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Liz Proctor & Ryan Keen
Queenstown tourism businesses have joined forces to collar two Vietnamese teens allegedly living it up on stolen credit cards.
The accused fraudsters – a male, 17, and female, 19, who have name suppression – were hand-delivered to the resort’s police station by local operator Heli Tours after being tracked down by Bookme.co.nz website director James Alder.
They face a raft of deception charges for allegedly racking up plush accommodation, heliskiing, a rental car, beauty treatments and other activities around the resort from June 30 to July 4.
Alder, who started his discount booking website seven months ago, was alerted to the alleged swindlers by a July 5 call from an Australian whose credit card had been used on Alder’s site.
“He called to alert me so we could have a crack at trying to nab these guys,” Alder says.
Alder called the local cops – to be told they couldn’t do anything since the Australian card hadn’t been reported stolen in New Zealand. A bank’s fraud department said basically the same thing.
Alder then searched his system and came across a Heli Tours booking made by the same people but using a different credit card.
“They were pretty much an hour away from taking up services with Heli Tours,” Alder says.
The alleged fraudsters, who hail from Wellington, had already been collected by courtesy coach from the swanky five-star Hilton Queenstown hotel when Alder alerted Heli Tours boss Paul Mitchell.
Alder: “They arrived while I was talking to him so I got off the phone and called Queenstown police.”
Mitchell made an excuse not to take the two on the trip and when police phoned him, the duo was already being driven downtown by Heli Tours employee Diane Anderson.
Mitchell says he told Anderson: “‘Whatever you do, don’t let them out of your sight. Just hold them until the men in blue arrive’.”
Anderson stopped near the cop shop and stalled the pair till police came, Mitchell says.
“It was a bit like a secret squirrel mission,” he adds.
Alder: “When you hear they’ve been ringing up bills with Hilton and Air New Zealand … for a little old Queenstown company to do the footwork and get them nabbed is a pretty good feeling.”
The accused are bailed to a Wellington address and due to appear in Queenstown District Court on July 25.


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As convenient as hands-free devices may be, they’re not exactly the most stealthy. Researchers at Ohio State University are working to do your wireless earpiece one better with a new breed of communication system sewn directly into your clothing. Using etched brass, plastic film, and metallic thread, associate professor Chi-Chih Chen and his team constructed a prototype vest with four times the range of a conventional antenna worn by American soldiers today. Since communications reliability is seldom aligned with mobility, military personnel, firefighters, policemen, and even astronauts could benefit from lighter loads and stronger signals.
LOOK MA, NO HANDS
To communicate in the field, soldiers are burdened with large and cumbersome antennas on top of an already unwieldy load. Although the idea of embedding technology into clothing isn’t a novel one, Chen and his colleagues say they’re the first to add a unique computer control device that lets multiple antennas work together in a single garment. The Ohio State system, which sends and receives signals in every direction, can also operate through walls and other obstacles.
The Ohio State system, which sends and receives signals in every direction, can operate through walls and other obstacles.
With sewing machines at the ready, the engineers are working on embroidering the antennas into clothing with metallic threads. Early tests have shown that swirly designs on fabrics such as cotton and even taffeta can function as antennas, which is why John Volakis, director of the school’s ElectroScience Laboratory, envisions clothing for the elderly or disabled that allows them to communicate in emergencies without the stigma of more-visible assistive devices.
“Imagine a vest or shirt, or even a fancy ball gown made with this technology,” he adds. “The antennas would be inconspicuous, and even attractive. People would want to wear them.”

domain: news


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Next-gen Royal Enfield Classic
2020 Hyundai Creta
2020 Hyundai i20
2020 Honda City
Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition - Motorshow Focus
25/02/2019 - 18:35
The Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition had its world premiere at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show on the 7th of this month. Here are the celebratory model’s images from the show.
Mazda MX-5 RF showcased at BIMS 2017
18/04/2017 - 13:30
Priced at 28,00,000 baht (INR 52,61,113.28). The Mazda MX-5 RF had its global debut at the 2016 New York International Auto Show and launched in Thailand at the 2017 Bangkok International Motor..
26 cars debuting at the 2016 New York Auto Show - IAB Picks
23/03/2016 - 12:56
The 2016 New York International Auto Show will open its gates for the press on March 23, while the public days are from March 25 to April 3. Here's a list of models debuting at the..
Mazda MX-5 with accessories - Motorshow Focus
03/01/2016 - 13:23
Has lost 100 kg over its predecessor. Mazda showcased the fourth generation of the iconic Mazda MX-5 Miata at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which was held in September last year. d
LA Live - 2015 Mazda MX-5
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Will come with a 2.0-liter gasoline motor. Mazda has showcased the local specification 2015 Mazda MX-5 at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. The car, which world premiered earlier this year..
Paris Live - 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
02/10/2014 - 20:30
Based on a new platform that sheds nearly 100 kg compared to its predecessor. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata celebrates its motorshow debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The fourth generation of the..
Philippines Live - Mazda MX-5 (Miata) 25th Anniversary Edition & Mazda3 Speed
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Mazda is at the 2014 Philippines International Motor Show 2014 (CAMPI 2014) with the Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition and the new Mazda3 Speed. Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition
IAB Report - 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata revealed [Video]
05/09/2014 - 17:29
Celebrates 25 years of the nameplate. [Can't watch the video above? Head to Youtube] Fans of the lightweight, small roadster can now rejoice as Mazda have unveiled the fourth generation of..
IAB Report - First spyshot of the new Mazda MX-5 emerges, unveiling on September 3
11/08/2014 - 23:56
Fans of Mazda's iconic Miata line will have something to rejoice. To raise anticipation, Mazda has revealed a teaser of the next generation Mazda MX-5 that is slated to be unveiled on September 3rd..
Report - Convertible owners in USA have more money and brains than others, says study
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A survey conducted in Illinois, USA, has come to a conclusion that everything you'd thought about a convertible was completely off the mark. Experian Automotive in Schaumburg, Illinois, says that..
New York Live - Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition
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The 25th Anniversary Edition of the Mazda MX-5 made its international debut at the ongoing New York Auto Show. Only 100 units of this limited edition will be made available to the US. The special..
New York Live - Mazda SKYACTIV Chassis for the next generation Mazda MX-5
16/04/2014 - 23:54
Besides the 25th anniversary MX-5, Mazda also showed the SKYACTIV-chassis for the next-generation Mazda MX-5 at the ongoing New York Auto Show. This chassis marks the debut of Mazda's SKYACTIV..
Report - Next-gen Alfa Romeo compact sports car to be powered by an Abarth engine
26/02/2014 - 09:40
Mazda and Fiat had announced a collaboration last year to develop a new compact sports car. While Mazda will call its car the new MX-5, Alfa Romeo would gets its next generation Spider as a result of..
Report - Upcoming Mazda MX-5 to go on a diet
28/11/2013 - 16:46
The next iteration of the Mazda MX-5 will see the two-seater shedding close to 8 percent of its weight, Auto Motor Und Sport learns. Trying to hit the one ton mark, Mazda's engineers will look to..


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As the financial world reacts to the flood of US data on tap this week, there is one question worth asking: why do we care so much about out-of-date data?
It doesn’t matter that this week’s figures have been delayed by Washington’s standoff; they are dated when they are released in normal circumstances. Australia is no different, with arguably the most closely watched data point by the Reserve Bank of Australia – consumer price inflation – only released once every quarter. Even then it‘s not available until three weeks after the quarter ends.
“The majority of indicators and indices today are based on decades-old models and manual reporting structures that don’t reflect the profoundly accelerated nature of the globe’s economic life,” explains David Soloff, the co-founder of a new data group that could shake up the status quo.
Premise Data Corp can tell you right now that inflation in the US picked up from early September and has largely kept rising ever since. It can also advise its customers that Chinese food inflation has become an increasing problem since the latest official figures came out from Beijing.
Premise reaches these conclusions through the analysis of data from traditional bricks-and-mortar stores as well as online retailers.
In all, the San Francisco-based upstart captures between 40,000 and 50,000 data points every hour by merging an offline library – created by 7,000 part-time workers taking pictures of retail prices – with online information from over 30,000 e-commerce websites.
As the below graph shows, the Chinese numbers were broadly tracking that of the official figures before the last data release. Since then Premise has noted a strong lift in food inflation, which has significant ramifications for the direction of monetary policy in the world’s second largest economy.
If the numbers are accurate, policy easing may be off the agenda for a while and signs of weakness in the economy will be harder to address.
Chinese food inflation: Black line represents Premise data, blue line indicates official government figures. Source: Premise.
Premise, which currently has teams in 29 cities including Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne, only launched its daily statistics offering last week, but its founders have been working for two years to develop the systems for collecting and analysing inflation.
It already has attracted the attention of Google, through the financial support of its venture capital firm Google Ventures. It has also received backing from venture capital firms Harrison Metal and Andreessen Horowitz, the latter is well known for its successful investments in Facebook, Skype, Groupon and Twitter.
Google and Andreessen aren’t the only big names involved, with Alan Krueger – former chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers – serving as an advisor alongside Google’s chief economist Hal Varian.
Since last week’s launch it has seen “a steady flow of inquiries”, with businesses and policymakers interested for a simple reason: the promise of faster, more timely and more accurate data.
“We founded Premise in 2012 because existing mechanisms of econometric data gathering are insufficient to meet the policy, trading, relief or business strategy challenges posed by an era of unprecedented economic and social volatility,” is how Soloff explained it last week.
Premise’s ability to offer immediate insight may even help sooth volatility.
Wednesday, for instance, the Aussie dollar jumped half a cent directly after the release of quarterly inflation figures. For all the talk of a forward looking market, that is a fairly backward facing adjustment. If you had daily inflation stats, however, the dollar wouldn’t be as susceptible to such wild gyrations.
For the time being Premise is directing its resources toward food inflation and food security analysis, but it does expect to branch out into new areas.
“We see a number of opportunities and will definitely add to our offerings,” Soloff told Business Spectator when asked about the future direction of the business.
“This is a vast undertaking with all kinds of implications for how large organisations and individual citizens understand their environments.”
Indeed, the group’s approach to economic data collection should prove a gamechanger. If not on its own, then through the new entrants to the data collection sector that it encourages.


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The internet’s favorite kind of main character popped up this week: a CEO going off script. Andi Owen, CEO of furniture conglomerate MillerKnoll, went viral Tuesday with a one-minute, 20-second clip telling employees to stop worrying about whether or not they’d get bonuses and “leave pity city.”
People online were quick to tell Owen to take a trip to get-a-grip-ville, pointing out that this kind of comment feels callow coming from a high-paid exec during a time of economic instability.
Reading the room, MillerKnoll said the clip was taken out of context and the comment was meant to push employees to focus on hitting the company’s $26 million sales goal. Owen reportedly sent an apology email to staff saying, “I feel terrible that my rallying cry seemed insensitive.”
The cool CEO facade is cracking
Over the last few years, pandemic bumps and economic turbulence have forced CEOs who once spent most of their days wearing fun sneakers and delivering good news to become the big bad boss. And when being the bearer of bad news gets handled less than delicately, it tends to go viral: whether it’s a CEO laying off staff via mass Zoom meetings or posting a crying selfie about letting employees go.
If there doesn’t seem to be much empathy for C Suite blunders these days, it might be because executive pay has eclipsed worker pay over the past few decades. A July report from the AFL-CIO, the largest US federation of trade unions, found that, on average, S&P 500 CEOs made about $18.3 million, or roughly 324x the median salary of workers, in 2021.
Bottom line: Owen’s attempt to fire up employees to sell fancy chairs left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Especially since it came from someone who, according to Fortune, took home $3.9 million last fiscal year in incentive-based compensation on top of her $1.1 million salary.


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Jim Cain, GM’s spokesman, said in an e-mail that the company sold 4.67 million vehicles in the first half of 2012.
After selling 4.67 million vehicles in the first half of 2012, GM reached an increase from 4.54 million units sold in the first half of 2011. Cain also added that 70% of the US nameplates will be new or redesigned in 2012 and 2013.
“We are in the early days of the most aggressive roll out of new products in our history, which will help us press our advantage in the U.S. and China and grow profitably around the world,” Cain said in the e-mail.
It seems that Toyota managed to regain the first position in global sales, after it reported first-half sales of 4.97 million vehicles. This is unexpected news from a company that only last year was severely affected by the natural disasters in Japan and Thailand. The company managed to recover quickly and hit increased sales in the US and Japan, while its competitors, GM and Volkswagen struggles with the shrinking European market.
“It shows it’s a competitive world out there,” Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst with IHS Automotive, said today in an e-mail. “Halfway through with a 300,000 unit or 7 percent difference in volume it means the two are running a tight race.”


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Tata Motors sales figures jumps by an impressive 12 percent in August 2012
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The total sales of commercial as well as passenger vehicle models of Tata Motors, the India based multinational automaker, has registered a robust growth of 12 percent with 71,826 units delivered in the month of August 2012.
The domestic sales of the commercial and passenger vehicles totalled at 67,453 units showcasing a 13 percent jump in comparison to 59,874 units sold in August 2011. The exports of the auto manufacturer were measured at 4,373 units this August as against 4,204 units exported in August 2011, rising up by 4 percent.
In the commercial vehicle stream, the sales of Tata Motors stood at 45,142 units in the last month plunging up by 5 percent from the sale of 43,045 units in August 2011. During the same period, the sales of the light commercial vehicles recorded growth of 16 percent, while the medium and heavy commercial vehicles tallied a downtrend in sales by 12 percent.
The passenger vehicle segment witnessed a staunch increment in the sales volume by 33 percent to 22,311 units sold in the last month. The sales of Tata Nano boosted by around five fold from 1,202 units in August 2011 to 6,507 sold in August this year. Even the Indica range contributed positively, with 5 percent rise in sales from 7,206 units to 7,591 units sold during the period under review.
However, the Tata Indigo range witnessed a dive in sales to the tune of a major 29 percent from 5,100 units sold in August 2011 to 3,629 units sold this August.
The SUV segment comprising of Aria, Safari, Sumo and Venture models pooled sales of 4,584 units this August, increasing by 38 percent during the concerned period.
- Ford Midnight Surprise 2013 edition to take place on 5th December
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- Nico Hulkenberg joins hands with Force India again for 2014
- Tata Motors to make an investment of Rs. 300 crore
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28 November 2013, 10:41 IST by CarTrade Editorial Team
With 2014 Auto Expo just a few months away, car manufacturers in India have already started preparing their activities for the event. A biennial event, Auto Expo is extremely important for the...
29 November 2013, 12:06 IST by CarTrade Editorial Team
Honda Cars India Limited, the domestic division of Japanese car maker, recently showcased the 4th Generation model of City in the country. Sources close to the development process have revealed...
Under: Honda City
02 December 2013, 12:21 IST by CarTrade Editorial Team
As 2013 is coming to an end, many car makers would want to forget the dismal performance of this year in terms of sales and profit levels. In the passenger car segment, many companies failed to...
28 November 2013, 11:51 IST by CarTrade Editorial Team
Yet another recall this year, but this time, it is the turn of Maruti Suzuki to get involved. This recall comprises of vehicles like Ertiga, Swift, Swift DZire and A-Star, which were manufactured...


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ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — Growers in southern Minnesota say this year’s early-season apples are ready to be picked.
Minnesota Public Radio News reports (http://bit.ly/1lKCV2p ) this year’s apple harvest is running a week late because of the long winter and wet spring, but varieties like Paula Red and Zestar apples are ready.
The Sekapp orchard near Rochester has about 7,000 fruit trees with 25 apple varieties.
Owner Fred Kappauff says they’ve been fortunate this season to be spared hail that hit parts of central Minnesota and wiped out apple crops.
Jim Luby, professor of horticultural science at the University of Minnesota, says the crop looks very good in some areas but spotty in others.
Minnesota’s roughly 150 apple growers are expected to produce around 21 million pounds of fruit this year.
Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mprnews.org


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Beijing-China’s factory sector expansion slowed in June, with supply bottlenecks curbing production while export demand weakened, official data showed Wednesday.
Equally worried is China’s persistent delay in post-pandemic backlash that Beijing policymakers want further economic growth as recent coronavirus outbreaks have again hindered consumer spending. Service department.
There are signs of weakness in both respects as economists have lowered expectations for the world’s second-largest economic growth. In recent weeks, Morgan Stanley and Barclays have, among other things, downgraded China’s GDP forecast to less than 9%. This is due to the impact of rising raw material prices on production and weaker consumption than expected.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday that the official Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index fell slightly from 51.0 in May to 50.9 in June.
The gauge was higher than the Wall Street Journal polled economist’s median forecast of 50.7, surpassing the 50 mark that separates expansion and contraction for 16 consecutive months. But it marked the worst reading in 4 months.
Chinese economy flashes weakness hints
Source link Chinese economy flashes weakness hints


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Global technology brand HONOR debuted its new AI-empowered all-scenario strategy with the announcement of the global launch of HONOR Magic6 Pro and the AI PC HONOR MagicBook Pro 16 at MWC 2024 in Barcelona.
This year at MWC, HONOR received a total of 45 awards from global media. For the first time in the global launch of the HONOR Magic6 Pro, the media praised it. Android Headlines awarded the HONOR Magic6 Pro “Best of MWC 2024”, saying that “The HONOR Magic6 Pro is a step up compared to its predecessor, and not only does it offer great cameras, but it shines in various other aspects“. Android Police said, that “With the Magic 6 Pro, HONOR is significantly stepping up its hardware game, leapfrogging the competition in some key areas.”. The tech media CNET also commented that “The Magic 6 Pro is among the most compelling Android flagships available this year.” Impressed by the great performance of HONOR Magic6 Pro, the well-known fashion media GQ Spain said, “The HONOR’s Magic Pro series is HONOR’s most prestigious, pouring the best hardware and software.”
For the first AI PC in HONOR’s history, the HONOR MagicBook Pro 16 has been showcased for the first time globally, winning global endorsements from global media. Mashable included HONOR MagicBook Pro 16 as their “Best Laptops of MWC 2024”. Android Authority awarded the HONOR MagicBook Pro 16 the “Best of MWC 2024” and commented that “HONOR MagicBook 16 Pro is a powerful laptop designed for the age of AI.” Also, Trusted Reviews gave the HONOR MagicBook Pro 16 the “Best in Show” Award, saying that “Features like Smart Picture Search, Smart Document Summary, Text Comprehension, AI Subtitle, and Magic Text hint towards a productive future where AI helps take some of the strain out of daily tasks”.
The PORSCHE DESIGN HONOR Magic V2 RSR has also been well-recognized by global media. The prestigious industry award “GLOMO Best in Show”, which is judged based on the best-of-the-best products on show, was awarded to PORSCHE DESIGN HONOR Magic V2 RSR this year. In the fashion world, global fashion media COSMOPOLITION included this foldable phone into their Editor’s tip for London Fashion Week, saying that the “Porsche Design HONOR Magic V2 RSR has been a total game-changer.”


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John Galt Solutions is pleased to announce a call for global applications to their educational scholarship for future leaders of business forecasting and supply chain solutions.
This $10,000 scholarship is aimed at supporting the next generation of expert forecasters and supply chain leaders who show a strong commitment to their career in one of these fields. Eligible applicants must be currently enrolled full-time at an accredited institution for the current academic year in business forecasting, supply chain management or similar programs. Applicants do not have to be studying in the USA.
John Galt Solutions is looking for students who are constantly seeking out opportunities to further develop skills and character. We want to hear about any academic, leadership, volunteer or personal achievements that help define each applicant individually – to hear their story and learn what makes each applicant unique. Applications should also tell us what inspired them to pursue supply chain and why supply chain or business forecasting is their passion. Although John Galt is looking to support future supply chain leaders, students with majors in another field are welcome to apply, as long as they can demonstrate a strong passion for and commitment to the supply chain world.
"A key goal of the scholarship is to help a hardworking student focus more on their studies and career goals and less on making ends meet,” said Anne Omrod, president and CEO of John Galt. “We want to make a genuine difference in someone’s life and career by supporting their pursuit of their passion and talent.”
Applicants must be dedicated to personal growth and have a genuine financial need to be considered for the scholarship. John Galt looks forward to receiving applications from talented upcoming leaders in the field and helping them to achieve their career goals within the business forecasting and supply chain solution industry.
The application deadline is Dec. 31, 2018.
For more information and for applications, go to https://johngalt.com/scholarship.


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E-cigarettes do not improve smoking cessation, survey finds
The use of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation method did not significantly prevent relapse or successful termination, according to survey findings published in Tobacco Control.
“This is the first survey in which e-cigarettes were less popular as a smoking cessation aid than FDA-approved pharmaceutical aids,” John P. Pierce, PhD, a distinguished professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, said in a press release. “Not only were e-cigarettes not as popular, but they were associated with less successful quitting.”
Pierce and colleagues evaluated data from the nationally representative PATH cohort study to determine the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid from 2017 — when sales for nicotine e-cigarettes increased in the U.S. — to 2019. The analysis included 3,578 participants who were established smokers in 2016 with a recent quit attempt and 1,323 recent former smokers.
Between 2016 and 2017, there was a more than 40% growth in sales for e-cigarette products in the U.S., according to the researchers.
In 2017, 12.6% (95% CI, 11.3-13.9) of smokers who recently attempted to quit reported using e-cigarettes as a cessation aid (8.7% e-cigarettes only, 3.2% e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy/pharmaceutical aid, 0.5% e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, and 0.2% three or more products). This marked a decline from 17.4% in 2016, according to Pierce and colleagues.
Only 2.2% (95% CI, 0-4.4) of recent former smokers said they switched to a high nicotine e-cigarette. These products were most often used as a cessation aid by respondents aged 18 to 50 years compared with those aged older than 50 years. Also, non-Hispanic white individuals, those who attended college, those with higher incomes and daily smokers were more likely to report using e-cigarettes.
Other cessation aids
Meanwhile, 2.5% (95% CI, 1.9-3.1) of respondents reported using a non-e-cigarette tobacco product as a cessation aid and 20.6% (95% CI, 18.9-22.3) used a nicotine replacement therapy or pharmaceutical aid only. The researchers reported that most respondents (64.3%) attempted the “cold turkey” method, in which no products were used.
Among respondents who reported cigarette abstinence, 18.6% (95% CI, 16-21.2) said they did not use any aids. In contrast, a lower proportion (9.9%; 95% CI, 6.6-13.2) said they used e-cigarettes.
The results further showed that e-cigarettes were associated with lower abstinence rates at 12 or more months compared with pharmaceutical aids (adjusted risk difference [aRD] = 7.3%; 95% CI, 14.4 to –0.4) or any other method (aRD = 7.7%; 95% CI, 12.2 to –3.2), according to Pierce and colleagues.
Although the finding was insignificant, the researchers also noted that respondents who switched to e-cigarettes appeared to have a higher relapse rate than those who did not switch to e-cigarettes or other tobacco products. By 2019, nearly 60% of recent former smokers who used e-cigarettes daily had resumed cigarette smoking.
While randomized clinical trials show improved cessation with e-cigarettes, they are often not conducted under “optimal conditions” and do not reflect “the effectiveness of the product in community settings,” Pierce and colleagues wrote.
“There is good evidence that [e-cigarettes] have become the initiation product of choice for adolescents,” Pierce told Healio. “The Surgeon General has labeled this an epidemic. Some are concerned that this effect on teens may be wiping out all of the successes in tobacco control over the past 3 decades.”
When talking to patients about smoking cessation, “clinicians can correct patient misperceptions that e-cigarettes will make their quit attempt more successful,” he said.
According to Pierce, individuals who smoke are advised to mix and match approved cessation aids. As an over-the-counter option, nicotine replacement therapy is the most popular aid, he said. It is often used in combination with varenicline or Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride, GlaxoSmithKline), he added.
In September, Pfizer voluntarily recalled all lots of its varenicline product Chantix “due to the presence of unacceptable N-nitroso-varenicline levels,” according to the FDA. The agency approved a generic version of varenicline (Par Pharmaceutical) in August.
Adoption of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation in 2017 low and ineffective. https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/adoption-of-e-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-in-2017-low-and-ineffective. Published Feb. 7, 2022. Accessed Feb. 11, 2022.
Endo launches first and only generic version of Chantix (varenicline) tablets in the United States. https://investor.endo.com/news-releases/news-release-details/endo-launches-first-and-only-generic-version-chantixr. Published Sept. 22, 2021. Accessed Feb. 16, 2022.
FDA updates and press announcements on nitrosamine in varenicline (Chantix). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-nitrosamine-varenicline-chantix. Published Sept. 17, 2021. Accessed Feb. 16, 2022.
Laboratory analysis of varenicline products. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/laboratory-analysis-varenicline-products. Published Aug. 23, 2021. Accessed Feb. 16, 2022.


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This morning, Domino’s officially announced its bid to launch a digital ordering platform via AnyWare in cars by late 2019. The pizza chain has partnered up with in-vehicle commerce technology trailblazer Xevo, whose technology is currently in over 25 million cars.
In 2014, Domin’s and Ford Motors brought voice order to the Ford Sync vehicle. The following year, AnyWare overtook the initiative and the option is still available today.
The new in-vehicle app allows customers to use a touchscreen to locate their nearest store, place an order, and track their pizza. Voice ordering will be available as well. The feature will automatically be loaded onto cars with Xevo in a few months.


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The Supremes vs Section 230; Toyota Changes Management to Move into BEVs; iPhone Grip on Gen Z a Challenge for Android; Metaverse ‘Not’ Real EstatePosted: February 21, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
The biggest story in and possibly affecting tech happened this morning. The US Supreme Court heard arguments about Section 230. That’s the part of Title 47 of the US Code that has protected big internet platforms (in the case just argued, Google) from liability when an algorithm serves up a video or post and then a user that sees it then harms another person or persons. Theverge.com reports that a key point is the allegedly ‘neutral’ algorithm…that serves up stuff based on your search or wanderings on the net. Should the Court decide to eliminate protection for platforms or seriously reduce it, we will have a fundamentally changed internet…with some of it quit possibly being unusable.
Justice Sotomayor noted that the court is “uncomfortable” with a line that says “merely recommending something without adornment” could constitute defamation. Justice Kavanaugh remarked to one of the attorneys for the party bringing the case: ‘I don’t know how many employment decisions are made in the country every day, but I know that hundreds of millions, billions responses of inquiries on the internet are made every day. … under your view, every one of those would be the possibility of a lawsuit.’ This decision…likely not due out until June, will be one to watch closely.
As has happened at a couple other car makers, Toyota has made a change at the top as they ramp up to build more Battery Electric Vehicles by 2030. The Grandson of the Founder, Akio Toyoda, has been kicked upstairs to Chairman, while former Lexus Boss Sato takes the reins as CEO. Arstechnica.com notes that while Toyota has been a leader in hybrids, they have been slow to embrace fully electric cars. Sato, who is an engineer, said that perhaps Toyota has been too deep into motorsports and hasn’t paid enough attention to regular people. They are looking to build EVs in Georgetown, Kentucky, where they already have a factory. Toyota is also setting up a battery factory in Liberty, North Carolina. The company is shooting for a million Lexus BEVs by 2030 and 3.5 million electric Toyotas.
Android has a Generation Z problem…and it’s Apple. According to macrumors.com, people born after 1996, the Gen Z folks, far prefer iPhones over Androids. In fact, Gen Z accounts for 34% of iPhone owners in the US, while that generation only makes up 10% of US Samsung users. In older generations, there is a pretty even split between iPhones and Androids. the Gen Z users are also buying more Apple Watches, AirPods, and Macs than the older generations. (Full disclosure-as is visible from the video, I am a Boomer…and except for AirPods…which don’t stay in my ears well…I am pretty well all-Apple and have been since before Gen Z first appeared.) Research from Financial Times also picked up that Gen Z users spend more time online than any other age group…up to 6 hours a day on their smartphones! You can be sure that there are teams at Samsung, Google, and other Android phone makers that are burning the midnight oil trying to figure out how to crack Apple’s hold on Gen Z.
Crypto was supposed to be the next big thing in finance and investment…until it crashed. Although it’s still around in a big enough way, the volatility and ephemeral nature of crypto has put a lot of people off from trading and investing in it. Now, we have another next big thing….the Metaverse housing market. Yep, the New York Times reports that you can buy your dream house in the Metaverse, and the market is expected to grow by $5.37 billion by 2026. One contractor bought a $10,000 parcel in the Sandbox, an online world and is ‘building an 11,000 square foot mansion there. All the transactions are in crypto, of course, and built on blockchain. As with crypto, NFTs, and the rest…buyer beware. You aren’t going to be able to record a legal deed to your virtual property, and values fluctuate constantly. If you’re a third generation contractor with family money to burn…hey, go have fun!
I’m Clark Reid, and you’re ‘Technified’ for now!


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UK card chain to open trial Irish shops
UK high street retailer Card Factory has said that it plans to open a number of trial stores in Ireland later this year.
It told shareholders of the plan at its annual general meeting in London yesterday.
The stock market-listed chain has been plotting an entry into the Irish market for a number of years, but the plan gained fresh impetus under CEO Karen Hubbard, who was appointed to the role last year.
Ms Hubbard recently told investors that there is a "clear opportunity" for the business to expand in Ireland.
"Our trial entry into the market in the Republic of Ireland is progressing well, and we anticipate opening a small number of trial stores later this year in addition to our normal 50 net new stores in the UK," the company said yesterday.
At the beginning of February 2016, Card Factory had 814 outlets, a figure than had risen to 865 at the end of last January and 876 by the end of April.
Most of the stores are in Britain, but it also has a handful in the North.
Yesterday, the company said that its first quarter like-for-like sales were at the upper end of a targeted range of plus 1pc to plus 3pc.
Underlying group sales growth was 6.1pc in the quarter.
"Our store-opening programme remains on track and we are pleased with the performance of this year's openings, including strong initial sales from the increased proportion of openings in retail parks," Ms Hubbard told shareholders.
Shares in the company were up 1pc yesterday, giving it a market capitalisation of £1.1bn (€1.3bn).


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The big news of the week was an announcement of a deal to offset, suspend or at least lower the temperature of the US-China trade war, but what it really amounted to was not very much. It emerged, once the tweets had faded, that in fact nothing had been signed, the Chinese had agreed to make purchases or American farm products and the US had agreed not to add any more tariffs to those already imposed on Chinese goods landing in the US. None of which goes to the heart of the problem, which is the fundamental disconnect that exists between a highly centralized China Inc. and a highly diversified non-state-operated America. The conclusion has to be that Trump felt he needed something to calm the US markets and to distract people from the impeachment process. He succeeded to some extent for a day or so, and then everything sort of returned to where it has been for a long time. One of the ironies is that a product that the Chinese need to buy lots of from America is pork, and that is not in order to do America a favor, but to try offset the rising consumer inflation that has resulted from the decimation of China’s pig population by African swine flu.
Beyond that, one of the highest visibility issues was been the NBA and its efforts to square the circle of China business with American principles. Similar but unrelated issues also came to fore this week with regard to maps used in advertising and entertainment. These kinds of issues are going to become more and more common in the future. Where it will end, who can say. But integrity today has more value than ever. Watch Jim Mattis’ speech in New York last night.
And enjoy the weekend.


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In a push to make roads safer, Mumbai traffic police will be implementing a new rule making it mandatory for both the two-wheeler riders to be wearing a helmet. If the pillion rider is caught without a helmet, then a Rs 500 fine will be levied and the driving license will be suspended for 3 months. This rule will be implemented in the next 15 days, says the Mumbai police.
This new rule comes after the government recently updated the 1998 Motor Vehicles Act to add an instant fine of up to Rs 2,000 for two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets properly.
As per the update, fines of up to Rs 2,000 can be imposed under the following situations:
— If the rider is wearing a helmet but the buckle is untied. This will invite a fine of Rs 1,000
— If the helmet does not have a genuine BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification you may be charged with a ₹1,000 fine.
— Other traffic violations such as jumping a red light will also attract a hefty fine of Rs 2,000 despite wearing a helmet.


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Target Shooter Magazine reports a new record by Chris Maunder!
Chris Maunder shot this remarkable 5-shot group in the UKBRA 100 yard benchrest competition at Diggle last weekend.
The group was shot with Chris's 223 rifle built by Neil McKillop. In short-range benchrest we have two classes - one for out and out custom 6PPC rifles built to strict WBSF spec. and another for 'sporter' rifles. The definition of a sporter rifle is purposely quite 'loose' - to encourage shooters who already have an accurate rifle to try their hand at benchrest competition.
In Chris's case, he does have a 6PPC rifle but it's on its way to New Zealand for the World Benchrest Championships so, rather than miss a shoot, Chris decided to give the 223 an airing.
The group measured just 0.078 inches - under one-tenth of an inch - what benchresters call a 'screamer'. The group breaks a 15 year old record previously set by Jerry May in 2002.
The original article published on Facebook can be found on the link below:
Target Shooter Magazine Facebook Article
Copyright Target Shooter Magazine.


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JOHANNESBURG – Apple is a showdown with its customers as iPhone users want to sue the company for monopolizing the Apple app store.
READ: Apple finds quality problems for some iPhone X and MacBook models
Users are complaining that Apple is blocking them from third-party marketplaces.
This inflates prices at the app store, as Apple takes a 30% commission on all sales.
Apple has argued that its customers can not sue it as they are not its direct purchasers.
READ: Apple delivers strong iPhone sales amid declining global demand
The Supreme Court is a must-have for iPhone.
An anti-trust case could open up to further litigation from consumers.
This could affect other companies like Google and Amazon, who also operate their own app markets.


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To continue supporting the 150,000 businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors and to protect 2.4 million jobs, the government has extended the temporary 5% reduced rate of VAT until 30 September 2021
To help businesses manage the transition back to the standard rate, a 12.5% rate will then apply for a further six months, until 31 March 2022. This will cost the Exchequer an estimated £4.7bn.
The VAT reduction applies to food and non-alcoholic drink sales.
Jeremy Coker, president of the ATT, said: ‘Many struggling hospitality businesses will welcome this extension, especially those who have had to scale back their activities or close down completely during the latest lockdown period.’
Grant funding will also be available to businesses in England through a new £5 billion Restart Grant scheme to help the high street, providing up to £18,000, bringing the total spent on business grants to £25 billion.
A new Recovery Loan Scheme will also be launched to replace the existing government guaranteed schemes which have supported £73 billion of lending to date and close at the end of March.
Sue Rathmell, indirect tax partner at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, said that the Chancellor’s extension of the reduced VAT rate and the furlough scheme as well as his promise of cash grants allow the UK hospitality sector to breathe a sigh of relief.
‘The UK hospitality sector is breathing a sigh of relief as the Chancellor seems to have listened to its pre-Budget requests. In particular, the extension of the 5% VAT rate for the UK hospitality sector for an additional six months up to the end of September 2021 is good news for businesses in the sector as it will cover the much important summer season,’ said Rathmell.
‘It was even more reassuring to see that in addition from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, the VAT rate will increase to 12.5% before it returns to 20% with effect from 1 April 2022.’


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Official figures from the Gambling Commission showed a small decline in the number of betting shops since March 2018. The number of shops has decreased by 1.5 per cent and now stands at 8,423.
The figures are confirmation of the effects that the changes to Fixed Odds Betting Terminal (FOBTs) regulations are having on the retail betting industry but the betting companies but decisions around potential shop closures are yet to fully feed through, so uncertainty for betting shop workers continues.
Tom Blenkinsop, Operations Director for Community, the betting shop workers union said:
“Clearly there is a reappraisal of how damaging these regulatory changes were first anticipated to be. Nonetheless, our members are still being dragged from pillar to post and put at risk regarding their livelihoods. We believe the industry should engage in real meaningful consultation with its workforce and allow constructive assistance with ourselves to help fully mitigate a process which is becoming clearly unnecessary as implied by the industries own recent bullish statements.”
Earlier this month, Kenny Alexander, Chief Executive of Ladbrokes Coral’s parent company GVC was bullish, saying “we have had an excellent start to the year with strong momentum across all divisions continuing into the second quarter.”
Ladbrokes Corals calculate their losses are to be £40m better than first expected for the first two years post FOBT regulation changes.
William Hill recently revealed their revenues from FOBTs had fallen by around 40 per cent since the gaming machines stakes were cut to £2 at the start of April but said this was in line with their expectations. The company also reported ‘a degree of progress’ in attempts to get landlords to cut rents to alleviate the cost pressures on Hill’s betting shops.


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Helen & Stuart’s Fashion Fix Event
There were over 200 women in Ballygarry House Hotel, Tralee for a night of fashion, food and fun hosted by two well-known social influencers. Following the huge success of their sold out event in Cork earlier this year, Helen Quealy Murphy (Daily Diva) and Stuart Montgomery (Stuart‘s Select Style) teamed up and there was no shortage of glamour from those present.
There were tapas and desserts, local boutiques showcasing the latest Autumn / Winter trends, Gift Bags, guest speakers and demos. Best Dressed Lady was judged by local lady Orlagh Winters and Sinead Joy walked off with the prize.
Recovery Haven Kerry Cancer Support House received the proceeds from the raffle on the night and raised over €1,500.


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Environmental groups have criticised producers of mineral waters and spring waters arguing that tap water is a much more sustainable way to quench the thirst.
Instead of sticking to that comparison, in its first sustainability report, EFBW holds the mirror up against its rivals on the beverage market and argues that it comes out favourably.
Water and energy efficiency
On the subject of energy efficiency, EFBW claims that bottled water has the lowest carbon footprint of all packaged beverages. It said the carbon footprint of a typical bottle of plain still water is 194g/litre compared to 322g/litre for soft drinks and 908g/litre for fruit drinks.
Regarding water efficiency, the trade body said it takes fewer than 2 litres of water to produce 1 litre of bottled. It said this is “by far the lowest water ratio of all packaged drinks.”
Reporting on progress made by bottled water manufacturers to improve the green credentials of their packaging, EFBW said great results have been achieved in relation to lightweighting.
The average weight of a 1.5 litre PET container has been reduced from 50g in 1986 to 35g in 2009. In addition, more and more European producers are integrating recycled plastic into new bottles.
Finally, EFBW said bottled water companies have played an important role in the environmental protection of the areas where they extract water.
In its sustainability report, the organisation noted various schemes and partnerships set up between industry and local farmers and communities to preserve water, remove pesticides and improve farming techniques.
Examples include the independent agriculture advisory body Agrivair set up by Nestle in 1992. It works with farmers around water catchment areas in France to help farmers stop using of pesticides, reduce nitrates and promote crop rotation.
Based in Brussels EFBW is the European trade association representing 26 national bottled trade associations and by extension over 500 natural mineral and spring water producers in Europe.


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The Ford Motor Company revealed a dismal third-quarter net loss of $5.8bn (£3.1bn) yesterday and cast blame partly on one-time charges related to its latest job-cutting campaign as well as on write-downs of assets, notably at its British prestige-car units, Jaguar and Land Rover.
It was the worst single-quarter loss suffered for 14 years by Ford, which remains the second largest car maker in the United States. It also included a pre-tax loss on ongoing operations in North America of $1.98bn, which is overwhelming any profits elsewhere in the company. The company also said it planned to restate results going back to 2001 to correct accounting of derivative transactions.
The report exposes the drag still being exerted on Ford by both of its main British properties, for which the company took a pre-tax charge of $1.6bn. Jaguar, in the midst of a restructuring that started in 2004, is still making losses.
Alan Mulally, Ford's recently appointed chief executive, said he had not yet decided whether to keep the Premier Automotive Group, which houses Jaguar and Land Rover as well as Volvo. "I really think it's going to hinge on how the businesses are doing and can we make profitable growth businesses out of them with the action we have taken and additional actions that might be required," he said during a conference call yesterday.
Pre-tax losses at PAG, excluding the one-off items, widened to $593m in the third quarter from $108m a year ago. Sales volumes fell for all the brands in PAG, apart from Aston Martin, which was put on the block earlier this summer.
Ford's chief financial officer, Don Leclair, said yesterday that the car maker had received "many, many" inquiries from potential buyers for Aston Martin, but added that he did not expect to complete any sale of the marque this year.
There was some slight improvement in Ford's European operations as a whole, however, where losses in the third quarter fell to $13m compared to $55m in the third quarter of 2005.
But the worst of Ford's problems still lie in North America, where increased petrol prices this year helped accelerate a consumer stampede away from its larger models: SUVs and pick-up trucks. The company has suffered an 8.6 per cent decline in car sales in the US this year. The quarterly write-downs of assets in North America were $2.2bn.
There were also large charges associated with Ford's latest global restructuring plan, which includes a buyout offer for all of its unionised workers in the US, where it expects to shed as many as 45,000 jobs and shut 16 plants. In addition, it intends to strip away 10,000 of its white-collar positions. William Clay Ford, the company's chairman, recently surrendered his role as chief executive to Mr Mulally, a former top executive at Boeing. Mr Mulally inherited the restructuring plan set in motion by Mr Ford and has so far made no major changes of his own.
"These business results are clearly unacceptable," Mr Mulally said. "Our focused priorities are to restructure aggressively to operate profitably at lower volumes, and to accelerate the development of new, more fuel-efficient vehicles that customers really want."
The overall quarterly loss translated into $3.08 a share. Setting aside write-downs and one-time charges, the company showed a quarterly operating loss of $1.2bn or 62 cents a share, which was roughly in line with expectations on Wall Street.Reuse content


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Nigeria union calls off access road strike
The Maritime Workers' Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has relented on its threat to go on an indefinite strike that could have closed the country's main seaports.
According to South African online news publication News24, MWUN president-general Adawale Adeyanju told AFP that the move was suspended following a meeting with the Nigeria Port Authority and the country’s labour minister, where “strong commitments to fix the roads were given”, according to Mr Adeyanju.
The president-general said that after the “fruitful deliberations” with the government, the MWUN had therefore chosen to put the strike on hold.
“We are calling on our members to continue with their work,” he added.
The Lagos ports of Apapa and Tin Can Island handle over 60% of Nigeria's sea cargo and create some 70% of customs revenue, but the poor condition of access roads and chronic gridlock has increasingly been responsible for delays.
This has made shipping companies and businesses use other berths in neighbouring nations, while the MWUN claims that port workers and users stuck in traffic have also become more vulnerable to criminal gang-attack.
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FTC Settled Fake Case Of The Itunes Review30th August 2010
It has been said by the Federal Trade Commission i.e. the FTC that it has now settled the charges about the deceptive advertising with the agency of the public relations which accused of shilling for the developers of the games of the iOS that are in the iTunes App Store of Apple. The company called Reverb Communications and its owner Tracie Snitker has been accused of posting the rave ratings probably four or five stars and the reviews for the games of the iOS on iTunes from the month of November 2008 till the month of May 2009.
It has been complained by FTC that the reviews for those of the gaming applications were not independent reviews that were reflecting the views of the ordinary consumers. It further said that the reviews were created by the employees of the Reverb, which is a company that hired to promote the applications of games and often paid some percentage of the sales of the applications.
Mary Engle, who is the director of the Division of Advertising Practices of FTC, has said in one statement that the companies involved with the online marketing should adhere to the establishment of the principles of truth in advertising.
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E-way bills will be made applicable to movement of goods within the state in phases before 1 June, clubbing several states together. The Council could not decide on a simplified GST return form and entrusted the ministerial panel under Sushil Modi to chalk out a single page form which is simpler and evasion proof.
In another announcement, the finance minister said that tax exemption for exporters has been extended by six months.
However, every state has to come on board for the intra-state implementation latest by June 1.
While the Council discussed two alternate models for simplification of filing returns, no decision was taken regarding the same. GST was rolled out from July 1, 2017, and based on the feedback received from stakeholders the GST Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising state counterparts, has made a host of changes in GST norms and procedures.
E-way bill will be applicable from April 1 for inter-state transactions. "So no decision was taken today", he told reporters after the council's meeting.More news: Messi to miss Malaga match for personal reasons
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The GST Council - the key indirect tax policy decision making body comprising members from the Centre and states - also relaxed certain rules related to e-Way Bill, which will essentially reduce the load on the portal. "The view was that it should be further simplified", he said.
With E-way bill roll out, from April 1, transporters of goods worth over Rs 50,000 will have to generate an e-way bill.
Additionally, all pending claims of refunds of exporters are expected to be cleared by March 31.
Also, the requirement of large customers of small businesses having to pay taxes on behalf of their suppliers under a system called reverse charge has been deferred till 30 June.
Besides, the GST implementation committee has been tasked with the work of redressing grievances caused to taxpayers arising out of IT glitches. Another important matter likely to be reviewed is the implementation of the new e-way bill for inter and intra-state movement of goods. "This will enable them to plan their imports and subsequent activities without any fear on losing export incentives", MS Mani, Senior Director at Deloitte India said.


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We talked to the tech chief of Elon Musk's new company - here's what he told us
But that's okay, because with OpenAI's self-given mission "to make sure, in the long term, AI has potential to benefit the world" and make sure those benefits are "distributed broadly and evenly," taking your time is crucial.
"It's really important that we get it right," he says.
It's important to keep the long haul in mind, Brockman says, because you can't rush good science. With "truly some of the best scientists" on board, he expects that OpenAI will, indeed "unlock the next generation of breakthroughs," but you'll never know where or when those breakthroughs will strike.
"You can't rush it, it's serendipitious," Brockman says.
Brockman, who jumped from payments startup Stripe to become a founding executive at OpenAI, says that the company was born of a "a bunch of conversations" between himself, Musk, Altman, and a bunch of others in the tech scene with an interest in artificial intelligence.
It was only this past January, though, that OpenAI started to go from a theory to a reality, Brockman says.
Over the intervening months, Brockman says, OpenAI's focus was on making sure that it had the right organizational structure and recruited the right people to give it a solid foundation for its future research, over a span of years and decades, not months.
Brockman says that an "inspiration" for the organization of OpenAI was Silicon Valley's legendary Xerox PARC lab, the facility that created many aspects of what we now know as the PC, including the graphical user interface, the mouse, and ethernet networking. The hope is that OpenAI can have a similar impact, having no other purpose than for scientists to do science.
Crucially, too, OpenAI chose to incorporate as a nonprofit - that means it can focus on long-term science, not short-term investor pressure.
"We're really focused on the long term," Brockman says.
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WEB EXTRA: Kroger - Retailer of the Year
2013 is a year of milestones for The Kroger Co.
One hundred thirty years ago, Barney Kroger opened his first grocery store in Cincinnati, still the headquarters city of what has since grown to be the nation’s largest traditional grocer, with more than 2,400 stores under multiple banners across the country.
The company is closing in on 10 years of consecutive quarterly same-store sales growth, an unprecedented achievement in the cutthroat retail food business. The widely admired national retailer also polished off a stellar 2012 fiscal year with $80.8 billion in sales, putting it in second place behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc. among the top U.S. grocery retailers. Kroger also continues to boost its market share amid an increasingly competitive and fragmented retail environment.
Stockholders have approved plans to merge with Matthews, N.C.-based Harris Teeter, the well-respected 212-store southeastern regional chain, in a $2.5 billion deal that will extend Kroger’s reach even further and leverage the best qualities of both topnotch operations.
As part of its sweeping policy of “community engagement,” Kroger this year is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its Perishable Donations Partnership, having donated the equivalent of 175 million meals to needy families through the program it launched as a component of its long alliance with Chicago-based Feeding America.
And, after helming the company for a decade as chairman and chief executive, David Dillon will relinquish the reins as CEO at the end of the year, passing the torch to President and COO W. Rodney McMullen.
For the second time in five years, Progressive Grocer has chosen to honor Kroger as its 2013 Retailer of the Year – an honor rightly deserved for the aforementioned achievements, as well as for the company’s continued strides in shopper experience, sustainability and talent development.
As part of our celebration of Kroger, we offer this gallery of images depicting the grocer and its people who work so hard to achieve the company's success.


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The web giant will make a cash investment in LoveFilm, which will acquire Amazon Europe's DVD rental business in the UK and Germany as part of the deal.
"Customers are faced with an astonishing array of choices in the entertainment world," said Simon Calver, chief executive at LoveFilm.
"LoveFilm International will ensure that Amazon Europe's customers get the best possible DVD rental service. We will be delighted to welcome all Amazon Europe customers to the LoveFilm service."
The two companies will enter into a multi-year marketing agreement in which Amazon Europe will promote LoveFilm's services on its UK and German sites.
"As one of Europe's largest online DVD rental businesses, LoveFilm is well established to serve the increasing demand for entertainment," said Greg Greeley, vice president of European retail at Amazon.
Amazon Europe will continue to operate the DVD rental business on behalf of LoveFilm for a period of time once the deal is completed.
The new LoveFilm subscriber base will total over 900,000 customers predominantly in the UK and Germany, but also in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Completion of the deal is subject to regulatory approval in the UK and Germany. No staff reductions are planned at Amazon's German or UK operations as a result of the business transfer.
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Com2us is planning to make improvements in its second-quarter performance based on increased users of its flagship "Summoners War" and increased sales of baseball games.
On May 10, Com2us announced that it made $17.7 billion won in sales, 30.2 billion won in operating profit and 30.5 billion won in net profit in the first quarter. Compared with the same period of last year, sales, operating profit, and net profit fell 5.5%, 23.5%, and 16.6%.
However, its overseas sales reached 87.5 billion won, achieving 80 percent of its overseas sales for the 17th consecutive quarter.
"From the 5th anniversary of Summoners War, Com2us will increase sales by expanding its users," said Lee Yong-kook, vice president of Com2us. "Com2us will also increase sales of baseball games by holding various e-sports events."
Com2us plans to launch a campaign to get global dormant users to return, run YouTube channels and host e-sports events after it conducts an update on Summoners War in June. It will also prepare for an e-sports event in August to mark the professional baseball season to boost sales of baseball games.
Com2us acquired story game company "Day7" and RPG developer "Manacore soft" and "Nova Factory" in the first quarter.
"The companies that Com2us acquired are those that recorded 10 billion won in annual sales last year, and Com2us is preparing for global publishing of these games," said Lee. "I think these companies' performance will be reflected in their second-quarter sales."
Com2us is also planning to expand its market to target female users by applying RPG under the theme of fashion or love.
"Skylanders", which launched in 120 Western countries in the first quarter, plans to carry out large-scale updates in the second quarter and expand its service areas to all parts of Asia.
Com2us will feature new games based on Summoners War IP, "Summoners War: The Hundred Year's War," "Summoners War MMORPG," "Heros War 2" and "Birdie Crush." The launch schedules for the Summoners War and the Summoners War MMORPG have not been fixed.


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Top Health Industry Trends to Watch for 2015 includes the following insights
- Do-it-yourself healthcare and mobile applications: technology, convenience, and cost-consciousness all play into this issue. Technology companies are building mobile health tracking devices as well as online applications. Hospitals and private health care professionals will need to incorporate this type of patient input into their diagnostic and patient health management tools.
- With so much more patient data online, privacy and data protection is a major issue. Patients want convenience, so finding “the right balance between privacy and convenience will be challenging.”
- 20% of all healthcare costs in the U.S. are spent on the “costliest 1% of all patients.” These include aging baby boomers and the chronically ill and will be the focus of industry attempts to rein in costs.
- PwC sees a “growing conflict between drug access and affordability” that “will create fresh pressure for data that show these expensive medications work better than others and are worth the premium.”
- There is a growing movement to make clinical trial results public, through regulations and the OpenFDA initiative, which was launched last November.
- The entire industry is dealing with the influx of newly-insured patients under the ACA and must develop ways of meeting their needs while containing costs.
- State regulations are expanding the ways in which physician extenders (nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, etc.) can treat patients. Physicians are becoming more comfortable with this model, which is expected to grow substantially over the next five years, but not all are on board. They will all have to come to terms with the model.
- In order to stay competitive, industry players are partnering on “innovative products and services.” HRI analyzed Fortune 50 companies and “found that 40% – or 20 out of 50 – pursued new healthcare partnerships in 2014.” In another survey, 58% of consumers said “they would be more likely to choose a healthcare company that partnered with others to improve services.”
Deloitte, in its 2015 Health Care Providers Industry Outlook, comes to similar conclusions, in slightly different language. Deloitte sees the critical issues for providers in 2015 as: containing health care costs and proving value, moving to value-based care, adapting to and absorbing the new patients enrolled in the ACA, scaling up services, responding to a changing regulatory environment, and managing risks such as privacy and security.
- The U.S. health care system is moving from “volume- to value-based care,” in order to “control/reduce costs, improve outcomes, and obtain more value for money spent.” Physicians are most impacted by this trend and are moving from private practice to “an employed model” and acquisition by health systems.
- Consumers are driving many market changes, with more access to data and increased cost concerns.
- Consolidation will continue and partnerships will grow, both long- and short-term.
A more recent post from PwC, “Medical Cost Trend: Behind the Numbers 2016,” expects spending growth in the U.S. health economy to slow in 2016, but still grow faster than overall inflation. As the summary says, affordable healthcare “remains out-of-reach for many consumers.” “Amino Harnesses Health Industry Data for Consumers,” New York Times, Oct. 15, 2015.
- This digital health post from the New York Times discusses the growing number of online consumer applications of health care spending data. Experts cite demographic trends and a more health-conscious population, but say the largest driver is the trend to low premiums with high deductibles fueled in part by the Affordable Care Act. Now, “people are shopping more aggressively for health care because they are paying more of the bill themselves.”
- The main example used in the article is Amino, a San Francisco start-up that has collected very detailed data on billings and payments for “nearly every practicing doctor in America and the treatment of more than 188 million people” that it will make available to consumers in applications.
“Health Care Industry Rethinks Leadership, Delivery of Care,” US News, Aug. 5, 2015.
- The Affordable Care Act has placed “a new emphasis on payment reform, prevention and population health.”
- Demand for entrepreneurial leaders is increasing due to “new competitive pressures, along with a shift from fee-for-service medicine system based on providing high-quality care at lower cost.” Hospitals and private practice physicians alike are competing with retail outlets like CVS that provide convenient care and keep the consumer costs down.
- An April 2014 report from PwC’s Health Research Institute reinforces this view. The survey found that consumers would switch from “traditional care venues” to “more affordable and convenient alternatives. Nearly one in two respondents said they would choose new options for more than a dozen common medical procedures, such as using an at-home kit to diagnose strep throat or having chemotherapy administered at home.
Another page on PwC’s HRI site tracks health technology and innovation. It addresses digital technologies, including wearables and innovations to bring the patient closer to care in time and distance. A few case studies are included.
Accenture Consulting briefly describes healthcare IT trends in Top 5 eHealth Trends. I’ve combined them below:
• Wearable devices and personalized healthcare options
• Online systems that pull together health monitoring data from a variety of sources


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Ninja Gaiden developer Team Ninja is working on a new game for PlayStation 4.
"First, we will release Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z for PS3 and Xbox 360, which we joint developed with the Inafune-led company Comcept," Hayashi told the website.
"Please look forward to this ridiculous 'zombie x ninja' game."
He added: "Additionally, we're also developing a PlayStation 4 title internally, so please look forward to future updates."
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will launch in Europe on March 21 and in North America on March 18 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Watch a trailer for the upcoming game below:


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New products from Nowell Development, PhatWare, XLink Technology, Maxlon Software and Marconi.
The wares that are soft
With all the attention that computers, wireless devices, network routers and switches, and other hardware products have gotten lately, sometimes simple, basic, necessary software gets lost in the shuffle.
So let's remedy that. First up is counter-espionage software from Nowell Development Inc. The product, SpyForce-AI, defeats insider security breaches to thwart both spying and identity theft.
Nowell officials said the product's secret is artificial intelligence technology that analyzes the online behavior of users. The system is intended to know when a user is behaving differently, suggesting it may not be the user at all but — cue dramatic music — a spy!
The system learns how users behave by analyzing their activities to build an accurate picture. It can also determine when to ask for additional personal information to figure out if the person behaving in an unusual manner is the legitimate owner of a log-in account or an imposter.
The system will report suspicious behavior to systems administrators even if the user answers the questions correctly, in case the user is conducting espionage. Users who can't answer the questions are locked out of the system, and the system reports their behavior.
Let's get phat!
PhatWare Corp. officials have released PhatPad 2.0, note-taking software that can turn a Microsoft Corp. Windows-based Pocket PC into a portable electronic notepad, allowing direct input of notes and drawings using a stylus.
The new version also comes with a companion PC application that allows users to view, edit and print notes created on the handheld device.
PhatPad 2.0 also adds several new features, including a pop-up customizable toolbar, variable page size and the ability to load picture files as backgrounds.
XLink Technology Inc. officials have released ClusterReplica software for Windows 2000, 2003 and XP. ClusterReplica binds two machines into one cluster system with automatic failover capability.
ClusterReplica can handle real-time, open-file data replication, including Microsoft SQL database files and some Windows registry files, company officials said.
Maxion Software officials have introduced Registry Restore, a tool to repair and restore corrupted Windows registry files. The system can scan, clean and repair the registry.
Can you see me now?
Marconi Corp. officials have enhanced the company's ViPr Virtual Presence system, a set of tools for remote video communications, including 15-way videoconferencing and streaming video improvements.
ViPr uses digital high-fidelity audio and DVD-quality video with an integrated telephony platform to render sound and visual images that, according to company officials, give users "an experience they perceive as virtual presence."
First introduced in 2002, ViPr uses Session Initiation Protocol, an emerging standard for voice over IP.
The system can be connected to a computer for data collaboration among participants in a video conference.
Marconi officials believe that bandwidth and communications will continue to be
important in the government, said Gerry Kolosvary, president of Marconi Federal, a subsidiary of the company.
"It's always been important in the Department of Defense," he said. "It's always been important in the intelligence community. We see our market expanding quite a bit."
NEXT STORY: Smart card use grows


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A clutch of consumer durable companies are all set to woo buyers with the early arrival of the summer season.
Companies such as Havells India, Voltas, LG India, Crompton Greaves and Symphony have begun new advertising campaigns to pitch variants of their existing and new products such as air conditioners, coolers, air purifiers and refrigerators. They will seek to offset the sharp hit to sales during the summer season last year when the country was in the midst of a strict lockdown.
Media buyers estimate that the consumer durable category is expected to spend as much as ₹500 crore on promotions between March and June.
While established companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics are shifting ad budgets to digital media, investing more on performance marketing, relatively newer players such as Voltas Beko are expected to spend more on television and print to build their brands.
“In the market, consumers (those who are looking to buy products) will be targeted through print campaigns as they provide more real estate to talk about products in detail with a call to action. There will also be investments on performance marketing (search) on digital platforms as its data-backed marketing help companies understand where the consumer is on his/her consumption journey,” said Mansi Datta, chief client officer and head – North and East, Wavemaker India, a GroupM-owned media agency.
The second wave of coronavirus, extended work from home routine and a longer summer season is expected to further drive sales this season. The covid-19 pandemic has also brought forward the theme of health and wellness which will be tapped by consumer durable makers.
“Most firms will position their advertising around offering better health either through germ-free, freshness, air purification or protective proposition either by product innovation or marketing promotions,” said Datta.
Havells India Ltd, for instance, recently launched its air purifying ceiling fan to promote a healthy lifestyle. It has also launched a new air conditioner (AC) offering similar benefits. “With multiple brands vying for consumer attention, there is a high degree of clutter in the market. We will have a robust advertising season this summer across all media platforms. We will invest heavily in performance-driven marketing to gather maximum output,” said Amit Tiwari, vice-president, marketing, Havells.
Voltas India is also focusing on the health proposition with ACs and coolers stressing upon the air purification function. With 20 to 25% of its ad spends on digital, Voltas is running campaigns for ACs and coolers. It is confident the early onset of summers and hybrid working routine will fuel demand for cooling products and functional home appliances.
“We were back to pre-covid numbers during the festival season, and we will continue with this positive momentum in this summer of FY22 and beyond. Our room AC business, recorded a growth of 46% over the corresponding quarter (non-covid period) of the previous year. We expect this momentum to continue in the next few quarters,” said a spokesperson for Voltas India.
Meanwhile, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd said it will push its smart fan range while building the air cooler franchise for the first time this summer season. The company has increased its digital marketing budgets from 10% in FY 2019-20 to 15-20% for this year. Advertising on e-commerce platforms will also provide a fillip to the overall digital medium.
“Our first-ever TVC on Air coolers “Jaldi Cooling” will be promoted across regular channels with focus on select markets, fans will be our bigger campaign where we will be leveraging IPL. Another important campaign for us at the moment is for the Crompton highspeed fans in Tamil Nadu which is celebrating over 20 years of being a stronghold in the state,” said Rohit Malkani, vice- president, marketing, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals. Mint


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On National Doughnut Day 2013, donut fanatics will line up for Dunkin’ Donuts’ new bacon doughnut breakfast sandwich and Psycho Donuts’ Foie Bomb, a foie gras mousse creation filled with honey, fig and balsamic gastrique, then topped with fried sage leaves. To honor this happy day, we’ve rounded up some key innovations in the history of the beloved pastry.
Square Donuts in Indianapolis started making boxy doughnuts kind of by accident, when the manufacturer of its doughnut cutters gave a square cutter to Rich Comer, the store’s founder. The latest twist on the square doughnuts: the “Jelly-Filled Square Doughnut,” trademarked in 2004 and sold at Doughnut Plant in New York City.
1972: The Hole
Dunkin’ Donuts calls them Munchkins, Entenmann’s calls them Pop’ems, and Tim Hortons calls them Timbits. But once you eat any of these minis, it’s hard to stop.
1993: The Largest
This stock photo pales in comparison to the 16-foot-wide, 3,739-pound jelly doughnut made in Utica, N.Y., by Hemstrought’s Bakeries, Donato’s Bakery and the radio station WKLL-FM, which still holds the world record for the largest doughnut, the Guinness World Records told TIME.
1999: The Cake
It’s been 14 years since Krispy Kreme started selling custom cakes made out of doughnuts for special occasions – like weddings. Do-it-yourself types may also want to check out Pinterest for ideas, including how to incorporate flowers and make human faces on the doughnuts. What’s next? Doughnut wedding rings?
2003: The Blunt
Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon, makes an oblong doughnut shaped like a blunt, so that people can be just a tad subversive – without the health risks associated with smoke inhalation. One end is covered in maple frosting and dipped in red sprinkles to mimic the embers. The ultimate sugar high.
2011: The Burger
The Oreo Ice Cream Burger sold at Atlanta’s Sublime Doughnuts is a new twist on the ice cream sandwich: a chocolate yeast-raised doughnut with homemade oreo ice cream, crushed oreos and vanilla fondant.
2011: The Triangle
After New York legalized same-sex marriage on June 24, 2011, the founders of New York City’s Dun-Well Doughnuts were inspired to make “Pride Doughnuts,” a blend of vanilla and raspberry topped with pink sugar in the shape of a triangle – a longtime gay rights symbol. The owners sell them every year during Pride Week and after any major victory in the gay-rights movement.
2013: The Cronut
Dominique Ansel Bakery‘s croissant-doughnut hybrid – which is deep-fried in grapeseed oil – took New York City by storm this spring and is still selling out. The trademarked delight has already spawned a booming black market, which delivers the $5 pastries for up to $40 apiece.
With reporting by Amanda Taselaar


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The number of illicit drug retailers selling to Australia on underground top darknet markets list websites such as the now defunct Silk Road increased significantly. (j) As the employer, you top darknet markets 2023 must also ask the employee whether he or she has tested positive, or refused to test, on any pre-employment drug or alcohol test. Undergrounddrug is a reliable home for underground trade of Cocaine, Pain Killers, Heroin, ADHD Pills and other stimulant drugs. A hidden website designed to enable its users to buy and sell illegal drugs and owned and operated the underground website until it was shut down by. The Brit holidaymaker reportedly stuffed the drugs in bottles and bags. Patrons of the Silk Road, by far the largest online marketplace for buying illegal drugs, were understandably alarmed when the FBI seized. By N Phair Cited by 1 and new psychoactive substance, including to purchase drugs and arrange The underground website where you can buy any drug imaginable.
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The website, Silk Road, allowed users to anonymously browse through nearly 13,000 listings under categories like Cannabis, Psychedelics and. Watch Showtime. Episode 10 of Season 1. 10. Showtime. 52m. Amid what should be a top darknet markets 2022 happy occasion, Bob sets a drug buy in motion with Ferry's blessing. An ambitions entrepreneur pioneers an online marketplace for drugs in the new trailer for Silk Road, set to open in select theaters and hit on-. Deep Web paypal Money Earn 00 usd! dark web buying paypal account! Underground Credit Card Carding Forums for Carders in Carding Forum. To users' ongoing ability to purchase illegal goods online, Road underground market where users can purchase drugs and fake IDs. Police say class A drugs were found at the property during the by the constant flow of people coming to buy drugs from the property. The Silk Road Anonymous Market Place is an underground website that sells illegal drugs and other clandestine items. The recently unveiled site.
Reddit Darknet Market Links
Contrary to popular belief, making a loved one become abstinent (even if you can) won’t cure the underlying issues that may have led them to use in the first place. Australia at the beginning of the period, though followed by falls) these are quite low absolute numbers, with under 1000 sales in total in each country. In the United States, an investigation in Los Angeles led to the arrests of two of the highest-selling suppliers of narcotics, and the seizure of illegal weapons as well as millions of dollars in cash, said German authorities. You may have a different choice of tools based on your own comfort. Danial Jeloudar and Arash Amiri Abedian underground website to buy drugs are wanted by the FBI in connection with the theft and distribution of credit card numbers. Thus, blacks fear suppression by whites; whites worry about blacks gaining too much power; and any number of other groups, such as labor and management, urbanites and suburbanites, etc.


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Apple debuted its own custom silicon-based M1 iMac this Spring. However, the Cupertino-based giant announced only the 24-inch version of the M1 iMac. A leaker now claims Apple will debut its high-end M1X 27-inch iMac in 2022.
Though the controversial design, Apple’s M1 iMac has been highly appreciated for its thinness and performance. However, a lot of content creators and professionals were disappointed with the 2021 iMac’s one aspect —it’s available only in the 24-inch version.
Dylandkt now claims Apple will announce the 27-inch iMac with an M1X chip in 2022. Dylandkt has previously (correctly) predicted the 2021 iMac’s design and its launch date. He says that the 27-inch variant of the M-series iMac will feature the M1X chip, not the M1 or M2 (which is said to be debuting with the 2022 MacBook Air).
Just as an explanation for those who are wondering, the high end iMac is not expected to release in Q4 alongside the other M1X Mac’s. Apple simply does not want their devices to compete for attention and delay's in product releases have led to this timetable.
— Dylan (@dylandkt) July 23, 2021
Since the machine will be built for professionals, Apple might be opting for a better-performing M1X chip. He’s previously said that the M1X will be “an extension of the M1 that will contain more thunderbolt channels, CPU cores, GPU cores, multiple external monitor support, and greater power draw”.
Apple will reportedly debut its M1X-based Mac devices later this year. Long due redesigned MacBook Pro and Mac mini are tipped to be in the pipeline for launch later this year. It’ll be interesting to see how the chip performs in comparison to the current M1 chip.
What are your expectations from the larger M-series based iMac? Do you think Apple will change the design, or will it stick to the current one? Let us know in the comments section below!


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InComm and Fiserv Expand Network of Biller Organizations Accepting In-Lane Bill Payment with Cash
InComm national retailers adopt VanillaDirectTM Pay to enhance customer experience
Atlanta, GA – June 25, 2018 – InComm, a leading prepaid product and transaction services company, today announced it is partnering with CheckFreePay Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiserv, Inc., a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, to give consumers the ease and convenience of using cash to pay bills in the checkout lane at many locations where they currently shop.
InComm’s VanillaDirect™ Pay in-lane cash payment option allows consumers to make payments without needing a bank account, credit or debit card or making a trip to a separate area of the store.
Partnering with CheckFreePay®, InComm expands the number of billers’ payments accepted by their retail partners. CheckFreePay will leverage InComm’s extensive biller footprint, supporting in-person payment preferences for millions of consumer accounts. CheckFreePay provides greater ease and convenience for walk-in bill pay customers with availability at thousands of retail locations, soon to include InComm retailers such as Dollar General and Family Dollar.
InComm’s VanillaDirect Pay and Fiserv’s CheckFreePay enable cash bill payments at retail
“For the millions of consumers who predominantly use cash in their financial lives, partnering with CheckFreePay allows us to continue to transform the payment experience,” said Matt Lanford, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Financial Services at InComm, “Our technology is serving consumers, enabling them to pay bills easily, while also driving more traffic into our retailers and increasing their revenue.”
VanillaDirect™ in-lane cash payment from @InComm lets you pay bills without a bank account, credit or debit card Tweet
“One in five people prefers to pay a bill in person, representing millions of households each year that regularly use walk-in bill payment services,” said John Stoner, President, Biller Solutions, Fiserv. “Whether it is for the convenience of paying a bill while shopping or the ability to receive a receipt immediately upon payment, VanillaDirect Pay and CheckFreePay will enable more biller organizations to conveniently serve customers in-lane at thousands of retail locations without visiting a designated walk-up pay counter.”
Fiserv, which has been enabling billing and payment services for more than 30 years and has the broadest, single-source range of solutions, enables companies to support all biller channels, which include company websites, mobile devices, financial institution websites, walk-in, print and mail.
Learn about how VanillaDirect Pay and CheckFreePay enable cash bill payments at retail: click here.
Leveraging integrations into retailers’ point-of-sale systems, InComm provides connectivity to a variety of service providers that allow consumers to conduct everyday business at over 500,000 points of retail distribution. Whether those consumers are activating prepaid products, paying bills, enjoying real-time discounts through a membership card, purchasing digital goods in-store or adding funds to an online account, InComm is there with a solution. With 246 global patents, InComm is headquartered in Atlanta. Learn more at www.incomm.com.


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The Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake series has made another rare appearance again. Following the set of spy photos of the car released online last week, Carscoops.com has revealed newer images of the car a few days ago. From what the spy shots have revealed, the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake edition, will have four doors with a slanted roofline that will limit the headroom of its rear passengers. Then, it borrows some of the design used in the bigger CLS Shooting Brake. Moreover, the pictures show a very aggressive appearance brought about by its aerodynamically enhanced body, which is highlighted by its muscle-bound bumpers, side apron, rear… Continue Reading »
Latest Mercedes-Benz News
New spy shots revealed that a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is in the works in China. Apparently, the exact location of the sighting was at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in the city of Qingdao in the Shandong Province. The source, CarNewsChina, is pretty positive about the car being an S-Class because the light camouflage revealed the traditional features of the variant. According to the report, the new car will be launched at the Chengdu Auto Show in China on September this year. Then, the car will roll out in the Chinese car market probably in October, just a month after its launching.
What you see here is probably the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, photographed by Victor Gutierrez Poza from his room in a Madrid hotel. It’s still a bit clad in shroud at the rear, but most of the body is visible—including a view of the unibody headlights. It veers away from the four-headlight setup commonly found in recent E-Class vehicles, which is why many believe this could be the refreshed E-Class. Evident in the picture as well are the vehicle’s fresh bumper and grille, and the rims seem to have been redesigned, too. It’s still unclear whether the vehicle is an AMG variant or the top model in the Mercedes range thanks… Continue Reading »
New spy shots of the upcoming next-gen C-Class have surfaced on the Web, and the new batch provides those who are eagerly anticipating the 2015 model with some additional details for the exterior, and even some insights into the interior. The 2015 C-Class seems to sport some minor revisions to the overall profile of the previous model. Some of the exterior parts are still shrouded, as are most of the interior furnishings. It has been confirmed that one-fifth of the overall production will be coming from the automaker’s Tuscaloosa, Alabama facility. Having a good percentage of the production done in the US is good in that the units will be… Continue Reading »
It’s nice to see spy shots surfacing as these snaps heighten anticipation for the cars. Take these recent spy shots of the upcoming hot hatch, the Mercedes-Benz A25 AMG, seen as it was testing very minimally shrouded. The vehicle was running a few rounds of testing somewhere in Southern Germany, likely to check the overall performance of the car. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter engine, and it is said that Mercedes-Benz High Performace Engines helped in the development. According to the company, the A25 AMG will likely leapfrog the power numbers of the Audi RS3’s 2.0-liter engine that goes for 335 brake horsepower. It’s also expected to get a 7-speed… Continue Reading »
A cycling team in Spain has filmed the brand-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz A-Class while either making a promo spot or shooting some picture for print material. The video was taken on Jan 26 by bike team OGOTT, as they were cycling from El Golfo to Playa Blanca when they stumbled upon the brand new Mercedes-Benz A-Class. As you can see in the video, it’s a very clear shot of A-Class, revealing all the front and side details. We are very surprised that it looks almost identical to the prototype, even the beautiful and futuristic grill was kept. Concept A-Class
The Baby-CLS or BLS/CLC/CLA as some are calling it, was just a rumor back a few months ago when we first reported about it, but as we can see in these exclusive spy-shots, it seems that Mercedes-Benz is going ahead with it’s plan to create a smaller version of legendary CLS. It is rumored that the baby-CLS (some are even calling it the 4-door coupe version of the C-Class) will be built on the same architecture as the next-gen B-Class. Front-wheel drive will be available for the standard version, whereas the AMG version will get a all-wheel drive system. Not much is known about the drive system, but if rumors… Continue Reading »