this most recent rally which began in October, Bitcoin typically floated between $US5,000 as well as $US10,000.
While during the last 2 years companies have embraced the technology that underlies digital currencies as Bitcoin, a concept called the blockchain, the particular uses for Bitcoin have not truly changed after its rally 3 years ago. It’s still largely used by those distrustful of the banking system, criminals seeking to launder money, and also for the vast majority of part, as a department store of value.
The truth is, other investments usually used as safe havens throughout uncertain times – important valuable metals – have been trading at near record highs at the same time.


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Donald Trump will be ringing in the Lunar New Year in China on Jan. 28, 2017.
Not in person, though — but rather in the form of his likeness, interpreted as a cartoon rooster statue in northern China. The statue sprang up earlier this week outside a shopping mall in the city of Taiyuan, Shanxi province, according to Radio France Internationale’s Chinese-language division.
From that hairstyle to the hand gestures (“O.K.” on the left, an index finger pointing outward on the right), as well as the facial expression, there can be no mistake that this cartoonified chicken takes its inspiration from the incoming U.S. President, who will take office on Jan. 20. That’s just eight days before the newest Year of the Rooster starts, according to the rotating 12-animal Chinese zodiac denotation.
According to the South China Morning Post, citing a Chinese social-media news outlet, the designer says the statue’s egglike shape and the golden Trumpian hairstyle carry the meaning of “getting rich.”
Photos of the sculpture have been widely circulated in China, even inspiring a flood of miniature and inflatable imitations on Taobao, the country’s equivalent of eBay, bringing some comic relief to the tough back-and-forth between Beijing and the President-elect.
“It is the Year of [the] Rooster, and Trump is about to take office,” one such Taobao vendor told the Post. “We have named it the Inflatable Trump Rooster.”
The Lunar New Year is observed across East Asia, as well as by the Chinese diaspora worldwide.
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now


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For those of you that picked up Marvel’s Avengers, you’ve already got a jam-packed adventure filled with superhero excitement and a lot of villains to take down. But the world is about to expand even more, as Wakanda is ready to make its debut in the game. Square Enix confirmed that Black Panther and his new story expansion for Crystal Dynamics’ officially licensed Marvel game will make their debut on August 17th. Previously announced (and briefly shown) at E3 2021, the expansion will feature God of War star Christopher Judge as the masked hero, who teams up with the Avengers to take on a dangerous threat.
The War For Wakanda promises hours of fun, as well as a new multiplayer Drop Zone and the debut of the Bimin Zana Outpost.
Oh, and best of all, it’s free.
What’s more, players can get a glimpse into the world starting on August 16th at 6PM BST during a special War Table broadcast, which is available right here on Twitch. It’ll be a good chance to see what goes down before you jump into the shoes of the powerful hero.
And for those that haven’t tried Marvel’s Avengers yet, there’s a free all-access weekend happening, running from now through August 1st across all platforms, including PlayStation 5. What’s more, if you buy the game during this time, you’ll score it for 50 percent off!
Want to win a PlayStation 5? We’re giving one away!


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Netflix picks up four Marvel Live-Action Series and a mini-series featuring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage for 2015.
Disney and Marvel are calling this an "unprecedented deal". Disney will provide Netflix with live action series and a miniseries featuring several Marvel characters. All of the Marvel characters will be set in Hell's Kitchen, New York.
Netflix has committed to at least four, 13-episode series over what is expected to be multiple years, starting in 2015.
The first released project will be, The Defenders,
that reimagines a dream team of self-sacrificing, heroic characters.
The arrangement between Netflix and Disney will bring about 60 episodes produced by Marvel TV and ABC Studios. This is not the only major agreement that Netflix has with Disney, starting in 2016, Disney will give Netflix the exclusive rights to Disney films.
It is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvels brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling, says Marvel Entertainment President Alan Fine.
The companys first live-action series for Disney, ABCs Marvels Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D
., premiered this fall and has been picked up for a full season.
Here is the press release on the deal:
BURBANK, Calif., Nov. 7, 2013 The Walt Disney Co. (Marvel is a known and loved brand that travels, sNYSE: DIS) and Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced an unprecedented deal for Marvel TV to bring multiple original series of live-action adventures of four of Marvels most popular characters exclusively to the worlds leading Internet TV Network beginning in 2015. This pioneering agreement calls for Marvel to develop four serialized programs leading to a miniseries programming event.
Led by a series focused on Daredevil, followed by Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, the epic will unfold over multiple years of original programming, taking Netflix members deep into the gritty world of heroes and villains of Hells Kitchen, New York. Netflix has committed to a minimum of four, thirteen episodes series and a culminating Marvels The Defenders mini-series event that reimagines a dream team of self-sacrificing, heroic characters.
Produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Television Studios, this groundbreaking deal is Marvels most ambitious foray yet into live-action TV storytelling.
This deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvels brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling. Netflix offers an incredible platform for the kind of rich storytelling that is Marvels specialty, said Alan Fine, President of Marvel Entertainment. This serialized epic expands the narrative possibilities of on-demand television and gives fans the flexibility to immerse themselves how and when they want in whats sure to be a thrilling and engaging adventure.
Marvels movies, such as Iron Man and Marvels The Avengers, are huge favorites on our service around the world. Like Disney, Marvel is a known and loved brand that travels, said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. With House of Cards and our other original series, we have pioneered new approaches to storytelling and to global distribution and were thrilled to be working with Disney and Marvel to take our brand of television to new levels with a creative project of this magnitude.
This new original TV deal follows last years landmark movie distribution deal through which, beginning with 2016 theatrically released feature films, Netflix will be the exclusive U.S. subscription television service for first-run, live-action and animated movies from the Walt Disney Studios, including titles from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Disneynature and Lucasfilm. Netflix members can currently enjoy a wide range of Disney, ABC TV and Disney Channel films and shows across the 41 countries where Netflix operates.


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Hey Boston: Let's Get Liquid!
I am excited to announce that we will be hosting our next Liquidity Event at the New England Aquarium in Boston, on Tuesday, February 24. Tickets are now available at http://GetLiquidBoston.eventbrite.com.
No content, just cocktails and conversation with the Bay State's top deal-makers, deal-breakers, entrepreneurs and assorted hangers-on. Plus yours truly, an open bar and tons of penguins.
Tickets cost just $15, plus a small service charge. All ticket proceeds will go to a local nonprofit, and you can vote for the "winner" when buying your ticket.
We can't do this without our sponsors, so a HUGE thanks to:
- .406 Ventures
- Choate LLP,
- Citizens Bank
- FKA (firm formerly known as Atlas Venture)
- Murray Devine
We’ve sold out every past Liquidity Event, and don’t expect this one to be any different. In other words, be sure to get your ticket today. I can't wait to see you there...
• Silicon Valley suit: When venture capital firm Formation 8 was raising $500 million for a new fund last year, prospective limited partners were not aware of sexual assault allegations that had been made against firm co-founder Joe Lonsdale, Fortune has learned.
The charges came to light publicly last week in a civil lawsuit filed against Lonsdale and Formation 8 by Ellie Clougherty, a former Stanford student who had dated Lonsdale for around one year beginning in February 2012. The complaint is, in a word, brutal – with a narrative that leave little room for “maybe they saw things differently” interpretations. It also is being denied in its entirety by Lonsdale, who has filed a lengthy defamation claim in response. And, for the record, I have absolutely no idea who is telling the truth, except that someone is certainly lying.
What I do know, however, is the timeline, vis-à-vis Formation 8’s fundraise. The firm began marketing its second fund over the summer, and held a final close in the first half of October (despite not disclosing it publicly until early December). At the time of the close, Formation 8 was aware that Clougherty had made certain allegations against Lonsdale to Stanford University, which had resulted in Lonsdale being banned from campus for the next ten years (Lonsdale had been advisor to a class that Clougherty had taken). It is unclear exactly what the firm, or even Lonsdale, knew about the specific charges, however, due to Stanford policies that can keep such information even from the accused. Multiple sources suggest that Formation 8 only believed the alleged transgression related to crossing the line between mentor/mentee.
That said, I think it’s reasonable to argue that Formation 8 should have disclosed the Stanford ban to prospective LPs (even though Lonsdale is appealing it). After all, a Silicon Valley VC having to avoid Stanford is a bit like a New York City VC having to avoid 5th Avenue.
There was no way for the firm to provide information on the lawsuit, however, as I’m told that neither the firm nor Lonsdale were expecting litigation. That perhaps goes double for Formation 8, which was named as a defendant because Clougherty claims to have briefly been an intern with the firm during her relationship with Lonsdale (something Formation 8 explicitly denies).
The question for Formation 8 LPs is what to do now. Lonsdale seems unlikely to settle, and a trial wouldn't occur for at least a year. The firm would almost certainly allow LPs out of their nascent commitments if requested – the fund was oversubscribed, which probably means it could find replacement capital – but, to date, no LPs I’ve spoken with want out. Instead, they are in wait-and-see mode. So am I.
• Your Radio Shack story: It looks like Radio Shack is finally about to close, with Amazon reportedly in talks to buy some of its physical storefronts. I'm putting together a post about people's first memories or early experiences at Radio Shack, which was such an important retailer for technologists in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. If you have an anecdote to share, I'd love to include it. Please email me.
THE BIG DEAL
• Sysco (NYSE: SYY) has agreed to sell 11 distribution centers to Performance Food Group, a portfolio company of Wellington Capital Management. The move would be designed to help Sysco gain regulatory approval for its pending $3.5 billion acquisition of US Foods from KKR and Clayton Dubilier & Rice. Read more.
VENTURE CAPITAL DEALS
• kCura, a Chicago–based provider of e-discovery software, has raised $125 million in minority equity funding from ICONIQ Capital. www.kcura.com
• Guardant Health, a Redwood City, Calif.–based developer of biopsy-free cancer screening tests, has raised $50 million in Series C funding. Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round, and was joined by Formation 8 and return backers Khosla Ventures and Sequoia Capital. www.guardanthealth.com
• FirstCry.com, a Mumbai-based ecommerce company focused on baby products, has raised $26 million in Series D funding led by Valiant Capital Partners. Read more.
• WaVe Life Sciences, a nucleic acid therapeutics startup with offices in Boston and Japan, has raised $18 million in Series A funding. RA Capital Management and Kagoshima Shinsangyo Sosei Investment were joined by return backer SNBL Ltd. www.wavelifesciences.com
• Revinate, a San Francisco-based provider of guest experience software for the hospitality industry, has raised $15.34 million in Series B funding. Tenaya Capital, Northgate Capital and Industry Ventures were joined by return backers including Benchmark, Formation 8 and Tao Capital Partners. www.revinate.com
• KnCMiner, a bitcoin mining company, has raised $15 million in Series B funding. Accel Partners led the round, and was joined by Creandum, GP Bullhound and Martin Wattin. www.kncminer.com
• Pley, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based LEGO subscription service, has raised $10 million in Series B fundiong. Sozo Ventures led the round, and was joined by return backers Floodgate,
Correlation Ventures, Maven Ventures and Allegro Venture Partners. www.pleyworld.com
• AnyPerk, a San Francisco-based platform for companies that want to provide employee perks and discounts, has raised $8.5 million in Series A funding. DCM Ventures led the round, and was joined by return backer Digital Garage. www.anyperk.com
• nToggle, a Boston-based provider of programmatic advertising software, has raised $5.6 million in Series A funding co-led by Sigma Prime Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners. www.notggle.com
• Skipta, a Lancaster, Penn.-based provider of online specialty and disease state medical communities for verified healthcare professionals, has raised $2.5 million in Series A funding from Mansa Capital. www.skipta.com
PRIVATE EQUITY DEALS
• Columbus Nova has agreed to acquire online gaming business Sony Online Entertainment from Sony Corp. for an undisclosed amount. Read more.
• Custopharm Inc., a Carlsbad, Calif.-based generic injectable drug services company, has raised an undisclosed amount of private equity funding from Water Street Healthcare Partners. www.custopharm.com
• Duff & Phelps Corp., a New York-based valuation and corporate finance advisor, has agreed to acquire American Appraisal Associates Inc., a Milwaukee–based service valuation and fixed asset management advisor. No financial terms were disclosed. Duff & Phelps has been owned since 2012 by an investor group that includes The Carlyle Group, Stone Point Capital, Pictet & Cie and Edmond de Rothschild Group. www.duffandphelps.com
• M1, a Lebanese private equity firm, reportedly has acquired denim brand Pepe Jeans London from Torreal, Arta Capital and L Capital for an undisclosed amount. Morgan Stanley managed the process. Read more.
• Marlin Equity Partners has acquired Pendum, an Elmhurst, Ill.-based provider of ATMs and other cash automation equipment for the financial and retail markets, from H.I.G. Capital. No financial terms were disclosed. www.pendum.com
• Mid Europa Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Danube Foods Group, a Serbian foods group that includes dairy producers and a mineral water bottling plant. No financial terms were disclosed, except that Danube generated around $453 million in 2014 revenue. Read more.
• NEP Group Inc., a portfolio company of Crestview Partners, has acquired The Screen Store Group, a company specializing in live broadcasts of sports and entertainment events. No financial terms were disclosed. www.nepinc.com
• The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has acquired of PODS Inc., a Clearwater, Fla.-based portable moving and storage company, from Arcapita for more than $1 billion. www.pods.com
• AutoGenomics Inc., a Vista, Calif.-based maker of molecular diagnostics systems, has set its IPO terms to 3.75 million shares being offered at between $11 and $13 per share. It would have an initial market cap of approximately $123 million, were it to price in the middle of its range. The company plans to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol AGMX, with Stifel, Canaccord Genuity and Cantor Fitzgerald serving as lead underwriters. This is the third time that AutoGenomics has filed for an IPO, having withdrawn its two prior registrations (most recently in Nov. 2013). www.autogenomics.com
• IASIS Healthcare Corp., a Franklin, Tenn.-based healthcare services company owned by TPG Capital, has filed for a $100 million IPO (likely a placeholder figure). The company plans to trade on the NYSE under ticker symbol IAS, with J.P. Morgan, BofA Merrill Lynch and Barclays serving as lead underwriters. It reports $9.3 million in net income on $2.5 billion in revenue for the year ending Sept. 30, 2014. www.iasishealthcare.com
• Invitae Corp., a San Francisco-based company that plans to "bring genetic information into routine medical practice," has set its IPO terms to 5.35million shares being offered at between $13 and $15 per share. It would have an initial market cap of approximately $417 million, were it to price in the middle of its range. The company plans to trade on the NYSE under ticker symbol NVTA, with J.P. Morgan serving as lead underwriter. The company has raised around $195 million in VC funding, from firms like Baker Brothers (20.6% pre-IPO stake), BlackRock (17%), Thomas McNerney & Partners (15.2%), Genomic Health Inc. (9%), The Broe Group, Decheng Capital, Deerfield Management, OrbiMed, Perceptive Advisors, Rock Springs Capital, Wellington Management Co., Casdin Capital, Genesys Capital and Redmile Group. www.invitae.com
• MBK Partners has launched a sale process for South Korea's HK Savings Bank, according to Reuters. Read more.
• Trilantic Capital Partners has hired Robert W. Baird & Co. to find a buyer for Implus Corp., a Durham, N.C.-based maker of footwear and recreational accessories, according to Dow Jones. The company could be worth upwards of $600 million. Read more.
• SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: SSNC) has agreed to acquire Advent Software Inc., a San Francisco–based provider of software and services for the global investment management industry, for approximately $2.7 billion in cash. Read more.
• Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) and Office Depot (Nasdaq: ODP) are in advanced talks to merge, according to the WSJ. Read more.
• Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is nearing a deal to sell a package of assets, including cellular towers and some of its wireline business, via a series of transactions that could be worth more than $15 billion, according to the WSJ. Read more.
FIRMS & FUNDS
• Crestview Partners has closed its third private equity fund with more than $3.25 billion in capital commitments (including $250m from the general partner). www.crestview.com
• EMR Capital, an Australian private equity firm, has closed a new mining-focused fund with A$450 million in capital commitments. Read more.
MOVING IN, UP, ON & OUT
• Adams Street Partners, a private equity firm with more than $26 billion in assets under management, announced that head of investments Jeff Diehl will take on the additional title of managing partner, effective July 1. As part of the move, CEO Bon French will transition into a chairman role. www.adamstreetpartners.com
• Cinven has promoted Yalin Karadogan, Pontus Pettersson and Maxim Crewe to partner. Karadogan joined the UK-based buyout firm in 2006, and has worked on such deals as Pronet Güvenlik. Pettersson joined in 2011 from KKR, and has worked on such deals as CeramTec GmbH and Prezioso-Technilor. Crewe joined in 2006 and has worked on Avolon and Guardian Financial Services. www.cinven.com
• Alec Saunders has joined Microsoft Ventures. He is a former Microsoft employee who most recently was VP of BlackBerry’s QNX cloud business unit. Read more.
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President John Evans Atta Mills and the hard-working Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, must be rejoicing wherever they are, as their prudent fiscal and monetary stewardship has begun yielding results, with inflation now dropping to a record 19.65 percent, the lowest in eight months, and the Cedi appreciating against the Dollar, the nation�s major trading currency.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) newsletter on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) released last week (September 11, 2009), the drop in the inflation rate represents a decrease of 0.85 percentage points from the inflation rate (20.5%) for July, 2009.
The slide in the August, 2009 inflation figure marks a clear departure from the ruinous inflationary pressure which began building up last year as a result of the fiscal excesses and monetary expansion of the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
The Cedi, the local currently, has also shown remarkable strength against the Dollar, appreciating on monthly basis by 1.84% at the interbank market and 0.57% at the forex bureaux.
This means, the monthly average of the buying and selling rates both the inter-bank and the forex bureaux is almost GH�1.46 and GH�1.47, respectively.
The Mills administration had, upon assumption of power in January this year, inherited a run-away inflation rate of 19.86%. This was one of the bye-products of the fiscal deterioration of 2008 under the NPP regime. This deterioration was characterized by excessive expenditures by the Kufuor-led administration.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Central Bank have been tasked by President Mills to put in place prudent measures to trim inflation to a more manageable size and restore order to public finances which were hitherto troubled by mismanagement and lack of prudence.
Pressure of the over-spending in 2008 by the NPP government has resulted in high inflation rates in the first half of this year. In 2009, only January and August recorded rates below 20%, the GSS newsletter confirmed.
The highest rate of 20.7% was recorded in June and the lowest in August (19.65%) this year. According to the GSS newsletter, the CPI had been primarily driven by the non-food sub-sector, which constitutes 55.09% of the basket. In August 2009, inflation for the non-food group was 23.91%, as against 14.75% for the food group.
The corresponding figures for July 2009 were 24.48 and 15.17% for non-food and food respectively. With the beginning of this favourable fiscal climate, Government expects a sharp drop in inflation rate in the coming months. The Mills administration is eying a drop to about 14.5% of inflation rate by the end of the year.
The GSS itself confirmed that the remaining months of the year will see a significant reduction in the rate of inflation, saying lower rates of inflation are normally recorded in August, September and October.
The Mills administration seems to have also put a lid on the perennial monthly depreciation of the local currency, the Cedi, which again was the result of the deterioration in the 2007 and 2008 under the NPP government.
With these achievements, the core problem of the national economy, which was disguised by the Kufuor administration, is beginning to be resolved.
Confidence and appetite of both investors and consumers are beginning to build up in response to these significant macro-economic achievements chalked by the Mills/Mahama administration just eight months upon assumption of office.
|Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.|


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Global 2019 is CBS Case Competition’s response to an increasingly digitalised world, and the subject of the challenge is Carlsberg’s digital transformation, part of the brewery group’s seven-year SAIL’22 strategy.
For a number of years, the Carlsberg Group has been an honorary partner of Copenhagen Business School’s annual CBS Case Competition, which is one of the largest university case competitions for undergraduates, attracting students from top universities around the world.
After 16 years, CBS Case Competition has crystallised into a new format of online interaction for the spring 2019 competition. More than 3,000 undergraduate students from 61 countries have signed up to participate in the Global 2019 online competition through CBS Case Competition’s own online platform.
Through Global 2019, the students will contribute ideas and concepts for how Carlsberg can further leverage digital innovation to disrupt the on-trade scene and transform its partnership with bars, restaurants and cafes in Western Europe. The top three teams will be invited to Copenhagen to compete in the finals.
The Carlsberg Group believes that digital has a powerful role to play in fueling its traditional business with innovative growth opportunities and smart operational efficiencies.
"From a strategic perspective, the rationale to invest in digital products and services is simple: if Carlsberg is able to provide insightful and valuable experiences and services to its customers alongside its great beer and beverage portfolio, it will enhance Carlsberg's value as a successful, professional and attractive business partner and not just as a legendary brewery group,” says Nancy Cruickshank, Senior Vice President, Digital Transformation.
"We're investing heavily in digital transformation activities across our business and we were intrigued by the Global 2019 online competition to learn how the world’s best undergraduate students would prioritise if they ran this brewery group. We want to learn from digital natives how they would address high-impact, strategically important areas with multi-market potential, such as customer engagement, distribution or e-commerce. The goal is to improve Carlsberg’s competitive position, and to stay at the forefront of innovation within our industry,’’ says Nancy Cruickshank.
Carlsberg’s digital initiatives are known as “lighthouse projects”, a nod to the Group’s heritage and its founder’s mentality. Electric lighting was introduced in the brewery in 1882 at a time when it was still not widely available in Copenhagen, and founder J.C. Jacobsen built an electrically powered lighthouse for everyone to be inspired by the brewery’s aim of using science and innovation to always do things better.
Unlike the incubator model used by many large corporations, in which small teams are tasked with disrupting traditional business almost as an external start-up, the lighthouse projects are intended to be deeply embedded in the brewery group. This is to ensure the relevance of the business issue in question, and to minimise integration and roll-out difficulties.
One of the projects already rolled out in markets such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK and lately also Switzerland is Carlsberg Online. With Carlsberg Online, the Carlsberg Group became an international front-runner on the brewery scene, which is still characterised by being relatively analogue. In addition to online ordering, the team behind Carlsberg Online is constantly expanding the platform, improving content with do-it-yourself videos and providing insights never before available for on-trade customers on markets, consumer behaviours, new trends etc.
Another significant project is the digitalisation of Carlsberg’s new keg system, DraughtMaster™. The compact system uses compression rather than CO2, which improves the quality of the beer and keeps it fresh for up to 30 days, compared to less than a week with the old steel keg system. The increased durability ensures much greater variation and thus increases sales. The digitalisation of DraughtMaster™ has a detailed roll-out plan based on learnings from tests carried out at outlets in Berlin. The digital improvements are data-driven and insights are available online. The aim is to optimise on-trade customers’ performance and boost revenue through insights from data, keg levels and spillage reports as well as direct 24/7 support access. By the end of march, pilots will be up and running in Copenhagen, Malmo and Milan.
By participating in the CBS Case Competition, Carlsberg aims to harness even more innovative ideas that can potentially be applied to the business, while providing an opportunity for students to apply theory to a real-life business case.
Watch the case intro here:


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Today, vegan brand Beyond Meat announced the launch of its newest product: Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links, which will begin appearing on store shelves throughout the month of October—which happens to be National Sausage Month. The new links were created to mimic pork sausage and feature a signature blend of savory herbs and spices. Packs of eight links will be sold for a suggested retail price of $5.99 at a variety of national retailers, including Kroger, Albertsons, Sprouts, Harris Teeter, and Whole Foods Market.
“With demand for plant-based breakfast options continuing to rise and more of us eating breakfast at-home, we knew the segment was ripe for innovation,” Stuart Kronauge, Chief Marketing Officer at Beyond Meat, said. “With the launch of Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links, we’re thrilled to introduce another better-for-you plant-based meat option to satisfy consumers’ love of classic breakfast dishes. We think our fans will be excited that they can make restaurant-style breakfast an at-home staple with our new links.”
In the breakfast category, Beyond Meat also offers Beyond Breakfast Sausage patties in Spicy and Classic flavors, which it launched at major retailers in March. Last month, the brand also added Beyond Meatballs—which are pre-rolled and pre-seasoned with a blend of Italian spices—to its product portfolio.


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A head start on the discounts? Yes please.
Oliver Bonas Black Friday sale: How to get early access
Tomorrow is Black Friday, which means every which way you turn there are sales opening up at your favourite brands. It’s the highlight of the year for shopping a bargain; the likes of Dyson, Glossier, ASOS and The White Company are all offering massive discounts on their cult products (Dyson Air Wrap for Christmas, anyone?!)
Oliver Bonas – AKA the best place on the high street to shop Christmas gifts – is getting in on the action too, offering major price cuts on their homeware, clothes and jewellery – but the sales aren’t available for everyone just yet.
The Black Friday sale at Oliver Bonas officially kicks off tomorrow (26 November) and will offer up to 40% off hundreds of items. BUT – and it’s an exciting but – members are being given early access so they can get in on the action before anything sells out. If you’re not already signed up to Oliver Bonas, all you have to do is register an account and the gates to the Black Friday deals will be unlocked.
Here are some of the highlights…
The post How to get early access to the Oliver Bonas Black Friday sale appeared first on Marie Claire.
By: Catriona Harvey-Jenner
Title: How to get early access to the Oliver Bonas Black Friday sale
Sourced From: www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/homes-and-interiors/oliver-bonas-black-friday-757002
Published Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:06:01 +0000
Did you miss our previous article...


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Europe shares rise on gains in retail, health stocks
LONDON Jan 17 (Reuters) - European shares pared back earlier losses to trade in positive territory on Thursday, boosted by gains at French supermarket retailer Carrefour and at healthcare stocks.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index, which had spent much of the morning session in negative territory, was up by 0.2 percent to 1,161.96 points by around midday.
French group Carrefour added some of the most points to the FTSEurofirst 300 index as it rose 8.1 percent after posting fourth-quarter sales figures.
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- Putin says Russia not isolated over Ukraine, blames West for frosty ties
- UK troops in largest armoured deployment in Eastern Europe for six years
- India approves $2.6 billion mounted gun purchase - official
- France's Sarkozy wants EU to lose half its powers
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Carl Pei has been known to keep an ear to what is happening in the tech community, and discussion around the expectations for the Nothing Phone (2) is no exception. To address the rumors, he took to Twitter himself this morning to confirm what everyone already knew:
There has been a lot of discussion ever since we announced that Phone (2) will have a Snapdragon 8 Series chipset. Well here’s some news – it’s going to be the premium-tier powerhouse Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. A clear upgrade from Phone (1). Let’s talk about the key differences pic.twitter.com/l5NwCxDAVa
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) May 18, 2023
Besides confirming that the Nothing Phone (2) will indeed have a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, Pei also took the time to explain the benefits of going with this chipset over others. Firstly, he highlighted the performance boost that this SoC will bring to the Phone (2) when compared to the Phone (1), which twice as fast according to Nothing’s in-house testing. Other benefits he listed were improvements in battery life, network connectivity, and camera capabilities.
Sometimes the latest technology comes at a cost which isn’t always justified from a user benefit standpoint. Choosing Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 ensures that Phone (2) remains accessible while delivering a significantly improved experience compared to Phone (1).
As far as camera capabilities, Pei also confirmed that this chip upgrade will make it possible for the camera to have advanced features such as Raw HDR and 4K/60fps recording capabilities. Finally, he explained that cost was also a factor in the decision to go with the Snapdragon 8 Plug Gen 1 instead of the latest and greatest chipset, adding that he wanted to keep the Phone (2) accessible to consumers while also delivering a premium experience to its users.


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New Trader Joe’s Opening in Williamsburg!
By: Cate Corcoran
Trader Joe’s is definitely coming to Williamsburg. The bright red sign is outside the building at 200 Kent Avenue, between North 3rd Street and Metropolitan Avenue. The interior was built, and they delivered, according to a sign in the lobby.
Rumors of opening dates online have been all over the place, with say Black Friday, November 30, December, and even January. Trader Joe’s website says the location is “coming soon.” Based on what we saw when we stopped recently, an opening of three weeks or more seems possible.
Lee (the company in question) took over another store in the building, and the other spaces were empty. The building has underground parking and, remarkably, on the second level.
Trader Joe’s signed a lease for the space back in 2015, according to a Crain’s story at the time. That was back before Whole Foods opened in Bedford. The grocer has two other locations in the borough, at Boerum Hill – where lines run around the block – and at City Point in Downtown Brooklyn. The anther location recently opened not far from Williamsburg in Long Island City.
The developer is Cornell Realty Management, who is active in the borough. They bought the property in 2016 for $ 33 million. Michael Even was the architect of record, and LIVWRK oversaw the design of the building.
This story first appeared on Brownstoner.


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Keira Knightley has revealed she’s been wearing wigs in films for the past five years so she no longer has to dye her hair. The 31-year-old said that throughout her career her hair has been dyed every colour, causing it to eventually start falling out.
“I have dyed my hair virtually every color imaginable for different films,’ she told InStyle magazine. “It got so bad that my hair literally began to fall out of my head! So for the past five years I’ve used wigs, which is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my hair.”
The actress also divulged what the best beauty advice she ever ever received was. “I was told very early on that if a make-up artist tries to take your eyebrows off, that means he or she is absolute s***,” she said.
Last year Keira welcomed her first child, daughter Edie, with musician husband James Righton and says that becoming a mother has affected her hair and skin. “I have naturally crazy, curly hair, and since I’ve had the baby it’s become 10 times thicker,” she said.
“So now I’ve been finding quite a lot of dreadlocks. Tangle Teezer, the only thing that works for detangling my dreadlocks. It gets rid of the kinks without snagging my hair out. I also use conditioner every two or three days.”
Keira added that her skin has also become significantly drier with age, so she moisturises and tries to drink as much water as possible. “My new approach is, ‘Do what you can remember, and don’t worry about it too much,’” the actress added.


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KUALA LUMPUR: Given the global economic backdrop, many are predicting that a potential worldwide recession may be likely, if not inevitable, in 2023.
Earlier this month, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said that Malaysia will find it a challenge to avoid an economic recession next year.
Nevertheless, Tengku Zafrul is confident that Malaysia will have positive economic growth at least until the third quarter of this year and emphasised that the country must be prepared for a slowdown in the global economy.
With the warning bells already ringing, can steps be taken now for Malaysia to avert a recession?
Given the combination of worsening global economic conditions, greater geo-political risk affecting commodity and financial markets, as well as domestic issues, Malaysia University of Science and Technology professor Geoffrey Williams acknowledged that the risks of a recession are rising.
“We put it at 50:50 in our baseline scenario. The only measures that can be taken involve keeping the economy moving, promoting consumer spending, keeping interest rates low and improving the supply-side and competition in the marketplace,” he told StarBiz.
Centre for Market Education (CME) chief executive Carmelo Ferlito, however, believes that efforts to avert a recession should have been initiated during the height of the pandemic.
“There is a certain rush today in blaming the international tensions for an economic downturn, which seems to be inevitable.
“However, the most recent facts such as the geopolitical conflicts, are only worsening something that had to happen as a consequence of the so-called anti-Covid policies.”
Ferlito emphasised that such policies did not quite improve conditions.
“They were instead the seed for an inflation-led economic crisis, as CME had predicted 1½ years earlier.
“So let’s be clear – there will be an economic crisis not because of the geopolitical conflicts, but because irrational and unscientific lockdown policies forced the government to implement enormously expansive fiscal and monetary policies.”
As a result, Felito said “the quantity of money grew at a faster rate than the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“Such a dichotomy between quantity of money and real economy-generated inflation and now the cost of those inflationary policies, need to be paid in terms of an economic downturn.
“Malaysia blindly followed the anti-scientific world trend and now finds itself sharing that same fate.”
Ferlito said Malaysia’s economic recovery so far has been driven by private consumption and government spending.
“This is the reason I say that having the “plus” sign in front of the GDP is not enough, if you do not look at the microfoundations.
“A GDP growing thanks to private consumption and government spending means that the recovery is resting on fragile and bad pillars, namely private and public debt and inflation. This makes the recovery unstable.”
On the flip side, Ferlito said external trade has done well, adding however that the situation could change, especially in light of China’s Covid-zero policy.
“What instead has been lacking are private investments, which are the true driver of a sustainable growth if paired with a growth in savings.
“For the future, I expect Malaysia’s economic growth to be even more fragile, as government spending will have to slow down if we want to seriously tackle inflation.”
Ferlito said inflation may slow down private consumption and that external trade may suffer due to the global uncertainties.
Malaysia’s economy grew 8.9% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2022, driven mainly by the continued pick-up in domestic economic activities following further reopening of the economy, as well as international borders.
Production activity improved for most sectors and robust consumer spending also contributed to the stronger growth.
While external trade also grew faster during the quarter, MIDF Research in a note said the trade surplus was smaller than the first quarter because higher commodity prices resulted in bigger imports.
“Compared to regional economies, Malaysia joins Indonesia and Singapore to record higher growth, better than the Philippines and other East Asian economies that saw stable or moderate growth in the second quarter of 2022.
“On a quarter-to-quarter basis, the seasonally adjusted GDP grew by 3.5% quarter-on-quarter, the third straight quarter of expansion since the fourth quarter of last year.”
Apart from relaxation of Covid-19 standard operating procedures, MIDF Research said it noticed that the low base effect, particularly when the nationwide lockdown started from June 1 last year, also contributed to the higher-than-expected annual growth in the second quarter of 2022.
On the assumption that a recession cannot be averted, Williams said interest rates should be kept low to accommodate a possible downturn. “Otherwise, rises in interest rates now will have to be reversed in the coming months,” he said.
Ferito believes that “brave measures are very much necessary,” if a recession cannot be averted.
“Obviously, very little can be done (by an economist) on the issue of international geopolitical tensions, but hopefully diplomacy will be at work to stop what is happening in the South China sea and in Ukraine.
“From the standpoint of the political economy in Malaysia, we need a cut in government spending through restructuring the public administration.”
Ferlito added that there needs to be a tax reform that reintroduces the goods and services tax, as well as a cut in income tax.
“We need more liberalisation in the labour market and in all the requirements for both domestic and private investments
“Cut red tape, etc. We need to shift the economic growth model from consumption to investments (and saving), in order to put Malaysia on a long-term sustainable growth path.”
Additionally, Williams said the upcoming budget should focus on tax reforms and supply-side liberalisation and avoid a laundry list of projects with no guarantee of any impact.
“Fiscal prudence will be important to ensure that there is some room for help if a recession emerges.”
If fiscal discipline is introduced and an investment-led recovery path is incentivised, then more initiatives can be taken to restructure and strengthen the social safety net, Ferlito said. “But not at the current level of government spending,” he added.


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TUAW at Macworld/iWorld 2014: EverWeb gets new features
A few years ago at Macworld/iWorld, we had a chance to see the first version of EasyWeb, an OS X app designed to serve as a replacement for Apple's abandoned iWeb. While the app was remarkably complete and easy to use back in those days, it's even more impressive in its latest incarnation and now has a new name -- EverWeb.
This short video demonstrates some of the new features of EverWeb while introducing it to readers who may not have heard of the US$79.95 app before. The app now provides a way to create mobile sites for tablet and smartphone viewing, and users can also get one-click hosting from Rage Software (the developers of EverWeb) for an additional fee.
Software Updatesmore updates
- Apple Remote Desktop updated with Yosemite support
- OS X Yosemite 10.10.2, iOS 8.1.3 updates now available
- Sports Illustrated 120 SPORTS channel comes to Apple TV
- Logic Pro X update brings AirDrop support, new effects, tools, and more
- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
- The Google Translate iOS app is about to get a lot smarter


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About NickThis author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Nick has created 19 blog entries.
The acai concept signed 35 new franchisee contracts in its first year as a franchise and has ambitious plans to keep expanding BY: BEN WARREN - SOBOL CONTRIBUTOR When SoBol’s director of sales and business development, Robin Graf, arrived at the International Franchise Expo in New York in June, each of the acai bowl brand’s stores were independently [...]
SoBol has grown tremendously since its beginnings in 2012. Since then, eight franchised locations have opened with many more to come. Open locations include: Sayville, Patchogue, Syosset, Rockville Centre, Wantagh, Massapequa Park, Long Beach and most recently, Huntington. With eight stores open, 32 locations sold and eight opening soon, frequently asked questions are “where will [...]


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Amsterdam banning advertising for fossil fuel products (eg. flights) from the subway stations
Adverts for ‘fossil fuel products’, such as air travel and cars that run on fossil fuels, will no longer be seen in the subway stations in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the first city in the world that wants to keep fossil fuel advertising out of the streets. Never before has a city taken the decision to ban advertising solely on the basis of climate change. The agreement about advertisements in the metro stations is the municipality’s first step towards making advertising in Amsterdam fossil-free. The Dutch campaign, Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising), which strives for a nationwide ban in the Netherlands on advertising by the fossil fuel industry and advertising for polluting transport, congratulated Amsterdam and calls it an important step. Some other Dutch cities, The Hague, Utrecht and Nijmegen have said they were “open to a ban on fossil fuel advertising.” Motions have also been filed in Canada, England (we have the Badvertising campaign), Sweden and Finland. Fossil Free Advertising strives for a nationwide ‘tobacco-style law’ for the fossil fuel industry, to change public attitudes – as happened with smoking.
First step: Amsterdam is banning advertising for fossil fuel products from the subway stations
3 MEI 2021
(Verbied Fossiele Reclame – Dutch website)
First step to keep all fossil fuel advertising out of Amsterdam’s streets
As of today, advertisements for ‘fossil fuel products’, such as air travel and cars that run on fossil fuels, will no longer be seen in the subway stations in Amsterdam. Alderman Marieke van Doorninck (Sustainability) and Radjen van Wilsem, CEO of CS Digital Media, will sign an agreement at 12.45 hours at Amsterdam Central Station. Amsterdam is the first city in the world that wants to keep fossil fuel advertising out of the streets.
Never before has a city taken the decision to ban advertising solely on the basis of climate change. The agreement about advertisements in the metro stations is the municipality’s first step towards making advertising in Amsterdam fossil-free. The capital is still investigating how to ban advertising and marketing (festivals) of fossil fuel companies such as Shell and Exxon.
“The need to combat climate change should also be reflected in the street,” said Alderman Marieke van Doorninck in the 7:45 am news this morning on NPO Radio 1. “Also in advertising. That is why we want to ban fossil advertising in Amsterdam. The subway stations are now taking the 1st step. We also enter into discussions with other operators. But to arrange this properly, a national ban is needed. ”
Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising), which strives for a nationwide ban in the Netherlands on advertising by the fossil fuel industry and advertising for polluting transport, congratulates Amsterdam and calls it an important step. Coordinator Femke Sleegers: “The decision to ban fossil fuel advertising from the subway stations comes at a crucial moment in the fight against climate change. We don’t have any time to lose towards the Paris climate goals. Advertisements that portray fossil fuels as normal and aggravate climate disruption have no place in a city or country that has complied to Paris.”
Amsterdam’s motion to ban fossil advertising had national and international spin off. In answers to written questions the city boards of The Hague, Utrecht and Nijmegen stated that they were open to a ban on fossil fuel advertising, although the latter two cities believe that such a ban must be regulated with a national ban. Motions have also been filed abroad in Canada, England, Sweden and Finland. The New York City government takes a different approach and tries to enforce a court ban on misleading advertising from Shell, BP, Exxon and the American Petroleum Institute.
Letter by 51 organisations
The wish to ban fossil fuel advertising was put forward in a motion that passed in the Amsterdam city council last December. The motion followed after Reclame Fossielvrij and 51 organizations from Amsterdam sent a letter that called on the city to ban advertising that doesn’t fit in with its sustainability policy. Previously public transport company GVB had decided to sharpen its advertising policy in order to keep greenwashing advertisements out of its buses, trams, metros and ferries, after a call for this by Extinction Rebellion Amsterdam.
Tobacco-style law for fossil fuel industry
Fossil Free Advertising strives for a nationwide ‘tobacco-style law’ for the fossil fuel industry. The advertising ban for the tobacco industry was an indispensable step in the fight against smoking. It changed social norms and removed temptation. The same approach is needed for the fossil fuel industry, argues the campaign group.
Green Party calls for end of adverts for “high carbon” goods & services – eg. SUVs and long-haul flights
At their party conference, members of the Green Party of England & Wales backed an ambitious climate motion to ban advertising for high carbon goods and services, eg. SUVs and long haul flights. This brings it into official Party policy. They want advertising rules to be brought into the 21st century. “This will spark a long overdue conversation about the role of advertising in our lives” says Green Party peer Natalie Bennett. There are already many restrictions on advertising on products which are socially and physically harmful, such as tobacco which was banned from being advertised and promoted in the UK since 2003. There is good evidence that this tobacco advert ban was effective, awareness about smoking rose, and levels of smoking fell. In August 2020, the ‘Badvertising’ campaign called for adverts for SUVs to be banned, noting that such vehicles make up more than 40% of new cars now sold in the UK, while fully electric vehicles count for less than 2%. We need to stop adverts for products that trash the planet, needlessly encouraging the sale of more of them.
The Badvertising campaign:
Fossil fuel companies, car companies and airlines spend billions each year advertising their high carbon products – despite growing public concerns over air pollution and climate breakdown.
Petition at https://e-activist.com/page/66459/petition/1


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2013 Chevrolet Trailblazer Concept Revealed In India
Images taken at a Chevrolet press event held in India recently reportedly reveal the design of an upcoming Chevrolet TrailBlazer Concept, confirming Chevrolet’s intentions of bringing back the Trailblazer moniker for 2013. The revamped Trailblazer will feature a body-on-frame SUV based off of the new Colorado.
The 2013 Trailblazer will be available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models, looking to fight it out against the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner. GM has already confirmed the return of the Trailblazer, but has yet to say if, like the Colorado, it will be offered in the U.S.


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Zebec Protocol announced that it launched on the Solana blockchain and raised a $6 million funding round co-led by Republic Capital. The protocol enables real-time, continuous money streams for financial transactions including payroll, payments, investments and purchases.
Zebec Protocol’s first application is Zebec Payroll, a tax compliant on-chain processing system that allows workers to be paid by the second based on their pay rate in USDC or other stablecoins. Employees have the option to withdraw all of the money, automatically convert a portion of their paycheck into top cryptocurrencies or allocate funds to compliant crypto IRA and 401k account.
How it works
Payers connect with Zebec using Phantom Wallet, enter the recipient’s wallet address and then start streaming the funds. The recipient receives the funds in their stream wallet and can withdraw the balance to turn it into real-world cash. Throughout the process, Zebec handles the money completely on-chain.
The Solana blockchain can power up to 50,000 transactions per second for relatively low fees. Zebec says a new cash stream on the protocol can be established in minutes for a Solana transaction, or “gas,” fee of a fraction of a cent.
“What we are basically enabling is making money continuous,” Zebec CEO Sam Thapaliya told CoinDesk in an interview. “Imagine I send you $100 over 10 days, and you’re receiving money every single second. It makes money programmable. It makes money a continuous flow and enables completely new possibilities for how money can function in the world.”
The funding round led by Republic Capital, Shima Capital and Breyer Capital with participation from Resolute Ventures, Launchpad Capital, Backend Capital, Meltem Demirors, Gemini Frontier Fund, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Wave 7, Cadenza Ventures, Hack VC and Joe McCann. Thapaliya told CoinDesk that half of the funding will go towards increasing Zebec’s developer ecosystem. The rest will help get the product out as fast as possible and with as many features as possible.
“The growth of the digital economy has been hindered by a lack of tax-compliant, frictionless payment processing technologies. Zebec finally makes it easy for anyone to send and receive cash in real time without intermediaries, delays or risks of non payment,” said Republic Capital co-founder and Managing Director Christian Sullivan in the press release.
Zebec’s near-term plans include getting the product out, a private sale in December and a public sale in February, Thapaliya said. The company is also gearing up for its SHIP 2021 hackathon, sponsored by the Solana Foundation, which encourages developers and hackers to build products on the protocol.
The ultimate goal is to take Zebec global. Thapaliya was born during the civil war in Nepal and grew up without access to bank accounts.
“I lived through a couple of dictators, a couple of communist rulers. And the one thing that was not there for us was bank accounts,” Thapaliya said.
“I hope to make [this product] global so that one day everyone in the world is able to get access to capital in real time without middlemen withholding money and taking cuts,” he added.
UPDATE (Nov. 10, 17:47 UTC): Updated amount of funding round from $5.5 million to $6 million and added investors.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


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The countdown is on, folks.
The Orlando Magic expect to share more specifics on its planned $100 million entertainment complex across from the Amway Center with city of Orlando officials in the next month, said Magic CEO Alex Martins at Orlando Business Journal’s Business of Sports luncheon on March 15.
Martins said the plans will unveil a little more of what the team has in mind for the project, which is expected to have a hotel, multiple retail and restaurant tenants, and house the team's new corporate headquarters.
— Rich out
Oh yeah, and you can click here for more of my blogs. Go ahead — you know you want to do it.


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(M-J Milloy will be a panelist at the Georgia Straight’s upcoming event, Grassroots: An Expo for the Cannabis Curious on April 7 and 8, 2018. Get your tickets now.)
A UBC research scientist from the Faculty of Medicine says policy makers need to pay attention to the realities of B.C.’s preexisting cannabis industry as they consider the implications of legal cannabis in the province.
M-J Milloy has centered his research on public health issues including HIV/AIDS, addiction, and cannabis use. He told the Straight earlier this week that he was glad to see the government take the necessary step of engaging with the public on the issue.
‘I think it’s crucial given that there are thousands of British Columbians involved in the current system as producers or distributors or consumers, so getting their take is important,’ Milloy said.
‘The problem is that up until now it’s been governed by public security and criminal enterprise, and I think we all agree that has to change.’
He said that creating a public health system and transitioning from the current one would be a challenge for local governments, especially when so much of the federal government’s focus is on completely eliminating the black market.
The trouble, Milloy said, lies in creating a system that will be more appealing to users than what already exists.
‘Part of the health-based system is that the government has to figure out a way that’s better at meeting the needs of cannabis consumers than the system we already have,’ he said.
Having tuned in online to this week’s Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, Milloy echoed what a few councillors at the event had to say about including veterans of the cannabis industry in the province’s framework—but for a reason none at UBCM had considered.
‘To get rid of the illicit market, the government has to figure out a way of bringing these people into the legal fold, because we know that there will not be enough cannabis from licensed producers on day one of cannabis legalization,’ he said. ‘We’re going to run out immediately.’
Even if all levels of government worked together to create the best system possible, Milloy said, it wouldn’t matter without enough product on the shelves.
‘That means producers, dispensary operators, mom and pop growing it in their basement or their backyard—that is the way we eliminate the illicit system—by including everyone,’ he said.
As per Bill C-45, production is in the hands of the federal government, but with enough push from British Columbians, he hopes to see the province generate dialogue about making room for a less stringent licensing program.
Earlier this year, research conducted by his team showed that crack users were able to cut down on their use of the drug by supplementing with cannabis. Another study that Milloy is currently working on will survey dispensary users in Vancouver about their use of cannabis. (You can still participate in that survey here.)
‘As someone who works with people who use drugs, people on the Downtown Eastside, and people who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes, I hope the government keeps in mind the need that many British Columbians have for dispensaries,’ he said.
While Health Canada has operated a medical cannabis program since 2001, Milloy said that local governments shouldn’t overlook the fact that many patients opt to shop at dispensaries instead of licensed producers.
While reasons for this vary from one individual to the next, the Straight has spoken with a number of registered medical marijuana patients who say they fear they’ll lose access to the remedies that work for them (concentrates, topicals, and other products not available through Health Canada) if they’re required to go back to the federal system.
In Milloy’s eyes, patients using dispensaries are one of two user groups that stand to be negatively impacted if policy makers create a framework that vows to eliminate the current market. The other vulnerable population, he said, was other drug users, who often use cannabis in place of other street drugs.


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HRE Wheels together with GE Additive has just unveiled the world’s first ever 3D-printed titanium wheels. Codenamed HRE3D+, the prototype gives us a glimpse of what the future of wheel designs can be with 3D printing technology.
Using Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technology (a type of 3D printing), it allows complex wheel designs to come to reality while achieving high levels of efficiency. In the case of a traditional monoblock wheel, 80 per cent of the material is shaved and removed from a forged block of aluminium to create the final project. With EBM, only 5 per cent of the material is removed and recycled, making the process far more efficient.
In the case of the HRE3D+ wheels, measuring 21-inch x 9J and 21-inch x 12.5J, its complex design is made up of five different sections (all 3D printed) which are then combined and bolted onto a carbon fibre rim using titanium fasteners. The result is an ultra-lightweight wheel but has the sturdiness that equals or exceeds an aluminium wheel.


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- The OPPO A95 will run on Android 11 with Color OS 11.1 skin on top of it.
- It will have a triple rear camera system at the back with an LED flash.
- The smartphone will be backed up by a 5000mAh battery with 33W charging support.
OPPO has been launching quite a few phones in recent times, especially in its A series of smartphones. After yesterday’s launch of OPPO A56 5G in India, the company it seems is now gearing up to launch another A series phone soon. The OPPO A95 5G is getting a 4G variant as a new Geekbench listing suggests. The device was spotted on the popular benchmark platform with Adreno 610 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Further, the listing confirms a max clock speed of 2.02Ghz, and the OPPO A95 4G will ship with Android 11 out of the box, not the latest Android 12. In the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, the handset scored 312 and 1274 points, respectively. Let’s take a look at more of its details below.
OPPO A95 specifications
Last month popular Twitter tipster Abhishek Yadav shared some key information about the smartphone. He confirmed that the device will ship with Android 11 out of the box, with Color OS 11.1 on top of it He also disclosed that the phone would come with a triple-camera setup on the back and the phone would pack a massive 5000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. Also 3.5mm jack is confirmed to be present on the device, with proprietary earphones in the box.
There are no further confirmed specifications of the upcoming OPPO A95 4G, but some rumours suggest that the phone could come with a 6.43-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The presence of the USB-C port is also verified, though there seems to be a slight mismatch between the battery capacity mentioned by the tipster and the battery capacity mentioned in some of the documents he shared, as some of them display the battery capacity to be 4880mAh, not 5000mAh. We will have more confirmed information about the device as and when it launches. As the device is now listed on Geekbench, we expect a launch of the smartphone pretty soon.


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The first agricultural fair in 2021 will take place on January 9 in Bishkek. The Minister of Agriculture of Kyrgyzstan Tilek Toktogaziev announced on Facebook.
According to him, it was decided to resume the fairs at the request of citizens. The main criterion of work is sale of products at wholesale prices to support the population. Citizens will have an opportunity to buy farm products at the intersection of Kievskaya and Razzakov Streets.
«Previous fairs received a good response from residents and were in demand among Kyrgyzstanis. Most importantly, our domestic farmers were satisfied and were able to sell their products. Therefore, we will continue and introduce this practice everywhere, covering all regions of the republic,» Tilek Toktogaziev noted.


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last July, Opel started selling the new Ampera-and in selected countries of Europas Germany or Norway. With a price of 39.330 euros, it was enough to make a deposit of 1,000 euro, and the mark of the ray is committed to deliver the first units in 2018.
But what Opel did not imagine is that the orders were going to end up with the books one after the other. Yes, you can believe it, there is an excess of demand so great that the German brand has been forced to stop the orders because they are unable to meet the delivery deadlines. In fact, the dealers norwegians warn new customers that will not receive their car before 2019.
“Even in August, all the units that were produced were sent directly to Norway. Only a few have been delivered in the other three countries that have opened up sales for the Ampera-e: Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany”, ” said a manager of a dealership Norwegian.
The Chevrolet Bolt, twin brother of the Ampera-e under the american brand
In fact, the first country in the that went on sale was in Norway and only two months after arriving in the Norwegian market was at number 15 and was still going strong. And this is something perfectly understandable and justified because the price corresponds to a special edition release First Edition that has one of the equipment series most complete on the market in its segment.
But it also influences another important issue and is that last August, Chevrolet started selling the twin brother of the Ampera-e, the Chevrolet Bolt, and the acceptance has also been enormous, so that sales have soared in the south american country also affect the demand in Europe.
Some customers have opted to purchase the Bolt in the united States and import it to Europe, but have found the problem the connector of charging, which is different. In any case, Opel trust to go and can deliver units and to reduce the 4,000 that has pending receiving units during 2018.


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“Through the combination of our recent processor and chipset launches and the Better by Design program, AMD is constantly establishing new heights of competitiveness in serving the needs of our notebook customers,” said Chris Cloran, vice president, AMD Notebook Division. “With the unveiling of the “Puma” mobile platform we’re sending a clear signal to the market that we intend to drive continued innovation in notebook computing in 2008 and beyond.”
They intend to release more information about Puma next week. You can read the full press release at AMD's site.
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China's inflation rate jumps
China's consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in more than two years, the government said, following warnings that inflation would likely exceed Beijing's 3 per cent target for 2010.
The nation's consumer price index - or CPI, a key measure of inflation - rose 4.4 per cent year on year in October, compared with 3.6 per cent in September, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
It was the fastest pace since September 2008 - the start of the global financial crisis when consumer prices rose 4.6 per cent.
The figure, which was higher than several analyst predictions, comes as Beijing battles to rein in consumer prices and soaring housing costs.
Late Wednesday, the central bank tightened liquidity by ordering banks to set aside more reserves for a fourth time this year.
The People's Bank of China last month also raised its benchmark one-year lending and deposit rates by 25 basis points each - the first interest rate hike in nearly three years.
China's battle to keep prices in check comes amid worries that the US Federal Reserve's move to inject $US600 billion into the American economy could increase speculative "hot" money flows into China and fuel inflation.
The head of China's top economic planning agency, National Development and Reform Commission chief Zhang Ping, warned this week the full year CPI would exceed the government's three per cent target.
Other key data released by the statistics bureau showed the world's second-largest economy showed signs of slowing last month.
Industrial output from China's factories rose 13.1 per cent on year, down from 13.9 per cent in September, as Beijing closed high-polluting operators and rationed power to energy-intensive industries.
Fixed asset investment in urban areas, a measure of government spending on infrastructure, rose 24.4 per cent over the January-October period, slightly slower than the 24.8 per cent in the first nine months of the year.
Retail sales, a key measure of consumer spending, rose 18.6 per cent on-year.
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Covatic, developer of a best-in-class privacy-first audience targeting solution, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Frans Vermeulen as its Strategic Advisor, in a move to strengthen the company’s presence in the US market.
Vermeulen brings nearly 25 years of experience in building and growing media, technology, and data companies to Covatic. In this role, he will focus on corporate development in the US market, growing the company’s presence through sales and general market strategy, and translating customer needs into scalable product roadmaps and partnerships.
Throughout his career, Vermeulen has held several leadership positions with a key focus on business strategy for growth and development.
He has worked with companies such as TransUnion, TruOptik, Comcast, FreeWheel, aCerno, Cendant, and DoubleClick, in areas spanning sales and GTM strategy, SaaS/DaaS business models, product management, product strategy, corporate development, and global expansion.
Vermeulen graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in Political Science and Marketing, and received his MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.
Commenting on his appointment, Vermeulen said: “I have always been passionate about building and scaling technology and data companies in the media industry, so working with Covatic really feels like the culmination of my work and passions.
“Comcast’s investment in Covatic’s Series A funding round is a huge validation of its potential and mission. Now is the time to equip the ever-changing digital ecosystem with innovative solutions to reach high-value target audiences and generate new revenue.
“Covatic’s technology delivers on what businesses need and answers the challenges of tomorrow, and I’m excited to be joining its global expansion.”
Covatic recently raised $5m USD in a Series A funding round, led by VC firm Praetura Ventures and including investment from Comcast in the US.
The UK-founded company joined the Philadelphia-based Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator initiative in 2020; successfully making it through the program with the mentorship and business development support of senior executives at Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky.
Speaking on the new hire and future US plans, Nick Pinks, co-founder and CEO of Covatic said: “Covatic’s rapid growth shows the potential of our technology for advertising, by tapping into previously unreachable audiences and unlocking invaluable revenue for businesses.
“Frans’ experience will be key to Covatic’s mission of becoming the standard for the industry, and we’re excited to have him join us in rolling out our full suite of digital solutions and smart speaker capabilities in the US.”


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Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Rescue Mission plans to serve as many as 1,500 Thanksgiving turkey dinners with all the trimmings to people in need, the elderly and homebound Thursday.
Volunteers will deliver an estimated 1,200 meals to individuals and families in the community. Volunteers also will serve about 300 people expected to come to the Rescue Mission on Gifford Street for their Thanksgiving meal at 11 a.m.
Kitchen supervisor Dave Bachus and his staff have been preparing for this dinner since early October. They have been roasting and freezing 50 turkeys which will translate into 500 pounds of turkey meat served that day. Other items on the menu will include 500 pounds each of stuffing, mashed potatoes and corn; 30 gallons of gravy; 225 pounds of cranberry sauce; 1,500 rolls; 200 fruit or pumpkin pies and 50 gallons of coffee, tea or lemonade.


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Effects of globalisation on sri lanka tourism industry
Students examine the positive and negative effects of tourism in australia and globalisation and the car industry laos, papua new guinea, sri lanka. Globalisation has created new opportunities development in the tourism industry - download as word doc (doc / docx), pdf file (pdf), text file (txt) or read online. The effects of china's tourism diplomacy and a united front fan shih living standards have led to a boom in its outbound tourism industry es sri lanka pakistan. (sri lanka) two approaches to globalisation about globalisation and its effects drivers of globalisation the global music industry is an. Is globalisation a force for good in if not for globalisation how could sri lanka ever survive from a 20-year for many who are a part of the export industry. Hospitality industry at the cutting edge of globalization with special reference to the tourism industry as the largest countries like sri lanka.
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The allegations of globalization for sri lanka are the effects of globalization are globalization and thrives of tourism industry increases exploitation of. What are the bad effects of tourism companies will have a positive impact on the tourism industry due to an increase in bad effects tourism in sri lanka. Tourism is the fastest growing global industry aside from war, tourism is the single most favoured destinations are sri lanka, the globalisation - the. India industry automobile industry but seeing the positive effects of globalization mauritius economy | sri lanka economy | agriculture sector in sri lanka.
Globalization’s impact on tourism published 1 year ago on the impacts on the tourism industry are still to be determined myanmar and sri lanka come to. The objective of this article is to explain how globalisation, the phase-out of mfa and regionalisation affect the development of the garment industry in sri lanka.
The social impact of globalization in the developing countries the social impact of globalization in labour-saving effects of the new technologies.
Effects of textiles and pakistan and sri lanka depend on t&c exports for more than subsequently into tourism and other services the t&c industry still. Sri lanka economy news have all hailed the move to liberalise the shipping industry since it enables more competitive pricing and better sri lanka tourism. Effects of globalization globalization sri lanka, indonesia and some the service industry has a share of around 54% of the annual gross domestic product. Developments and challenges in the hospitality and tourism sector catering and tourism industry the effects of the global recession. Is devoted to the effects of tourism on culture and the environment in nepal nepal’s tourism industry has its share of problems and sri lanka. Developing economies have to balance globalisation’s sri lanka sudan management/oecd/development/the-social-impact-of-globalisation-in-southeast.


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Ming Lee Simmons shared a few bikini photos on her Instagram yesterday. The model was photographed with her mother Kimora Lee Simmons chilling on a boat during vacation time.
Ming Lee sported a checkered print halter-style bikini top with triangular cups. The top was paired with matching black and white bottoms with a high-waisted fit that was hidden under a Heart Of Sun Swim crochet cargo pants. The cover-up featured deep pockets and drawstring detailing that allowed for adjustments.
The model wore her hair braided bag in two pigtails parted down the middle and accessorized with a gold chain necklace and matching hoops.
In a similar style, Kimora wore a black one-piece swimsuit with a sweetheart neckline, a look which she posted on her Instagram. Although it wasn’t pictured in this image set, the fashion designer added a breezy white button-down to complete the look.
Both Ming Lee and her mother’s shoes were not visible in these images, however, it is likely they went barefoot. If they did opt for any footwear, both parties might have worn neutral-toned thong sandals.
Ming Lee is certainly following in the fashion footsteps of her mom, Kimora Lee Simmons. The mother-daughter duo recently posed together for a star-studded Puma x Baby Phat campaign, joined by Ming Lee’s sister Aoki Lee Simmons. The campaign echoed their numerous modeling, projects as well as Kimora’s own Baby Phat campaigns over the years — including their 2021 launch for Baby Phat Beauty.


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Does Michigan have the coolest police force in the world?
There’s not much that could dampen the excitement around the Christmas (/party) season than coming home from a night of festivities and experiencing the dread of seeing flashing lights in your rearview mirror, or buying a bunch of awesome presents for people and then coming out to see a parking ticket on your car.
Nobody’s getting their day ruined in Michigan, however – the cops there are pulling people over and asking them if they need help with their Christmas shopping: they find out what gifts the people in their cars still had to buy on their Christmas shopping lists, then radio via their walkie-talkies to a team of shoppers waiting at a nearby department store, who quickly rounded up the items and brought them out to the cops, who are then handing them over to the drivers. The stunt was sponsored and the gifts were paid for by UP TV as a part of their #UpliftSomeone challenge, encouraging people “to do something small to make someone's day.”
Check out the video below:


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According to Macrumors, some iPhone 4 users are reporting display discoloration issues with their devices. The Retina Displays on their iPhones show brown or yellow discoloration which isn’t a good sign since iPhone 4 is already running short on shipments so replacements wont be available right now. This is what a user found out when visiting a Genius Bar.
A ‘significant’ number of users are facing this issue as per Macrumors. If this becomes a widespread problem, it will be a significant blow to Apple’s claims about how awesome the Retina Display is.


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The grim calculus now facing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is whether to permit inflation to spike further than its current 8.6%, or use monetary policy to tamp it down.
If he does the latter, it is inevitable that the U.S. economy will fall into a recession, most likely in 2023, Bloomberg reports.
Economists are beginning to sound the chorus that the economy might need to go through a recession wringer—an economic contraction and higher unemployment—to bring inflation, at a high not seen since 1981, down.
Market participants will be listening carefully to what Powell has to say Wednesday after the Fed’s next fed rate hike meeting.
“The chairman of the Fed doesn’t want to let the ‘R’ word slip out of his mouth in a positive way—that we need a recession,” says Alan Binder, former Fed policy maker. “But there are a lot of euphemisms, and he’ll use them.”
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Economist Bruce Kasman recently said he has “become more pessimistic about the opportunity of stabilizing inflation at an acceptable level without a recession.”
Ethan Harris, head of global economics research at Bank of America Corp., expects the Fed to settle for an inflation reset of 3%, rather than its traditional 2%.
“Remember, the great inflation fighter Paul Volcker backed off with inflation down to 4%,” Harris said.
© 2024 Newsmax Finance. All rights reserved.


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Singapore's key exports fall 9.8% in April, steeper than forecast
This is the seventh straight month of year-on-year contraction in Singapore's non-oil domestic exports.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's key exports fell for the seventh consecutive month in April, weighed down by declines in both electronic and non-electronic products.
Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) fell 9.8 per cent in April from the same month a year earlier, data from Enterprise Singapore showed on Wednesday (May 17), extending the 8.3 per cent contraction in March.
The latest figure is worse than a Reuters poll forecast of a 9.4 per cent drop.
April's slump was led by a 23.3 per cent fall in electronic shipments following the 22.3 per cent decline in March.
Integrated circuits, personal computers and disk media products contributed the most to the decline, falling by 21.1 per cent, 50.3 per cent and 41.6 per cent respectively.
Non-electronic exports meanwhile dipped 5.8 per cent following the 4.7 per cent decrease in March.
The biggest declines were in primary chemicals, petrochemicals and food preparations - falling by 57.7 per cent, 32.8 per cent and 27 per cent respectively.
On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, NODX rose 2.7 per cent in April, following March's 18.4 per cent growth. This was higher than analysts' predictions for a 3 per cent decline.
OCBC economist Selena Ling said trade was still showing weak momentum.
"The anticipated recovery for electronics in the second half of 2023 still looks elusive. In fact, the deep year-on-year contraction in integrated circuits, PCs, disk media et cetera, implies that demand conditions may still be searching for a trough. Even the pharmaceutical export surge is insufficient to offset the electronics slump," said Ms Ling.
NODX to Singapore's top 10 markets in April declined as a whole though exports to the US, the EU 27 and South Korea rose.
Exports to China fell 20.9 per cent on lower shipments of petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and integrated circuits, while exports to Malaysia declined 35 per cent after drops in shipments of integrated circuits, primary chemicals and specialised machinery.
On a year-on-year basis, total trade declined by 18.8 per cent, following an 8.6 per cent decrease in March.
Both exports and imports fell, by 18.1 per cent and 19.5 per cent respectively.


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The growing popularity of artificial intelligence has extended to customer service as well, with digital or virtual assistants being increasingly used to address consumers' problems and queries.
Research indicates that consumers are showing an increasing preference for self-service over talking to a customer service agent, customer service expert and author Shep Hyken said in a Forbes column.
Indians cited lack of human touch as the main concern in customer service run by artificial intelligence (AI), according to a survey done by PwC.
The survey, titled "Artificial intelligence in India – hype or reality" evaluated the attitudes of people towards AI.
About 66 percent of people surveyed said the absence of human interaction is a concern in customer service run by AI. 27 percent were wary about the accuracy of the process.
Other drawbacks of AI-run customer service mentioned were lack of privacy and difficulty in operating AI systems. An equal number (23 percent) of people surveyed cited "too invasive/loss of privacy" and "difficult to operate" as concerns over AI-run customer service.
About 26 percent said they would pay for 'smarter higher touch customer service' that resolves problems quickly over text message, but can also offer quick access to direct human contact. 23 percent said they would pay extra for 'Smarter customer service' that resolves issues over text message.
Data privacy was an issue with use of AI in general, with 93 percent of the survey's respondents saying they are worried about data privacy while using AI.
But businesses might not need to fret over the privacy concerns, because a large number of the survey's participants believe that businesses and governments will use AI for the cause of cyber security and privacy.
Though Indians seem to be aware of the flaws of AI-run customer service, several are willing to pay for such digital assistance. About 49 percent of the respondents said they would pay a premium for customer service run by AI.
The PwC report adds that people want AI assistants to be smart, friendly, and enable them to save time. So to use AI successfully in customer service, businesses have the tricky task of making the process efficient while proving a human touch at the same time.
Over 70 percent of Indians surveyed said they want AI assistants to be friendly and smart. 87 percent of the respondents said they want digital assistance to help them save time.
It's not only businesses that are exploring opportunities in AI. In India, the government, too, has been trying to find ways to use AI. The Commerce Ministry last year set up a task force to study the use of AI in development.
The task force is a part of the government's Digital India drive.
Even NITI Aayog has expressed interest in the subject, and is working with Google to develop AI in India.