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Data-driven marketing requires marketers and their teams to be able to collect, integrate, and analyze data from external and internal sources - competitive intelligence reports, global market research, on-site and off-site customer activities, social interactions, and more.
Marketing experts and news team will explore the latest trends in data-driven marketing, including navigating the complex world of Big Data, best practices for targeting and retargeting ads, fine-tuning segmentation strategies, and being aware of the latest privacy regulations.
Jan 29, 2015 - The director of product management recently spoke with ClickZ about Pandora's troves of user data, which goes back more than eight years, and how it enhances the music-streaming platform. Comments
Jan 29, 2015 - In the coming year, marketing will continue to evolve, while data will be more important than ever. Comments
Jan 29, 2015 - By bringing programmatic buying in-house and having their own data management platforms, brands like Allstate and Netflix are able to exercise total control over their user data. Comments
Jan 29, 2015 - The recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas featured more connected devices than ever before, but the industry doesn't yet have much insight into how to standardize and measure the new data. Comments
Jan 29, 2015 - Let's compare big data to a simple can of chicken noodle soup - but could data (or soup, for that matter) really be all that simple? Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - Pinterest is enhancing its Promoted Pins offering by broadening its data pool. The move is hoped to provide better targeting options for advertisers. Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - ClickZ speaks with Marketo's senior director of marketing, Anastasia Pavlova. Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - Wearable devices offer marketers another data layer to deliver more personalized messages. But if advertisers fail to use the data properly, they will interrupt the consumer experience. Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - Platforms like Pandora, Spotify, and Shazam know a lot about their millions of users. How does this vast amount of data impact the relationship between marketing and music? Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - A new study by the IAB shows that the majority of marketers are using many different tools to analyze data, and most feel that harmony between toolsets would result in better data use. Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - These five key competitive intelligence metrics can help your business stay ahead of the curve. Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - As programmatic media buying grows, the increasing availability of user data has helped the process evolve to become more efficient and cost-effective for marketers. Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - A company that turns language into data files, Relative Insight, analyzed ClickZ's Twitter feed and then compared it to that of the platform's most-followed person: Katy Perry. Comments
Jan 28, 2015 - In last week's State of the Union address the president introduced a plan to create a consumer privacy bill of rights, but customers' rights might come at the expense of brand marketing. Comments
Jan 27, 2015 - As the Internet of Things grows, so does the amount of data that comes with it. Is there too much data? Absolutely not, say industry experts who believe marketers can utilize all of it. Comments
Jan 27, 2015 - Data specialists from Vizeum, Havas, and DigitasLBi share their advice on how to segment and test big data in order to make better-informed marketing decisions. Comments
Jan 27, 2015 - We sat down with DigitasLBi's foremost expert on all things data to hear his thoughts on big, data, analytics, and what the Golden Globes taught marketers about search. Comments
Jan 27, 2015 - Choose from each of the "food groups" for a balanced content strategy. Calories, for example, are similar to content data: quantifiable information about your strategy. Comments
Jan 27, 2015 - Sprinklr analyzed data from 18 retailers' social feeds, and ranked them based on impressions and engagement. The Home Depot was the clear winner, beating out brands like Macy's and Target. Comments
Jan 27, 2015 - YP is using search data to deliver real-time, cross-device ads based on local search history. The ads will appear on mobile even if customers search on desktop and vice versa. Comments
US Consumer Device Preference Report
Traditionally desktops have shown to convert better than mobile devices however, 2015 might be a tipping point for mobile conversions! Download this report to find why mobile users are more important then ever.
E-Commerce Customer Lifecycle
Have you ever wondered what factors influence online spending or why shoppers abandon their cart? This data-rich infogram offers actionable insight into creating a more seamless online shopping experience across the multiple devices consumers are using.
October 13, 2015
1pm ET/ 10am PT
November 12, 2015


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The system used to protect DVD-formatted movies from being copied--a feature that took years for the entertainment industry to agree on before it would green-light this popular technology--has been cracked.
A group of programmers has duplicated the software equivalent of a skeleton key and placed it on the Internet for anyone to download. Using this tiny program, anyone owning a personal computer with a DVD-ROM drive--an increasingly common feature--can unlock a DVD movie and record a perfect digital copy of it onto his hard drive.
DVD (digital video disc) is easily the biggest change in watching movies at home since since videotape. It projects a crisper, clearer image on the screen than tape, improving the picture much as the compact disc improved sound over that of traditional records. Almost 4 million DVD players have been shipped in the United States to date.
The news comes as a bad surprise to movie studios, which were relying on the technology's built-in encoding scheme to protect its DVD releases from piracy. This skeleton key software, called DeCSS, can work remarkably quickly; a Washington Post freelancer used it to duplicate a DVD of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" within minutes.
This is not the first time DVD's security has been compromised; DVD's "regional protection" software, which was supposed to keep DVD players that are sold on one continent from playing digital video discs sold on another, has already been cracked repeatedly. But this exploit could be much more damaging.
The way the encryption system--referred to as "Content Scrambling System," or "CSS"--works is that each digital video disc carries a set of keys to unlock its data, while each DVD player comes with a key of its own and a CSS program to match the keys and unscramble the movie.
That CSS software is supposed to be encrypted itself, so that outsiders can't examine its workings. But XingDVD Player, a program from Xing Technologies, a subsidiary of RealNetworks Inc., reportedly left this CSS software unscrambled--somewhat like leaving an extra set of car keys on the passenger seat. A small team of computer programmers in Norway used this vulnerability to design the DeCSS software. A spokesman for RealNetworks did not have a comment at press time.
Phil Zimmerman, an encryption expert and the creator of the widely used encryption program PGP (short for "Pretty Good Privacy"), was not surprised to hear of the code-breaking. He said it was inevitable, both because DVD's encryption is relatively weak and because many companies in the industry have access to it. "It's a widely held secret. Many people would have to have the key. . . . which is like having no key at all."
Having the key carries no small measure of legal responsibility, however. A source in the DVD industry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that under the terms of a contract that hardware and software manufacturers are required to sign to use the CSS encryption technology, any company found to be at fault for security holes may be fined $1 million per infraction.
While the issue of piracy and "cracking" security programs is of great interest to the computing industry, it is not a concern to the average home user. Although recordable DVD drives are supposed to appear on the market next year, getting a pirated copy off of a computer today is difficult. And sending a copy around the Internet, in the way that songs are traded as MP3 files, is impractical, owing to the huge size of the resulting file--as much as 17 billion bytes of data.
Corey Wade, research director at Alexander & Associates, downplayed the impact of the DeCSS hack on the entertainment industry. "Despite the hype, I don't think a lot of people want to watch a movie on their computer," he said. "When they hear about this sort of stuff, people think it's going to change everything in five minutes, but your average person who goes to Blockbuster isn't going to be doing this."
But Jeff McNeal, editor of TheBigPictureDVD.com, a Web site that follows DVD news, sees the development as being of concern even to DVD fans who have no interest in pirating. "It was like pulling teeth to get major studios to commit to DVD in the first place," he said, noting that many hit movies have yet to be released on the medium. As he sees it, however, "studios have a lot of control over how much power they give pirates" by keeping the price of DVD releases down.
Marshall Goldberg, marketing director of Sigma Designs, a company that makes DVD cards and software used by companies such as Sony and Panasonic, agrees that the Norwegian team's coup may cause a great deal of hand-wringing in the movie industry: "We support copy protection for two reasons: one, we're required to, and two, because if studios don't feel comfortable releasing their movies on DVD, they're not going to do it. Nobody wants that. Not the consumer. Nobody."
Dave Migdal, a spokesman for Sony, said the issue of protecting the company's products against piracy is "critically important" and that the company is currently investigating the security problem. Sony is one of the founding members of the DVD Forum, which is the part of the group of hardware and software companies that originally approved the industry's standards for DVD technology. A spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America declined to comment.

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New Bank of Dade President Shannon Henry says the cellphone is younger customers' banking method of choice. He wants those customers to know his bank can offer them everything a larger bank can.
The Bank of Dade was established in 1956 to serve a rural community fed up with going to Chattanooga to open a checking account, save money or borrow to buy a home. In the 63 years since, it has become a venerable Dade institution, with small-town charm you can feel in everything from the friendliness of the lady at the reception desk to the bowls of Jolly Rancher hard candies on the countertops.
The bank’s new, younger president says none of that is going anywhere. “We want to have a personal relationship with each customer,” said Shannon Henry. “We want to know their spouse, we want to know their kids.”
Ditto the bank’s core business—checking and savings, home loans, car loans. “That’s the main purpose for us being here, to serve the community,” said Henry.
But, said Henry, 44, who became bank president on Jan. 1, it’s 2019 and times have changed. “We have to change, as well,” he said. Banking, said Henry, has become a high-tech business that younger people prefer to do on the fly, as yet another function of their cellphones.
“It’s inevitable,” said Henry. “There’s no way around it. We’re going to have to provide services like these apps, because these younger people are on their phone constantly. It’s part of them. So we have to be able to reach those people with technology.”
Henry wants those prospective customers to know the Bank of Dade is there to serve them as well as their elders. The bank has already instituted most of the higher-tech banking functions, he said, and the rest are on their way. “We have everything that bigger banks offer,” said Henry.
The bank has offered online and mobile banking for some time, he said, and began accepting “mobile deposit capture” about six months ago. That’s the service by which customers can deposit checks by taking pictures of them with their cellphones. “We have quite a bit of activity with that,” said Henry.
Another innovation is debit cards that can be turned on and off with an app, which can be useful on a road trip. “Before you leave the house, you want to turn off your debit card, in case you drop your card while you’re traveling, at a gas station or wherever,” said Henry. But then, he said, the customer can reactivate the card with the app to make a purchase and turn it back off before driving away.
These services are new enough that most customers probably aren’t aware they’re available right here in Dade, added Henry. “That’s something that we need to do a better job of, is getting information out, not just to our customers but to other consumers in the county so they know that we’ve got some cool stuff for banking that they can do,” said the new president.
The bank is also looking at Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, apps that allow customers to pay at retail stores with their phones, and is talking to a vendor that will allow it to accept payments from cards for loan installments. “We need to be able to accept other forms of payment other than just coming in here and writing a check,” said Henry.
Another core change that Henry and his board of directors are looking at—perhaps a bit more cautiously, admitted the young banker—is becoming less conservative in lending. “After the recession of 2008, -9, -10, we were a little more hesitant to make loans,” said Henry. But the Bank of Dade still wants to help young people buy homes, and realizes: “They don’t have $20- or 25,000 sitting in a savings account that they can use as a down payment,” said Henry. “Requiring a 20 percent down payment is harder than it used to be. So we’ve eased up some on our lending requirements.”
The bank is looking as well at personal lines of credit, $2-to-$3000 accounts that the customer can draw from, pay on, and borrow on again, much like a credit card. In a financial world that keeps offering customers new ways to borrow money, it’s a way for the small local bank to compete.
Shannon Henry grew up in Chatsworth, Ga., and went to college at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. There he studied biology with a view to becoming a veterinarian, but: “I worked at a bank one summer when I was in college and really enjoyed it. I just liked everything about it.”
So he went into banking instead and was hired 18 years ago by William Broyles, president of Bank of Dade in those days. The procedure for ambitious would-be bank officers was to work in every department, and that’s what Henry did, starting as a teller, proceeding through loans, data processing and the comptroller’s office, and ending up as chief financial/information security officer before being named to the top slot this year.
“It’s been busy, hectic,” said Henry of the new job. “There’s lot of things that I have going on in my mind that I try not to overwhelm everybody with all at once. I’ll try to space it out over the next six months or so.”
Longtime bank customers need not worry, though, assured Henry: They may not perceive any changes at all except, possibly, that things are more user-friendly. “We don’t want them to notice anything too drastic right away, but we want them to be aware of all of the products and services that we have,” said Henry.
He’s moved some people and functions around physically so that customers don’t have to walk so far for basic services, and he’s adding a new IT person to the payroll “just because of the amount of technology that it takes now to operate a bank.”
But with all its strides into apps, hi-tech and the future in general, Henry realizes that friendly, customer-service-based community banking—checking, savings, car loans, home loans, loans to buy chicken farms or restaurants—is what the Bank of Dade still has to offer Dade and the surrounding counties.
“That’s the whole goal,” said the young banker. “That is our base and that will always be our base. I think we can perfect what we’re doing and then add some other services as well.”


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The all-electric Mini Cooper SE will start at $29,900
It'll go on sale in the US in March.
BMW plans to debut a 1 Series electric hatchback in 2021
It will look more like a conventional car than the divisive i3.
Even BMW’s ‘Vantablack’ X6 gets caught by LiDAR
The blackest pigment ever created can’t escape the power of lasers.
DOJ launches probe of automakers that agreed to California emissions rules
In a separate letter, the EPA warned California it should back out of the deal.
Faraday Future's new CEO hails from BMW's i8 team
The controversial Jia Yueting, meanwhile, is stepping down.
China's latest retaliatory tariffs could pose trouble for Tesla
The tariffs could be as high as 50 percent on some cars.
BMW revives 'lost' concept car
Modern technologies helped rebuild a concept from 1970.
Ford, Honda and others agree to California's voluntary emission rules
It's less than the Obama-era goals, but it's still something.
BMW adds an $80 yearly subscription for Apple's CarPlay
Even though many other carmakers include it for free.


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It’s no secret that times are changing. The tech world never sleeps, and neither does the Hospitality Industry. From social media to self-service, the Hospitality Industry is being revolutionized by technology day by day right before our eyes.
Nowadays, we’d think nothing of having a card to get into our hotel room, checking out the menu on a restaurant’s app, or plugging in the WiFi code at our local bar – but what’s happening behind the scenes, and what can we expect in the near future from tech in the Hospitality Industry?
This is the big one. Have you used your Apple Pay to pay for the underground, or shared a file using Bluetooth? Near field communication, or NFC, is the upcoming technology that allows us to share data from our device.
It’s perfect for self check ins, and getting into your hotel room using an app, rather than a key, loading on loyalty point from your favourite restaurant, and paying for your meal using Apply Pay.
Robots – yes, really
Last year, robotic concierges were trialed at some of the biggest Hotels worldwide. Hilton teamed up with IBM to pilot Connie (the Concierge – of course) in a bid to use cognitive tech to interact with guests, take orders, deliver room service requests, and overall improve relationships with guests.
Robots aren’t just the stereotypical humanized bodies either, they include the machinery that have been preparing our meals, taking orders and even delivering food for years, and our reliance on this cognitive technology with double by 2019, reports suggest.
We’re a little way of living, breathing robots, but the machinery that uses cognitive power is all around us, and hugely integrated into the hospitality industry.
Self-service is king
We’re getting lazier, and businesses are too. You’re checking in and out by yourself, without any service, and you’re probably ordering and paying for your meal online, and bringing it back to your table. It’s becoming so common now, we don’t even think about it. In fact, it’s weird when they put the sugar in your Flat White, isn’t it?
It’s saving hospitality businesses millions a year, and all began with the Golden M’s paving the way for this self-service phenomenon.
And it’s not just personalised emails. It’s adverts for your favourite restaurant appearing on your Google homepage, then on your Instagram feed, and then perhaps a voucher appearing through your letterbox. Data means every message we get from businesses has been thought through, and carefully personalised to us. Nothing happens by coincidence anymore, and all your favourite brands know exactly what you want… and maybe, even before you know you want it.


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A deal between Motorola and digital certificates company Baltimore Technologies will give a much-needed security boost to m-commerce. Amid Wap security fears, the pair have taken a further step towards...
ThreadX RTOS running on 6.2 billion WiFi-enabled devices worldwide at risk of
The telescope will replace the James Webb Space Telescope, and is expected to be launched in March 2021
Copyright Directive and accompanying regulation unlikely to be passed before May's European elections
Mobile operating system analysts forecast would challenge Apple and Android to be buried by the end of the year


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Bad Crop Pushes Wholesale UK Grain Prices to Record High
**Record Grain Prices Trigger Food Inflation Concerns**
Pushed by a crop failure and increased demand, UK wholesale grain prices hit a record high last week, *The Financial Times* reported on 2 December 2012. The price of feeding wheat in the futures market in London reached an all-time high of £227 a tonne, up 45 per cent since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, the cost of UK feeding barley also rose to a record high, trading in London at £190 a tonne, up about 25 per cent since January. Analysts and industry executives have raised concerns that this price surge is likely to boost food inflation in the UK, with costs for everything from bread to beef and beer expected to rise over the next few months.
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Gary Sharkey, head of wheat procurement at Premier Foods (LON:PFD), the company behind the popular Hovis bread, told The Financial Times: “The domestic situation is more worrying than in 2007-08 during the global food crisis.”
**Industry Plans Biggest Imports in More Than Three Decades**
To offset the record high local prices and the domestic shortage, UK wheat flour mills, commodities trading houses and meat producers, which also rely on barley and wheat as basal diet for fattening herds, are planning their biggest net imports of wheat since 1980. According to the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA), the industry-funded body, UK net wheat imports in the 2012-13 crop season will reach 2.04 million tonnes — the most in 32 years.
!m[UK Agribusiness Industry to Make Biggest Wheat Imports in Three Decades as Food Inflation Concerns Rise ](/uploads/story/946/thumbs/pic1_inline.png)This estimate foresees an untypical situation for the UK, since traditionally the country is a grain exporter, supplying the North American and Spanish markets. The last time the UK bought from overseas was in 2001-02, when it imported a small amount of wheat. According to grain traders, the UK will now rely on Germany and, to a lesser extent, on France to source most of its wheat import needs.
**Domestic Grain Production Down While Biofuel Industry Demand Up**
The planned drastic increase in grain imports in the UK is due to two reasons – a significant decrease in domestic production on the back of a poor harvest due to exceedingly wet weather conditions over 2012 and rising demand from the country’s biofuel industry. According to the HGCA, the UK harvested 13.3 million tonnes of wheat in the 2012-13 crop season, which is 13 per cent less than last season’s production and the lowest in five years. The bad crop was caused by unfavourable weather conditions during the most crucial growing months. The UK had its wettest June, July and August since 1912, the country’s national weather service Met Office has said.
While production has decreased, wheat demand is on the rise, expected to reach 14.65 million tonnes, or 7 per cent up from the previous season, as the mothballed Ensus plant on Teesside resumes operations and the Vivergo ethanol plant, located at Saltend, near Hull, starts producing biofuel from crops. The two ethanol plants have the capacity to process about 2.5 million tonnes of wheat a year, which equals nearly 20 per cent of the total UK wheat harvest this crop season.


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Gaming Intelligence Hot 50
Chief executive officer
The story of Maarja Pärt’s rise to the top job at the Coingaming Group, the world’s largest cryptocurrency-led operator, is only matched by the growth of the company itself.
She has been a key figure since before it launched its first brand, Bitcasino.io, back in 2014. That was a time when cryptocurrency was the preserve of techies and one bitcoin could be bought for under $300. Since then, she has served as CFO, COO and now CEO, overseeing the creation and growth of a diverse portfolio of B2C and B2B brands delivered by a team of more than 400.
Pärt’s eye for detail and financial background made her the perfect person to step into the shoes of former CEO Tim Heath, who recently stepped down to focus on venture capital firm Yolo Investments.
With Coingaming brands now entering the global mainstream – Sportsbet.io recently penned major sponsorship deals with Arsenal and Southampton – all eyes will be on what Pärt has planned next.


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The Apple Watch Series 4 will finally gain its long-awaited ECG functionality when watchOS 5.1.2 is released to the public. Version 5.1.2 of the operating system is currently in beta testing.
According to MacRumors, which got their hands on an internal Apple Store training document:
watchOS 5.1.2 will feature an Apple-designed ECG app that can indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation, a serious form of irregular heart rhythm, or a normal sinus rhythm. Apple Watch Series 4 is capable of generating an ECG similar to a single-lead electrocardiogram, according to the FDA.
ECG and other heart data is collected in the Health app on a paired iPhone. Apple’s document lists a minimum requirement of an iPhone 5s or later running iOS 12.1.1, currently in beta testing, or later.
Taking an ECG reading with the Apple Watch Series 4 will be easy. Users will place a finger on the Digital Crown while wearing the watch. The reading will be complete in 30 seconds. The ECG will allow users to determine if their heart is beating properly, of if it is showing signs of atrial fibrillation.
The app is limited to release in the U.S., as that is the only country where Apple has received government clearance, but all Series 4 models include the needed hardware.
Apple Store employees are instructed to advise customers that the ECG app is “not intended to be a diagnostic device or to replace traditional methods of diagnosis,” and “should not be used to monitor or track disease state or change medication without first talking to a doctor,” according to Apple’s document.
Apple has promised availability of the ECG app by the end of the year, but hasn’t announced an exact release data. watchOS 5.1.2 has been in beta testing since November 7.
While the ECG app is only available on Series 4 models, irregular heart rhythm notifications will be available on all Apple Watch Models from Series 1 and newer.


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Motherland launched a new premium baby products store in Hyderabad’s Park Hyatt. It is designed as a destination for the modern parent with a vast range of baby products, starting from baby-care, furniture and furnishings, clothing, accessories and toys from various brands.
The Indian baby-care market was estimated to be around INR 6917 crore in 2015 and is expected to grow to a whopping INR 14,079 crore by 2020. On the other hand, the market size of the toys in India, which was $1.3 billion in 2017, is expected to rise to $2.9 billion by 2025.
Monika Battala, Managing Director, Motherland, said, “Given such a rapid rate of expansion, Motherland believe that the time is right to tap the market with innovative products for the discerning, millennial parent.”
Suman Gadde, Director, for the company added said, “Baby products available in the US compared to India are of a higher quality. Motherland brings to Hyderabad the same quality of products available in the US.” These include brands like Mambinos, SebaMed, Mama Earth, The Moms Co., Water Wipes, Bamboo Nature, Dr. Brown, 3 Sprouts, UBBI and Napnap.
Chaitanya Boyapati, Director of Motherland revealed that the company’s second branch in Hyderabad will be operational within four months. By the end of 2021, it plans to open around 20 stores in India.


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In addition to being the most successful team in all of American sports, the Yankees are now also the most valuable brand among sports teams worldwide. According to Forbes’ annual assessment of sports teams’ brand strength, the Yankees have surpassed English Premier League soccer team and worldwide icon Manchester United for the top spot.
The Yankee brand, which Forbes valued at $328mn, ranks ahead of international soccer powerhouses such as the aforementioned Man U ($285mn) and Real Madrid ($240mn) as well as the Dallas Cowboys ($208mn). According to the survey, the Yankees were able to surpass perennial leader Manchester United thanks to significant increases in merchandizing, sponsorships and television ratings. In addition, the U.S. dollar’s increasing strength relative to the British pound also helped catapult the Bombers past the Red Devils.
List of Most Valuable Sports Brands (based on Forbes estimates)
|1||New York Yankees||MLB||$328 million|
|2||Manchester United||EPL||$285 million|
|3||Real Madrid||La Liga||$240 million|
|4||Dallas Cowboys||NFL||$208 million|
|5||Barcelona||La Liga||$180 million|
|6||Bayern Munich||German Bundesliga||$178 million|
|8||Boston Red Sox||MLB||$163 million|
|9||New York Mets||MLB||$158 million|
|10||New England Patriots||NFL||$156 million|


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Both Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid are following in their mother’s footsteps, in the fact that they’re both models, but now they both officially have a beauty contract. Bella announced on her Instagram account that she’s now officially the new face / ambassador of Dior Makeup. Gigi, on the other hand, is a Maybelline girl.
As for which is better, who knows? Either way, a beauty contract is something to be extremely excited about if you’re a model, and they’ve both officially made it.
As you can see by Bella’s post, she’s extremely excited with her new role, and we’re excited for her!
Gigi, on the other hand, is also celebrating right now, as she’s hit 18+ MILLION followers on her Instagram account. She posted this status up to give all of her fans a token of her appreciation:
A photo posted by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on
These two young ladies deserve a huge round of applause right now! Way to go, girls!


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A DEA resource for moms and dads, educators & caregivers
Vaping marijuana will continue to significantly surge in popularity among teens, based on figures through the monitoring that is latest the long run research. “Vaping” may be the usage of an e-cigarette to vapors that are inhale smoking, cannabis or flavorings.
In 2019, 14percent of senior school seniors admitted to vaping cannabis when you look cbd gummies near me at the previous month. That is nearly twice the portion from 2018.
In addition, 21% of 12 th graders reported vaping cannabis within the last 12 months — a rise through the 13.1 per cent in 2018.
Scientists have already been conducting this study each 12 months since 1975. This 12 months, they surveyed over 42,000 8 th , 10 th , and 12 th graders in the united states about their drug use.
“The increases in vaping of THC, the active component in cannabis, are worrying for several reasons. For starters, we don’t yet know if THC’s effects differ whenever vaped versus whenever smoked in a fashion that is traditional whether or not the quantity of THC that youth are now being confronted with differs by using these practices,” published Nora D. Volkow, M.D., manager of NIDA in a her web log.
More About Vaping and exactly why it is Dangerous for Teens
As mentioned earlier, the usage electric cigarettes (e-cigs) can also be described as vaping. You can find a huge selection of different brands and some various varieties of e-cigs. However in basic, all of them are battery-operated products which have a cartridge that holds a solution that is liquid. Whenever an individual puffs, the vaporizes that are e-cig fluid additionally the user inhales the vapor.
Vaping cannabis (THC oil) could be more dangerous than smoking the medication. It is because individuals usually vape an increased concentration of THC which, in turn, intensifies the high and that can raise the “likelihood of addiction and unfavorable medical consequences,” Dr. Nora D. Volkow, manager of NIDA, stated throughout a teleconference that is recent the analysis.
These technologies that are new making use of medications may bring about an increase in teenager medication use that couldn’t have occurred otherwise, she included.
Research reports have discovered that regular marijuana usage through the years that are teen mind development and that can additionally trigger issues with attention period, behavior and impulse control in adulthood.
Besides health problems, using a vaporizer for marijuana can additionally be easier for teenagers hide. They often don’t keep behind chaos and vape that is many could be hidden when you look at the palm of one’s hand.
See additional information about electric cigarettes, additionally the Monitoring the study that is future:


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LiveRamp Acquires Consent Management Firm Faktor
LiveRamp has acquired Faktor to enable streamlined consumer consent management across the open web. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"The world's largest and most innovative companies all believe that giving consumers increased visibility and control over their personal information is incredibly important, and recent regulatory requirements such as [the General Data Protection Regulation] and the upcoming [California Consumer Privacy Act] only make this more critical," said LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe in a statement. "With the acquisition of Faktor, we hope to send a powerful message to our customers, partners, and the industry that everyone should be informed and have control over how their data is used."
"When we founded Faktor, we did so because we wanted to give consumers heightened control over their data, while still enabling brands and publishers to thrive. We wanted to power a real online value exchange," said Tim Geenen, CEO of Faktor, in a statement. "Through this acquisition, we're excited to extend our footprint into new markets and to scale our platform to accommodate the growing need and demand for a simplified, people-centric consent management platform at the enterprise level."


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Catalonia to shut bars and restaurants for two weeks amid Covid-19 surge
Government expected to announce measure on Wednesday after weeks of record infections
The Catalan government is expected to announce on Wednesday the closure of bars and restaurants for two weeks as a measure to curb the rise of coronavirus infections.
Restrictions are expected to come into effect on Friday, but a judge could have the final say as seen in the Madrid region, where the Spanish government resorted to the state of alarm to enforce lockdown measures following a court ban.
Over the past days, Catalan authorities have asked residents to "sacrifice" their social lives, companies and universities were urged to operate remotely for two weeks, and sports federations in Catalonia agreed to put on hold all non-professional competitions.
The past week saw 11,564 new coronavirus cases diagnosed by PCR tests and other methods, a 26% increase from the previous record set the week before.
The outbreak risk has skyrocketed from 215 to 338 in only a week, far from the 'very high' threshold, at 200.
The number of hospitalized patients is also on the rise, increasing from 842 on October 5 to 984 on Tuesday, with 172 people currently in the ICUs.
Bars and restaurants are already obliged to follow social distancing guidelines, and a number of towns and cities encompassing two-thirds of Catalonia's 7.5 million population face further restrictions, such as a 50% capacity limit.
The executive also plans to limit capacity of shops and street markets to 30%, suspend professional congresses and fairs and close parks and gardens at 8pm, as it was revealed from meetings on Wednesday morning with businesses associations, trade unions and others.
The Catalan government has called a press conference for Wednesday at 1.30 pm. The interim president Pere Aragonès is expected to confirm the closure of bars and restaurants, and he could also announce new restrictions.
According to government sources, bars and restaurants will be ordered to close both their indoors and outdoors spaces, but food delivery will be allowed.


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Fitbit, the San Francisco-based maker of wearable activity trackers, is preparing for a jump to Wall Street.
The company filed S-1 documents Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission in preparation for an IPO. The exact date of the IPO was not listed on the document, and neither was the proposed selling price of shares or what Fitbit hopes to raise, though the company plans to raise at least $100 million in the offering, which will likely go higher once the company updates its filing.
The filing did include some of Fitbit’s financial details. The company’s sales nearly tripled from 2013 to 2014, and Fitbit brought in more than $745.4 million in revenue last year. The company also swung to a $131.8 million profit in 2014 after losing $51.6 million the year before.
Fitbit sold almost 11 million devices in 2014, and almost 21 million devices since launching in 2007.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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And it reached the Iraqi Central Bank sales, on Sunday, at the weekly auction for the sale of foreign currency to $ 244 million.
According to a statement of the bank, received / scales News / copy of "The size of the amount sold today reached 244 million, and 210 000, and $ 383, priced at 1166 dinars exchange rate to the dollar, and with the participation of 25 banks and 19 companies for the fiscal conversion."
He pointed out that "the amount of remittances and credits amounted to 226 million and 80 thousand and $ 383, while the quantity sold was 18 million in cash and 130 thousand dollars."
The statement said that "the Iraqi Central Bank to continue buying and selling dollars at 1166 dinars," adding that "the sale of remittances price of 1187 dinars / dollar, including the commission of the Central Bank of $ 21 dinars per dollar, with total cash sales price of the dollar in 1190 dinars / USD, including the commission Bank Central of 24 dinars per dollar, ".anthy
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Just after the announcement of Gionee M2017 with 6GB RAM, 7000mAh battery in China, one more device Gionee F106 spotted at TENAA and preparing for its announcement in coming days.
According to the TENAA listing, the upcoming device Gionee F106 will sport a 4.99-inch HD display, 2GB RAM, internal storage capacity of 16GB, which can be further expanded via microSD card slot. It will be powered by quad-core 1.5GHz processor and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The device will come with the dimension of 144×70.8×8.4mm and weighs 150.2g.
The camera section of the device will include a rear camera of 8MP and a front-facing camera of 5MP. It will be powered by 2660mAh battery.
It will be available in gold and silver color, but we have no information related to its cost and availability till yet.
Continue with us for more information.


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Snap Inc. is facing concerns since their stock sank by 21% after reporting first-quarter sales and daily active users that missed estimates.
Many are guessing why the stocks are falling so dramatically, with one major lead: the ever so hated re-design. With the re-design being not only dramatically different and filled with advertisements and bugs, users have very much voiced their concerns through various social media platforms.
There are current plans for a new re-design, that will hopefully create a happy medium between the users, and Snap Inc.
The CEO has announced in an interview, “Our redesign created some headwinds in our revenue this quarter by disrupting user behavior and creating some apprehension among our advertising partners,” said CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel to investors on a conference late Tuesday. “We believe that our current path forward will address both issues, and that our advertising business has benefited and will continue to benefit from the tough decisions we make in order to create and maintain a positive and healthy environment for our community over the long term.”
Multiple firms published bearish notes and knocked down their price targets for Snap’s stock. Some of them were slamming the companies lack of consideration of the users and advertisers concerns, including notes like: “[The] most recent app redesign seems to have been ‘last straw’ for some advertisers, who are now unlikely to give platform another chance absent significant daily active user re-acceleration, and there’s no catalyst in sight.”
Are you looking for social media training and experience? Join CMN’s Social Media for Journalism Course and get real-time experience, intense feedback on your writing, exposure to journalism influencers and mentors, and a great place to display your work. You can get academic credit too. Check out the Social Media Course here.


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On today's show, we talk about the Antares rocket incident, how scientists might use hydrogel to create artificial facial muscles in robots, and a ferrofluid art exhibit that's desperate for your attention.
The Antares rocket barely lifted off before "disassembling" and exploding just above its launchpad...but while it can feel truly disheartening, we try to remind ourselves space travel is tough, and failure is a natural part of the scientific process.
The luxury Tonino Lamborghini Antares has similar specs to the Motorola Moto G -- only at £2,500, it's just a touch more expensive.
An Orbital Sciences Corp. rocket laden with supplies for the ISS suffers a fiery first-stage engine failure before falling and exploding at a NASA flight facility.
The good news is, long after we leave this Earth, when our bones turn to dust and future generations ruminate on who we were and what we stood for, their histories will agree we lived in a golden age of geek cinema. The bad news is, you pretty much don't have any free weekends until 2020. Sorry about that.
The Antares launched smoothly from Virginia's Wallops Flight Facility and released a simulated cargo ship. It's slated to follow SpaceX's Falcon 9 as a commercial ISS resupply craft.
It was four days late due to a glitch and bad weather, but Orbital Sciences' Antares got off the ground to a flawless test flight ahead of cargo trips for the International Space Station.
The luxury phone and car manufacturers team up for an Android smartphone with a 24-hour concierge service.
The titanium, sapphire and calfskin Vertu Signature Touch smartphone costs thousands but gets you into the most exclusive clubs.
And it doesn't even run KitKat, it's stuck on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.


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Canopy Growth Corporation (NASDAQ: CGC) announced its financial results for the third quarter fiscal 2021 ending December 31, 2020, with net revenue of $153 million in Q3 2021, an increase of 23% versus Q3 2020. Canopy Growth said that $99 million of that revenue was driven by an increase in Canadian recreational and International medical cannabis revenue. Despite the increase in revenue, the company also recorded an eye-popping net loss of $829 million.
Canopy said that this was a $720 million wider loss than the previous quarter and blamed the loss on impairment and restructuring charges and other related charges of $416 million. $382 million of those related charges were as a result of the announcement on December 9, 2020. Canopy shocked investors at the time when it announced it would cease operations at several sites, plus its outdoor cannabis grow operations in Saskatchewan. The company said those decisions were the partial outcome of an ongoing end-to-end review designed to improve its margins. At the time, Canopy said it expected to record estimated total pre-tax charges of approximately $350 -400 million in the third and fourth quarters of Fiscal 2021.
“We delivered another quarter of record net revenue, with growth across all our businesses, led by improved commercial and supply chain execution,” said David Klein , CEO. “We are building a track record of winning in our core markets, while also accelerating our U.S. growth strategy with the momentum building behind the promising cannabis reform in the U.S.”
“We are executing against our cost savings program, with several initiatives already completed and more underway to build a leaner and more agile business,” added Mike Lee , CFO. “These cost savings, along with our top-line growth and continued cost discipline, puts Canopy firmly on a path to achieve profitability during Fiscal 2022, with further improvement anticipated beyond.” The company divested its shares in Canopy Rivers and increased its ownership in TerrAscend.
Of the total impairment and restructuring charges recorded during the third quarter, approximately 15% was a cash charge. Canopy said other expenses totaled $291 million during the quarter stemming from non-cash fair value changes, mostly driven by the company’s higher stock price.
While the losses are staggering, Canopy is resting comfortably on cash and short-term investments that amounted to $1.59 billion on December 31, 2020. Still, this represented a decrease of $0.39 billion from $1.98 billion on March 31, 2020, reflecting the EBITDA loss and capital investments. The adjusted EBITDA loss was $68 million in the 2021 third quarter versus a loss of $97 million in the 2020 third quarter driven by net revenue growth and a decline in operating expenses.
Canopy reported that total SG&A expenses declined by 15% versus the 2020 third quarter, driven by year-over-year reductions in Sales & Marketing, General & Administrative and Research and Development expenses. Sales & Marketing expenses declined by 15% reflecting lower advertising and marketing expenses versus last year’s spending attributable to product marketing and brand awareness campaigns in support of its Cannabis 2.0 products, partially offset by higher sponsorship fees for BioSteel and increased brand spending in support of the U.S. CBD business. G&A expenses declined by 23% and were due primarily to a reduction in costs attributable to corporate restructuring actions taken earlier in the year. R&D expenses decreased by 33% also driven by lower compensation expenses resulting from corporate restructuring actions taken earlier in the year. Share-based compensation expenses decreased 68% over last year’s third quarter.
While the pain of making these huge changes has sucked the oxygen out of the room, the company has actually managed to make progress on other fronts. The Canadian recreational market share increased to 15.7% during the third quarter. “Our market share grew by 60 bps in Alberta and 120 bps in British Columbia, while it declined by 80 bps in Ontario in Q3 2021 vs Q2 2021. Our market share in Ontario improved by 150 bps during the latest 4-weeks ended January 17, 2021, vs Q3 2021,” said the company in its statement. Canopy said that its market share in the flower category grew by 180 bps sequentially and that it continued to drive market share gains in the growing value flower segment.
Beverages captured 34% market share in the quarter, even as new beverage brands have entered the marketplace. Canopy beverages retained the top 3 brands and our beverage brands are commanding higher velocity versus competitive set on a per SKU basis.
Martha Stewart’s health and wellness CBD products are seeing strong consumer demand, with the brand already outselling over 94% of all CBD brands in the U.S. in just 4 months since launch. Canopy has secured distribution of Martha Stewart CBD collection in 580+ Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements retail locations nationwide. Subsequent to quarter-end, Canopy launched CBD pet products under the Martha Stewart CBD and SurityPro CBD brands.
The company said that as a result of its organizational changes and cost savings plan it is now projecting a net revenue CAGR of 40%-50% from FY 2022 to FY 2024. The company said it expects positive adjusted EBITDA during the second half of FY 2022 and 20% Adjusted EBITDA margin for the full year FY 2024 and positive operating cash flow for the full year FY 2023 and positive free cash flow for the full year FY 2024.


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Get your digital kicks ready as EA Sports has announced a March 13 worldwide release date for FIFA Street on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Along with the release date reveal, EA Sports simultaneously announced that FIFA Street will include a new feature called the Street Network. This social network feature will enable players to capture and share video of their best moves, as well as compare and track other players’ progress in the World Tour story and Head-to-Head modes.
In the World Tour story mode, players will be able to create a team with friends and go up against other teams. Players within each others network will be able to see “Goals of the Week” from their friends, as well as see alerts about their friends’ progress in real-time.
If all the social gaming stuff is a bit much, FIFA Street also promises straight-up street soccer with the most revolutionary ball control to grace a FIFA game yet.
Click here to pre-order FIFA Street on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $59.99 at Amazon.com to secure your copy.
– Dan Bradley


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Goa Khabar:As a precursor to Fashion week, official banner of IFW – Goa was launched on 21st September in a glittering ceremony at Orion Premiere Hotel, Panjim by Mr. Williamm Xavier – Founder & CEO, Mr. Bhuvanish Shet – Managing Director, Mr. Ashutosh Khandekar – Director, Mr. Amit Rawat & Ms. Vanessa Rodriguez.
International Fashion week, Goa (IFW – Goa) has been conceived and created with a vision to “Redefine the future of fashion and integrate India into global fashion world”. This year’s would be season 5 of IFW – Goa and it would be held at Cidade de Goa by Taj from 4th to 6th October 2019. This year, 24 renowned fashion designers would be showcasing their collections at the IFW – Goa.
IFW – GOA is the most opulent and highest proﬁle fashion week. It leads the fashion industry through creative inﬂuence and is strategically repositioning Indian fashion in the global fashion economy. IFW – GOA will become the most aspired destination for India’s top designers, couture lovers, inﬂuential individuals, celebrities, socialites and legacy brands.
This year, IFW – Goa has launched a new concept IFW – Fashion Fund. Elaborating on this concept Mr Williamm Xavier, Founder & CEO said ‘IFW – FF, As an emerging talent in fashion, you’ve probably dreamt about all that goes into the making of a mega brand. We at IFW GOA are here to help you get one step closer to fulﬁlling that dream. IFW Fashion Fund (IFW-FF) is dedicated towards recognising exceptional talent, providing ﬁnancial aid, PR support, coverage and mentorship to the winner’.


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The Indian Diamond & Colorstone Association honored
industry leaders at its 27th Annual Awards Night at the JCK Las Vegas show June
Varda Shine, the managing director of Diamond
Trading Company International, was honored with the Doyenne Award.
Macy’s won the Retailer of the Year Award. Bea Spiech,
group vice president, divisional merchandise manager, jewelry, accepted the award on Macy’s behalf.
Humphrey Valenbreder received the North America Business
Banker Award on behalf of ABN AMRO Bank.
The awards presentation followed a Bollywood-themed cocktail
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Toys “R” Us Inc is recalling 27,000 wooden coloring cases that were made in China and sold under its Imaginarium brand because lead was found in the printed ink on the art set’s outer packaging and in some watercolor paints.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall on Thursday, said the 213-piece coloring set includes crayons, pastels, colored pencils and water colors that were packaged in a light tan wooden carrying case.
The printed ink on the outer packaging of the case contains lead, and some of the black watercolor paint contains excessive levels of lead, the agency said.
The cases were sold at the toy retailer’s stores and on its Web site from October 2006 through August 2007 for about $20. Of the 27,000 cases that were recalled, Toys “R” Us said 8,300 were sold to customers during the recall period.
It marks the latest in a string of recalls of Chinese-made products due to lead paint, including Mattel Inc’s recent recall of Pixar Sarge die-cast toy cars, and Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer toys.
Lead paint has been linked to health problems in children, including brain damage.
The spate of recalls has sparked concern over the quality of products made in China, and the U.S. House of Representatives’ subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection will also hold a September 19 hearing on how to protect U.S. children from toys, jewelry and other imported products containing lead paint.
Toys “R” Us said in a statement that the lead was found after it had an independent testing firm retest hundreds of products sold in its stores. The retailer said all Imaginarium-branded items passed the retest except for the wooden art set.
Toys “R” Us said it has terminated its relationship with Funtastic, a unit of FPL Group of Hong Kong, which manufactured and sold it the 213-piece set.
The CPSC said no injuries were reported from the Imaginarium coloring cases, and consumers should return them to Toys “R” Us for store credit.
Toys “R” Us is owned by a consortium that includes Bain Capital Partners LLC, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and Vornado Realty Trust.
Additional reporting by Tenzin Pema in Bangalore


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Ripple partners with second-largest money transfer service MoneyGram
Ripple announced a partnership with MoneyGram, the second-largest money transfer service in the world.
Ripple announced a partnership with MoneyGram, the second-largest money transfer service in the world. Under the agreement, Ripple would become MoneyGram’s partner for cross-border payments and foreign exchange settlement using xRapid, the company’s XRP-powered settlement service.
— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) June 17, 2019
As part of the agreement, Ripple agreed to provide a $50 million capital commitment to MoneyGram, enabling Ripple to spend up to $50 million in exchange for equity in MoneyGram over a two-year period.
“This is a huge milestone in helping to transform cross-border payments and I look forward to a long-term, very strategic partnership between our companies,” said Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple.
The partnership will focus on Ripple’s xRapid, a solution for providing on-demand liquidity. The service reduces the reliance on pre-funded nostro accounts, enabling instant currency settlement in a destination currency using XRP as an intermediary.
“Through Ripple’s xRapid product, we will have the ability to instantly settle funds from US dollars to destination currencies on a 24/7 basis, which has the potential to revolutionize our operations and dramatically streamline our global liquidity management,” said MoneyGram CEO Alex Holmes.
Unlike some of Ripple’s other services, xRapid leverages XRP and may have an appreciable impact on the price of the asset in the long-term.
XRP surged 6.28 percent in response to the news.


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We’ve done a ton of coverage on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, including a full podcast, tons of gameplay videos, a SSBB comparison and more. Sandy won’t stop us! Check out our live-stream below or on our TwitchTV.
Sandy did stopped them lol
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Ilam Sees Highest Inflation Among Iranian Provinces
EghtesadOnline: Goods and services Consumer Price Index for Ilam Province registered an increase of 39.9% during the Iranian month of Mehr (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) compared with the similar month of last year, which is the highest among all Iranian provinces.
The year-on-year CPI growth was the lowest for Kerman Province with 26.1%, the Statistical Center of Iran reported.
The overall goods and services CPI in Iran registered a YOY increase of 32.8% compared with the similar month of last year.
The overall CPI (using the Iranian year to March 2017 as the base year) stood at 144.1 in Mehr, indicating a 7.1% rise compared with the previous month, according to Financial Tribune.
The growth in overall CPI compared with the previous month (Aug. 23-Sept. 22), was the highest (9.5%) again for Ilam Province and lowest (5%) for Qom.
The average overall goods and services CPI in Iran in the 12-month period ending Oct. 22 increased by 13.4% compared with last year’s corresponding period.
Lorestan Province registered the highest 12-month inflation with 16.6% while Kerman Province posted the lowest 12-month inflation of 10.4%. Average annual inflation gap among provinces was 6.2% in Mehr, indicating a 1% increase compared with the month before.


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Cox Invests in Electric-Truck Maker Rivian
PLYMOUTH, Mich., Sept. 10, 2019 – Rivian today announced an equity investment of $350 million from global automotive services company Cox Automotive. In addition to the investment, the companies will explore partnership opportunities in service operations, logistics, and digital retailing.
“We are building a Rivian ownership experience that matches the care and consideration that go into our vehicles,” said RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian. “As part of this, we are excited to work with Cox Automotive in delivering a consistent customer experience across our various touchpoints. Cox Automotive’s global footprint, service and logistics capabilities, and retail technology platform make them a great partner for us.”
Cox Automotive, a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is the home of nearly 30 automotive brands, including Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Pivet, RideKleen and Manheim, which transports, services, and auctions vehicles across more than 150 global locations.
“We are excited by Rivian’s unique approach to building an electrified future and to be part of the positive impact its products will bring to our roads and the world around us,” said Sandy Schwartz, president of Cox Automotive. “This investment complements Cox Automotive’s own commitment to environmental change through our Cox Conserves efforts.”
US- based transportation and technology company Rivian has developed two clean sheet electric adventure vehicles, the R1T truck and the R1S SUV. Designed on a flexible skateboard platform, the R1T and R1S will each be available with up to 400 miles of range and an unmatched combination of off-road utility and high performance.
“With the electrification of vehicles set to play a significant role in the new mobility future, this partnership opens another channel of discovery and learning for Cox Automotive,” said Joe George, president of Cox Automotive Mobility Group. “Advancements in battery technology and the electrification of fleets are two of our primary focus areas, and we believe this relationship will prove to be mutually beneficial.”
This partnership marks Rivian’s third investment announcement of 2019, following a $700 million investment round in February led by Amazon, and in April, a $500 million investment from Ford Motor Company. Rivian will remain an independent company, and Cox Automotive will add a representative to Rivian’s board.
Rivian is developing vehicles, technology and services that inspire people to get out and explore the world. With a team of more than 1000 people, Rivian has development centers in Plymouth, Mich.; San Jose, Calif.; Irvine, Calif; and Surrey, England; along with a 2.6-million-square-foot manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill. Rivian will launch the R1T and R1S in the US in late 2020, with introduction to other global geographies starting in 2021. Rivian is now accepting preorders on its R1T and R1S. More information is available at www.rivian.com.
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using cars easier for everyone. The global company's 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto®and Xtime®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion. coxautoinc.com
Cox Automotive Mobility Group
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The refrigeration software specialist will help food retailers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts lower the strain on electrical grids during peak usage times.
The Virtus Pack Controller can control up to three MT and three LT compressors.
The GO USB Logger range collects time, temperature and humidity data from food and other perishable products during transit.
RED Optimise allows data to be acquired from different installed technologies, regardless of manufacturer.
The company’s range of drives include the Optidrive Coolvert designed for CO2 condensers.
The updated HXSim design and simulation tool can address small-diameter copper tubes in heat exchangers.
TLK Energy’s graphical app calculates cost savings if efficiency increases.
The OEM has also launched a new CO2 rack that can fit into elevators and through doorways.
The industrial refrigeration OEM’s StarCare service collects data to avert potential system failures.


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Publisher's Statement - December 2018
Automotive aftermarket industry analysis — by the numbers
It was another successful and busy Industry Week for everyone who attended the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) and Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.
The vendors I spoke with said booth traffic was up and new business was humming along. Both events were full of new products, technology, training, and opportunities to connect with old friends on the show floor and elsewhere.
They are also indicative of the immense size of our industry and how important it is to the economy and keeping everyone rolling down the road. The 500,000 businesses in the U.S. automotive aftermarket industry form a coast-to-coast network of independent manufacturers, distributors, repair shops, marketers and retailers, small and large.
The folks at the Auto Care Association, AASA, and MEMA have generated data on just how big — and important — the aftermarket is with a few of the statistics below.
• $740 billion global automotive aftermarket industry
• Approximately 1.2 billion vehicles on the road
• $381 billion U.S. automotive aftermarket industry (includes heavy duty)
• The aftermarket industry grows at an average of 3.6 percent annually
• 2.4 percent of the U.S. GDP generated by motor vehicle parts manufacturers
• Vehicle parts suppliers manufacture 77 percent of the value in today’s cars.
• By 2020, experts predict there will be more than 250 million connected vehicles that will generate $14.5 billion in revenue in automotive data assets
• Employs 4.6 million professionals in a variety of careers
• Represents 3.2 percent of total U.S. non-farm employment
• Motor vehicle parts suppliers are the largest sector of manufacturing jobs in the U.S
• 300,000 are jobs available at any time
• Average wages and benefits = $60,000
• Average age of vehicles = 11.7 years
• ehicles 16 years or older will increase 30 percent by 2021
• 218 million licensed drivers
• 70 percent DIFM; 30 percent DIY
• Of the 70 percent DIFM, 70 percent of consumers prefer independent shops for repair and service as compared to new car dealers.
• 25,550 parts classifications represent more than 13,733 brands in the industry
• 264,981 retail parts outlets
• e-Tailing, or parts sold over the internet, is experiencing an annual growth of 7-10 percent in the DIY and 5-7 percent in the DIFM markets
• 879,000 technicians


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Dairy farmers will see a little more in their milk check. The Agriculture Department announced the March Federal order Class III price at $16.15 per hundredweight, up 40 cents from February, a dime below March 2020, but the highest Class III price since November 2020.
That put the three month average at $15.98,
"holding somewhat steady, although some contacts view them more bullishly than not,"
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July 21st, New York, USA - GIZER, the competitive gaming infrastructure that makes games social with feature rich gameplay; joined the Nonvoice Agency in May 2020 with the aim of attracting additional distribution and marketing or their advanced app. The GIZER app provides mobile phone operators with a bridge from the non-5G to 5G world that they can cross when they are ready.
As we know, 5G technology will take gaming to a whole new level with more connectivity and therefore better user experiences. The fact that GIZER is already a successful app in the non-5G environment makes it well placed to increase its popularity on 5G networks as gamers experience first-hand the advantages of the new ‘real-life’ play and faster connectivity.
“The mobile gaming industry is worth billions of dollars with subscriber numbers on Apple’s App Store and Google Play increasing daily. Gaming apps are also going to be one of the big winners in the 5G environment. Our aim of our agency is to ensure that GIZER is well positioned to be at the forefront of this move from non-5G to 5G for the benefit of their team and our distribution partners and investors,” explains Nonvoice CEO, Simon Buckingham.
Jack Lamir, CEO of GIZER, said: “We were looking to sign mobile network operator marketing and distribution partnerships globally. Nonvoice and its founder Simon Buckingham have an unparalleled knowledge of the largest telecommunications companies around the world. Thanks to their expertise and professionalism, we have been able to form new relationships for GIZER in new regions”.
The many advantages of GIZER’s gaming app both now and in the future made them a perfect choice for the Nonvoice agency. The agency takes on only ‘best-in-class’ apps to introduce to their investor and distribution partners. Since joining the agency, GIZER has secured several new distribution deals (details of which are currently confidential) and are in discussion with several investors.
About Nonvoice Agency
Nonvoice Agency is a network of agents searching for the best consumer and enterprise 5G apps from around the world. The agency connects app developers with distributors and investors who then help accelerate the adoption and deployment of their application. Nonvoice Agency provides an ecosystem of key parties dedicated to the 5G value chain and the future benefits that these services will bring to the world.
Founder, Simon Buckingham, is available for expert commentary on 5G applications.
Virgin Mobile Kuwait today announced its Metaverse programme to collaborate with Kuwaiti content creators on platforms including The Sandbox. The initiative is aimed at building digital literacy and capacity in Kuwait as the company cements its position as the market’s leading digital telco. In addition to The Sandbox, Virgin Mobile is collaborating with leading global digital content provider, Nonvoice LLC, which based out of the United States. The two parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bring the latest innovations to Kuwait and the wider Middle East region.
Simon Buckingham, CEO of Nonvoice Agency joins us at the FMI Midwinter Conference with Patricia Wu to talk about how they are democratizing access to the blockchain, NFTs, and Web3 by simplifying the deployment and adoption of digital assets.
Nonvoice, the global 5G app agency, is delighted to announce the global availability of its flagship Nonvoice Metaverse service globally. Nonvoice has evolved the brand identity for its flagship consumer 5G portal from Nonvoice Alive to Nonvoice Metaverse. A metaverse is defined as a space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users and obviously the 5G consumer portal with its AR games and experiences is such a space.


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BIGGBY COFFEE, the Lansing-based 260-plus-unit coffee brand that has expanded steadily across the U.S. over the past 26 years, opened a new location in White Lake, Michigan on October 19.
For 26-year-old Ford engineer Zachary Raubinger and his 25-year-old wife, Reagan, coffee is a family affair. Zach was first introduced to the BIGGBY COFFEE brand when he was 11, which is when he started working at his father’s store in nearby Howell. While he still works full-time at Ford Motor Company in IT, he knew he had an entrepreneurial spirit and fell in love with the BIGGBY COFFEE concept. That’s why he decided to bring the brand to the White Lake community at 9228 Highland Road alongside his wife, with his father on board as a business partner as well.
“Business ownership, and more specifically franchising, was always something that I was interested in,” Zach says. “It was a no-brainer for us to pursue our dream of being an entrepreneur with the BIGGBY COFFEE brand, seeing as though their model has proven successful.”
Founded in 1995, the BIGGBY COFFEE brand specializes in providing customers with the highest-quality coffee and service with a focus on supporting people to build a life they love. United behind this purpose, baristas, operators and corporate employees work together to create a welcoming culture for all customers.
Raubinger said the experience that each location gives its guests, especially compared to other coffee brands, gave him the confidence to sign on. In addition to offering an exceptional guest experience, the BIGGBY COFFEE franchise offers an operational model that is well-positioned to thrive in a rapidly shifting consumer landscape.
The Raubingers’ White Lake location is in a refurbished Chase Bank that boasts a fireplace, indoor seating, a large patio and even a conference room that will be open for guests to rent. This location will be the third in the area and will bring 12 jobs to the market.
“We are very excited to bring the BIGGBY COFFEE brand to the White Lake community,” said Zach. “We want our location to be a place for people to connect, have fun and drink great coffee.”


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Self-driving cars couldn’t stand up to these hackers
The thing about cars relying totally on computers is that computers can be hacked. Computers can be hacked, overridden and switched off. It’s obviously a dangerous problem. If a self-driving car is hacked the drivers life is in danger, sadly this has already happened in America. Mashable report on how hackers are testing systems before they go live…
A driver of a Tesla Model S died in early May when both he and his car’s semi-autonomous Autopilot system failed to see a tractor trailer crossing in front of the car on a highway in Florida.
While it seemed like the perfect storm of real-world chance versus automotive high tech, it turns out not just an unlikely blend of coincidence could cause Tesla’s Autopilot to miss an obstacle.
Intriguingly, the researchers, turned white-hat hackers, didn’t actually have to hack the car. They simply jammed the stationary test car’s front-mounted radar, ultrasonic sensors and cameras by exposing them to various machines that emitted light, radio and sound.
As you can see in the video below, Autopilot suddenly and without warning loses track of the car ahead when the radio interferer is activated.
What’s more, the researchers created the same blinding effect by draping a car with acoustic foam, which is far cheaper than devices with five- and six-figure price tags.
Granted, the machines employed by the researchers are expensive — and wrapping something in acoustic foam would be obvious. So, it’s unlikely they would be used by would-be hackers to impair a single car. However, the tests prove that there are more issues with Tesla’s Autopilot system than was initially anticipated.
So there is still plenty of work to be done. Mechanics isn’t what it used to be and the computer facing side of it is really coming through now. To be on board for when it takes it all off, check out our Motor Vehicle courses here today!


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Our dear Camren Bicondova (Gotham) seems to be looking for a new hairstyle ... again. It is a very serious matter. The last time she dramatically changed her haircut it cost her just over 80,000 followers on Twitter.
However, a survey conducted by the Celebrity Post cosmetic department revealed that only 14% of respondents approved the actress' decision to get a new haircut, and to once again take the risk of potential public-relations disaster.
Take the poll:
Does Camren Bicondova need a haircut?
Disclaimer: The poll results are based on a representative sample of 1338 voters worldwide, conducted online for The Celebrity Post magazine. Results are considered accurate to within 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.


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(Bloomberg) -- Senator Elizabeth Warren called for a new restriction on major cloud providers Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc., barring them from developing some of the most promising artificial intelligence technologies.
The Massachusetts Democrat also assailed proposed acquisitions of Albertsons Cos. by Kroger Co. and of Discover Financial Services by Capital One Financial Corp.
Warren, a frequent critic of big technology companies’ market power, opened a new front in her campaign against concentration in the industry, arguing Tuesday at a conference in Washington that the three largest cloud providers are positioned to crush smaller competitors in the emerging AI technology of large language models.
Large language models are the technology that underpins AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Big tech companies are in the small camp of businesses with the infrastructure and funds to support these efforts, which rely on massive amounts of data.
“Each of the major cloud services — Google, Microsoft, and Amazon — should not be allowed to use their enormous size to dominate a whole new field, and that means blocking them from operating large language models,” Warren said at RemedyFest, a conference hosted by Bloomberg Beta and Y Combinator in Washington.
She also called for separating Amazon’s e-commerce platform from its product lines, and breaking up Google’s search business from its browsing services.
In an interview later on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power,” Warren attacked the Kroger-Albertsons and Capital One-Discover deals. She dismissed arguments that the tie-ups could help the companies compete with Walmart in groceries or with Visa and Mastercard in payment processing.
“This argument has been used pretty much since the beginning of time in antitrust law — ‘oh please, just let me get bigger so I can compete with the other giants,’” she said.
She said Kroger and Albertsons have been shown to be communicating with each other about keeping wages down.
“It tells us what they want. They don’t want to compete,” she said. “This is another way to say that this is how the giants see their way to improve profits.”
Warren said profit margins have increased dramatically particularly in the grocery business.
“This is not a time for the FTC to say, ‘sure, go ahead and merge, let’s just have one grocery store in each of these areas, setting prices and setting wages wherever they want to set ‘em,” Warren said.
Earlier: FTC Sues to Block Kroger’s $24.6 Billion Albertsons Deal
The FTC on Monday sued to block Kroger from acquiring Albertsons, arguing the deal would lead to lower wages for workers and higher prices for groceries.
Earlier Tuesday, Senator JD Vance, an Ohio Republican who has aligned with his party’s populist wing, also criticized concentration in the tech industry at the RemedyFest conference. He questioned whether Google needed to own YouTube or Meta to own both Facebook and Instagram, for example, and expressed concern about Google’s Gemini AI project as well.
“We want to ensure that new entrants can change these things to promote as much competition as possible and you actually want to separate all of these market verticals as much as possible,” he said. “That’s where I think antitrust is probably the most useful way to think about a solution to what we face.”
--With assistance from Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.


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As a business owner, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest business trends in order to remain relevant and competitive in the marketplace. Business Line is a platform that provides the latest information on business news and trends, giving business owners access to the information they need to make informed decisions that drive their business forward.
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Another way Business Line streamlines the process of discovering business trends is by categorizing its articles by industry. From fintech to healthcare, entrepreneurs and executives can find news and analysis that relates directly to their businesses. By focusing on these specific industries, Business Line helps business owners identify trends that may be particularly relevant to their company, streamlining the process of sifting through a barrage of articles to find the areas of interest.
The platform also allows users to set up personalized notifications and alerts on specific keywords, companies or industries. This feature helps business owners by delivering the latest news and analysis directly to their email inbox or phone, so they can remain updated on the latest trends without having to constantly visit the website.
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Staying aware of the latest business trends is vital to keeping a business afloat, and Business Line delivers that information in an effective and efficient way. With its comprehensive coverage, specialized sections, and personalized notifications, business owners can be sure that they are up-to-date on the latest trends that could shape their company’s future.


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Automotive News Europe — 2023-10-05
Ford's factory in Saarlouis, Germany, is once more on course for closure after talks with a potential investor -- said to be a Chinese company -- failed.
Ford said on Thursday that the investor decided not to continue with talks to take over the plant "after a detailed feasibility study and intensive negotiations."
Ford did not disclose the name of the potential investor.
Sources familiar with the talks had said Chinese automakers were among companies interested in taking over the plant, which builds the Focus compact car and is due to end production in 2025.
Ford had planned to sign binding preliminary agreement with the investor by 30 September.
Fifteen possible investors had expressed interest, the plant's works council said earlier this year. Chinese automakers BYD and Chery Automotive were said to be among companies interested in taking over the factory.
Ford and the German state of Saarland held talks with potential investors including BYD, several smaller manufacturers, as well as a German maker of solar panel modules, sources told Bloomberg.
Ford's Europe passengers cars boss Martin Sander told Saarlouis workers on Thursday that the company will pursue an alternative plan intended to save 1,000 of the 4,400 jobs at the factory.
The alternative plan could create a technology center at the site, Ford said, without providing further details.
A union representative expressed disappointment and anger at the news, saying talks with the company would continue on Monday on a collective bargaining agreement for workers who stood to lose their jobs.
"This will be expensive for Ford," union representative Joerg Koehlinger said. "We will send a signal so that other companies will be afraid to flatten sites."
The setback comes as Ford is in the midst of negotiations with the United Auto Workers in the United States who are 21 days into a strike over labor conditions
Ford is shrinking its production network in Europe as it reduces its passenger vehicle lineup to concentrate on selling only all-electric cars in the region by 2030.
The Focus, once a mainstay of its business in Europe, is not being replaced when current production ends.
Saarlouis has been facing closure since June 2022 when Ford picked its factory in Valencia, Spain, over Saarlouis to build its next-generation electric vehicles for Europe.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN)—Leading shops in the Virginia suburbs surrounding the nation’s capital have overcome economic uncertainty this spring by maximizing inventory turns and ordering just in time.
ARLINGTON, VA (BRAIN)—The new operators of the Conte’s franchise have finalized the Freshbikes name for six Conte’s stores and will transition to the new brand by August 2012.
“Google ‘moon hoax,’ ‘cause if people believe he had a motorized bike they may as well know the truth about the moon landing.”
NEWBURY PARK, CA (BRAIN)—Giant Bicycles founder King Liu is set to embark on his latest cycling journey, “Green World on Wheels,” June 14-19 in The Netherlands. Over a six-day period, King will complete a 500km ride (310 miles) through the nation described as a “cycling paradise.”
FORT COLLINS, CO (BRAIN)—Cantitoe Road has hired industry veteran John Bradley as its director of sales. Bradley will develop Cantitoe Road’s sales and dealer network.
BY JASON NORMAN
DENVER, CO—Ken Gart’s formula for turning around Colorado’s Bicycle Village stores nine years ago was simple.
BY JASON NORMAN
CHICAGO, IL—Doing more with less. That was the strategy of several bike companies, many of which trimmed workers the past two years as they cut costs to align with a decline in sales.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN)—BRAIN editors and sponsors expect to brave a couple of showers and possible thunderstorms today when they set out by bike to learn how retailers in the nation’s capital have fared this season as part of the magazine’s latest Dealer Tour.
WHISTLER, British Columbia (BRAIN)—Kokanee Crankworx, in its seventh year, is Whistler's largest summer festival—and for mountain bikers of all ages and competitive backgrounds event registration is now officially open.
JEFFERSON CITY, MO (BRAIN)—Organizers of the Tour of Missouri have canceled this summer's bicycle race after state tourism officials declined to help fund it, according to The Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN))—Frame and fork exporters, who ended February 67 percent above the year before, really picked up sales over the first quarter. By the end of March they had almost doubled their shipments over 2009, shipping 316,481 kilos of frames and forks, an increase of 155,890 kilos so far this year.
BRAIN wishes you and yours a happy Memorial Day. Regular news coverage will resume tomorrow.
MONTREAL, Quebec (BRAIN)—Dorel Industries’ CEO Martin Schwartz told company shareholders on Thursday that he expected momentum in the bike business to continue into 2010 buoyed by innovative new products and rebounding consumer confidence.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN)—U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will greet bicycle riders today outside U.S. DOT headquarters to accept a thank you letter signed by over 275 organizations nationwide for the Secretary’s leadership on bicycle and pedestrian issues.
PHILADELPHIA, PA (BRAIN)—Riding a Breezer Finesse commuter bike, Patrick Cunnane, president of Advanced Sports, Inc., won the annual Bike versus Car versus Transit race held Wednesday in Philadelphia, beating the competition by nearly six minutes.
LEOMINSTER, MA (BRAIN)—Northern California-based The Hive, known for its cranksets and hubs, has bought E.Thirteen, which was owned by suspension guru Dave Weagle. The Massachusetts-based company is best known for its chain retention systems.
BETHESDA, MD (BRAIN)—The Consumer Product Safety Commission pushed back the deadline for third party testing of kids bikes this week, granting the industry a stay of enforcement for the third time since the new law passed almost two years ago.
BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—Product Architects, Inc., manufacturer of the Polar Bottle, has created eight new graphic designs for its water bottles.


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It’s expected that David Solomon, Goldman Sachs’s chief executive officer will be on hand at Apple’s “It’s Show Time” event today, lending credence to the rumors that the tech giant and the investment bank will team up for an Apple-branded credit card. Jim Miller, vice president of the Banking and Credit Card Practice at J.D. Power, says this is interesting because of several reasons:.
° They’ll enter a highly competitive industry. Credit card issuers are chasing a relatively small group of customers who switch credit cards. In 2018, 11% of credit card customers reported that they switched to a different primary credit card in the past 12 months. The number one reason for switching cards is for a better rewards program, cited by 47% of customers.
° Apple has a strong brand and will be a good partner. Adoption of Apple Pay is low (7% of cardholders report that they use Apple Pay), so may not be enough incentive to get customers to switch. Banks have offered tools to help manage their money for years. Customers say they are interested in these tools, but few use them. However, customers who do use these tools are more satisfied. Marcus/Apple will need features that make using their new card with Apple Pay a better experience. Extra points for using Apple Pay could help. Cell phone protection, which is offered on other credit cards such as Barclays Uber Card, may be a good fit, but could conflict with the AppleCare Protection Plan.
° The new card will need to appeal to Millennials to succeed. Sixteen percent of Millennials have switched cards in the past year, so more are in the market for a new card. Seventy percent of Millennials already use mobile for the credit cards, and 16% are using Apple Pay, so innovative features tied to Apple Pay may appeal to some. Millennials are less likely than older customers to switch for a better rewards program (although it is still 35%) and are more likely to switch for better benefits, to avoid an annual fee and for lower interest rates.


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Iraq Market Monitor Report, Issue No. 16: November 2017
- Despite the earthquake that shook northeast Iraq on November 12 and the protracted displacement situation across the country, markets have been mostly able to respond to the demand fluctuations and food price volatility.
- Food prices decreased by 1% across the country, but markets keep showing lower integration than in the summer.
- Prices in Kirkuk show extreme behaviour, but the overall costs of the minimum food basket decreased by 6% after months of surge.
- The Alert for Price Spikes (ALPS) indicator shows khoboz bread to be at alert level.
- The wage of unskilled labour has decreased by 1% across the country. Due to the increased costs of wheat flour, the terms of trade has dropped by 10% on national basis.


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Web Summit gives our best start-ups chance to meet potential investors
THEY are the cream of the technology crop in Ireland, and today they are descending on the RDS in Dublin for this year's Dublin Web Summit.
The two-day summit aims to bring a host of start-up companies seeking finance and potential investors together.
There will also be a number of presentations and conversations featuring some of the biggest names in the industry.
The event opens with Patrick Collison, the Limerick native who along with his brother is now running Stripe, a multimillion euro payments firm based in Silicon Valley.
Some 3,000 people will attend the event, which has mushroomed from just under 600 people when it started two years ago.
This year the event will feature four stages, with three of them focused on developing apps, digital marketing and cloud computing.
All five-star hotel rooms in the capital are booked out for the next three nights while most of the four and three-star rooms are taken as well. By some estimates, the summit will be worth €12m to the local economy.
The Web Summit will be followed by the Founders event, which kicks off tomorrow night and continues until Saturday.
A Davos-style closed-doors event for some of the biggest names in world business, this year's Founders will feature, among others, Jawed Karim, one of the men behind YouTube; and Skype founder turned venture capitalist Niklas Zennstrom.
The events are the brainchild of Wicklow native Paddy Cosgrave, who started the meetings almost on the back of a napkin in 2010.


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A new free trade deal between Europe and South Korea is closer but still proving elusive.
EU officials were in Seoul on Saturday after finishing their Russian summit, trying to seal an agreement worth more than 70 billion euros. Both sides talked up progress made but the Czech president, representing the EU, admitted the deal would have to wait a little longer. Vaclav Klaus said: “There are some residual issues which have to be solved. They are quite sensitive for both parts of the negotiating table so it will not be signed before the end of the (Czech) EU presidency in June. Definitely not. I’m sorry to say that.” The EU is South Korea’s biggest foreign investor, putting over 40 billion dollars into its economy in 2007. The bloc is also Seoul’s second biggest trade partner, with around 90 billion dollars changing hands last year. The main obstacle to a free trade deal is the so-called “duty drawback.” It allows South Korean car-makers to be reimbursed import duties on Chinese-made car parts for vehicles destined for Europe. European manufacturers see this as an unfair advantage.


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- A self-proclaimed “puzzler” prompted ChatGPT to create a unique game tailored for Sudoku fans.
- The popular AI chatbot created “Sumplete,” a game its human creator dubbed “reverse Sudoku.”
- Since the game launched last week, it has already attracted thousands of players.
ChatGPT has developed its own game.
Daniel Tait, a 28-year-old software developer from Dundee, Scotland, and self-proclaimed “puzzler”, recently prompted ChatGPT to create a unique game tailored for Sudoku fans. The AI chatbot then created “Sumplete,” which Tait described as “reverse Sudoku.” We first found out about the game through Gizmodo.
After ChatGPT spat out a list of five games he was already familiar with, Tait challenged ChatGPT to create a puzzle game from scratch.
“I was amazed at every step when I asked if it could do a puzzle,” Tait told Insider. “An idea came up immediately.”
Tait, who has been experimenting with the chatbot since its launch in November, had become accustomed to the chatbot’s limitations — he often encountered messages stating that the chatbot couldn’t perform certain tasks. But this time ChatGPT delivered. Within 45 seconds, the chatbot created iterations of the game, which became Sumplete after additional toggle and design prompts.
Tait described the game as “reverse Sudoku”: instead of adding numbers to a grid, the player crosses out numbers from a filled-in grid to add columns and rows.
Since he publicly unveiled the game on March 3, Tait says 50,000 people have played Sumplete. As of Tait speaking to Insider, 2,500 people are currently playing the game, he said.
To Tait’s knowledge, there is no other existing iteration of this “reverse Sudoku” game. According to the chatbot, Magic Square is an existing game most similar to Sumplete, a game in which the player is given a square grid of numbers and is tasked with arranging them so that every row, column, and diagonal has the same total.
Tait, who said he comes from a “puzzler” family, has previously designed games, including a math equation version of Wordle called Mathler, which he launched in February 2022. After sharing it on Reddit, the game drew over 10,000 players a day, Tait said.
Even without his background in software development and game design, Tait said the Sumplete game is an “amazing” example of how anyone can leverage the AI platforms.
Tait said he plans to keep the game fully coded by ChatGPT “to see what it’s capable of” and has received emails with feedback from some users. He said he plans to add this feedback to ChatGPT this weekend to see how it improves the game.
Since ChatGPT’s launch in November, people have been turning to it for practical and creative reasons to test its limits, from writing a new “M*A*S*H” TV scene to poetry. Just two months after its launch, the chatbot developed by OpenAI reached an estimated 100 million monthly active users in January, the fastest-growing consumer application in history, Reuters reported.
Now you can add creating puzzles to the list of possibilities of ChatGPT.
As for what the development of this game might mean for the future of ChatGPT, Tait said his experiment in designing Sumplete with ChatGPT made him wonder about the capacities for development with AI. “Could a Playstation-style game be developed from ChatGPT in the coming year?” he asked himself.
“I’m still trying to figure this out,” Tait said. “Definitely AI will change a lot of things. The fact that she created a jigsaw puzzle from scratch is another step in a crazy direction.”
Have you used ChatGPT or other AI chatbots in an interesting way? Email the reporter at [email protected]


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Todd Brix, the head of Microsoft's Windows Phone apps division, used his Twitter account this week to reveal that more app creators are signing up to make Windows Phone 8 apps.
What is new in Windows 11 22H2, the first feature update for the newest OS
windows 11 22h2
Beta Channel build gets Taskbar, File Explorer improvements, ISOs available
windows 11 insider preview
How to set different wallpapers on different monitors in Windows 11
windows 11 per-monitor wallpap
Windows phone 8 sdk RSS
Microsoft has finally allowed Windows Phone app developers to sign up for a preview version of the company's Windows Phone 8 SDK. Sign ups will end on Monday, September 17th.
The previously rumored screenshot feature for Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 has been confirmed via the leaked Windows Phone 8 SDK and a recently posted YouTube video.
More screenshots have been posted on the Internet showing off features from the Windows Phone 8 SDK, including being able to back up text messages to SkyDrive and more,
A new rumor claims that Microsoft will release the Windows Phone 8 SDK to developers sometime at the end of July, although it may have a preview or beta label attached to it.


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Yahoo lashes out at Icahn
Yahoo Inc., fending off an assault from Carl Icahn, said the billionaire investor misrepresented the facts about its rejection of a $47.5 billion bid from Microsoft Corp.
Icahn’s claim that an employeeretention program is a so-called poison pill “could not be further from the truth,” Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock said yesterday in a letter to Icahn.
He said the program is designed to protect Yahoo’s assets during a time of uncertainty.
“Your letter seriously misrepresents and manipulates the facts,” Bostock said in the eight paragraph letter. “You rely on, as ‘facts,’ a series of unsubstantiated allegations.”
Icahn said yesterday that Yahoo chief executive officer and cofounder Jerry Yang should be replaced for sabotaging Microsoft’s efforts to buy the Internet company.
Combining with Microsoft is the only way Yahoo can become a “true competitor” to Google Inc., he said.
Bostock said Yahoo has met with Microsoft many times in the past weeks, and that the board is open to any deal.
Microsoft has said it isn’t interested in a full acquisition of Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo, even though the Internet company has reached out “proactively,” Bostock said.
Icahn, 72, didn’t immediately respond to a message left at his office after business hours. Yahoo spokesman Brad Williams said the letter speaks for itself.
Yahoo rose 70 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $26.85 US in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, rose 23 cents to $27.54.