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Thanks to @Wilson for tipping me off to this! Today's Galveston Daily News is reporting that the Port is near a deal with Royal Caribbean to bring an Oasis Class ship to Galveston in late 2020. The Port says Royal Caribbean would build the terminal on land leased from the Port of Galveston. The full article from the Galveston Daily News requires a subscription, but here is the full text: GALVESTON - July 15, 2018 Port of Galveston officials are nearing an agreement with Royal Caribbean to build a third cruise terminal at the Port of Galveston that could cost $85 million and bring the world’s largest passenger ship to the island in 2020. “We’re working toward a really good agreement,” said Ted O’Rourke, chairman of the port’s governing board. “It’s a great opportunity if we are able to put it together.” Port Director Rodger Rees in March announced that Royal Caribbean wanted to bring an Oasis-class ship to the island, but that doing so would require a new cruise terminal. The port already is home to two cruise terminals at piers 25 and 27, but the size of the Oasis-class ships requires additional support, officials said. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, of which there are four with more planned, are more than 1,180 feet long and capable of carrying more than 6,200 passengers. Officials are discussing putting the third cruise terminal at Pier 10, next to the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics and BMW vehicle processing plant, Rees said. “Right now, the talk is about having Royal Caribbean come in and build the terminal themselves, then we’d have them lease the land from the port, sharing in revenues with them. We’d control the parking aspect of it,” Rees said. Royal Caribbean officials did not respond to a request for comment by deadline Friday. The proposed facility would have to be about 155,000 square feet, port officials said. The BMW facility would not have to move under current plans, Rees said. The benefit of having Royal Caribbean build the cruise terminal would be that the port wouldn’t have to take on substantial debt and would, instead, be able to focus on its substantial infrastructure needs, Rees said. Ever since the Carnival Celebration made its first voyage from the island in September 2000, the port has come to depend more and more on the cruise business for revenues. The port depends heavily on revenues from cruise ships. Port officials anticipate about 55 percent of revenue budgeted for 2018 will be cruise related. Port officials are projecting operating revenues of about $37.4 million in 2018 against operating expenditures of $37.2 million, according to documents. “This doesn’t use up our borrowing power to build a new terminal,” Rees said. Addressing dilapidated facilities at the island’s public docks could cost as much as $250 million, a problem exacerbated by the fact the port is projected to bring in only about $250,000 in net income in 2018, port officials said. For a third cruise terminal to be ready to host an Oasis-class ship in the fall of 2020, officials will need a project planned and designed by about November, Rees said in a previous interview with The Daily News. There is not yet a final agreement with Royal Caribbean, and all details of the proposed third cruise terminal could still change, Rees said. The Wharves Board of Trustees must approve whatever agreement is eventually reached with the cruise line, Trustee Elizabeth Beeton said. The Port of Galveston is a landlord port, which generates much of its income from lease agreements with maritime tenants and fees related to ship calls. The port is home to three year-round Carnival Cruise Line ships, one year-round Royal Caribbean ship, one seasonal Royal Caribbean ship and a seasonal Disney Cruise Lines ship. The Carnival Vista, the cruise line’s newest and biggest ship, will arrive at Galveston’s docks Sept. 23.


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In this, the sixth review of the year on the Tame Geek website, we’re going to be keeping to the tried and tested formula of scoring our 2018 predictions and highlighting any other trends.
Scoring the Specifics
- The new iPhone will be announced on the week commencing the 10th of September. There will be an update to the whole line, possibly bringing the ‘notch’ to everything.
– Ding ding! Full points on this!
- This same event will be the announcement of a new Apple Watch with a new form factor / size option.
– Yep, we’re calling that a win with two new sizes and a new form factor
- iOS 12, the new MacOS and all the extra operating systems will be announced at the world wide developers conference on the week commencing the 4th of June.
– This one is down to the day!
- At some point in the year (probably at WWDC), we’ll get new iPads, probably Pros with Face ID but perhaps not the edgeless display of the iPhone X (we can but hope that we do though).
– They were later in the year, but we got all of these design elements.
- We’ll also get to see the mentioned new Mac Pro, most likely at WWDC (and we may even get an Apple 5K or 8K Display).
– Total fail on this one! Perhaps 2019 will be better for the pros.
So the score for 2018, 6 out of 7. Not too bad!
On to the rest of the year
Well, from the vague points of last year, Apple did finish moving in to the new campus, a lot more VR games came out but no idea if Sony broke 4 million units (they have done over 2, which is impressive). Oh, and Infinity war did break over $2 billion in the world wide box office.
When considering what happened to the ecosystem war, we need to look at how all of the platforms with hardware backgrounds have been pushing connected home technology and how software platforms have failed.
Alexa from Amazon and Google Home are making big in roads, as is Apple with HomeKit and Siri (all be it slower due to the cost of the HomePod). People are becoming more comfortable with having these devices in the home but it is striking up a debate whether or not children should be taught to say please and thank you to a digital assistant. As a Brit, I’d say it’s good manors to do so, even if the devices don’t respond to it.
Where there was push back however for Facebook. The two billion user strong platform received a huge amount of flack during the year, which didn’t come as much of a surprise.
Firstly, when they were linked to interference with the US election thanks to the level of access companies such as Cambridge Analytica were given and later the sessions testifying to the US government for said actions, Facebook has been suffering from a huge trust problem with the public. That’s why when they tried to launch a home speaker / info screen, people immediately balked at the proposal.
In the automotive space, we saw the Jaguar i-Pace hit the roads in a bid to break the Tesla dominance on the executive electric market. With other big players like Audi getting involved with their e-tron range, the next two years should be interesting. That is if we get UK charging networks sorted out.
At the beginning of 2018, I ventured that software needs to do a better job of teaching users how to get the best from it and from what I’ve seen, we’re still waiting.
2018 has been a decent year for the march on of tech. It’s a ‘toc’ year, as 2017 was a ‘tic’ with some big new technologies coming to the forefront and 2018 has improved upon them. 2019 should be a fully fledged ‘tic’ year, so let’s see what we get.

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A meeting of the law committee of the GST Council has been convened on Wednesday to discuss these issues, finance ministry sources said.
The committee, comprising senior central and state tax officers, would also discuss the GST fake invoice frauds, further tightening of the GST registration process and work out other legal measures including necessary law amendment required in the GST Act to curb the menace of fake invoicing, they added.
"It is also learnt that data analytics techniques will be used to identify such taxpayers, who are suspected to be indulging in fraudulent activities and a coordinated action is likely to be taken against such elements by suspending their registration, followed by detailed physical and financial verification by field officers to check genuineness of their operations, before they are allowed to reuse their registration," a source said.
The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), the investigation unit under GST, has arrested 30 unscrupulous persons dealing with fake invoice and identified 1,282 entities and booked 393 cases so far.
Goods and services involved were waste and scrap of metals (ferrous metals as well as non-ferrous metals), articles of iron and steel, copper wire, plastic granules, milk products (butter and ghee), electronic goods, leather, textiles, chemicals, software, waste paper, cement, TMT bar, tobacco products, construction services, works contract services, manpower supply services, advertisement and animation services, other employment and labour supply services etc.
Sources said that businesses, whose owners or promoters do not have commensurate financial track record, like filing of income tax returns and payment of income tax to the government, may require detailed physical and financial verification by tax officers, before their companies can be considered for GST registration.
"The Finance Ministry is in the process of plugging these gaps in the GST registration process to ensure that only genuine businesses get a GST registration and those, who have intent to defraud the system, are purged out at the registration stage itself," one of the sources said.


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With an air of mystery and intrigue, the visionary behind Burberry’s rebrand, Daniel Lee, unveiled his first campaign as Chief Creative Officer; a triumphant tribute to the timeless elegance and quintessential Britishness that defines the legendary luxury brand.
After three years at the helm of Bottega Veneta, Daniel Lee is leaving.
“Bottega Veneta and Daniel Lee announce their joint decision to end their collaboration,” a statement from the label begins,
Bottega Veneta presents the Salon 01 campaign, their Spring/Summer 2021 collection unveiled in October in London. Photographed by Tyrone Lebon, the protagonist of the third volume of the book launched by the brand accompanying their new proposal.


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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Game publishers, in a rare moment of solidarity, joined forces on Wednesday to convey optimism for the future of their $30 billion industry despite spiraling consumer spending and a global economic downturn.
Electronic Arts, Activision and THQ Incwith Activision the sole profit-maker in its last reported quarterhope to focus on developing mainly blockbuster titles while finding ways to eliminate costs.
A year-long recession has slowed sales growth. Research house NPD estimates spending on U.S. videogames dived 17 percent in April. With top titles often costing as much to produce as a Hollywood film, publishers have had to make tough choices.
After a wave of belt-tightening in the past year, including widespread job cuts, studio closings and title cancellations, many now adopt a strategy of diverting resources to only their most bankable franchises.
"Our actual net development budget has been significantly reduced this year to $120 million ... but its focus is on a few of these quality titles," THQ CEO Brian Farrell told Reuters.
Executives see glimmers of hope in new audiences and more casual users, expanding beyond the industry's traditionally heavily male demographic to women and older people.
Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello sees 1 billion game players from just a few hundred million now.
Crucial to that vast expansion will be games that appeal not just to the hard-core, but also to families and casual gamers, as exemplified by the enormous take-up of Nintendo's Wii and its best-selling Wii Fit fitness title.
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL
Videogameseven those that cost more than $50are likely to score significant sales in coming months as recession-weary consumers go for cheap entertainment instead of taking vacations or buying big ticket items, Take Two Interactive Chairman Strauss Zelnick argued.
Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst pegged videogame sales for the fiscal year ended March at $29 billion, up 13 percent and surpassing the $27 billion movie business.
Partly because of brightening expectations, as well as painful cost-cutting, THQbacker of games like "Saints Row"is now more confident of attaining its goal of achieving profitability again in fiscal 2010. Its shares climbed 8 percent on Wednesday versus a 0.6 percent fall on the Nasdaq.
And publishers may get a welcome boost whenas many analysts predict they will this yearconsole makers like Sony and Microsoft cut prices.
"We love those price wars," Farrell said. "I wouldn't rule out that if Sony cuts, Microsoft and Nintendo may respond. When those guys have their hardware wars, we supply the ammunition."
FLASH IN THE PAN
But even with all the talk of "green shoots" and data showing the worst of the economic downturn may be over, Zelnick says overall consumer sentiment will take a while to blossom.
"We've seen some recession resistance," he said. "We'd all be happier if the consumer economy were more robust... That said, we (the industry) are pretty well positioned, even if the consumer economy continues to be troubled."
Looking ahead to the crucial holidays period, Farrell was cautiously optimistic, calling games "a bright spot."
Others were less sanguine.
"I would say we're very concerned. We've been very conservative on our shipping plans," Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in an interview. "Based on the anticipation around games like 'Guitar Hero' and 'DJ Hero,' there may not be inventories to satisfy that demand."
As for the E3 show itself: though this year's gathering paled in comparison to past years', when it drew 80,000 people, many thought it was a welcome return to the glamour of yesteryear after 2007 and 2008, when organizers suppressed the event, hoping to draw mainly industry insiders.
This year, a scantily-clad wizard greeted people at the entrance to the Sony Online Entertainment booth. A nurse in fishnet stockings posed for photos to promote a game called "Trauma Team." Nearby, two men dressed as Ghostbusters wave proton accelerator guns at onlookers.
"The decision to change it two years ago was obviously incorrect," says Billy Pidgeon, an analyst at Game Changer Research, who has attended for years. "Companies learned, I think, that spending more money and putting on more of a show is necessary to give these games the platform they need."
Still, in some cases caution prevailed.
Take Two refused to splash out on glitzy showcases at E3, eschewing the flash surrounding Electronic Art's and Ubisoft's displays and opting for private analyst meetings.
"You can spend a lot of money on one of these shows. We'd rather put the money into the games," Zelnick said.
(Additional reporting by Kemp Powers; Writing by Edwin Chan, Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
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The officials expressed concern over the acute shortage of medicine and the increased prices of drugs in Pakistan. Poor people in Pakistan face difficulty getting their treatment because government hospitals are not free; even medicine is not available to patients in these hospitals. The meeting also demanded the provision of quality health services at public sector hospitals.
The attendees were particularly worried by a report in a part of the press that a growing dispute between the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and pharmaceutical companies has led to a scarcity of 40 different vital drugs on the market, a figure that is increasing daily.
This scarcity is attributable to the fact that local manufacturers have ceased manufacturing various pharmaceuticals due to rising raw material prices on the international market, resulting in increased production costs.
The meeting rejected any more price increases. They believed that drug prices in Pakistan are already so exorbitant that even the middle class of society feels burdened. As a result, medicines are out of reach for the poor in Pakistan.
This move will make it difficult for poor people to get treatment for their sick family members. In these circumstances, where there is a dearth of health facilities at public hospitals, no action that would increase the price should be taken. We reject this proposition vehemently.
The pricing of life-saving medications should always be modest. People currently spend between 50 and 60 per cent of their income on healthcare. It is a well-known reality that inflation has already resulted in an alarming rise in the cost of food and other essentials. In such circumstances, this increase in drug prices would exacerbate the plight of the populace.
PMA urged that the government consider alternative methods to mitigate the impact of the rising cost of medicine caused by the depreciation of the Pakistani currency.
It might be accomplished by decreasing taxes on pharmaceutical businesses and lowering import duties on the raw materials for medication manufacture and packaging.
Vaccines and pharmaceutical ingredients should be manufactured domestically.
Priority should be given to eliminating fake, counterfeit, and smuggled medicines. PMA believed that the government, Pharma manufacturers and all the stakeholders should sit together and resolve all the issues in such a way that the problems of the manufacturer should also be addressed and the poor people should also not suffer.


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NYPD police cruisers lurch through group of demonstrators protesting Floyd's death
Obama's high school basketball jersey sells for $120,000 at auction
A high school basketball jersey believed to have been worn by former President Barack Obama sold at auction over the weekend for $120,000.
The basketball jersey thought to have been donned by the 44th president of the United States while he was attending a Honolulu prep school sold Saturday night to a collector who chose not to be identified, according to the Associated Press.
Heritage Auctions said the details of the high school jersey that sold matched that of a jersey Obama is wearing in a photograph.
The jersey was put up for auction by Peter Noble, a graduate of Punahou School in Hawaii three years behind Obama. Noble said the jersey was set to end up in the trash before he acquired it. He then saw a picture of Obama wearing the No. 23 jersey while at the school.
A portion of the jersey sale will go to the school, Noble said.
Obama is known as an avid basketball fan, having played in high school. His annual March Madness bracket predictions were a staple during his tenure in the White House.


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BillDesk provides a single versatile, scalable payments platform for enterprise-wide electronic payments and collections, related reconciliation and settlement operations, across multiple delivery channels and using a wide range of payment methods.
Fintech giant PayU, which is backed by one of the world’s top technology investors Naspers, is one of the multiple suitors in talks to acquire top domestic payment gateway firm BillDesk in a mega transaction, which if sealed, would be the biggest in the Indian internet space since the disruptive $16 billion buyout of Flipkart by Walmart, multiple industry sources with knowledge of the matter told Moneycontrol.
“PayU has held discussions to buy a 100 percent stake in BillDesk which is on the block. But there are other suitors as well in the fray. So nothing has been frozen as yet. The sale of BillDesk would be a game-changing moment for the Indian payment gateway segment, “ one of the persons cited above told Moneycontrol, warning that the ongoing talks may or may not necessarily fructify into an eventual transaction.
“The proposed transaction, which may be struck for a premium valuation between $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion, would provide an exit to the founders as well as to the existing private equity investors Temasek and General Atlantic,” said a second person.
“A suitor like PayU would get multiple benefits from this potential big bet in India – technology and backend infra of the target, the size and scale of the business since it has the first-mover advantage, the volume of transactions and the merchant base, both government and otherwise,” a third person told Moneycontrol.
A fourth person confirmed ongoing discussions between both parties.
All the four persons cited above spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In response to an email query from Moneycontrol, a Naspers spokesperson said, “ At a Naspers level, we never comment on market rumour or speculation. Our standard response is as follows; It is the company’s policy to neither acknowledge nor deny its involvement in any merger, acquisition or divestiture activity, nor to comment on market rumours.” PayU did not respond to an email query from Moneycontrol.
General Atlantic declined to comment while a spokesperson for Temasek said, “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on market speculation and rumours." Moneycontrol is awaiting an email response from BillDesk and its founders and has sent reminders. This article will be updated as soon as we hear from them.
KNOW MORE ABOUT BILLDESK
Founded in 2000, by a team of ex-Arthur Andersen professionals, BillDesk provides a single versatile, scalable payments platform for enterprise-wide electronic payments and collections, related reconciliation and settlement operations, across multiple delivery channels and using a wide range of payment methods.
According to its website, the firm is the trusted partner of India's largest institutions, and its technology, payments services and extensive processing network are used by India's largest banks and many of India's organisations across diverse industry segments such as telecom, insurance, utilities, financial services, education, entertainment and e-commerce businesses. The BillDesk platform processes a majority share of the online and mobile payments transactions that are conducted through aggregator platforms, in India.
The firm is a service bureau offering billers, banks and customers a comprehensive bill presentment, payment and management service. Using BillDesk technology, customers can receive and pay all their bills from one location and billers can benefit from reduced processing expenses and improved customer service from online presentment and payment of bills.
It is a financially independent company and is monitored as a participant under the Payments and Settlements Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007) that is regulated and supervised by the Reserve bank of India. BillDesk's investors include TA Associates, Clearstone Ventures, General Atlantic and Temasek.
ALSO, KNOW MORE ABOUT PAYU
PayU is a fintech company that provides payment technology to online merchants and is owned by Prosus, a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. It allows online businesses to accept and process payments through payment methods that can be integrated with web and mobile applications. Prosus has a primary listing on Euronext Amsterdam and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is majority owned by Naspers.
PayU provides payment gateway solutions to online businesses through its premium technology. According to its website, in India, PayU serves more than 4,50,000+ merchants with over 100+ payment methods and is the preferred payment partner for e-commerce merchants, including all leading e-commerce companies and a majority of airline businesses.


text: Socialite and activist Shaniera Akram wants people to take all precautionary measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. She took to social media to urge people to not only wash their hands but also clean their phones. Taking to Twitter, she wrote “Hands are not the only things with germs that need to be cleaned. How many times do you put your hands on your phone to type or use your phone near your face?” “This was the swab I just cleaned my phone and charger cord with. Don’t judge me till you do it too!!!” Shaniera added. Experts have suggested people to disinfect smartphones every 90 minutes with alcohol-based hand sanitizer to prevent COVID-19 spread. Smartphone screens have three times more germs than a toilet seat, according to a research published in 2018.


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For the first time, the United States has become dependent on other countries for food. Even though U.S. farms continue to produce cereals and grains, America’s reliance on imported meats, fruits, and vegetables is surging.
It doesn’t have to be this way — the United States could grow its food and support its farming communities. But misguided trade policies have begun to sweep away America’s farms in the same way they’ve dismantled many of the nation’s factories.
The Tomato Example
Tomatoes provide a good example of America’s growing food imbalance. In the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexican producers started selling tomatoes to the United States at less than the cost of production. U.S. tomato farmers responded by filing a complaint with the Commerce Department. This led to a subsequent agreement— Mexico could continue selling tomatoes to the United States, but only if they were fairly priced.
Unfortunately, this “Tomato Suspension Agreement” hasn’t worked. Mexico is still selling tomatoes at less than fair-market price.
Thirty years ago, the United States was a net exporter of fruits and vegetables. The United States no longer produces as much food as it consumes — and has become dependent on imported fruits and vegetables.
This import dependence also extends to livestock. The United States is importing more beef than — including meat labeled as USA-produced, even when it’s been raised and slaughtered in other countries. U.S. ranchers also fear that America’s farmed lamb population could disappear entirely. And even though the United States still exports low-value crops such as wheat, corn and soybeans, America’s agricultural trade deficit is expected to hit a record $19 billion this year — and climb to an even higher $27.5 billion next year.
Why is this happening? In part, “trade liberalization” failed to raise living standards in Mexico and other countries. Mexico’s mega-farms still use the same low-cost labor to harvest massive volumes of produce for U.S. consumers. That’s a major contrast to farmworkers in the United States — including those on migrant H2A visas — who benefit from wage protections enforced by the Department of Labor. So, America’s farmers pay their workers a living wage but cannot compete with exports from Mexico and other low-wage countries.
The tomato problem, in particular, has grown so serious that a bipartisan group of 59 members of Congress recently urged Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to terminate the Tomato Suspension Agreement. In a letter, the lawmakers noted that the volume of tomato imports from Mexico has increased 380 percent since NAFTA, driving hundreds of America’s tomato farms out of business.
The Commerce Department has already reported instances of Mexican tomatoes sold at prices as much as 30% below market value. And the International Trade Commission reports that America’s tomato industry has been “materially injured” by dumped Mexican tomatoes.
Concerns and Solutions
U.S. lawmakers are deeply concerned by the loss of farms. As they explained to Raimondo, Mexico’s brazen disregard for the terms of the Tomato Suspension Agreement has hurt America’s farm communities.
The legislators have requested “immediate termination of the 2019 Suspension Agreement and imposition of antidumping duties.” They believe it’s the only recourse to “stop the destruction of the American tomato industry by unfairly traded Mexican tomatoes.”
During COVID, Americans saw the risks posed by over-reliance on imports. And now, the nation’s farmers are losing ground at a time when food safety should be paramount.
America’s farming needs are being outsourced to countries with lower labor standards. To safeguard America’s food resources, the Commerce Department should terminate the tomato agreement. And Congress should adopt policies to stop the downward slide of America’s farms — and ensure healthy, sustainable domestic farm production.
About the Author
Michael Stumo is CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.


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Ringbacktones have made snippets of music into status messages on your phone. Don't blame the technology.
RBT as a commercial business can exist as a viable music revenue channel alongside other more traditional methods.
if someone says RBT is a degradation of music; well does music have to be enjoyed by only traditional methods, and traditional durations?
and if someone is tying the alleged "degradation of music" to RBT, well that's just being snobbish.
RBT just enabled us to know how many music fans there are, and what kind of music they like. Market realities.
and RBT has its own segment that enjoys it. So do CDs, digital downloads, and so on. It's still a recorded music product.
it's never been a secret that music tastes vary, and that the majority of people will look for easily accessible music. RBT is no different.
for instance: generally, more people would like Westlife rather than Herbert von Karajan. Unfortunate (for some) fact of life.
the pop music phenomenon will not go away, catering music to the masses. RBT is yet but one medium of delivering that music.
This weekend, telcos, CPs and labels are working hard to save the RBT industry they had built, from an ignorant Indonesian government.
Yesterday BRTI issued a letter that all premium SMS services, most likely including RBT, must be shut down.
But BRTI also said that all services may resume; subscribers can re-register to the services they want with no additional cost. RBT also.
Think of it as a "system reboot": getting rid of users that may have inadvertently subscribed to a service, but keeping the 'real' customers
the premium SMS and RBT industry is not dead just yet - but they'll have to work hard on getting back those customers again.
the premium SMS & RBT industry is not without its own 'bad boys'; the guys behind the recent 'stolen phone credit' fiasco.
and the order to shutdown all premium SMS services, will cost millions of $ in loss of customers, definitely.
here's the tough question: how many are real customers, and how many were "trapped" via marketing/technology methods?
my opinion: if customers love any service, they will keep using it. If they don't, they won't. Right, @yonan32 ? :D
and the funny thing about selling any service, is that you'd hear the complaints more often than you hear the praises. Same applies here.
but in all fairness, Indonesia's troubled SMS industry has had more than its share of bad press. Time for a reset.
BUT - the commoditization of recorded music - RBT, MP3, CD - is only one aspect of the music industry.
Recorded music as a commodity is also one of the reasons the music industry has grown so much over the years.
sure there are many ways for musicians to make music, but that also means, if the RBT industry were to stop, it's a big problem.
the SMS/RBT industry is not without problems. But doesn't mean an industrywide shutdown is necessary.
the government is taking the easy way out with the "system reboot". We'll just have to see on whether they will support the industry itself
the SMS/RBT industry was self-regulated by the telcos. It should have been regulated (and incentivized) by the government.
so we'll just have to see, how things play out next week. We'll see, eventually, how many people actually do use RBT.
the approximately IDR 60 billion/week RBT industry will most likely shrink. Will it follow the fate of the premium number?
the 'premium call' industry virtually died when 10 years ago after similar outrages from consumers regarding overcharging.
The fear is that the RBT industry will be a casualty of war, of a battle that is actually from overcharging premium SMS services.
so if the SMS/RBT industry were to die a slow death starting today, there are real casualties: the employees of these companies. I was one.
for better or worse, I played a very small part building the RBT industry in Indonesia, so it is sad to see things the way they are today.
the only problem is, with this imminent SMS/RBT industry shutdown, why aren't we hearing the consumers complaining about the shutdown?
we'll see, if the shutdown happens, if whether there will be consumers complaining that their services have been involuntarily shut down


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(NEW YORK) — At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ehud Sopher, a screenwriter and director based in New York City, found himself without a job. The global health crisis had shut down the city — and the entertainment industry along with it.
But then, Sopher found Instacart, a grocery delivery smartphone app, and thought he hit the jackpot: flexible hours and quick cash while working on personal projects to hone his craft.
“I felt like I found a hack to our economy, and I’m like, ‘Wow, you don’t have to work a 9 to 5,’ and you can do these contract gigs where you shop for people and make $25 an hour,” Sopher said.
Sopher became what Instacart calls a “shopper” — he would log onto the app on any given day, at any time, see customer orders for groceries, select the ones he wants to fulfill, head to the customer’s preferred grocery store, shop and deliver the items to the person’s doorstep. It was easy enough that Sopher would sometimes make hundreds of dollars a day. But just as he was getting the hang of it, Sopher said, he noticed something changed.
“Within the month that I signed my new lease, I got my first 4-star rating, and I wasn’t seeing orders that matched why I got into Instacart in the first place for a few weeks,” he told ABC News.
Sopher doesn’t know why he got the 4-star rating but suspects it was from a customer whose items were out of stock at the store. He said the customer did not respond when he repeatedly messaged her to ask whether she wanted replacements. In the end, he refunded her money and delivered the groceries he was able to get.
That one rating, Sopher said, dropped his overall customer rating, which according to Instacart, is an average of the last 100 deliveries made.
Shoppers with higher ratings get first dibs on delivery batches, meaning anything less than a perfect score and the batches you can access are fewer and will likely yield lower pay. Some critics call it “ratings prison.”
Sopher said when it first happened to him, he didn’t know what the 4-star rating would mean for his income.
“I just assumed it was like anything else in life … if you have like a 3.9 GPA, you’re a really good student. If you’re a 4.86 Uber driver, you’re probably a good driver. So, I just assumed it was like that. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s unfortunate, but I’m still at 4.96. But then I wasn’t seeing orders for a while,” Sopher said.
In Ohio, Sharita Williams, who has been an Instacart shopper for two years, said she also remembers something similar happening to her after a less-than-perfect customer rating.
“Versus making $150 a day, I would maybe make, maybe, $70, $80 or you’ll see less batches coming in instead of the normal 6, 7, 10 [orders],” she said.
For shoppers who rely on the service as their only or main source of income, anything less than a 5-star average rating can cost hundreds of dollars in earnings each week, making it hard to make ends meet. Some have taken to YouTube to document their frustrations.
In a May 20 video posted to a YouTube channel called Instacart Dude Adventures, Twisters and 101’s, the shopper who runs the channel tells his subscribers, “3 stars and I go from making $200 to $250 a day to nothing.” In another video posted Dec. 5 to the Chanty Marie YouTube channel, the influencer takes her viewers along for her shopping and deliveries. At one point, she tells them, “Now I have a bad rating, and I can’t get any batches.”
Sopher himself has made a documentary about his and other Instacart shoppers’ struggles.
“You’re putting your heart, your energy to shop for somebody, and just because they’re in a bad mood, they’ll give you a low rating, and it’s downhill from there,” one shopper said in the documentary, “Four Stars.”
“It’s just unfair. We’re working very hard, and customers rate us very poorly, and they’re doing it viciously and it’s unacceptable,” another shopper in the film said.
Recently more and more of Instacart’s shoppers have been speaking out, calling the rating system “unfair.” Combined, thousands of people have signed on to different online petitions demanding that Instacart immediately change how the ratings are calculated.
The biggest frustrations, shoppers say, include not knowing which customer left them a bad rating and sometimes not even getting an explanation about what they did to deserve it, though Instacart encourages customers to leave feedback. Shoppers also say the system mostly assumes the customer is always right and sometimes they get a bad rating for circumstances beyond their control, such as a store not having an item the customer wants.
“You know, I’m out here hustling. I’m trying to provide good customer service, and it’s not my fault there’s not an item in stock,” Williams explained. “I don’t have control if the tomatoes are bad, and sometimes all the bananas are bad. So, it’s a lot of things that are not your fault, and then you get rated a bad score.”
In 2020, as the pandemic was raging, Instacart said it suspended the rating system, seemingly because of its negative impact on shoppers’ earnings. But as of June, the ratings are back, supposedly rewarding hardworking shoppers and weeding out those who don’t always get it right.
Clinical and forensic neuropsychologist Dr. Judy Ho told ABC News the negative impact of rating systems can be detrimental to a worker’s mental health and behavior.
“I think the toll can be enormous especially because you feel like you have to live and die by this rating system and that it could cost you your job, your pay, it could cost you tips, and that can cause a person to do some really unsafe behaviors like driving fast and erratically to try to deliver quickly or on time,” she said. “I also think it’s much harder for them to actually focus to do their job in a quality way, because they’re so stressed out about changing that rating.”
A spokesperson for Instacart said in a statement that the company has been gathering feedback from shoppers over the past few months.
“We’ve heard from shoppers time and again that they value providing a great experience for customers, and they want to be recognized for their efforts,” the spokesperson said. “We’re always working to provide a consistently fair and reliable experience for shoppers, and we look forward to continuing to evolve our systems and processes to deliver the best offering for shoppers.”
The company pointed to measures like deleting a shopper’s worst rating after 100 deliveries, saying those steps help ensure the “customer rating system is fair and accurate.”
But “there is such a small margin for error,” Sopher said. “And, of course, you strive to be perfect with this job, but we’re flawed human beings. And, just like anything in life, there’s going to be an error along the way, and it shouldn’t result in you losing your income.”
“If the customer doesn’t respond when you need to replace the item … you can’t sit in a store for an hour waiting for a customer to respond,” she said. “And some customers are upset with that … so then they’ll give you a lower rating.”
Instacart said some of those issues are resolved in favor of the shopper and that a recent survey shows 75% of shoppers feel that the customer ratings system is fair. “Similarly, 71% of shoppers believe the customer ratings system accurately reflects the level of service they provide,” a spokesperson said.
Some shoppers, though, have resorted to emotional pleas, begging customers to withhold tips instead of leaving a rating that could haunt them for weeks. Sopher has since left the app because of his frustrations and also because of car issues — though he said he might return.
“I do believe there should be some way to hold shoppers accountable,” Sopher explained. “You’re paying for a service, and you need to filter out any shoppers who are untrustworthy or who are constantly messing up the job.”
But, he added, “Customers don’t know how harmful even a 4-star rating is, so the average person might think a 4-star rating is a good thing.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Instacart customer Dia Rucco exclaimed as ABC’s Faith Abubey relayed shoppers’ frustrations with the ratings system.
“That makes me feel bad,” said Rucco, who used to spend Saturday mornings at the grocery store and now mostly uses Instacart instead.
Rucco said she couldn’t have appreciated the grocery delivery service more during the pandemic.
“It’s just kind of been a lifesaver,” she said. “Even now that things are opening, it’s just so much easier to get groceries done during the week instead of trying to fit it in on a weekend with kids in the house.”
Rucco said she didn’t realize that as a customer, she had so much power over the livelihood of the Instacart shoppers and now that she knows, she supports overhauling the rating system.
“I definitely understand that it’s a business,” she said about Instacart. “Take care of the customer. I get all those things, but I also think you have to take care of the employee.”
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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Netflix is sick of calling Microsoft’s Game Pass “Netflix Like Service,” and it wants to get into the action itself. On Twitter, the computer scientist Steve Moser spread the news about Netflix’s new game initiative codenamed “Shark” which depicts the shark fin image in its iOS app.
Netflix has nothing confirmed, so take this with a generous bucket of salt, but the company revealed that it has hired game manager Mike Verdu, a veteran of the gaming industry with an extensive gaming pedigree that includes companies such as Atari, Zynga, and Electronic Arts. Verdu was previously responsible for developing Oculus VR and was tasked with running his company as a source of game developers for Facebook’s virtual reality system, so it’s a bit of a tingle in my mind.
It sounds a bit like Netflix wants to release everything it does, but it doesn’t have the potential to be a video game streaming service without a brand new publisher, like PlayStation. Another advantage for Netflix is that it has demonstrated the ability to finance a lot of original content. While Xbox Game Pass gets new titles each month, Netflix gets a large number of new movies and shows every month to fund a similar move toward video games.
Investors appear to be reacting cautiously to Netflix’s potential foray into video games. In a research note, CFRA analyst Tuna Amobi called video games a logical addition to Netflix’s vast library of TV series and movies that could help lay the groundwork for an eventual price hike that most subscribers would accept. In April, the Chief Operating Officer of Netflix told investors that video games were a way to attract subscribers by immersing them in the unfolding stories at TV series or movies services.
One of the most common things about Xbox and PlayStation is that everyone has their own version of a game subscription service that acts as Netflix for video games. Compared to Netflix Video Games 3, the Xbox Game Pass gives users access to a rotating catalog of games from a variety of publishers and other premium services, including Xbox and EA Play, for a single monthly subscription fee. However, it seems the Xbox series X could throw the PlayStation 5 out of the water in terms of its own subscription service.
Microsoft has since launched its Xbox All Access subscription service in 12 countries, including the UK with games by Smyth Toys, the USA with Best Buy, GameStop and Walmart, and Australia with Telstra. One of the biggest reasons Microsoft wanted to do this was the acquisition of Bethesda is how it can bring exclusive future games and current games to Xbox Game Pass. Every game mention in the recent Xbox Bethesda event will be available on the game pass on its first day of release. The Xbox Game Pass is similar to the Xbox One and EA’s existing All Access video game subscription, as well as rival Sony’s PlayStation Now service.
The next analogy to PlayStation Now is Xbox Game Pass and its PlayStation Now program. Game Pass offers players the opportunity to try out games they have not yet purchased. This allows players to join the Xbox ecosystem on an Xbox console, get serious about PC hardware and consoles, and play new, big AAA games. Its PlayStation Now program gives players access to hundreds of games that can be played on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Players can download the games and stream them to their consoles or stream to a PC.
Netflix may join hands with Playstation and plan to bundle the PlayStation Gaming Library with its streaming subscription service which includes blockbuster titles, series, documentary and anime shows. This year, subscribers to the Ultimate tier of Game Pass ($14.99 a month for Xbox and PC games) also got beta access to xCloud, Microsoft’s cloud gaming solution. The service allows people to stream the entire Game Pass catalog from their personal Xbox library to their smartphones and tablets.


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Festive snowfalls have come early to the Norwegian beer market, with Oslo-based Tank Design’s minimal styling of White Xmas, positioned as a party drink by brewer Macks Olbryggeri. ‘It’s traditional in Norway for all the brewers to bring out Christmas beers,’ says Tank partner Bjorn Ottem, ‘but usually they’re filled with Santas and typical kitschy Christmas artefacts.’ Macks Olbryggeri owns the northern-most brewery in the world.
Studio Blackburn has created a new look for the renewable energy company which seeks to set it apart from its sea of competitors.
The kit is the third design unveiled by the team for the 2020/21 season, and features the Coventry UK City of Culture branding developed by Uncommon on the front.
As part of our series exploring countries’ design cultures, we look at how the Caribbean nation is finding its own aesthetic and searching for community.
Another month spent in lockdown had some designers yearning for nightclubs and events gone by, while others are revisiting old projects or pushing new boundaries.


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In an ideal world, when we buy fruits and vegetables at the market, we get to consume them before they go bad, but life happens and that’s not always the case. We’ve developed all sorts of “life hacks” for keeping produce fresh — and now here’s one that changes the game.
Beko has launched HarvestFresh, a refrigerator technology that preserves the freshness and vitamins of fruits and vegetables longer, in the Philippine market.
Beko provides technology solutions that can help make daily life easier. Their whitegoods, which include refrigerators, cookers, washing machines, ovens and vacuum cleaners, always empower people to live better and healthier lives.
HarvestFresh technology uses three colors, green, blue and red, to mimic the 24-hour sun cycle and natural sunlight. This combination simulates the day light cycle — including times of darkness — to recreate a natural living environment for fruits and vegetables. This technology helps maintain vitamin A and vitamin C levels in fruits and vegetables much longer.
Inspired by nature, powered by light, this refrigerator technology preserves vitamins A and C for up to five additional days, as verified and approved by leading Total Quality Assurance provider Intertek Laboratories.
Vitamins are key for boosting the immune system and providing natural antioxidants to protect the body from disease.
During the first four hours of the HarvestFresh cycle, the crisper lights will shine blue, mimicking dawn and the first light of the day. This is followed by two hours of green light replicating midday, and a further six hours of red light imitating the more muted tones of dusk. The drawers then turn dark for 12 hours to represent nighttime.
“Consumers’ preference for natural and healthy food is no longer just a growing trend. It is a way of life. HarvestFresh is part of our commitment to doing all we can to help make their lives easier and healthier,” said Gurhan Gunal, country manager of Beko Pilipinas Corporation.
HarvestFresh not only preserves vitamin content, but also helps keep fruit and vegetables fresher and thus, reduces the number of times you have to go out and shop for food. This is very important in these times, particularly as the public has been urged to stay at home if they can.
For more information, visit Beko Philippines’ Facebook page at facebook.com/bekoph.
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New York City is reinventing its payphones, and digital signage seems to be a key component to the payphone future.
The city has issued the Reinvent Payphones Design Challenge, asking "How can New York City reinvent payphones to make our city more accessible, safer, healthier, greener and better informed?" and last night named six finalist designs.
Five of the six designs make digital signage a key part of the potential future payphone kiosk, and most of them turn the concept into an informational center with touch- and gesture-enabled screens. (And anyone can vote on the new designs at the City of New York's Facebook page.)
According to the contest website, there are several reasons for the contest, including one for why to keep payphones in the cellphone age:
WHY: Current payphone vendor agreements expire in 2014, creating opportunities for innovation.
WHO: The City is currently gathering feedback on the future of payphones. As part of this effort, the City is inviting students, urban planners, designers, technologists, architects, creators and legal and policy experts to build physical and/or virtual prototypes imagining a new public utility through payphone infrastructure.
Story continues below...
WHAT: The City manages a telecommunications network of 11,412 public payphones throughout the five boroughs. Payphone use has decreased with mobile device adoption, but payphones still serve the communications needs of thousands of New Yorkers a day, especially in times of emergency.
Municipal advertising sales giant Titan partnered with New York City-based technology and design firm Control Group for a design submission that won the "Community Impact Award" for their submission.
The Titan/Control Group team was one of six award winners named in last night's "Reinvent Payphones Demo Day." The City is now putting out a call for the public to select the best of the six award winners. Participants can vote via Facebook for their favorites before March 15.
Control Group and Titan called their entry "NYC I/O: The Responsive City" and called it a concept that "reflects the transformation of the corner payphone into a digital hub that will usher in a new era of 'The Responsive City.'"
"Our submission, 'NYC I/O: The Responsive City,' updates the payphone with a modern array of sensors and displays to create a foundational input/output system for an open, urban-scale computing platform, which would allow New York City to respond to and serve the people in a way never done before," said Colin O'Donnell, partner and COO for the Control Group, in a joint announcement from the companies. "Through open access to real-time data and a distribution platform for community, civic, arts and commercial apps and messaging, we can create a safer, more efficient and more enjoyable city."
The contest is not the formal RFP for the city's payphone contract, but it was put forth to spur ideas for the eventual issuance of the RFP, accoridng to the announcement. Titan said it currently has the largest franchise, secured through October 2014, and offers an inventory of phone kiosks in New York City with 2,552 payphones at 1,762 phone kiosk locations throughout the five boroughs. Titan will be submitting for the official RFP in 2014 with Control Group as their technology partner.
"We have been passionate about the payphone and its place in the city-scape since we acquired Verizon's New York City inventory in 2009 and 2010," said Scott Goldsmith, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Titan. "We thought this competition was a great way for the city to generate excitement around what the future of this historic portal could look like. Payphones have served us well, but it's time we address the needs and changes in the way people communicate in the digital age."
Watch a video of the Titan/Control Group concept below:
And here's another video demo, from design firm frog:
Learn more about interactive digital signage.


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SAO PAULO--Brazilian auto sales and output in March improved from February, ensuring a better performance in the first quarter compared with 2012, even as demand for heavy trucks continues to lag, automaker association Anfavea said Thursday.
Sales of cars, trucks and buses reached 283,912 in March, up 21% from February but 5.5% behind March 2012 levels, Anfavea said. So far this year, sales are up 1.5%.
Sales of heavy trucks in the first quarter, however, are still lagging 2012 levels by 8.7%. Despite a 23% jump from February, which saw few business days because of the Carnival holiday, heavy truck sales in the month fell 10% from March 2012 levels.
Vehicle output, meanwhile, improved from February levels as well as on a yearly comparison. Output was up 39% from February and up 3.4% from March 2012. They are up 12% during the first quarter, thanks in part to a 39% expansion in heavy truck output.
Truck sales slumped in 2012 due to tougher emissions standards.
Auto exports also showed some signs of improvement. Export volumes rose 3.1% on the year while the value of exports rose 4.3% to $1.39 billion. Still, for the first quarter export volumes are 0.2% below the same period in 2012, and export values are 2% lower.
In terms of passenger car sales, Fiat retained its lead in the market with sales of 47,483 autos sold. Volkswagen sold 41,981, General Motors sold 41,106, and fourth-place Ford sold 16,593 cars.
Write to Paulo Wintersein at email@example.com


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When MSC's newest ship, MSC Seaside, launches in December, it'll have some exciting new features, including a water park with slides that jut over the side of the ship, a wraparound promenade, and elevators with panoramic views. But what are we really excited about? The new Japanese-Hawaiian fusion restaurant by celebrity Chef Roy Yamaguchi.
You've probably heard his name around before: the Japanese-American chef has opened 30 Roy's Restaurants worldwide, starred in a TV show ("Hawaii Cooks With Roy Yamaguchi"), and written four cookbooks — and now he's launching his first eatery at sea.
The restaurant, Asian Market Kitchen by Roy Yamaguchi, will have a sushi, sashimi, and raw bar, plus a teppanyaki grill, where chefs will cook pan-Asian dishes from traditional Japanese to Malaysian to Thai and Korean, right in front of passengers.
Executive chefs are currently training with Yamaguchi's team in Hawaii. And, unlike other celebrity chefs, Yamaguchi is adding more than just his name to the project. He's had a heavy hand in conceptualizing every aspect of the design and planning of the restaurant, from the menu and wine selection right down to the silverware and china.
When we sat down with the chef to ask about this new restaurant, two years in the making, he said he felt fortunate that working on a completely new build has allowed him to start from the ground up, creating a synergy between the interior of the restaurant and the a la carte menu.
Expect the interior to wow you as much as the food: The restaurant will have floor-to-ceiling windows, modern light installations, and seats for just 120 guests. (With 4,140 passengers onboard, you'll want to book online in advance.)
Yamaguchi will sail with MSC Seaside on her inaugural voyage in December. The ship will cruise to the Caribbean from Miami year-round.


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Five automakers have recalled electric vehicle batteries in the last two years because of potential fire and stalling risks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now investigating whether some cars powered by these batteries are more likely to catch fire than non-electric vehicles. If the government finds that electric vehicle batteries are defective, it may cause even more recalls. Additionally, electric car manufacturers face lawsuits from owners who say the companies should have known about the danger.
Experts say that electric cars are the way of the future. They’re better for the environment because they don’t emit pollutants. Electric vehicle owners don’t have to worry about the cost of gasoline, and the cars themselves generally require less maintenance. By 2030, automakers forecast that more than half of car sales will be electric. They are powered by high-voltage lithium-ion batteries instead of fuel, and owners must charge these cars every few days. Gasoline releases harmful greenhouse gasses, but electric vehicles can reduce a carbon footprint significantly. The U.S. government has incentivized electric vehicle ownership, and electric vehicle owners are eligible for federal tax credits.
The potential for dangerous defects has electric car owners concerned for their safety despite all the benefits. The recalls that have happened so far involve damaged internal battery cells that can ignite, increasing the chances of a fire. The NHTSA probe focuses on about 138,000 vehicles with batteries manufactured by South Korea-based company LG Energy Solution. The company says that it plans to cooperate with the investigation fully.
Last year, 30 plaintiffs sued General Motors and said the defective battery recall reduced the resale value of their Chevy Bolt electric cars. The manufacturer recalled several vehicle models in 2020 after ten reported fires, and LG Electronics has agreed to pay GM about $2 billion to cover the recall cost. In January, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the automaker on behalf of Chevy Bolt owners and leasees. The plaintiff said GM told him not to let the car’s range drop below 70 miles or park it indoors overnight, making it more difficult to maintain the vehicle.
What Consumers Should Know About Electric Vehicle Battery Dangers
Drivers injured by battery fires may choose to sue, and they will likely file dangerous and defective product lawsuits. These complaints will probably focus on whether LG Electronics knew or should have known about potential manufacturing defects. Even if it did not manufacture the faulty batteries, the automaker could still be held responsible. Companies must exercise due diligence to ensure their products are safe for the public to use. Defective product cases usually fall into four categories: design defects, manufacturing defects, failure to warn, and breach of warranty.
Design and manufacturing defects are easy to confuse, but there’s a critical distinction. Manufacturing defects happen during production, which might lead to a bad batch or one defective item. Design defects mean that a product is inherently flawed and unreasonably dangerous. Failure to warn hinges on whether a company should have warned consumers about unforeseeable potential product dangers. A breach of warranty comes into play when a company doesn’t uphold its end of an agreement. Hiring a dangerous product lawyer can help you determine what type of defective product case you may have.
The results of the NHTSA study will likely reveal just how worried consumers should be about the danger of electric vehicle batteries. In a recent troubling incident, a couple’s California house burned down because one of the Tesla vehicles in the garage burst into flames. It’s not clear whether battery fires happen more frequently than gasoline fires, but they tend to burn hotter and longer.
The U.S. government says it will write to LG and other companies to make sure recalls are completed appropriately. In the meantime, electric car drivers are left wondering if they have any recourse. Herman, Herman & Katz can answer questions about defective electric vehicle batteries. For more information or a free case review, call 844-943-7626 or fill out our online contact form to see if you have a claim.
Jed Cain is a partner with Herman, Herman & Katz, LLC. He has dedicated his career to representing injured folks and their families.


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Fasig-Tipton yearling sale catalog now online
At the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale. Photo by The Racing Biz.
Fasig-Tipton has catalogued an initial 410 entries for its Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale, to be held on Monday, September 30, and Tuesday, October 1. The sale will be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland.
Fasig-Tipton will continue to accept supplemental entries for the sale through September 18.
The Monday session will begin at 4 pm and offer hips 1-150. The Tuesday session will begin at 10 am and offer hips 151-410, followed by all supplemental entries.
“Midlantic Fall grads have notched more than 180 stakes wins or stakes placings since last year, a strong statistic that all buyers should take notice of,” said Midlantic Director of Sales Paget Bennett. “Henley’s Joy, winner of this year’s Belmont Derby (G1), is just the latest top-rung horse to come from this sale, and he is joined on this year’s catalogue cover by graded stakes winners in California, Florida, and Canada.
“The sale is also once again a top-ranked North American yearling sale by percentage of two-year-old winners sold, earners of more than $150,000 sold, average earnings, and average number of starts,” added Bennett.
The catalogue may now be viewed online. It will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues will be available from all Fasig-Tipton offices beginning September 6.
LATEST BUSINESS NEWS
A new stallion in PA, a Maryland stallion showcase, and the Fasig-Tipton Mixed Sale is nearly upon us, in the Week in social media.
The West Virginia Racing Commission announced it willhire an equine medical director, establish a medical review board, and take other equine-safety steps.
The catalog for December’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic mixed sale is now available online, with a supplement of horses of racing age to follow.
Midlantic runners star in the Breeders’ Cup, Boundtobebad remains undefeated, and Normandy Invasion comes to PA, in the Week in social media.
The racetrack vets association (NAARV) called for changes such as the elimination of maiden claiming rules and improved technology to advance equine safety.
The new so-called Maryland “house rules” regarding equine safety are both more – and less than that, a mixture of policies, house rules, and regulations with broad industry support.


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Range Rover Evoque Convertible, watch out. At the beginning of the year, a report emerged to stipulate the possibility of a droptop X2 and now a BMW official has (kind of) suggested such a niche model taking the shape of a roofless high-riding vehicle could be on the agenda. Speaking with Digital Trends, BMW’s director of product planning and strategy, Ralph Mahler, was asked to share his opinion about a convertible SUV. His answer? “It’s a really interesting topic.” He went on to mention:
“All these kinds of questions we have asked ourselves in the past. Whether or not there is a possibility, whether or not there is a market. You see the lineup at the moment. We don’t have one but nevertheless I think it’s still an interesting question.”
While that doesn’t necessarily mean the X2 or any other model from BMW’s vast “X” lineup will lose its roof in the years to come, Mahler’s statement goes to show the company is at least open to the idea of such a controversial body style. In today’s world in which the Nissan Leaf has been turned into a convertible (one-off concept, thankfully), anything is possible.
BMW has bigger fish to fry for the time being, with the company being busy with the X7 flagship SUV slated to arrive later this year when we’ll also get to see the all-new X5. Not only that, but rumors have already emerged about the possibility of an X8 allegedly scheduled to arrive as early as 2020. Meanwhile, the X3 and X4 will spawn fully fledged M versions, so a convertible SUV probably doesn’t rank high on BMW’s list of priorities.
Nevertheless, consider yourself warned: a droptop Bavarian SUV based on a front-wheel-drive platform could be in the offing. The world didn’t end when the FWD-based 2 Series Active Tourer and Gran Tourer minivans came out, so it probably won’t implode should BMW decide to go after the convertible Evoque.
Source: Digital Trends


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Won’t somebody please think of the children? Don’t panic, Helen lovejoy – that’s exactly what Sony’s doing with PlayStation VR.
PS4 users on the firmware 3.50 beta program have started spotting references to the upcoming virtual reality headset in the health and safety notices section of the patch notes – so turns out people actually do read those.
The messages say PlayStation VR shouldn’t be used by anyone under 12 – a sensible move seeing how younger kid’s eyes are still developing and probably shouldn’t be wedged a few inches from a screen.
There’s also an issue with focusing distance and the space between the lenses, which may not be small enough for children to see the screens clearly.
It might be bad news for any kids hoping to give VR a try, but it could be worse; both HTC and Oculus have a higher age limit.
HTC doesn’t actually state a specific age, but says categorically that Vive shouldn’t be used by young children. Older children can use it if they’re watched by an adult, but you have to keep an eye out for "negative effects" – although HTC doesn’t exactly explain what those are.
Oculus puts its age limit at 13, a year higher than Sony. That applies to the Rift and Samsung’s Gear VR, although this is partly because 13 was the age gate for Facebook – the company that bought Oculus in 2014.
The company has talked about plans for a kids version of Oculus, but for now it’s strictly older teens only. That could give PlayStation a small edge, at least with parents looking to keep their kids happy.
With the Games Developers Conference and Sony’s VR-focused press conference just a week or two away, we can expect plenty more details about PlayStation VR soon – hopefully including a price and release date.
RELATED › Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive


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Seafood Expo Global
23-25 APRIL 2024
The Global Seafood Marketplace
Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global is the largest seafood event on the planet, serving industry professionals and buyers from all corners of the supply chain and world. If you purchase seafood for your business, you simply cannot afford to miss this event.
Learn more about the upcoming edition by visiting the event website.
The 2020 Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global event, scheduled to take place 21 to 23 April in Brussels, Belgium, has been postponed by the organizer, Diversified Communications.
The global outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus caused the postponement, according to Diversified Communications Group Vice President Liz Plizga.
“Postponing is inevitable and unavoidable because of public health concerns,” Plizga… Read More
Moscow, Russia-based Russian Fishery Company (RFC) will be an active bidder in the upcoming auction for cod and haddock quotas, the company has said.
Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries is auctioning the quota. To qualify, companies must invest in infrastructure upgrades in the form of either vessel or processing plant upgrades. The Interdepartmental Commission of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the Federal… Read More
Zeebrugge, Belgium-based Pittman Seafoods has surpassed EUR 50 million (USD 44.7 million) in annual sales, according to CEO Yoke Vandepitte.
Founded in 1990 in a seaside town near Bruges, Pittman Seafoods has grown into a worldwide supplier of frozen seafood to retail and foodservice outlets. The company has 30 employees and ancillary sales offices in Germany and Chile, Vandepitte told SeafoodSource at the 2019 Seafood Expo Global in Brussels,… Read More
Akranes, Iceland-based seafood equipment manufacturer Skaginn 3X has debuted a new fish transfer tool flexible enough to work with most seafood.
The ValuePump “is a new tool in the toolbox for the industry,” Skaginn 3X CEO Ingólfur Árnason told SeafoodSource on the floor of the 2019 Seafood Expo Global.
“It can be used in so many different ways,” he said. “It’s easy to integrate it into a… Read More
Winning the 2019 Seafood Excellence Global grand prize for Best Retail Product and Best HORECA (hotel/restaurant/catering) was not the first step towards success for Vicuinai Grouop or Kingfish Zeeland, and it’s not the last, according to company representatives.
But it does market an important milestone.
“We set up on a simple mission: trying to make the perfect fish. We’ve taken a lot of hard decisions through that process,… Read More
Thai Union Group has begun a trial partnership with Calysta that will see its alternative protein ingredients in Thai Union’s proprietary shrimp feed.
Announced at the 2019 Seafood Expo Global, the partnership will involved Thai Union using Calysta’s FeedKind feed as a replacement for the 10 percent of its shrimp feed previously sourced from wild-catch fisheries, according to Thai Union Responsible Sourcing Manager Tracy… Read More
Speaking at a special event at Seafood Expo Global, Marie Christine Monfort, the executive director International Organisation for Women in the Seafood Industry (WSI) said women still face extraordinary obstacles in obtaining positions of leadership in the industry.
Monfort was taking part in the first ever “Women in Leadership in the Seafood Industry,” sponsored by expo organizer Diversified Communications and the Mission of Canada… Read More
Forever Net, a Taichung, Taiwan-based maker of polyethylene netting and ropes for fishing and aquaculture, has found a niche.
The company has found the right balance between quality and value, according to assistant general manager Steven Lin, speaking to SeafoodSource at the 2019 Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium.
Formally named Công Ty TNHH Forever Industries, Forever Net has two manufacturing facilities in Bình Dương… Read More
Chilean trade body SalmonChile outlined details from its latest sustainability report at the 2019 Seafood Expo Global, showing a 23 percent reduction in the sector’s use of antibiotics.
“This is the largest reduction in the past four years and we are delighted with the result,” SalmonChile Executive Director Arturo Clément told SeafoodSource. “It is difficult to say when we will be able to stop using antibiotics… Read More
Labor standards are the biggest source of new business in the fisheries sector for McAllister Elliott & Partners (MEP), a United Kingdom-based certification firm, according to Max Goulden, the company's managing director. MEP is a fisheries-focused consultancy partly owned by the Dutch-based certification firm Control Union.
Asian fishery firms are increasingly calling in certification companies on private consultancy work in order to… Read More


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Burger King has unveiled a new burger concept, which will be available in select U.S. locations.
The concept features a plant-based patty, lettuce, tomato, and pickles on top of a buns topped with bacon.
The burger is available in five sizes, ranging from 10 to 22 inches, and will be priced at $7.99, or $7 with fries.
A video posted on Burger King’s Instagram account shows a burger being served with a bun of lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon.
Burger King also announced that the new burger will be sold in limited quantities in stores, as well as online, starting this Friday, April 15.
The company did not offer a price tag for the new concept.
Burger Kings founder and CEO Don Mattrick previously explained that Burger King is now working to improve the burger industry, and the burger is an attempt to do that.
The new concept is the result of the company’s “Big Green Revolution,” a plan to get Burger King out of the burgers business.
In 2015, Burger King closed nearly 2,500 restaurants worldwide, and its sales were down 15% to $1.4 billion.
In February, Mattrick announced that he will retire after 21 years at the company.


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* Pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index gains 1.4 pct * Generali gains on higher dividend expectations * Nokia up 3.6 percent on acquisition... ...http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/27/markets-stocks-europe-idINL3N0YI4QY20150527
The article below represents a preview only and is not meant for reuse or republishing. Technology RTT News Online News India, May 27 -- Nokia... ...http://www.htsyndication.com/htsportal/article/Nokia-To-Acquire-Eden-Rock-Communications/7227693
/PRNewswire/ -- At the 2015 Global Sources Hong Kong Electronics Fair, Shenzhen Yoobao Technology Co. Ltd. announced the well equipped USB Type-C... ...http://www.itnewsonline.com/prnewswire/Yoobao-and-VIA-Co-launch-USB-Type-C-Collection---Lead-National-Market/380291
Telecom network supplier Nokia Networks is set to buy Eden Rock Communications, a provider of Eden-NET, a multi-vendor centralized SON (Self... ...http://www.telecomlead.com/telecom-equipment/nokia-networks-to-buy-son-solution-provider-eden-rock-58100
/PRNewswire/ -- Userful Corporation, a leading infrastructure software company, is providing desktops for a nationwide digital inclusion project,... ...http://www.itnewsonline.com/prnewswire/Userful-Desktop-Solution-Opens-World-of-Opportunity-for-Students-Through-MTN-Cameroon-Digital-Schools-Project/380153
Nokia Smart Phones from Nokia...
uni-cell communication authorized...


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The Japanese smartphone manufacturer, Panasonic has recently launched its new entry-level smartphone in its P Series. The new Panasonic P55 Max has been launched in India at a price tag of Rs. 8,499. It features a 5.5-inch HD display, 2.5D curved glass and is powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor.
Panasonic P55 Max Specifications
The Panasonic P55 Max features a 5.5-inch display with 1280 X 720 pixels screen resolution and 2.5D curved glass. It runs on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
Powering the smartphone is a 1.25GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737 64-bit processor with Mali-T720 GPU. The processor is further coupled with a 3GB RAM, 16GB internal storage which can be upgraded up to 128GB via microSD.
Imaging duties are handled by a 13MP rear camera with quad-LED flash (yes, four). On the front, the P55 Max comes with a 5MP camera.
The dimensions of the phone are 152.77 mm X 77.6 mm X 8.7 mm. It weighs 180 grams.
Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. Fueling the phone is a 5000 mAh battery which is one of the key aspects of the phone in its respective price segment.
Pricing And Availability
The Panasonic P55 Max comes in Matte Black, and Gold color options and is available exclusively on Flipkart at a price tag of Rs 8,499.
Speaking on the launch, Pankaj Raja, Business Head – Mobility Division, Panasonic India, said,
“In today’s connected world, smartphones have become the lifeline drawing parallels amongst work-life balance. Be it home, work or, anywhere ZipPlay –understands and maps your need to help simplify your life. The long lasting 5000mAh battery further ensures the seamless functioning without interruptions.”


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Here is the first official teaser image of the Hyundai Santa Fe 2019 after a gallery of spy photos showing this car on the road test.
Official teaser image of the Hyundai Santa Fe 2019
Looking at the teaser photo, we guess that the 4th-gen Santa Fe would come with a glossier and more modern look. As rumors suggest, the model will likely feature a revised front fascia inspired by the Kona in addition to tapered headlamps.
In the spy images, the front grille was hidden but it is claimed that the 2019 Santa Fe will be dominated by Hyundai’s signature “Cascading Grille.”
>>> Read related posts:
- Complete guide to the latest PH-spec Hyundai Santa Fe
- Hyundai Santa Fe 2019 to be more attractive and powerful
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Review and Road Test
At the roof, we see a more kinked-up roofline while at the rear, revamped taillights are exposed. Turn your look downwards and you might spot what seem to be bulkier wheel arches. What’s more is that a refreshed rear facet and new front and rear quarter panels are also added to harmoniously combine with the carmaker’s present-day design direction.
In particular, there is a possibility that an all-new 7-seat dubbed Hyundai Grand Santa Fe will join the lineup beside the current 5-seater. At this time, details of its design have yet to be given but allegedly, the rear fascia would be at variance comparable to the standard version.
The 2019 Santa Fe will be dominated by Hyundai’s signature “Cascading Grille”
Sadly, we cannot say anything about the Hyundai Santa Fe 2019 interior. Nevertheless, safety is worth mentioning in this new crossover. To cite an illustration, it is furnished with an improved rear-cross traffic alert system as well as rear occupant alert unit.
Under the bonnet, there was widespread speculation that the car will run either a turbo diesel or gasoline engine. We are likewise doubtful about the practicability of a hybrid version. While front-wheel drive system is standard in the 2019 model year, 4WD could come as an option.
According to latest car news, the Hyundai Santa Fe 2019 is scheduled to debut at the Geneva International Motor Show 2018 in March. Latest updates on upcoming Hyundai cars can be found in our Complete guide to the Hyundai Philippines' local lineup.
|Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi GLS 4x2 AT||₱1,748,000|
|Hyundai Grand Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi GLS 4x4 AT||₱2,533,000|
>>> Check out Hyundai Santa Fe for sale at cheaper prices on Philkotse.com
Know more about Hyundai Santa Fe 2022
The Hyundai Santa Fe takes its name from the historical city of Santa Fe in Mexicom, starting out as a compact crossover in its first two generations before being upgraded to a midsize crossover by the time its third iteration came about. Now on its fourth generation, the Santa Fe features increased dimensions accompanied by a streamlined shape, along with an interior equipped with various tech and convenience features.
In the Philippines, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) markets the Santa Fe in two levels of trim: the GLS Mid and High variants, both with a 2.2L common-rail diesel engine mated to a 4x2 drivetrain. These are available in six color options.


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Rep. Greg Steube is not really a beer guy. The Sarasota Republican drinks the occasional Guinness, but typically prefers to kick back with a glass of Scotch.
Beer lovers were singing Steube’s praises on Monday, though. One brewery owner said Steube “rescued” Florida craft brewers from a bill that could have paralyzed the fast-growing industry.
Steube successfully amended a bill loathed by craft brewers that would have put major restrictions on the industry in exchange for one big benefit: The ability to sell 64-ounce jugs of beer known as growlers.
Legalizing the growlers is a priority for craft breweries, but the issue has become tangled in a larger fight between the small beer producers and established beer distributors, retail operations and large breweries.
The overwhelming vote Monday in the House Business & Professional Regulation Subcommittee in favor of Steube’s amendment amounted to a reprimand of entrenched interests in the beer industry. But it did not wholly satisfy craft brewers, either.
Steube’s amendment would legalize 64-ounce growlers and put a number of industry practices on more solid legal footing. But it contains provisions opposed by brewers, including limits on the total volume of beer from other producers that can be sold at a brewery’s taproom and on the number of taprooms themselves. The industry — which includes three new breweries in Sarasota and Manatee counties and two more in the works — is not willing to submit to such regulations in exchange for legalizing growlers, said Josh Aubuchon, a lobbyist for the Florida Brewer’s Guild.
“In its current form it’s a negotiating piece,” Aubuchon said. “It’s a first offer.”
Still, the House version of the legislation is moving closer to what craft breweries want. The Senate’s brewery bill up consideration Wednesday still has many of the provisions most heavily opposed by the industry. Without more agreement, the growler issue could be tied up for another year.
That has small brewery owners frustrated.
The growler legislation should be “a simple thing,” Fort Myers Brewing Co. owner Jennifer Gratz told House committee members Monday. She accused beer distributors and their allies in the Legislature of holding a widely-supported measure “hostage” because of concerns about competition.
It gives the impression of “crony capitalism,” Gratz said.
Steube “rescued this bill” in the House, Gratz said, but she has concerns about what will happen later after reading Senate President Don Gaetz’s recent comments about the issue.
Gaetz is close with a beer distributor and told the Associated Press he is sympathetic to the distributor’s concerns about growlers.
The dispute dates back to Prohibition times when legislators wanted to limit alcohol producers from having too much dominance in the market. They divide up the industry into three tiers: Manufacturer, distributor and retailer. Companies are supposed to stick to one tier, but the lines increasingly have blurred over the years.
Florida’s craft distilleries — including Drum Circle Distilling in Sarasota — won the right last year to sell two bottles of liquor directly to consumers at tasting rooms under legislation also sponsored by Steube. The state’s craft breweries have been selling their beer out of taprooms for years, but beer distributors and retailers argue the breweries are using a legal loophole. They want more limitations.
Florida Beer Wholesalers Association lobbyist Mitch Rubin supported Steube’s changes to the House bill during Monday’s hearing, as did other lobbyists representing distributors and retailers.
But when asked afterward if he would push for the Senate bill to take the same shape, Rubin said only that “we’re going to advocate for the Senate bill to take a good shape and strike a balance.”
That Steube has become one of the more outspoken champions of the craft beer industry this year stems more from his belief in free-market competition, and support for small businesses, than his taste in alcoholic beverages.
Steube recently toured Motorworks Brewing, a new Bradenton brewery, and was impressed by the investment company owners are making. It bothers him that Florida law may be inhibiting this type of business growth.
Some of Florida’s liquor regulations are “just silly,” Steube said.
“It’s frustrating something hasn’t happened before now” to help craft breweries, he added.
Growler culture is a big part of the craft brewing scene. Beer fans take home jugs of their favorite brews, many of which may not have wide distribution. The 64-ounce bottles are the most popular size.
A separate bill focused solely on the growler issue is also up for consideration this year, but it is strongly opposed by beer distributors.
“It’s ludicrous,” Aubuchon said. “All we wanted was a change to the bottle size and the distributors go off the rails.”


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Xbox Game Pass has added 10 new Bethesda games now available to play, Bethesda and Microsoft has confirmed.
Players can expect the following on the subscription service, joining a series of other Bethesda titles already available:
Arx Fatalis: PC
Dishonored Death of the Outsider: PC, Console...
dishonored: death of the outsider
the evil within
wolfenstein ii: the new colossus
xbox game pass
xbox series s
xbox series x


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Ginkgo Slip A Bonus For Hawke’s Bay
World marketing opportunities, work for disabled people in Hawke’s Bay and joint ventures with Maori land-owners could result from a Chinese visitor’s accident in Napier and a small grant from Technology New Zealand.
Wang Limin slipped on a ginkgo nut when he was visiting Napier in 1998 as part of a Chinese delegation exploring business opportunities. He was surprised to find the nut because he was not aware that ginkgo trees grew in New Zealand.
Ginkgo is a tree of Asian origin. Extracts from its leaf are used widely as a health product to improve blood flow and memory.
The high quality of the Hawke’s Bay-grown ginkgo has meant that Disability Training Services (DTS) – a local work training trust that helps disabled people to enjoy the best possible quality of life – has signed a joint venture deal with the government of the Chinese city of Pizhou.
“We will grow the trees, pick the leaves and ship them off to China for processing – such as putting them into tablets and capsules,” says Napier City Council economic development manager and DTS board member Ron Massey. “The Chinese will send the product back to us where DTS work enclaves will pack them, and market and sell them world-wide.”
In October last year, 1100 two-year-old Nelson-grown trees were planted in a trial. The leaves were harvested in February and shipped to Pizhou, the centre of China’s ginkgo industry.
“The mayor of Pizhou told us that our samples exceeded international specifications for quality,” Mr Massey says. “That’s because our growing season is longer and slower than theirs and we don’t have the temperature extremes.”
The project was kick-started with funding from Technology New Zealand – part of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology – which could lead to a multimillion-dollar boost for the Hawke’s Bay region. “We have the right seedlings to plant commercially,” Mr Massey says.
“Now we’re looking for land and labour. We are looking at partnerships with Maori land-owners to supply the ground to grow the trees on, because we don’t own land. “This could be an example of ‘closing the gaps’. Money won’t close the gaps – projects will.”
Ginkgo is one of several natural products catering to a huge and growing world market. In New Zealand it is classed as a dietary supplement. Mr Massey says that in Germany it is prescribed as a medication and in the United States it is being tested as a pharmaceutical product.
Ginkgo is sold in capsules and tablets, and there is also a wide range of other products, such as ginkgo tea and even beer.
Contact: · Ron Massey, Napier City Council. Ph: (06) 834-4193. Fax: (06) 835-7574. Email: email@example.com · Tony Hadfield, Technology New Zealand at the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, (04) 917-7800 or 025 454-095. Website: www.technz.co.nz
Prepared for the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology by ID Media Ltd. Contact: Ian Carson, (04) 477-2525, firstname.lastname@example.org


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If there was ever a time for Square Enix to bury their heads in shame — now would be it. Thanks to one devoted Dreams extraordinaire and fellow accomplices, Kingdom Hearts in its entirety has been recreated through the very engine that births some of the wildest creations known to the community. But unlike Square’s thirteen-year development pattern for Kingdom Hearts 3, this talented bunch of creators have managed to replicate the game and go well beyond the boundaries in just twelve months. And boy — it sure does look incredible.
Over the past year, the user has been rebuilding Kingdom Hearts and all of its entwined worlds through Dreams. With both ambition and creativity driving the project, the Square Enix clone has harvested a genuine level of interest from fans of the franchise. And as it stands, the game is continuing to overcome obstacles and pursue next-level interest from players and developers alike.
For shame, Square Enix. For shame!
With a slew of updates and a whole ocean of potential keeping the project ticking over, the coined Kingdom Hearts: Dive Into Dreams is now on the brink of becoming a standalone adventure for Dreams users. But that’s not the only thing the user has been pouring hours into. In fact, the mind behind the mould has also been dipping toes in the VR sphere, too. With a barrel of journeys being developed and uploaded into the mix, the Dreams user has been putting Square Enix to shame for well over a year now. And it’s only just beginning!
Apart from the usual Kingdom Hearts malarkey, Dive Into Dreams has also fought tooth and nail to snag some other familiar faces from other motion picture giants. With sneak previews showcasing the likes of Moana, Shrek and Treasure Planet stoking the fire, it’s evident that the project is aiming for more than a complete rehash of the series combined. And what’s more — it even has a story to boot.
“Sora is asleep. Namine has put him into a deep slumber to restore his memories. But in his dreams, a white-cloaked girl from the past connects with him and asks for his help. Set after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.”
They’re even giving Nintendo a run for their money…
On top of the VR and Dive Into Dreams projects, the creator has also been working on a karting entry for the Kingdom Hearts domain. Yes — a karting game, where players can literally put Xehanort and other franchise favourites behind the wheel for some mind-bending and wacky racing. As if the standalone Kingdom Hearts game wasn’t enough of a challenge already, eh? Even still, I think it’s fair to say that the pandemic has truly summoned some magnificent talents and works of art over the last twelve months. It’s just that, well — this Dreams creator has outshined us all. Tenfold.


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Magazines on tablets, dismissed by some as a last-ditch effort to save a dying print product, are gaining steam, according to new stats released by Adobe. Tablet-magazine readers are engaged, have long attention spans, and most importantly, actually pay for content.
The company crunched numbers from the 600 publishers that are using its Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) to produce tablet content. Currently, there are 1,500 iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook, Samsung Galaxy, and other Android tablet publications created with DPS, including 12 out of the 20 top-grossing iPad Newsstand titles.
The first promising stat is that tablet publications keep readers’ attention, with 56 percent of DPS content being read for 25 minutes to 2.5 hours each month. Nine percent of readers spend up to 5 hours a month reading tablet publications. One of the reasons for these un-Internet-like attention spans might be interactivity. Tablet publications are packed with slideshows, videos, 360-degree images, and constantly updated content from the web.
These statistics show how far the medium has come in the two years since Apple first launched the iPad, and the almost five months since it rolled out the Newsstand feature — a hub for all digital publications that live on the iPad home screen. With 16 million DPS digital publications downloaded in the past year, tablets are giving hope to publishers that are hemorrhaging print subscribers.
One of the big missteps in online publishing has been putting content online first, worrying about how to make money off of it second. Most pay walls aren’t working, and online ads don’t make the amounts of money print publishers need to fund high-quality content. Tablet publications are trying to remedy that.
“When we push content online, we’re inviting people to come into the shop and steal our candy without paying,” said Declan Moore, president of National Geographic Publishing. National Geographic uses DPS to make tablet versions of its magazines. “With the app we have a cash register in place, which we didn’t have before.”
The cash register doesn’t appear to be scaring off customers used to getting things for free. Adobe found 68 percent of tablet readers were paying for their reading material: 15 percent paid for a single issue, 26 percent purchased subscriptions, and 27 percent are shelling out for a bundle of print and digital issues.
Even with these up-front payments, ad sales remain an important source of revenue for tablet pubs. Adobe found readers are engaging with ads just as much on tablets as they do in print, and one in every five tablet page views is an advertisement.
“Different mediums lend themselves to different types of ads. Online they’re in a hunt-and-gather mode, on the iPad they’re in a lean-back-and-entertain-me mode,” said Moore. He said tablet magazine ads are more suited for “brand advertising” than online direct-response advertising, where success is measure by click-through rates.
Tablet-magazine advertisements are ahead of online ads in some respects — they are attractive, have high-production values, and can be interactive without being intrusive or annoying. That makes them ideal for big companies like Lexus that are trying to increase brand recognition, not get you to click-through and buy a car right this second.
However, in order for tablet issues to be counted toward a magazine’s general circulation numbers, publishers have to follow rules from the Audit Bureau of Circulations. These regulations are partiality responsible for limiting tablet-ad innovation, and put them behind online ads in areas such as behavioral and demographic targeting.
Interestingly, National Geographic has had impressive success on non-iPad tablets. Moore explained that iPad users own their devices for a variety of purposes — watching movies, playing games, or browsing the Internet. But many Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook owners bought those tablets because they love to read.
The iPad isn’t the only tablet for magazines, and DPS isn’t the only creation option for publishers. Many magazines are using similar tools such as Mag+ (from the makers of Popular Science), Aquafadas, Woodwing, or their own custom solutions (like the New York Times) to create tablet content.
What the tablet publications have in common is they are all hoping to have finally hit on a digital business model that pays.
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Without precedent for its about two-year history, an Israeli startup professes to have accomplished a key advance towards the sacred vessel of the lab-developed meat industry: transforming creature cells into the sensitive and strong tissue of steak.
Aleph Farms, which got its begin with assistance from an Israeli research foundation and a hatchery that is a piece of the nourishment goliath that claims Sabra – the most prevalent hummus in America – said on Wednesday that it had created the world’s first lab-developed steak.
On the off chance that there were a blessed chalice in the realm of genuine meat made without ranch creatures, it would be steak.
While organisations making plant-based burgers proliferate, a bunch of new businesses are attempting to make genuine, earth well disposed hamburger and chicken from creature cells – just without the homestead creatures. None of them have yet discharged an item that buyers can purchase in stores or restaurants.
The test of going from cell to steak
Specialists and investors are persuaded that meat made in labs is coming, and it’s ready to upset a $200 billion industry. Be that as it may, they recognise getting the items out of the lab and into eateries will require some investment.
Rather than becoming just a single or two sorts of creature cells on a level surface, Aleph grows four kinds of creature cells in three measurements. The organisation additionally claims to develop them in a medium that is free of fetal cow-like serum (FBS), the rich bovine based fluid that is as of now the lab standard for supporting cells.
Aleph is considering its model steak a “minute steak,” since all that’s needed is two or three minutes to cook, Amir Ilan, gourmet expert of the Israeli eatery Paris Texas and the individual who arranged the steak on record, said in an announcement.
Aleph was helped to establish by the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and a hatchery called The Kitchen, which is a piece of Strauss Group. Strauss claims Sabra hummus and circulates Cheetos and Doritos in Israel as a feature of a concurrence with Pepsi.
Source: Business Insider and Futurism