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You’re probably spending more time with your smartphone, and ARM’s noticed.
The company behind the architecture of most mobile processors has created its next-generation chip designs for sustained high performance and longer battery life.
ARM is announcing the Cortex-A73 CPU at Computex in Taipei on Monday. Chips based on the design will be a little faster than their predecessors, but this generation is more about efficiency, ARM says.
That fits what’s happening in phones now, according to Tirias Research analyst Paul Teich.
“We kind of have enough power in our smartphones,” he said. And with screens about as big as most consumers want, and phones thin enough, the size of the battery will stay the same for a while.
What’s still changing is how people use their phones, Teich said. They’re playing more demanding games, watching more movies on planes and starting to do some virtual reality, which means putting the screen to the test just an inch from your eyes.
These aren’t short bursts of activity like loading a Web page or fighting off an ambush in a video game. They’re ongoing activities where users need a consistent quality of experience. For example, at very close range, such as in virtual reality, users quickly grow sensitive to delays and to pixel size, said James Bruce, ARM’s director of mobile solutions.
Chips have to be able to power these applications without using up too much energy. At the end of a long viewing or gaming session, users still want to be able to make a call.
Cortex-A73 chips should perform at nearly their highest speed for long periods of time, ARM says. The gap between peak and sustained performance is much smaller than on the company’s last CPU design, the Cortex-A72.
ARM’s partners can produce CPUs with different numbers of cores to meet their needs. The Cortex-A73 is intended for top-of-the-line smartphones as well as less powerful handsets priced as low as US$200, he said.
The company is also introducing a new GPU design, the Mali-G71, based on its next graphics chip architecture, called Bifrost. Like the Cortex-A73, it will be more efficient and designed for sustained performance, ARM says. But it could also take some mobile devices to a new level.
The Mali-G71 can be built with as many as 32 shader cores, the kinds of processing units that software uses to draw objects. That’s twice as many as there were in ARM’s last premium graphics chip and beats some of the separate GPUs used in midrange laptops, the company says.
High-end versions of the chip could go into still cameras, TVs, drones and even virtual-reality headsets as well as high-end phones, Bruce said. At the low end, those with just four cores could be used for low-resolution phones.
The new CPU and GPU should find their way into chipmakers’ SoC (system-on-chip) products for delivery in phones next year, ARM says.


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Alamwar, a Hyderabad-based textile label in Mumbai
- Alamwar, a fashion and textiles label founded by Viji Reddy, made its debut in Mumbai’s Melange boutique this January
- The brand’s first collection titled Silk Road is inspired by the aesthetics of Central Asia
Textile designer and artist Viji Reddy’s finely detailed block-printed fabrics, home furnishings and easy-to-wear sustainable separates have found a loyal following abroad. Founded in 1996 as a cooperative, Reddy’s Hyderabad-headquartered label Alamwar, which she runs with her sister Archi, is retailed through trunk shows and at multiple stores across the US. Now the sustainable label is taking its first steps towards establishing a retail presence at home.
After opening a flagship store in Hyderabad last year, the brand made its debut in Mumbai in January at Sangita Kathiwada’s multi-designer boutique Melange. The brand is showcasing its signature printed garments, as well as a selection of accessories in a mix of whites, reds and delicate blush tones from its Spring 2019 collection, Silk Road. “The detailed hand embroidery and handprinted motifs represent aesthetics from Central Asia," says Reddy, who was in Mumbai for the brand’s launch. “The prints have been selected from our archival collection of vintage blocks and are added to the collection for a more layered effect." Expect long tunics, dresses and separates in organza, chiffon and silk with a hint of velvet, prints and minimal embroidery.
The Melange debut marks the beginning of the brand’s retail plans for the country. “The essence of Hyderabadi culture is encapsulated in the brand," says Reddy, adding that Mumbai was the obvious next stop. “The city sets standards for the whole of India."

domain: news


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In a week where we saw most stock indices rebound strongly, insiders reduced their buying after three weeks of high buying. Purchases fell 64% in absolute dollars and 26% in terms of number of companies which saw insider buying. I followed a select group of tech growth companies to see when insiders at those companies might stop selling and start buying instead. Despite the huge declines in their stock, insiders continue to sell. This doesn’t give me much confidence that the rally we saw last week marked the end of the bear market, but looks more like a bear market rally from temporarily oversold conditions. Obviously, there’s no way to know for sure and we’ll see if that’s indeed the case in the coming months. I was looking in Zillow (NASDAQ:Z) recently and I was surprised at how many members of the management team continued to sell the shares and in many cases below their recent strike prices because I tweeted friday (changes made):
With Zillow back to the levels TCV independent director Jay Hoag was buying in May 2019, I was curious to see if he, founder/CEO Rich Barton, or any other insider was buying stock. As we’ve seen with other growth companies, buying has been sparse despite the stock’s 80% drop. Instead of buying shares, insiders including the CFO, COO, CTO, GM, CRO, and President are all selling and they’re selling at lower prices. to their last option exercises.
I’ve been long on the stock for years but resisted the urge to add until I saw the company stabilize, management started buying and I saw Jay Hoag or Rich Barton buy on the open market. With housing easing, their house flipping business in run-off mode, average monthly visits down 5% YoY in Q1 2022, and slowing growth in its IMT (Internet, Media and technology), the business will remain difficult for some time.
I wrote the following about Zillow leaving its home-based flipping business last November in an article titled What does the release of iBuying’s Zillow mean for Opendoor?
Zillow was using their iBuying business to create an operating system for buying and selling homes, which they called Zillow 360. They got into value-added services like mortgage originations and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they turned to things like title insurance. Opendoor already does some of this through Opendoor Home Loans, but if the company hopes to succeed, it will need to do much more than just buy and sell homes.
Zillow remains committed to a grand vision of creating the “super housing app” that will bring value to home buyers and sellers at different points in their journey. They want to go from a big slice of the $19 billion real estate marketing pie to a much bigger slice of the $300 billion real estate transaction, rental and mortgage fees pie. Until the company begins to make meaningful progress towards realizing this grand vision, the stock will likely remain under pressure as the company works on overhanging its house-flipping error.
Welcome to issue 621 of Insider Weekends. Insider buying declined last week, with insiders buying $115.85 million in shares from $324.11 million the previous week. Sales also fell to $944.38 million from $1.08 billion the previous week. We also saw insider buying by the CEOs of SoFi Technologies (SOFI), Uber (UBER) and PayPal (PYPL). Several funds and institutions that were involved in some of these growth companies before their IPOs have also bought shares in recent months, including venture capital firm Sequoia buying shares of DoorDash (DASH) in March, the Indian fund of Sequoia buying shares of Freshworks (FRSH) in March. and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund buying shares of Affirm (AFRM) in April.
The insider sell/buy ratio is calculated by dividing the total insider sells in a given week by the total insider buys that week. Last week’s adjusted ratio rose to 8.15. In other words, insiders sold more than 8 times as many shares as they bought. The sell/buy ratio this week was unfavorable compared to the previous week when the ratio stood at 3.33.
Notable Insider Buys:
1. Avis Budget Group, Inc. (CAR): $200.98
Executive Chairman Bernardo Hees acquired 28,334 shares of this car and truck rental company, paying $172.78 per share for a total consideration of $4.89 million. These shares were purchased indirectly through a trust.
|PER: 6.31||Front P/E: 9.53||Industry P/E: 42.26|
|P/S: 0.94||Price/Book: N/A||EV/EBITDA: 12.18|
|Market cap: $9.7 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 1,054,339||52 week range: $65.87 – $545.11|
2. The Beachbody Company, Inc. (BODY): $2.16
The shares of this health and wellness platform were acquired by 2 insiders:
- Chairman and CEO Carl Daikeler acquired 1,789,200 shares, paying $1.75 per share for a total consideration of $3.13 million. Mr. Daikeler increased his stake by 367.63% to 2,275,879 shares with this purchase.
- Administrator Michael Heller acquired 224,423 shares, paying $1.32 per share for a total amount of $297,093. Mr. Heller increased his stake by 5.43% to 4,357,866 shares with this purchase.
|PER: N/A||Forward P/E: -7.45||Industry P/E: N/A|
|P/S: 0.79||Price/Booking: 2.11||EV/EBITDA: -4.02|
|Market cap: $671.24 million||Avg. Daily volume: 1,191,814||52 week range: $0.91 – $13.5|
3. Newmark Group, Inc. (NMRK): $11.29
Chairman Howard W. Lutnick acquired 277,000 shares of this commercial real estate services company, paying $10.83 per share for a total consideration of $2.99 million. These shares were purchased indirectly through a trust.
|PER: 3.09||Front P/E: 5.76||Industry P/E: N/A|
|P/S: 0.84||Price/Book: 1.7||EV/EBITDA: 19.19|
|Market cap: $2.58 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 1,610,601||52 week range: $10.14 – $19.1|
4. Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN): $75.32
Director Frederick Ernest Ehrsam III acquired 30,030 shares of this crypto-focused brokerage, paying $60.60 per share for a total consideration of $1.82 million. These shares were purchased indirectly through a trust.
|PER: 7.7||Forward P/E: -18.37||Industry PER: 13.38|
|P/S: 2.74||Price/Book: 2.57||EV/EBITDA: 4.42|
|Market cap: $19.73 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 9,122,877||52 week range: $40.83 – $368.9|
5. BitNile Holdings, Inc. (NILE): $0.36
Executive Chairman Milton C. Ault III acquired 5,042,500 shares of this bitcoin mining company, paying $0.31 per share for a total consideration of $1.55 million. 5,000,000 of these shares were purchased indirectly by Ault Alpha LP.
|PER: N/A||Forward P/E: -2.13||Industry P/E: 26.18|
|P/S: 1.57||Price/pound: 0.26||EV/EBITDA: -18.62|
|Market Cap: $113.15M||Avg. Daily volume: 37,055,626||52 week range: $0.23 – $3.7|
You can view the full list of buys from this insider buying page.
Notable insider sales:
1. Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET): $105.87
Shares of this networking company were sold by 3 insiders:
- Development director Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 403,000 shares for $101.12, generating $40.75 million from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly through a trust. 3,000 of these shares were sold following the exercise of options immediately before the sale.
- Platform director John F. McCool sold 7,621 shares for $97.93, generating $746,330 from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly through a trust.
- Director Kelly Bodnar Battles sold 560 shares for $98.50, generating $55,159 from the sale.
|PER: 36.38||Front P/E: 24.85||Industry PER: 20.42|
|P/S: 10.3||Price/Book: 7.86||EV/EBITDA: 27.31|
|Market cap: $32.53 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 1,956,115||52 week range: $82.94 – $148.57|
2. Loews Corporation (L): $65.93
The shares of this diversified holding were sold by 2 insiders:
- Director Andrew H. Tisch sold 500,000 shares for $64.15, generating $32.08 million from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly by trusts.
- Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer Richard Waldo Scott sold 6,123 shares for $64.35, generating $394,015 from the sale. These shares were sold following the exercise of options immediately prior to the sale.
|PER: 10.16||Front P/E: 22.73||Industry P/E: 11.01|
|P/S: 1.12||Price/pound: 0.98||EV/EBITDA: 6.73|
|Market cap: $16.23 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 948,098||52 week range: $51.35 – $68.2|
3. Chubb Limited (CB): $210.89
The shares of this insurance company were sold by 2 insiders:
- Chairman and CEO Evan G. Greenberg sold 62,410 shares for $208.44, generating $13.01 million from the sale. 14,400 of these shares were sold indirectly through various trusts.
- Director Michael G. Atieh sold 500 shares for $203.49, generating $101,745 from the sale.
|PER: 11.23||Front P/E: 12.49||Industry P/E: 11.01|
|P/S: 2.2||Price/Book: 1.58||EV/EBITDA: 13.04|
|Market cap: $89.36 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 1,753,169||52 week range: $155.78 – $218.99|
4. Royalty Pharma plc (RPRX): $41.27
The shares of this biotechnology company were sold by 3 insiders:
- Director Rory B. Riggs sold 150,000 shares for $39.42, generating $5.91 million from the sale.
- EVP, Investments & GC George W. Lloyd sold 100,000 shares for $40.27, generating $4.03 million from the sale.
- Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer James F. Reddoch sold 75,000 shares for $40.44, generating $3.03 million from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly by Reddoch RPI LLC.
|PER: 30.15||Front P/E: 12.21||Industry P/E: 24.25|
|P/S: 12:27 p.m.||Price/Booking: 3.11||EV/EBITDA: 18.38|
|Market cap: $27.96 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 2,120,115||52 week range: $34.86 – $47.1|
5. Matterport, Inc. (MTTR): $5.67
Director Jason Krikorian sold 2,206,146 shares of this spatial data company for $5.32, generating $11.73 million from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly by DCM VI, LP Jason Krikorian.
|PER: N/A||Forward P/E: -15.32||Industry P/E: 49.27|
|P/S: 2:18 p.m.||Price/Book: 2.42||EV/EBITDA: -4.87|
|Market cap: $1.6 billion||Avg. Daily volume: 7,321,207||52 week range: $3.94 – $37.6|
You can view the full list of sales from this insider sales page.


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June 10, 2016
Originally published FACT
“It simply shouldn’t exist,” says the site.
Exactly one month after a David Bowie oddity broke the record for most expensive sale on Discogs, a mythically rare release from Prince has smashed it in a sale that likely won’t be topped for a long time.
Famously shelved a week before its intended 1987 release, Prince’s The Black Album evolved into a bootleg of SMiLE proportions. Though the millions of pressed copies of the album were destroyed, an extremely slim number of DJ promos survived (though even most of those were recalled). Now, one of those copies has sold on Discogs for $15,000 — more than the last several record holders combined.
Originally titled The Funk Bible, the album was intended to be the follow-up to Prince’s Sign ‘O’ The Times before its recall.
The darker record was meant to be a rejection of the increasingly pop direction Prince felt pulled in, but was replaced by the considerably more accessible (and still excellent) LoveSexy. The only track that survived the crossover between albums was ‘When 2 R In Love’.
The original promos had no printed title, artist name, production credits or photography thus earning its nickname which eventually became Prince canon when Warner Bros. put out an extremely limited release of it in 1994 for copyright purposes.
Learn more about the sale in Discogs’ latest blog post.


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Dubai, UAE; December 28, 2020: Under the banner of “New World, New Heights”, Canon Middle East held its annual Partners’ Conference 2020 virtually, demonstrating commitment to ensuring a sustainable future in the region with innovative insights and solutions that help achieve new heights, in a new world.
Despite a challenging year, Canon Middle East proceeded with its important annual partner conference virtually, demonstrating commitment to the Middle East region, ‘closer to customers’ Strategy.
During the event, the company celebrated its partners for showcasing resilience, agility and growth despite the unprecedented difficulties of 2020. In addition to thanking frontlines for supporting essential sectors in the region while navigating the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anurag Agrawal, Managing Director, Canon Middle East and Turkey said: “CME is dedicated to forging ahead and rolling out its growth strategy to address both geographical gaps and emerging trends, to be closer to customers in the region and address their emerging needs while staying agile and flexible. We will focus on ‘Retaining our existing customers’, ‘Reaching new ones’ and ‘Raising the value to all customers’ to expand the business horizon.
Despite the pandemic, Canon has launched various key and game changing products in the business and consumer categories across the Middle East, coupled with expansion plans and strategic partnerships announcements”.
Canon strongly believes that complete cloud workspace solutions for companies looking to work from anywhere in the future is the key to the success of its products. The tremendous growth in social media and creative content creation such as vlogging will also increase demand for consumers products of Canon. Additionally, the company has been able to add a lot of value to its offerings with the launch of customised products for small, medium, and large enterprises this year.
With many innovative products and solutions in the pipeline, Canon’s ecosystem of digital products will enhance the digital infrastructure of its B2B and B2C customers. Canon’s products and services focus strongly on digital capabilities to help speed up digitization in a world where we all have had to accelerate this shift.
Aligned with the global corporate philosophy of Kyosei, which means living and working together for the common good, Canon Middle East launched several community focused initiatives recently. The company partnered with the UAE Ministry of Education for digital skills to develop youth talent in the UAE and prepare them with the required skills for the future. Additionally, Canon Middle East also launched “Aktashif”, a first-of-its-kind program, to ignite creativity and entrepreneurial spirit among 14 to 24-year-olds in the GCC region.


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KANTAR PAINTS MIXED PICTURE FOR UK MEAT INDUSTRY
In the 12 weeks to April 18, with year-on-year comparisons pointing at the early stage of the pandemic, Kantar reported that the UK meat industry saw a resurgence in those proteins, which took a backseat last year.
Kantar said that chilled fish is now thriving, whilst staples like chicken and beef, which performed well at the height of the pandemic, have seen growth start to drop off.
Over the 12-week period, the fresh primary meat and poultry market grew by 4.1%. The fastest growing of the proteins was lamb, up 17.8%, recovering from a tough 2020. Pork had good growth too, up 8.8% in the 12 weeks.
Sales of beef and chicken, however, showed signs of faltering, with these family favourites falling into decline in the most recent four weeks, bringing the primary meat market with it (declining 1.5%). Beef was especially hard hit, losing 200,000 shoppers in the 12-week period.
Justin Lines, Client Manager at Kantar, said: “We’re starting to see what will continue over the next year. The proteins and cuts that we turned to during the pandemic will be the ones that have the harshest declines as we return to a new normal.”
Sales of fresh fish, which saw subdued growth when the UK first went into lockdown, are accelerating – growing 22% in the last 12 weeks. Just under 250,000 more shoppers chose fish, with natural, smoked and added value lines driving the growth.
Classic BBQ cuts have performed strongly, with burgers, sausages and bacon all gaining share of the processed meat market.
Processed fresh meat and poultry grew ahead of primary in both the latest 12 and four week periods, achieving 4.3% growth over last 12 weeks.
Lines said: “Egged on by the introduction of the rule of six and with limited choices for socialising, Brits took the opportunity to enjoy the sun in their gardens over recent weeks. Many people fired up the coals across the country, giving a boost to processed meat.
“Looking to the future, we can expect this mixed picture to continue as sales compare sales against the unprecedented performance of last year. Growth will come from areas that previously struggled, such as lamb and chilled fish.
“In the short term, BBQs will be a national favourite as they are well suited for outside social hosting gatherings which look set to dominate summer.”
Meat sales by type
For the 12 weeks to April 18, meat sales in the UK were up 4.1% year-on-year.
Key highlights included:
Fresh beef (volume) -3.8%
Fresh lamb (volume) +12.7%
Fresh pork (volume) +10.5%
Fresh chicken (volume) +2.1%
Fresh turkey (volume) -1.7%
Chilled fish (volume) +18.9%
Fresh beef (value) +0.8%
Fresh lamb (value) +17.8%
Fresh pork (value) +8.8%
Fresh chicken (value) +2.9%
Fresh turkey (value) -1.3%
Chilled fish (value) +22%
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Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has already confirmed plans to make its first BlackBerry 10 smartphones official at the end of January next year, yet it hasn’t provided too many details on what these devices will be all about.
Courtesy of various leaks, however, we had the chance to learn a few more details on the first BlackBerry 10 devices, and some more of them are now available.
A BlackBerry 10 L-Series smartphone was photographed next to an Apple iPhone 5, which is the tallest model in Apple’s series.
Apparently, the upcoming device from RIM is a bit larger than Apple’s latest handset, most probably due to the fact that it relies heavily on bezel gestures, while the iPhone does not.
Overall, the BlackBerry 10 smartphone looks pretty appealing, and might attract a lot of users on its side, especially enthusiasts.


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Average retail gasoline prices in Florida have fallen 4.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.75/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 8,237 gas outlets in Florida. This compares with the national average that has fallen 3.2 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.66/g.
Including the change in gas prices in Florida during the past week, prices yesterday were 2.9 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 11.2 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 10.2 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 8.8 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.
"Relief at the pump has continued for motorists in a majority of the United States during the last week," said Analyst Patrick DeHaan. "I would caution motorists, however, not to sound the all clear. Refineries will be continuing their switch over to cleaner burning gasoline, and there certainly is the possibility that one mishap could send prices racing higher, much to the disappointment of motorists nationwide," DeHaan said.


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"Inductive charging has great potential" according to Volvo following its study into wireless charging of electric cars.
The Swedish automaker conducted testing with Flanders' Drive, an automotive technology knowledge center in Belgium and a consortium of other companies, to determine whether wireless charging was practical, efficient and safe in real-world trials.
Their conclusion? Quite simply, that it is practical, safe and efficient.
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"Cordless technology is a comfortable and effective way to conveniently transfer energy,” said Lennart Stegland, Vice President, Electric Propulsion System at Volvo Car Group. The project won't end there though, as Stegland adds, "There is not yet any common standard for inductive charging. We will continue our research and evaluate the feasibility of the technology in our hybrid and electric car project." ( Continue… )
Yesterday, Tesla took another bite out of Apple.
Until then, the automaker's highest profile recruit from Cupertino had undoubtedly been George Blankenship, the man who turned Apple's wheelbarrows full of money into truckloads by creating ludicrously high-grossing stores in malls across America.
On Thursday, however, Elon Musk & Co. announced that they had hired Doug Field -- arguably, a much bigger coup.
At Apple, Field served as Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering, meaning that he was key in creating the company's sleek, pricey laptops and desktops. Before that, he engineered products at Segway (yikes) and Ford. At Tesla, the MIT grad will serve as Vice President of Vehicle Programs, which means that he'll be in charge of developing new Tesla vehicles.
We see where this is going. We're not the first to point out that Apple is a great role-model for Tesla to follow. Since re-inventing itself in 2001 with the launch of the iPod, Apple has cemented its reputation as a tech leader -- one that's passionate about creating sexy, well-designed products. It charges a premium for those products, but because the Cool Kids use them, everyone seems willing to pony up. ( Continue… )
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2014 hasn't been off the delivery truck for very long, but the carnage is already beginning. What may have been the first customer Corvette Stingray crash showed up just last week, and now another Stingray has bit the dust.
This image comes from Corvette Forum, although the poster was not aware of the circumstances of the crash, or whether the occupant(s) made it out unscathed.
Judging by the imploded windshield and other topside damage, it appears this Corvette was on its roof at one point. Either that, or the owner tried to reenact a scene from The Fast & The Furious.
The damage is limited to the top of the car, making it into an impromptu convertible.
The front of the car is blocked by a pillar in the photo, but we can see that the hood can still open. The front fenders, doors, and even the wheels also appear to be untouched.
Sadly, this probably won't be the last time we see a Corvette Stingray in this state. Wh don't know when the next crash will happen, but we do know that the Internet will be there to tell us when it does.
For some unblemished 2014 Corvette Stingray photos, check out our mega gallery.
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Autonomous cars are coming, slowly but surely. Over the past several years, automakers (and Google, of course) have unveiled an array of self-driving technologies, with some promising to deliver partially self-driving vehicles by the "mid-2010s".
Questions about public acceptance and legal liabilities remain, but frankly, the biggest hurdle facing autonomous cars is the technology they depend on, which is still very expensive and, in some cases, rudimentary. That will change over time, as software and hardware improves, and as economies of scale make those things more affordable.
Also helping matters will be the deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems. Autonomous cars can function on their own, but creating a support network that allows cars to "talk" to one another will provide an exponential boost to autonomy and, ultimately, driver safety. For example, if one car detects a potential collision, it can use V2V to distribute a warning to other cars nearby, leveraging the power of one car's sensors to maximum effect. In fact, V2V alone is projected to reduce highway fatalities by over 80 percent -- and technically speaking, that's without fully autonomous technologies in place. ( Continue… )
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is not a man to mince his words. We already know he's not a fan of other electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt, he doesn't really like plug-in hybrids, and he's quick to step in and defend his company whenever there's a hint of negative publicity.
They're "a waste of time", according to Musk. Well, he uses a slightly different phrase to that. But the meaning is similar, we guess...
The trouble is, Musk says, that hydrogen and fuel cells are a technology that the manufacturers dabbling in the tech don't really believe in. It's more like "a marketing thing", he says, without elaborating. "If you take best-case scenario," he adds, that in terms of power density and cost, "fuel cells don't even equal the current state-of-the-art in lithium-ion batteries".
Hydrogen does have its supporters of course, at least publicly. Several automakers are in partnerships with other countries to develop the technology, while firms such as Hyundai, Toyota and BMW all aim to have production fuel cell vehicles on the road in the next half-decade.
Toyota--who has worked with Tesla on cars like the RAV4 EV--will launch its hydrogen fuel cell car in 2015. We'd love to be a fly on the wall in any meetings between Musk and Toyota representatives if fuel cells come up in conversation...
Ultimately, Musk says hydrogen is useful for the first stage of rockets (something we imagine he knows a bit about, as CEO of SpaceX) but not a lot of use in cars.
Given how seriously some automakers are starting to take Tesla, we wonder if the manufacturers themselves are getting a little nervous?
What does North Dakota have in common with Iran?
If North Dakota were a country, it would rank fifth behind Russia, Nigeria, Iran, and Iraq on the list of worst natural-gas wasters, according to the World Bank.
An editorial in The Forum of Fargo-Moorehead blasted the North Dakota natural-gas industry for wasting valuable resources through flaring, the burning of natural gas in open air as it's released from a well.
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Flaring typically occurs when there isn't a way to capture and use natural gas on site. For instance, natural gas often appears as a byproduct of crude-oil drilling. ( Continue… )
The first images and details for Lamborghini’s new Veneno Roadster have hit the web. The car is the convertible version of the Veneno coupe first shown at the 2013 Geneva Motor show, which was limited to just four examples in total. But unlike the coupe, Lamborghini is planning as many as nine Veneno Roadsters, each priced at a cool 3.3 million euros (approximately $4.5 million).
News of the Veneno Roadster first broke as early as July and the car was confirmed by Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann just one month later. Now we have the details on the open-top version of a car originally built to celebrate Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary, showcase the potential of the automaker’s design team and explore new avenues in lightweight construction.
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Apart from the roofless design, the Veneno Roadster is virtually identical to the coupe, much in the same way that the Aventador, with which the Veneno shares its underpinnings, is much the same as the Aventador Roadster. Power comes from Lamborghini’s familiar 6.5-liter V-12, which in Veneno spec has been tuned to deliver 740 horsepower.
This edge over the Aventador’s 691-horsepower rating means the Veneno is Lamborghini’s fastest and most powerful road car to date. Lamborghini claims the Veneno Roadster will accelerate to 62 mph from rest in 2.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 220.5 mph, the same as the coupe. ( Continue… )
With hours of daylight decreasing and inclement weather a frequent occurrence, the fall season is a time when drivers need to pay a little more attention to road and traffic conditions and use extra caution while driving.
Here are some safety driving tips that can make the fall season more enjoyable and trouble-free.
Slow down. The faster you drive, especially on wet, slippery roads, the longer it takes to stop your vehicle. Doubling the speed of your car can nearly quadruple the amount of time required to stop safely. ( Continue… )
In theory, it's the ideal people to get people into electric cars in general--some seat time is usually enough to convince people that EVs are the way to go.
The good news is that people are certainly renting those cars. The bad news is that they aren't doing so for very long, and it's due to a familiar electric car sticking point: range anxiety.
According to Bloomberg, customers trying out Nissan Leaf electric cars as part of Enterprise's rental fleet are swapping them for more conventional cars after 1.6 days on average--compared to the six or seven day period for cars on average. The number one cause is customers worrying whether they'll make it to a charging station before the battery runs out.
"People are very keen to try it, but they will switch out of the contract part way through" said Lee Broughton, head of sustainability at Enterprise, to Bloomberg. ( Continue… )
Fisker Automotive may have a new savior.
The U.S. Department of Energy will award Fisker's $168 million loan to an investor group led by Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters, buying the loan would allow Li--an early Fisker investor--to restructure the company himself, unencumbered by the obligations of the DoE funds.
RECOMMENDED: Make your car last: 7 tips
With further cash injections to pay outstanding bills, though, it appears that the company may still be at risk of bankruptcy. ( Continue… )


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Wally's Wine & Spirits Announces Launch Of Wally's Auction House
LOS ANGELES, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the June 2013 acquisition of Wally's Wine & Spirits in Los Angles, the company's new executives have branched out to create Wally's Auction House. The company plans to open a New York based headquarters in the near future.
With the latest company extension brings the appointment of Michael Jessen, who has joined Wally's Auctions as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Jessen has dedicated the past decade to fine and rare wine and was most recently the head of Zachys auction division, overseeing the placement of $500 million worth of the finest and rarest wines. He has extensive experience working with the world's greatest collection and will bring his knowledge and expertise to the wine auction division at Wally's.
"I am thrilled to join Christian Navarro, the Marciano Family, and the Wally's team in developing the Wally's brand," said Michael Jessen. "I am especially excited for the opportunity to build a world-class wine auction company and could not imagine a better organization than Wally's to work with towards achieving this goal."
Julia Gilbert will also join the Wally's Auction House as Managing Director with eight years of wine auction industry experience. For the past several years, Gilbert served as Auction Director at Zachys Wine Auctions where she oversaw consignment acquisition and management, marketing, events and public relations.
"Christian and I are very excited about this new venture, and look forward to preparing our very first auction within the next year, where attendees can bid on the best world class wine selection," said Maurice Marciano.
About Wally's Wine & Spirits
In business since 1968, Wally's Wine & Spirits has long been a Los Angeles institution ranging from first-time wine buyers to collectors and connoisseurs. Combining personal service with a patient and knowledgeable staff, an inventory of thousands of hard to find wine, beers and spirits, in a relaxing and comforting atmosphere, it is no wonder that the Zagat Survey has called Wally's "The No. 1 Wine Shop in Los Angeles," and Forbes lists Wally's as one of their "Top Shops." The store is located on Westwood Boulevard in West Los Angeles, and its many unique products can also be purchased online at www.wallywine.com.
Wally's Wine & Spirits
SOURCE Wally's Wine & SpiritsBack to top


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To widen its reach and range of customers in the commercial segment, Nissan has unveiled the new all-electric Nissan e-NV200XL Voltia van that will go on sale in Europe soon.
The e-NV200 is already a popular last-mile delivery van and now with the Voltia model, the load space has increased by 90 per cent within a compact body. Nissan’s General Manager Europe, LCV Sales and Business Development, Manuel Burdiel says that the demand for last-mile delivery isn’t slowing despite the restricted access in cities and tougher emission standards and the Nissan e-NV200 XL Voltia has been designed to tackle every aspect of these challenges.
The latest member of the e-NV200 family combines a generous roof space and an extended load bay to ensure stand room for the drivers and to load the cargo easily. The urban objective is further assisted by an optimised turning radius. Power for the e-NV200XL Voltia comes from the same 40 kWh battery pack that drives the other variants of the e-NV200. There has been no information on the range yet, but seeing that the regular e-NV200 offer a range of 280 km, the XL could travel a fraction lower. The version Voltia has been independently selling has a travel range of 200 km for the same battery. The e-van also gets a CHAdeMO on-board charger for rapid DC charging.
The e-NV200XL Voltia has two regenerative braking modes – the B mode optimises the system to recharge the battery on the move; ECO mode allows the system to conserve battery power. Both modes allow the electric van to maximise the driving range. Nissan has sold a total of 42,000 units since its launch in 2014 with 10,000 units sold in 2019 in Europe alone. Nissan has said that the pricing of e-NV200 XL Voltia will be revealed during the launch.
Recall that the NV200 was sold in India as the Nissan Evalia until 2015.


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NEW DELHI: Times Internet
news sites have emerged as India's most visited and largest news entities on Lok Sabha election results
day, according to Comscore, an independent media measurement and analytics company.
As per an official blog post
on its website, Comscore says "Overall, the number of unique visitors (UVs) accessing News/Information sites on their Android smartphone is significantly higher than desktop UVs, with Times Internet Limited ranking first". Below is the data for android smartphones (web & app) as per the report.
As per the data in the report, Times Internet on Android was twice as big as Network18 (which was at No. 2) and four times as big as DailyHunt (which was at No. 5). Desktop users were in the range of 5-10% of Android users for all sites, clearly underscoring the growing dominance of mobile as a platform for news consumption in India.Interestingly, while Comscore launched multi-platform data for India back in April 2017, it has not reported multi-platform data in this story.
The report places also separately looks at regional and language entities. The top placed site in those rankings has recorded less than a fourth of the visitors to Times Internet on Android phones, showing that news consumption on languages still has some headroom to grow in India.


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New encoding method aims to become faster and more accurate.
The system captured 3D super-resolution images of small protrusions on the branches of neurons.
Electronic display fabrics are now larger and more durable, opening the door to clothing that acts like a computer screen.
Haptic training could help expert musicians and top athletes break through their performance ceilings.
The surprise finding was observed when the fluids moved through specially treated tiny tubes.
The tiny robots walk using platinum leg muscles that get their energy from laser light.
Isotopes produced in the original Manhattan Project reactors seeded decades of research and even a few Nobel Prizes.


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Recent stories about people committing vicious crimes while hopped up on a drug called “bath salts” are causing trouble for the industry that sells the completely innocent bath salts that you scoop into the tub for a little relaxation.
Two companies, the San Francisco Bath Salt Company and SaltWorks, say they’ve received calls from people seeking the drug. It’s forced the San Francisco company to change the name of one of its products because it shares a name with the drug.
“Even our customers see stories saying ‘they’re outlawing bath salts’ and people are calling and asking ‘can they really do that??’ And I have to say, ‘No, of course not,'” Naomi Novotny, president of SaltWorks told HLN.
“This story happens to have hit a nerve that has caused a ton of confusion in the marketplace,” she added.
The “bath salts” associated with the brutal Florida “Causeway Cannibal” attack are actually a strong hallucinogen that is described as “very much like cocaine” and can cause paranoia and hostility. There are reports of increased interest in the drug and copycat crimes in cities nationwide, which has police and consumers on high alert.
As a result, the bath salts industry, which was already a weak one, is further weakened. Lee Williamson, president of the San Francisco Bath Salts Company, has positioned himself as an expert available to the media for interviews to clear up any confusion.
We only need to look at the “pink slime” case to see how a product whose name has negative associations can wreak havoc on all the businesses that make that product. Williamson told HLN that this bath salts drug has “been on our minds for a couple of years,” indicating that the industry should’ve tackled the issue a while back rather than waiting for something ghastly to happen. Now that these high-profile crimes have been widely reported, it’s going to be hard for the industry to shake the gruesome tales associated with their otherwise lovely product.


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Most sauntered -- one shimmied -- down the catwalk. One girl wore a dress made from a lampshade, arranged, by decoupage, with newspaper clippings. Another sported a top bound by playing cards.
Cameras flashed and lights beamed at the "Yes We Can" Community Center in New Cassel, staged as a runway.
The so-called "Trashion Night" -- sponsored by North Hempstead Town -- showcased apparel and accessories crafted by elementary, middle and high school students -- from recycled materials, such as Capri Sun packages and place mats.
The event, held Wednesday, was a marquee one for the town, which has sought in recent years to reduce its solid waste sent to its landfills.
The celebration, in which students from 11 private schools and public school districts participated, highlighted the challenge officials and educators face generating excitement about recycling.
In 2008, "the schools were not recycling," said Fran Reid, the town's chief sustainability officer. Town officials brainstormed, held several conferences and arranged for the installation of recycling bins in nine of the town's 11 districts' classrooms and offices.
The program has generated revenue from the sale of some of its recycled materials, which is used to keep the program running, she said.
Lior Cole, a sixth-grader at Great Neck North Middle School, who wore the lampshade dress adorned with a bicycle chain, said learning about recycling was drab before she began making dresses out of recyclables.
"You'd have a recycling bin, we'd bring caps into science class, but I never thought people would make things out of the caps," said Lior, who wants to become a fashion designer.
Van Dyk Lewis, a professor of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell University, said making clothes through school is "unique . . . If anything, it pricks the conscience. If we can start to incorporate those pieces in our wardrobes, we've taken the next step as a community to appreciate the castoff."
"You have to be creative," Reid said. "Besides just 'reduce, reuse, recycle,' " a popular recycling slogan.
Since the initiative launched, Reid said, schools have produced about 15 percent less garbage.
Reid said she was inspired to host the "Trashion Show" after seeing Nancy Judd, an eco-friendly fashion designer, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in August. She was there with 21 of her garments, which Judd describes as "trash-couture."
Judd, the night's emcee, has made a career of her designs -- one of which, a man's winter coat compiled of Obama campaign door hangers, is part of the Smithsonian's permanent collection.
An environmental educator, Judd has visited schools across the country to promote sustainability. The challenge, she says, is to make the "message last more than a minute."
"I think images of their garment stick," she said. "Really making that link to a change in behavior that is substantial is always a challenge, so it's not just superficial."


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In early May of this year Bob Ferguson, the Attorney General of Washington State, filed what is believed to be the first consumer protection lawsuit against a Kickstarter campaign from investors wanting their money back.
Many in the US believe the current raft of new tech products across sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter (take Smarty Ring as an example) are either chasing a commercially unviable space or will simply never deliver on their promises and Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit is just the start of a new era where the ‘Crowd gets Angry’.
Kickstarter was initially frequented by a very savvy crowd who had expertise to help them judge whether or not tech projects were ever capable of being delivered. Now the audience of such sites has broadened to include average consumers and some of those consumers treat Crowdfunding like an Amazon.com for products that don’t yet exist.
Stronger screening and better communication of what a project’s level of complexity is along with more responsibility by the platforms is the only way to avoid a free for all in legal claims that could kill Crowdfunding.


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The European smart thermostats market is set to increase to $2.5 billion (£1.6bn) in less than five years.
That’s according to a new report which states the boom will be driven by 2020 climate change targets and mandatory energy efficiency certification for buildings.
It adds the enforcement of minimum standards for high energy consuming products, such as boilers, heating and air conditioning systems will also affect the rise.
The UK, Germany and the Netherlands is expected to account for a majority share of the market in Europe while France will be the fastest growing.
The report found the market earned revenues of $152.5 million (£97m) in 2014.
Dhivya Sundara Manohar, Frost & Sullivan Energy and Environmental Research Analyst, said: “Rapidly increasing awareness among customers on the user friendliness and comfort of smart thermostats is spurring demand in Europe.
“Moreover, the market is at an advantage since it is not significantly limited by government regulations.”


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PC World and Currys troubled by falling profits
The mainstream electricals market has taken a sound beating over the past twelve months. Best Buy's aggressive expansion in the UK has been anything but, with the US brand pulling out of key retail sites; Comet recently announced extensive job losses and regional chains have also been victim to poor trading conditions.
And the trouble goes all the way to the top; Dixons have today issued a profit warning after sales at British and Irish stores open over a 12 months fell 11 percent in the 11 weeks to March 26. The operators of PC World and Currys were expecting annual pre-tax profits of around £105 million by the end of April, but now believe that figure will drop to £85 million.
What to do? Well, it's likely Dixons will pull out of key European markets such as Spain, and they're also aiming to cut annual costs by £50 million for the next three years, extending a previous two year target.
It'd be easy to pick at Dixon's failure to turn fortunes around, especially since their revival plan appeared to pare back customer support to the bone, but it's clear that the high street (and retail parks) are struggling in the wake of a recession and government frugality.
Better brush up on those FIVEs, lads.


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Serese Selanders' entrepreneurial aspirations reached a “turning point” in 2015 when she crossed paths with Communitech.
The CEO and founder of SolusGuard began her entrepreneurial journey a year earlier with her Saskatoon-based startup, ORA, which made wearable personal alert devices designed to enhance the safety of older adults.
At the time, Saskatchewan's startup ecosystem was just getting off the ground and lacked the supports and infrastructure that tech founders crave.
“With no incubators or accelerators in sight, I felt isolated while pursuing my ambitious goal of creating wearable hardware technology,” Selanders recalls. “During a presentation in Saskatchewan, I shared my prototype with an attendee, and was advised to connect with (Kitchener-based) Communitech for support.”
Selanders went on to participate in Communitech’s Fierce Founders bootcamp (and later in the Intensive Track stream).
“This initial program helped me consolidate my thoughts, get organized, and provided exposure to some amazing people,” she says. “It served as a gateway to the broader tech community, revealing the possibilities and the presence of like-minded individuals – a great introduction to this thriving ecosystem."
Despite challenges that led to ORA shutting down, Selanders continued her founder journey. Leveraging the intellectual property and experience acquired through ORA, she founded SolusGuard, shifting her focus from B2C to B2B.
SolusGuard caters to employers with staff who work alone or in high-risk roles. SolusGuard's safety tech includes wearables such as panic buttons, check-in software, satellite communications and backend monitoring.
“We offer tailored safety packages to enterprise-level clients like Corrections Canada,” Selanders says. “These solutions ensure worker safety and regulatory compliance, addressing the diverse needs of organizations with employees in remote or risky situations.”
While the idea for ORA arose from a personal need to keep Selanders’ father safe, SolusGuard was driven by the demand of businesses and organizations for safety solutions in different workplaces.
The company is primarily focused on expanding its operations in North America.
“We've made good progress in Canada and already have some customers in the United States, but it's such a big and active market, especially for lone workers,” Selanders says. “In this field, there's a lot of room for growth, and no one company is dominating it yet. Our main aim is to become the leading company in this space.”
SolusGuard is now in the scaling stage of its journey.
“We have numerous deals in our pipeline and are anticipating substantial growth in the near future, with the possibility of doubling or even tripling in size over the next year or two," Selanders says.
How Fierce Founders helped
Communitech’s Fierce Founders boot camp was instrumental in refining the company's foundations, and the intensive track stream that Selanders participated in during the pandemic helped her navigate unforeseen challenges.
"Communitech provided the necessary support, connecting me with the right advisors, guiding me into an accelerator program,” she says. “It's truly amazing how they adapted to my evolving startup needs, being there for me as I navigated through different phases."
The global chip shortage and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges to SolusGuard, threatening its very existence.
"Once again, Communitech and Fierce Founders stepped up and said, 'Hey, we can help you through this,' advising us during a particularly trying time," Selanders says.
Since starting her Fierce Founders experience, she has grown her team from three to 15.
“It has been a roller coaster,” Selanders says. “Entrepreneurship can be messy and challenging, but the important message is that it's okay to face these challenges because, with the right support and guidance, like I had with Fierce Founders, we can overcome them."
Selanders is particularly thankful for the ongoing support she gets from Communitech and the Fierce Founders team.
“It's truly amazing that they haven't given up on me, supporting and advising me every step of the way,” she adds. “We may not have reached our destination yet, but we're making progress, largely thanks to Communitech and Fierce Founders.”
The Communitech Fierce Founders Bootcamp, Uplift and Intensive Track programs are made possible thanks to the support of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, the Business Development Bank (BDC), Google for Startups, Vidyard, the City of Kitchener and the Ontario government.


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Web3 gaming is getting the pace at a very high rate and staying ahead. Blockchain gaming is a significant development is gaming industry
Like any other business, the gaming industry is a place where trends come and go, legal problems arise, and digital landscapes are always changing. Even though there are still problems, like the adoption of blockchain technology and dealing with disruptive player behavior, there are still a lot of chances for growth and innovation. People are still interested in gaming events, and the fact that the industry is always changing shows how important it is to be flexible and act responsibly in a world that is becoming more digital. This week, we looked at some of the most important things that have happened in the gaming industry as a whole, such as legal battles and changes in technology.
Shaping the Future of Gaming via Web3 Games
The world of games is moving at a very fast rate, and it's important to stay ahead of the curve. The rise of blockchain games is an important change in this area. Even though there is still a lot of doubt and skepticism about its long-term viability, some of the biggest names in gaming are cautiously looking into what it could do.
With its latest game, "Sugartown," Zynga, which is known for being creative, has moved into blockchain gaming. The game is different from what Zynga usually makes, such as "Farmville." It shows that you are ready to take advantage of what blockchain technology can do. Critics say that using blockchain in games adds complexity and costs without giving players any clear benefits.
The falling reputation of well-known gaming franchises is one of the biggest problems blockchain gaming faces. Some companies have decided to make new games based on blockchain gaming. However, there are still worries about how this will affect long-running franchises. The gaming community is still cautious because a small number of bad players cause problems. Many people say that stricter enforcement is needed to keep a good gaming environment.
Legal Battles and Loot Box Controversies
More and more legal disputes happen in the gaming, and loot boxes are often at the center of these fights. Electronic Arts (EA) and Sony were recently told to pay €10,800 ($11,800) to children who played FIFA Ultimate Team because loot boxes were seen as a form of gambling. Even though similar cases have been appealed in the past, this ruling makes me wonder what micro-transactions are and how they work.
Also, worries about the possible harm that loot boxes could cause go beyond legal issues. A survey by Anti-Defamation League in 2021 found that 27% of US players quit certain games because of annoying players. This is often made worse by the presence of loot boxes. So, game developers and publishers are getting more pressure to deal with these issues and make online gaming communities healthier.
Gaming Industry Events and Announcements
Events for the gaming industry are important places to show off new ideas and trends. Gamescom 2023 is one of these platforms. Gamescom 2023 will have a record-breaking 1,220 exhibitors, making it one of the largest gaming conventions in the world. This shows how fast the industry is growing and how important events like this are for connecting gamers with developers and publishers.
In contrast to the excitement of gaming events, there are times when people think about how the industry is always changing. Microsoft's recent announcement that the Xbox 360 Marketplace will shut down in July 2024 is a sad reminder of the effects of the digital transformation. Games that have already been bought can still be played on the Xbox 360. However, movies and TV shows that were bought through the system can no longer be watched. This shows how digital ownership isn't always clear.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
The gaming industry is no stranger to challenges, whether from legal battles, disruptive players, or technological shifts. However, it is also a sector full of opportunities for innovation and growth. Blockchain gaming, despite lingering doubts, continues to intrigue industry leaders. Companies like Zynga and Ubisoft are cautiously stepping into this space, and recent platform approvals from giants like Apple and Google may pave the way for blockchain gaming to find its niche.
In the quest to combat disruptive player behavior, the industry must find a balance between fostering competitive gaming environments and ensuring a welcoming atmosphere for all. While it's true that competitive games often create an antagonistic social system, there is a growing recognition that nurturing pro-social relationships among players is essential.
As for legal challenges, the ongoing debate surrounding loot boxes' legality highlights the need for transparency and responsible game design. Players deserve to know the odds of obtaining in-game items through these mechanisms and should protect themselves from potential harm. Gaming events like Gamescom serve as a testament to the industry's enduring popularity. They provide a platform for industry leaders to showcase their latest innovations and to connect with their favorite developers.
Play to Earn Games News
Thank you for visiting PlayToEarnGames.com! Your one-stop shop for everything related to play-to-earn, crypto, NFTs, blockchain, and Web3. With reviews, videos, and articles available across platforms, you can stay up to date on the newest and best play-to-earn games.
We're here to help you improve your gaming experience by providing information on game tokens, whitepapers, and social media buzz. Dive into our "Best Games" and "Game Lists" sections for top P2E picks, and check out our "Video Game News" section for daily updates.
Do you have any exciting game news? Send us your press release, and our PlayToEarn Game news team will cover it. Join us as we search for the best play-to-earn games and delve into the world of Web3 gaming. Choose PlayToEarnGames.com for P2E news and excitement!
FAQ - Gaming Industry Trends and Developments
1. What is Web3 gaming, and why is it gaining pace in the gaming industry? Web3 gaming refers to the integration of blockchain technology into the gaming ecosystem, enabling decentralized and secure gameplay experiences. It is rapidly gaining momentum due to its potential to enhance transparency, ownership of in-game assets, and unique gameplay possibilities.
2. What is blockchain gaming, and how are big gaming companies approaching it? Blockchain gaming involves utilizing blockchain technology to create games with features like secure asset ownership, verifiable scarcity of in-game items, and player-driven economies. Major players in the gaming industry, such as Zynga, are cautiously exploring blockchain gaming's potential by launching titles like "Sugartown."
3. What challenges does blockchain gaming face, particularly concerning established franchises? Blockchain gaming faces challenges in relation to integrating with existing, well-known gaming franchises. Concerns arise about how to maintain the reputation and fan base of these franchises while introducing blockchain features.
4. What legal issues are prevalent in the gaming industry, and how do they relate to loot boxes? Legal battles are increasingly arising in the gaming industry, often centered around loot boxes. In some cases, loot boxes are considered a form of gambling, leading to legal action against gaming companies like Electronic Arts and Sony.
5. How do loot boxes impact the gaming landscape beyond legal matters? Loot boxes contribute to player dissatisfaction and disruptive behavior within online gaming communities. They have been associated with players leaving games due to negative experiences caused by in-game purchases.
6. What role do gaming industry events like Gamescom play in the sector? Gaming industry events, such as Gamescom, serve as platforms for showcasing new ideas, trends, and innovations. They provide opportunities for players, developers, and publishers to connect and stay updated on industry developments.
7. How does the closure of the Xbox 360 Marketplace reflect the challenges of digital ownership? The closure of the Xbox 360 Marketplace highlights the complexities of digital ownership. While purchased games remain playable, other digital content like movies and TV shows become inaccessible, raising questions about the permanence of digital purchases.
8. What are some of the opportunities and challenges facing the gaming industry as a whole? The gaming industry offers opportunities for innovation and growth, particularly in blockchain gaming and responsible player behavior management. However, challenges such as legal disputes, disruptive players, and technological shifts must be navigated to unlock the industry's full potential.
9. How does the gaming industry aim to address disruptive player behavior? The gaming industry recognizes the need to balance competitive environments with fostering a welcoming atmosphere. Emphasis is shifting towards nurturing positive player relationships and promoting pro-social behavior.
10. What are the key takeaways from the article about the gaming industry's current state? The article underscores the rapid evolution of Web3 gaming and blockchain integration, despite ongoing challenges and legal controversies. It highlights the significance of industry events for showcasing innovation and connecting stakeholders. The gaming industry must address challenges while leveraging opportunities for growth and progress.


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Samsung and Hitachi have agreed to drop all pending patent-infringement lawsuits against each other and instead have decided to sign a license agreement
covering their hard disk drive patents. Under the deal, both companies will be able to share HDD-related patents registered before 2003 permanently and others until 2011.
The deal also covers patents from IBM, whose disk drive business was bought by Hitachi in 2002. Hopefully, the agreement will bring further innovation to the hard drive market in the form of energy-efficient drives and larger capacities, which these days come from new developments in how data is recorded onto the surface of a disk to improve density rather than from just adding platters.


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CRM software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications have made the big leap, claims Forrester Research in a recent report. SaaS CRM offerings "have moved beyond their previous status as a specialised deployment option and into the mainstream," write Forrester analysts William Band and Peter Marston in "Best Practices: The Smart Way To Implement CRM" report.
The analysts back up their assertion with recent Forrester survey data. A late 2007 survey of 1,017 software IT decision-makers at North American and European enterprises found that SaaS adoption is growing at double-digit rates. In addition, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they were already using, or were interested in using or piloting, SaaS software solutions. CRM, in particular, was being used by 36 per cent of respondents.
"With more frequent upgrades, faster deployment, lower upfront costs and high acceptance by employee end users," Band and Marston write, "customer demand for CRM SaaS applications shows no signs of slowing down."
For the CRM best practices report, Forrester spoke with 16 CRM professionals at buying companies, professional services providers and software vendors. Included in the list of the buying companies were: bank Citizens Financial Group, credit information supplier Equifax, retailer High 5 Sportswear, IAC Search & Media, known for the Ask and Ask Jeeves sites, conference technology provider Polycom, storage systems provider Seagate Technology, natural home products supplier Shaklee and IT security vendor Symantec.


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The new iPod Touch has a faster A8 processor, similar to what’s used in the iPhone 6, and sports an 8-megapixel “iSight” camera. This represents the first major upgrade for the iPod Touch since 2012.
Additionally, the iPod Touch, Shuffle and Nano are all now available in gold, pink, and blue, as well as silver, red, and gray.
In terms of pricing, the new iPod Touch starts at $199 (16GB model), $249 (32GB model), and $299 (64GB model). However, there is also an all-new 128GB model for $399. With such a gargantuan amount of storage, who says the future of music is all about streaming? Well, Apple actually — the new iPod Touch also integrates with Apple’s new subscription music service, Apple Music, including its (free) Beats 1 radio station.
The company hopes to continue selling the freestanding players even as they’ve been overshadowed and outsold by smartphones. The upgrade comes as a surprise to many, as iPods have been losing visibility in Apple’s product line. The device family used to be a main product category on Apple’s website, but it’s now pretty hidden on the site.
Apple reported sales of just 2.6 million iPods in the final quarter of 2014, earning the company $410 million. That’s just a tiny drop in the bucket of Apple’s total revenues for the quarter — $42.1 billion. The majority of those profits came from iPhone sales.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


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Agro-livestock group Novagrolider plans to invest US$15.1 million in farming and processing of horticultural products in Angola under a contract signed Wednesday in Luanda, the local press reported.
The contract was signed by the Director of the Technical Unit for Private Investment (UTIP), Ernesto Manuel Norberto Garcia and group director, João Macedo.
The amount in question, said João Macedo, will be to build a factory for processing fruit and vegetables, as well as in the production of flowers and dairy products, meat and other similar products, to be built in the municipality of Quibala, Kwanza Sul province.
The group also intends, with this project, to develop a chain for production of milk, yoghurt, cheese and meat for both the domestic market and for export.
The Novagrolider group has several farms in Angola, specifically in Caxito, northern Bengo province, Bom Jesus, in Luanda and Quibala, Kwanza Sul province. (macauhub/AO)


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With the upcoming launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S21 series, industry analysts are already making predictions of its performance against its most important rival. The projections ensure that The Galaxy S21 will not exceed the initial demand of any of the iPhone 12, including the worst performing iPhone 12 mini.
The information published by Gizchina, cites analyst Ross Young, who has 25 years of experience in the display industry, as a source. And although it is only a vision of the many and varied that are shared prior to this launch, everything can be confirmed from this January 14 when the Samsung Galaxy S21 series is unveiled.
Galaxy S21 sales predictions are unexciting
According to Young, Apple will continue to be a stiff competition, which is why Samsung has tried to get ahead with a marketing strategy. In this sense, the South Korean manufacturer has announced that Whoever pre-orders the Galaxy S21 Ultra will get the Galaxy Buds Pro and SmartTags for free.
For tomorrow’s event, January 14, Samsung is expected to hold a new generation of the Galaxy Unpacked event of the Galaxy S21 series. The company will likely launch three Galaxy Buds Pro mobile phones and true wireless earbuds. Currently, the Galaxy S21 series has started the forerunner program and interested friends can make an appointment themselves.
The new flagships of the Samsung Galaxy S21 series are expected to break the conventions of previous years. Like last year’s models, the series will include the S21, S21 + and S21 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will reportedly come with an improved version of the 108MP main camera on the previous S20 Ultra, with a single pixel reaching 0.8μm. At the same time, relying on the new ISOCELL HM3 sensor, the light input can be increased by 12% l, making it clear that photographic quality will continue to be a great weapon against the competition.
Until now, iPhone 12 is still the king of the high-end and Samsung will have to do a lot to stop it.
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Levi Strauss & Co. partnered with Goodwill Industries International Inc. to divert billions of pounds of unwanted clothing from landfills by encouraging people to donate unwanted clothes.
The Levi’s brand will soon include instructions on the care label that tell wearers to wash clothes less frequently and in cold water to conserve water and energy and donate used clothing to Goodwill to reduce landfill waste.
“‘A Care Tag for Our Planet’ is Goodwill’s first partnership of its kind designed to increase the life cycle of clothing and textiles to address the approximately 23.8 billion pounds that end up in U.S. landfills each year,” said Jim Gibbons, CEO of Rockville-based Goodwill Industries International.
The new care tags will hit Levi’s retail and wholesale operations in the U.S. beginning in January and the regional and global tags will appear in clothes in the fall.
Levi’s and Goodwill will get the word out through online viral campaigns and in retail store communications.
The jeans giant, which markets its products in more than 110 countries, reported fiscal 2008 net revenues of $4.4 billion.
In 2008, 166 community-based Goodwills in the U.S. and Canada provided training and other services to more than 1.5 million people and diverted more than 1.5 billion pounds of useable product from landfills.


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Roku Closes Another Big Deal and Nike Shares Rise as Sales Top Estimates
Nike released their second-quarter earnings report on Friday and pleasantly surprised investors by beating analyst expectations. One of the largest areas of growth is unsurprisingly digital sales which are up 84% in the quarter.
Nike also saw its revenue grow by 24% in the Greater China region, while in North America, year-over-year revenue growth was up just 1%. As of Friday’s market close, Nike shares are up around 37% since the beginning of the year.
Roku has announced a new agreement to support AT&T’s HBO Max service onto its platform. Following the release of the news, Roku shares were up 4% on Thursday.
It’s being said that these new partnerships and expanded growth is positioning the company as being one of the “streaming leaders” in the game of content viewership. For example, Daniel Kurnos even boosted its price target for the stock from $300 to $410.
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.


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On the side of PvP, Blizzard will be tweaking different aspects of the game’s Battlegrounds system, and that of the game’s faction-based Cycle of Strife D2R Items. Major changes to the game’s progression systems, like that of Paragon system, and the weekly cap on XP, are also being made.
While Diablo Immortal will no longer launch until 2021. The Remastered Diablo 2: Resurrected is scheduled to be released on September 23 for the PC and consoles. Diablo 4 remains in development and is currently not having a release window.
Diablo Immortal’s delay takes place amid Blizzard having to deal with the aftermath from the California state California lawsuit that asserts Activision Blizzard fosters a culture where harassment and sexual harassment are a common occurrence. The company has responded to Activision Blizzard statements that CEO Bobby Kotick later said were “tone deaf,””
Thousands of Blizzard employees submitted an open-letter requesting changes, going as far to organize a walkout. Following the lawsuit’s allegations, Blizzard president J. Allen Brack announced that he will be leaving the company.
Diablo was the subject of one of the early sessions on the very first day in BlizzCon The Diablo game was the subject of one session on day 1 at BlizzCon. and plays the lead role in one of the final. But, whereas the initial focused on giving insight into the skill set of the latest member of Diablo, a wizard. The second session was focused on Blizzard’s game design philosophy in the game of action and demons.
Diablo principal design Jay Wilson and technical game director Wyatt Cheng returned to helm the panel as well as Cheng serving as a non-speaking co-presenter cheap diablo 2 resurrected items. As he did only several hours before, Wilson began by looking back on the development of Diablo.


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is the Hyundai sonata on recall for airbag light saying on l see a lot of these cars are having the same problems and this is a safety issue needs to be a recall.
According to carcomplaints.com 2011 is the worst year for these vehicles! No airbag recalls. But lots (10) of other recalls though! HTH. -Jim
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The past two weeks have seen Zambians from every aspect of society complaining bitterly about the rising cost of mealie meal on the market. A 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast that we not so long ago used at buy at an average price of K85 has now skyrocketed to an average of K150 in Lusaka, and in some areas like Livingstone, it is being sold at around K170 in Spar.
About two to three months ago, a 25kg bag of Pembe breakfast mealie meal was being sold at around K85 to K90 in Woodlands area but today, it is K145 to K150! This is quite an astronomical increase ever seen in this country.
This is how bad it has gotten. Mealie meal is our staple food and touches the very core of any Zambian’s needs. Mess with mealie meal and you are almost messing with the entire nation! That is how it works in this country and that is how it used to be even during first president Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s days. Maize and mealie meal are highly political commodities that require careful handling by whoever is in the government. It is the same issue in South Africa where the price of a 25 kilogramme bag is now almost K200.
What has gone wrong now for us to be where we are? Through the Vice-President Ms Inonge Wina, Minister of Agriculture Mr Michael Katambo and Home Affairs Minister Mr Stephen Kampyongo, the government, over a week ago, made mention of some of the measures it was going to put in place to ensure reduced mealie meal prices. The government said it is unacceptable that millers can be selling mealie meal at exorbitant prices when maize is readily available on the market. But how much is this maize being sold at to the millers? A 50 kilogramme of maize is being bought for as high as K170, way above the Food Reserve Agency price for the same quantity. Because of this, farmers have opted selling their maize to private buyers to get a reasonable return on their investment. To us, this is what has contributed greatly to the rising prices of mealie meal, with other factors such as climate change that affected maize production in areas that are key producers.
If we look at prices of farming inputs currently prevailing on the market, we will see that the price at which a 50 kilogramme bag of maize is being sold is actually reflective of the cost of producing that maize. Right now, a bag of fertilizer is going for around K400. And some farmers require need not less than 40 bags of this fertilizer (basal and top dressing) to produce a reasonable amount of crop for sale to the Food Reserve Agency and probably private buyers. Don’t forget the seed, plus other labour costs for tilling the land until cultivation of the crops! At that cost of inputs and other labour that goes into producing crops, do we expect our farmers to walk away with peanuts? Of course not! They will sell their produce at whatever price is attractive for them to get a return on their investment. Remember that farming is a business and Zambia is a free market economy, meaning whoever offers the best price will take it all. And right now, the private sector has offered the best price for the maize, which is giving the farmers a reasonable return on their investments.
And the government has reaffirmed its policy position on maize and mealie meal marketing that it will not interfere with this sector and let the market dictate the price. Therefore, there is only one way to get the price of mealie meal down – reduce the cost of producing maize! Zambia has more than enough capacity to produce fertilizer from our Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia. What is happening there? Secondly, Kabwe has a fertilizer plant established by the Chinese? How can we utilize that to reduce prices of the commodity? These are things we need to begin to look at and address as a matter of urgency if we want to see the price of mealie meal reduced.
Lastly, diversification is another answer. Over-reliance on maize is not doing the agriculture sector any good. We need to begin to look at ways of increasing production of rice, cassava, millet and other crops, which we can adopt as our main foods.


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The operators playbook: Opinions and thoughts from the QED collective
October 6, 2023
Global Trade Series: Q&A with Nuvocargo's Deepak Chhugani
Today, we kick off our Global Trade Series, where we interview founders within the QED portfolio who have created companies that are fueling this $32 trillion market by moving one of three crucial elements: goods, money and data.
September 20, 2023


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The only hulling machine in the region has been in bad shape and working for the past eight years; for this reason, the farmers are being forced to sell unhulled coffee for GH ¢350 per 65 kilogrammes, though they could be earning double the amount.
Hulling is the process by which husk is removed from the coffee seed.
Ghana is known in the world as the second largest cocoa producer. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, it is ranked as the third smallest coffee producer.
In 2019, the country exported 600 tonnes of coffee which was a sharp decline from the 12,250 tonnes recorded in 2015.
Visiting one of the biggest coffee plantations in Bepong, a suburb of the Kwahu district in the Eastern region, Seidu Ansomana, the farm manager bemoans their situation and inability to earn much.
He noted that an effective hulling machine would have enabled them to unhulled about 50 bags of coffee daily.
The farm manager also stated that because they had no hulling machine, they could only cultivate 300 acres of land though the land is about 1000 acres.
According to Mr. Ansomana, cocoa farmers are partnering with government to implement the ‘Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD)’. When this is done, coffee seeds will be given out for free to small scale farmers. He however revealed that, for some time now, government has been neglecting their needs, causing termites to invade the farm.
He said constant complaints have been made to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), but nothing has been done about the pests infestations of the farm.