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This notable quote testifies the monopoly that the present banking system (read: monetary based economy) holds over the entire world today.
Till World War II, humanity witnessed colonization in the form of standing armies and savaging wars. That changed entirely post World War II and the form of colonization that followed thereafter was predominantly economic.
In 2013, the Indian rupee lost 20% of its value and was one of the worst performing currencies. A study by BBC depicts that the value of Indian rupee depreciated from INR 56.4 to INR 68.7 against 1USD. The then Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh conceded that the country was facing a ‘difficult’ economic situation and it had to reckon with the uncertainties created by global factors. The Finance Minister, Mr. P Chidambaram at that time said,“The economy needs more reforms to come out of the impasse of slow growth and high current account deficit.”
Meanwhile, in 2013, the US economy was shooting up and its Index was up by 16.5 percent. Unlike crisis-ravaged Europe and credit-addicted China, the U.S. had at least five key characteristics to support its $15.7 trillion economy: record-shattering profits with companies increasingly returning money to shareholders, innovations in everyday technology (IT industry), a booming energy industry, ‘stability returns’ to housing and last but not the least, the U.S. Demographics; America homes 19 of the world’s top 25 universities.
So what were the reasons for the depreciation? What did the Indian government do to stop the depreciation? Why did RBI measures fail despite tightening liquidity?
One can impute various reasons for the derogation of the Indian rupee. First of all, India had (and still has) to import oil in the form of dollars. As long as India keeps importing its oil in dollars, oil prices are bound to go up.
Secondly, India’s love for gold was (and still is) one of the main reasons behind the significant demand for the dollar. Gold is bought and sold internationally in dollars. India produces very little gold of its own. Hence, it has to import a huge amount of gold (ah, we love showing off gold, don’t we?) When gold is imported into the country, it needs to be paid for in dollars, thus increasing the demand for dollars!
Thirdly, India’s exports are not growing fast enough. India imports more than it exports. For instance, India imported a huge amount of coal in 2013. India’s coal imports shot up by 43% that year. Importing coal means greater demand for the dollar again. Now, India has huge coal reserves which are not being mined. The question is why? Do we blame Coal India Ltd, which more or less has a monopoly to produce coal in India?
Low growth and high inflation are the biggest setbacks for India as of now. As long as the inflation rates are high, RBI cannot reduce interest rates, hence making the country’s economic growth even more difficult.
For India to circumvent the current cataclysm, its government and RBI needs to form a pathway to move forward. The RBI can ask exporters to convert dollars to rupees, in other words, it can ask exporters to buy rupees. Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a very important role in managing the country’s economy. It is high time that the government comes up with reforms in FDI because when the dollars come into India through the foreign direct investment route, they need to be exchanged for rupees. Hence, dollars are sold and rupees are bought. This pushes up the demand for rupees, while increasing the supply of dollars, thus helping the rupee gain value against the dollar.
“After all is said and done, more is said than done.” India’s economic growth has taken a positive turn since 2013 but it has a long way to go. It would be interesting to see how India proves its rationality, and how its policies shape up the “Dollar-Rupee” equation.


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Earlier in the week a presentation was made to the proprietors of rent-a-car businesses to persuade them to purchase electric cars, motorcycles and bicycles to rent to their customers. At the beginning of the summer last year the Town Hall, in collaboration with the Govern, installed several recharging stations dotted around the island, but only one company in the sector actually acquired and rented vehicles which are propelled by electricity. Over the past four years improved technology in this field has allowed the batteries to become smaller and more efficient, and there is a motorbike on the market which has a similar performance to a 125 cc bike.
Six suppliers of this type of vehicle were invited to present their products and demonstrate their advantages. Unfortunately it is a question of economics, as the electric cars cost three times as much as their petrol-driven rivals. The rent-a-car companies would therefore have to charge more, an additional outlay most holidaymakers would not be prepared to pay. At the moment there are fourteen points where batteries may be recharged, but it is envisaged that they will be increased to 26 during the year.

domain: news


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A new survey revealed that at around 16 percent of Americans currently own a smart speaker. The study, comprised of both a telephone and online survey, was conducted by the National Public Radio (NPR) with the assistance of Edison Research. According to the survey, 16 percent of Americans aged 18 and above already own a smart speaker, which translates to around 39 million people, marking a 128 percent growth in users compared to the same period last year. 11 percent of the US population currently owns an Amazon Alexa smart speaker while four percent already possess a Google Home device. During the holiday season, seven percent of the country's population either bought such a device or received a smart speaker as a gift, while four percent of Americans got their first smart speakers.
The survey also suggests that smart speakers have changed the habits and behaviors of people who own them. Some of the activities that were replaced by interactions with smart speakers include listening to traditional AM/FM radio, using smartphones, or watching television. It is also interesting to note that 17 percent of users mentioned that they use their smart speakers in place of dedicated audio systems. People who have smart speakers commonly use these products to control household appliances and purchase items online. Moreover, at least 71 percent of the owners have indicated that they have been listening to more audio after acquiring a smart speaker, while 28 percent stated that they are now listening to more news and talk shows. When they are with their friends or family, people who possess smart speakers usually ask their assistants to either play music or answer general questions. Another trend that has been highlighted in the survey is that 44 percent of people who own smart speakers have also started using the personal assistants on their smartphones.
Also based on the survey conducted by the broadcaster, it seems that the majority of owners are satisfied with their devices. In fact, 65 percent of people who possess a smart speaker said that they would not want to go back to their lives without such an IoT device. In addition, 51 percent of users disclosed that they are using their smart speakers more often now compared to their first month of owning the device.


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Fiat announced the launch of the line 2015 Grand Siena, which brings little new. The model incorporates the "Lane Change" function that seeks to help the visualization of the vehicle in exchange for tracks.
Volvo presented at the Geneva Motor Show Concept Estate, a kind of familiar version of the Coupe Concept, shown at the last Frankfurt Motor Show. The car has beautiful headlights with LED daytime running lights "T" shape.
Nissan has set the stage for presentation to the public of the next generation of Titan: the Detroit Motor Show 2015. The information was confirmed by Dan Bedore, a spokesman for the Japanese automaker, in an interview with Edmunds.


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Brendan Bradley / Online Journalist
Over recent years, many of the currently infamous video game companies such as Electronic Arts (EA), Activision, and 2K have made many blunders in attempts at monetary benefit to the dismay of their consumers. These same companies also seem to be experiencing a decline in the quality of their products—doing things along the lines of releasing incomplete products, or making the game ‘pay to win.’ Ideas similar to this have been looked down upon by most players and and it’s been so for the last 6 years.
One such example of these incomplete products is Gearbox’s new release: Borderlands 3. The Borderlands series is widely known, and popular, for its cel-shaded art style and crude humor. However, the new addition to the series has been heavily criticized due to being rife with various glitches since its launch on September 13. Many of these issues aren’t just small issues either. These problems include extreme frame rate drops during combat, to the game simply crashing completely.
Another common practice that AAA companies seem to have started to implement have started picking up on is the concept of loot boxes. The first main stream game to ever do something similar to this was Valve’s Team Fortress 2 (Otherwise known as TF2). TF2 was one of Valve’s many big hits when it released in 2007, and the game still keeps about 40,000 average players to this day. One of the big reasons behind this longevity is the in game economy, which relies on well balanced loot boxes that could potentially give rare, and expensive, items. The issue with these modern loot boxes today is that the items they provide commonly have little to no use within the base game itself. This problem creates a lack of longevity; the exact opposite of what TF2 was able to achieve.
Activision was the first one to bite the bullet and go for monetization over integrity. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was released on November 4th, 2014, only to take the entire community by storm in the worst way possible. his specific Call of Duty game made history, for not only was it the first in the series to introduce the mechanics of an ‘exo-movement’ system, but loot boxes as well. People were outraged by this loot box system that seemed to give improved weapons or useless cosmetics at random; essentially deciding who won battles based on who spent the most money, or got lucky enough, to get the best weapon.
Despite the outrage, this new form of monetization spread like wildfire across the game industry. Greed made companies realize that they could release a half-baked game for full price. Then they could have the gullible pay money for content that would artificially enhance their skills. Of course, many of these ‘pay to win’ items were a rare drop in a loot box which increased potential income by millions.
The worst part of this is that a large percentage of consumers are with in the children to teens demographic; meaning that for the last 6 years, companies have been encouraging and providing underage gambling without opposition. Recently, however, Electronic Arts was required to testify before Parliament of the United Kingdom about this issue. During testimony, EA’s Vice President of Legal and Government Affairs, Kerry Hopkins, compared the aspect of loot boxes to the brand Kinder Eggs and said they were “Surprise mechanics.”
Overall, it is quite clear that these AAA companies have been slacking in their concerns for quality in their products. But sadly, it also seems like they are also losing interest in the concerns of their fans as well.


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Things are getting mighty crowded at Danbury Hackerspace, the downtown, community-oriented workspace that connects individuals looking to learn or collaborate on projects.
So crowded, in fact, that it’s looking to move out of its cramped, 3,500-square-foot space within the Danbury Innovation Center at 158 Main St. and into a larger space. According to co-founder Mike Kaltschnee, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit has its eye on a couple of empty buildings nearby, including one 30,000-square-foot facility.
“We need a 2,000-square-foot wood shop and a 2,000-square-foot metal shop, and that’s just for starters,” Kaltschnee said, noting that the current space also includes nine 3-D printers, several Bridgeport milling machines, a laser router and numerous other pieces of equipment both light and heavy, not to mention dozens of tools and inventions in varying stages of completion.
The Hackerspace also offers coworking space, though Kaltschnee said that tends to take a back seat to its main purpose as a business incubator.
Since forming 6 1/2 years ago, the Hackerspace has been host to a number of inventors who have made their dreams realities. Those include Noteworthy Chocolates, which engraves messages and designs onto chocolate molded into various sizes, from business cards to certificates, located in Bethel; SkyFlix, a New York City-based manufacturer of in-flight private entertainment systems for private jets that can store up to four terabytes of solid-state storage — enough room for over a thousand movies; and Luke’s Toy Factory.
“We specialize in creative collisions,” Kaltschnee grinned. “People come in, bounce ideas off of each other, help each other. It’s really a cooperative, collaborative space.”
Not every idea ends up flying, he said, recalling one would-be inventor who’d developed an idea for converting back-mounted leaf blowers into machines that could melt snow. That idea failed on two fronts: the inventor hadn’t properly copyrighted his idea, and a Hackerspace attorney noted that the result would create ice rather than simply removing snow.
The Hackerspace also hosts regular meetups, its annual STEAM Fair & Robotics Expo and weekly open houses on Thursdays to further encourage the exchange of ideas and advice. Membership costs $50 per month, $25 for students.
A Danbury native and resident, Kaltschnee said he intends the Hackerspace to stay in the city. “A lot of people still don’t think of Danbury as a hub,” he said, “but downtown especially is growing.”
In addition, he said that Mayor Mark Boughton was an early supporter of the Hackerspace — even before Kaltschnee had fully explained it — and that community support has been extraordinary.
Stanley and The Home Depot have been instrumental in supporting it with money and equipment and the Hackerspace’s central location — the building also includes SCORE Mentors Western Connecticut and the Western Connecticut office of the Small Business Development Center, and is adjacent to the city’s public library — has created an innovation hub. It is located within the Danbury Innovation Center.
“People like the idea,” Kaltschnee said. “When we started there were something like 200 hackerspaces around the country. Now there’s over 2,000.”
To its credit, the Danbury Hackerspace has expanded as well. “They’re bursting at the seams, which is great to see,” said Betsy Paynter, executive director of redevelopment agency CityCenter Danbury.
“I grew up here,” Kaltschnee said, “and the Hackerspace has grown up here, too. But what we need now is something like a warehouse, to contain everything we should have — including adequate storage.”
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Give back this Black Friday with L'Occitane.
Not only are they offering 20% off their full price and full size products, but £1 per every hand cream sold will be invested in tree planting.
The campaign is yet another in collaboration with PUR project and fulfils L'Occitane's key commitment of respecting biodiversity. The utimate goal to raise £20,000!
Say tuned for even more discounts on Cyber Monday...
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The Atlanta institution has kept its doors open for 70 years and shows no signs of slowing down.
Offering Atlanta customers more in-store menswear options.
The fourth and final season of the show premieres in September.
The final installment airs on FX and Hulu on September 15.
The brand is launching a new product line of ‘movewear’ for men, women and kids on August 4.


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During his three-day India trip, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos joined Shah Rukh Khan and director Zoya Akhtar for a little chat at an Amazon Prime Video event.
The trio spoke about Amazon's streaming service, Bezos' cameo in Star Trek and Khan's humility, among other things.
“It is because my last few films haven't done well," quipped SRK.
The actor wrapped up the conversation by teaching Bezos his iconic dialogue from Don: “Don ko pakarna mushkil hi nahi namumkin hai”.
To make it easier, he replaced namumkin with impossible. “Jeff Bezos ko pakarna mushkil hi nahi, impossible hai,” the Amazon founder finally said chuckling.
Attendees included Vidya Balan, Farhan Akhtar, Richa Chadha and Ritesh Deshmukh, who shared a video of that precious moment between Bezos and Khan:


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The EVERY Company, headquartered in South San Francisco, is a market leader in engineering, manufacturing and formulating animal-free, animal proteins as ingredients for the global food and beverage industry.
Currently Operating in Four Regions
August 2, 2019
Some startups, such as Clara Foods, are making synthetic versions of animal proteins for use in foods from smoothies to baked goods. The goal: to reshape the food supply without the environmental...
April 26, 2021
Bay area startup Clara Foods has teamed up with ZX Ventures, the innovation arm of the world’s largest brewer AB InBev - which knows a thing or two about large-scale fermentation - to help realize...
December 31, 2020
April 1, 2020
The pandemic has prompted Clara Foods, the manufacturer of animal-free egg whites, to narrow its research efforts and could delay partnerships the company forges with CPGs to use its product.
April 1, 2020
Clara foods has announced that the launch of its chicken-free egg whites is in sight and it expects the product to be available later this year, initially as an ingredient for protein drinks and...
March 9, 2020
What came first, the chicken or the egg? Arturo Elizondo is trying to make the age-old conundrum irrelevant. His Clara Foods has developed a fermentation technology that uses yeast to convert sugar...
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Austin Growing Jobs & its Manufacturing Market
published on February 18, 2013
A new study published by The Business Journals ranks Texas as one of the states least scathed by the recession, with Austin offering the best conditions in the nation for small business growth. Austin also is being touted as having one of the best economic climates for successful manufacturing.
The Business Journals utilized a six-part formula to rank the nation’s 102 major metropolitan areas, bestowing the best scores on areas highly conducive to the creation and development of small businesses (private-sector employers with 99 or fewer employees). Austin boasts 23 small businesses per 1,000 people and a private sector job growth of 4.57% in one year, meaning homes for sale in Austin are quickly shrinking in supply as more people move in and even more people find themselves on healthy economic ground.
Only 14 of the nation’s major markets have regained all of the private-sector jobs they lost during the recession, and Austin, alongside Houston, is leading the way in recovery. Austin placed second in the rankings, with a raw gain of 45,800 positions, but when ranked by a percentage calculation, Austin actually finished No. 1, with five-year job growth of 7.5%, growth that is fueling the sales of houses, like those in the commuter friendly and newer Avery Ranch neighborhood.
Small business isn’t the only way Austin is prospering on the job front. Alongside technology companies, the University of Texas, and the state government, manufacturing is taking its place as a source of strong economic activity. Over the past decade, manufacturing in Austin has grown four times faster than the metro-area economy as a whole, according to Brian Kelsey of Civic Analytics. Accounting for 20% of Austin’s gross metro product (the total goods and services produced in the area,) the sector is now the largest single component of the local economy. Austin’s overall productivity, which historically lagged the nationwide metro-area average, also has soared in recent years. Over the long term, a rise in productivity is known to create greater wealth for a city and its residents, which is a good outlook for Austin, as more companies are taking an interest in Austin as a place to locate. The outlook of continued economic health also pushes up sales of luxury homes in Austin, as more corporations hire new leaders in the area, further helping the housing market excel.
In Austin, the number of manufacturing jobs has increased more than 4% in each of the past two years. The area’s largest manufacturers make computer and electronic products and employ more than 24,000 workers. In 2010, they exported about $4.7 billion worth of goods, more than half of all the area’s exports that year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Austin’s manufacturing might, allure for expanding companies, and powerhouse small business climate continue to create an economic landscape that draws people (and employers) to Austin from around the globe.
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BRAZIL: GAZ considers truck and van assembly
Russian automaker GAZ is considering assembling its Gazel mid-sized trucks and vans in Brazil, Boris Alyoshin, director of Russia's Federal Industry Agency, told Prime-Tass during a visit to the country.
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Tyne and Wear Metro in running for marketing award
The Tyne and Wear Metro network is in the running for a national award for marketing following passenger numbers hitting their highest level for five years.
The Chartered Institute for Marketing has named Metro staff as finalists for its prize for team of the year.
They will be up against household names such as Direct Line, Standard Life and O2 for the accolade.
Their marketing campaigns, featuring a Metro cube character, have highlighted the value and convenience offered by Pop smart cards and student and season tickets to passengers using its 17 North Tyneside stations and others elsewhere on the network.
The award nod for Metro management firm Nexus and operator DB Regio comes after passenger numbers topped 40 million in 2015, up 13 per cent over the last two years and at their highest since 2011.
The Metro also achieves the highest possible rating for value for money from marketing campaigns, according to official Department for Transport ratings.
Kerry Leng, marketing manager for Nexus, said: “One in every eight passengers is new to Metro in the last two years.
“We have invested in attractive and innovative marketing campaigns to help make Metro the fastest growing light rail system outside London.
“Nexus is a public body and makes no profit from Metro, but every new passenger helps support the cost of running the service while underlining how vital it is to the local economy.”
David De Ivey, marketing controller for DB Regio, said: “We’re delighted to have been nominated jointly for this award. To ensure the money we spend on media was used as efficiently as possible, we utilised emerging new technology to reach our target audience in their homes, tailoring messaging to speak to distinct groups of potential Metro customers.
“This approach was aligned with our overall strategy to boost awareness of the brand, which we achieved by taking a number of high-profile digital advertising sites on the main arterial routes in the region.”
Metro ran its first television adverts for over a decade last summer, introducing the new Metro cube character.
Institute acting chief executive Chris Daly said: “We’ve seen some fantastic entries this year, and it is already clear that this will be a great representation of our industry’s hard work over the past 12 months.
“The finalists are varied, innovative and showcase a range of high-quality campaigns.”


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Two-thirds of UK firms suffered cyber attacks in the last year
Most enterprises and SMBs are not aware of cybersecurity schemes, finds study
Over two-thirds of large businesses have experienced a cybersecurity breach in the last 12 months, according to a government survey released this month.
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey revealed that 65 per cent of large firms have detected an attack in the past year, with a quarter of those experiencing attacks on a monthly basis.
These breaches often prove damaging, with an average cost of 36,500 for a large business. Despite this, however, only 13 per cent of businesses hold their external suppliers to any sort of cybersecurity standards, the survey of 1,008 UK businesses found.
"I'm not too surprised to see these attacks and breaches are affecting more businesses," said ViaSat UK CEO Chris McIntosh.
"I am surprised, however, that despite half of FTSE 350 businesses seeing cyberattacks as the biggest threat to their business, the policies and technology they have put in place do not reflect this."
"In the modern threat landscape complacency is no longer an option - companies need to review their entire IT systems from top to bottom; ensuring there are no unprotected points of entry for potential attackers and that all points of access are secured and all sensitive data is encrypted."
Another issue is that many companies remain unaware of government initiatives to help enterprises with cybersecurity.
Under 30 per cent of large companies were aware of the government's '10 Steps' cybersecurity guidance programme, with that number falling even further among SMBs.
Even fewer businesses were aware of the Cyber Essentials Scheme - just six per cent overall.
"I am proud British industry is leading the way," wrote digital economy minister Ed Vaizey in a foreword to the report. "But to secure our place in today's global marketplace we need to ensure the UK is one of the safest places in the world to do business online."
"Too many businesses are suffering disruption, financial loss and theft of intellectual property as a result of cyber crime. This is why the government has announced a new 1.9 billion investment in cyber security over the next five years. This will help to make the UK the best protected country in cyber space."
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Looking for ideas on effective marketing approaches in social media?
Check out the Social Media & Video Strategies forum on Tuesday, Aug. 11, in San Jose, CA.
The lineup at the full-day event includes author Clay Shirky; Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra; H&R Block Social Media Marketing Manager Stacy Gratz; Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube; and Ricardo Guerrero, founder of Stwittergy.
ClickZ teamed up with YouTube and Google to hold the forum; it’s being run in conjunction with the Search Engine Strategies San Jose Conference & Expo. Go here to learn more.
Social media will be the focus of the ClickZ/Online Marketing Summit track on Day 2 of Search Engine Strategies.
There, Brian Kalma, head of user experience and Web strategy at Zappos; Brian Ellefritz, senior manager, social media marketing at Cisco Systems; and other digital marketing experts, will share their experiences about working on the front lines of social media marketing.
Election 2016 is already like no presidential race before it, and one of the most striking aspects of this year’s race is the disparity ... read more
Can Snapchat make tech-enabled glasses cool? It’s going to try. Last week, it was revealed that the company behind the ascendant social app ... read more


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Congratulations to our very own Samantha Jones who made a clean sweep of awards in the prestigious pet portrait category held by the North West BIPP. Her recently commissioned dog portraits won Gold, Silver and Bronze awards at the recently held award ceremony held at the Worsley Marriott Hotel. A great achievement to claim the top three awards in a single category which is judged by fellow professional photographers. A fab result for Sam and a proud day for the studio, top result!
Additional congratulations also go to Phil Melia who won Bronze awards in the Fine Art & Pictorial category and the Fashion & Beauty category. More award winning photography from the team at Saddleworth Studios to follow...... watch this space!


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Supplements blamed for drug problems
I don't know about you, but if given the choice between fish oil and rat poison, I'll swim with the fishes every single time.
Both are effective blood thinners... but while fish oil is safe and natural, the mainstream would much rather you take warfarin, the anticoagulant that also happens to be the active ingredient in rat poison.
A new study, however, finds that too many people are taking both--and that has the potential for disaster no matter which side of the drugs-vs-supplements debate you're on.
Researchers interviewed 100 heart patients in Utah, and found that two thirds of them were taking dietary supplements along with their blood thinners--and 63 percent of them didn't discuss those supplements with their doctors.
That's a mistake in any case, because supplements such as gingko, garlic, fish oil, cranberry and glucosamine can all thin the blood. Combine them with warfarin, and your blood could get too thin--putting you at risk for serious bleeding problems.
Other popular supplements such as ginseng and green tea extract can negate the rat poison. The word "antidote" comes to mind, but if you need to thin your blood, that could actually increase your clot risk.
Now, there's an obvious answer here: Work with a good naturopathic doctor on a supplement regimen that can help you to reduce and ultimately eliminate warfarin and other blood-thinning meds.
Dr. Jonathan Wright has been treating his patients with fish oil instead of warfarin for years--and you can read more about his approach on his Web site.
But since safe supplements won't help Big Pharma earn the money it needs to keep spending billions on drug ads, don't expect the mainstream to mention them favorably.
In fact, they're taking the opposite approach. Just look at how this story is being covered at CNN.com, which is typical of how the survey was handled by the drug-loving media:
"Herbal and dietary supplements are found in the aisles of supermarkets and health-food stores rather than behind a pharmacy counter, and they can be dangerous when mixed with the wrong drug," according to the report.
You read that right--it's the supplements that are dangerous. There's even an implication in there that supplements don't belong in the aisles of supermarkets and health-food stores.
The story also came with a link showing all the "dangerous" things heart patients shouldn't take.
It's funny how garlic and grapefruit juice made the list--but rat poison didn't, despite the fact that warfarin comes with serious risks even when used correctly.
In fact, warfarin patients face such a high risk of hemorrhage that they need close monitoring. The drug has also been known to cause hives and other skin problems as well as swelling, bruising, pain, numbness and painful erections.
A daily serving of salmon, on the other hand, tastes real good.
But it does have its limits--it won't kill any rats.
About the author
Edward Martin writes House Calls, a daily letter chronicling the most cutting-edge alternative methods for beating diabetes and cancer, to the latest FDA foul-ups and Big Pharma conspiracies.
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China’s first law to be initiated against the vastly growing online gaming industry is set to take effect Sunday, state-run media reported.
The law has been introduced to protect children from internet addiction and inappropriate content. The action comes following the deaths of numerous children at rehabilitation centers for internet-addicted youths last year.
The regulation, which was originally issued by the Ministry of Culture in June, states that online games targeting minors must be free of all content leading to the imitation of behavior that violates social morals and the law, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
Under the new law, gamers will be required to register using their legal names before participating in online games. In turn, online gaming developers will be required to set restrictions that limit the amount of time minors spend playing such games.
According to data acquired by Xinhua from the China Internet Network Information Center, the online population in the country reached a total of 420 million in June.
The market value of the online gaming industry in China in 2009 increased by roughly 40 percent, the equivalent of U.S. $3.8 billion
- The law aims to protect children from internet addiction
- Gamers will be required to register for games using their legal names
- Minors will be restricted on the amount of time they spend playing online games
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Yogurt has cachet. It's widely seen as a health food. It's tasty. And its sales, led by consumption of Greek yogurt, continue to climb faster than most other categories of packaged food.
For yogurt producers, managing that growth means, among other things, ensuring that distribution can keep up. Dannon, the leading producer of yogurt in the U.S., is among the companies experiencing solid growth, and its Oikos brand Greek yogurt is the fastest-growing brand in that rapidly expanding segment. Ensuring that distribution can keep up with demand, among other factors, led Dannon to make a major investment in a new warehouse attached to its production facility in West Jordan, Utah.
The new warehouse, which distributes Dannon products to company DCs nationwide, opened last year. It includes a deep-lane automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) that can store 7,000 pallets. But automation was by no means a certainty when Dannon began planning the project. In fact, it marks the company's first venture into automation in the U.S.
The previous cooler warehouse had 1,000 storage locations for pallets—only half the production capacity of the plant. Those storage limitations forced Dannon to do some things that were less than optimal. It required shipping some product as soon as it came off the production line whether its DCs were ready for it or not. Other finished product had to be shipped to a third-party warehouse in the area and then on to the DCs, adding to transportation, handling, and storage costs.
FROM PUSH TO PULL
With the new warehouse, those problems have been eliminated. "Now we can use a pull model," says Aaron Anderson, senior manager of flow chain at the Dannon plant. "We can hold product until the DCs want it based on the forecast and existing customer orders. That gives us better accuracy on deployment, and direct plant shipping saves us a ton of money."
Anderson is responsible for managing finished-goods pallets that come off the 10 production lines in the manufacturing plant (an 11th will be installed next year) and for raw materials heading into production. As a result, he has a close-up view of distribution operations. He was directly involved in planning the new facility, along with Simon Osborn, Dannon's vice president of supply chain strategies, and other members of the team. He also worked closely with Peach State Integrated Technologies, an Atlanta-based systems integrator, to develop and execute the construction and launch of the warehouse.
Peter Sobol, the Peach State project director who worked with Dannon, says the yogurt company initially looked at building a conventional cooler warehouse that would expand on the existing 1,000-pallet capacity. It even had a prospective design for an automated operation when it stepped back and engaged Peach State in January 2011 to prepare a study on what a new optimal design might be. That consulting project eventually evolved into a full-scale systems integration project that included overseeing development of the new warehouse, which is a food-grade cooler operated at 38 degrees F.
The site for the warehouse, adjacent to the production plant, posed some design challenges for the team. For one thing, there was the matter of space. To accommodate the plant's production volume—a volume that continues to expand—the facility would require a great deal of storage capacity, says Sobol. But the design was constrained by the small footprint available on the site. The site is also in an active seismic area, which demanded a building that could withstand any temblors the area might sustain. And, with heavy snowfall each winter, the warehouse roof had to be able to stand up to a substantial snow load.
More important than the design considerations were Dannon's business goals. Dannon wanted more efficient shipping, close control over inventory, and more flexibility in storage. The company was already making use of plastic pallets provided by iGPS, and it wanted to take full advantage of the RFID chips embedded in those. The warehouse had to be able to handle manufacturing throughput rates of 85 to 125 pallets per hour. The design had to ensure that whatever material handling system was selected would have access to most of the perishable inventory at all times, even if part of the system went down.
GO HIGH AND DEEP
The ultimate solution was to construct a 35,000-square-foot rack-supported building with 90-foot interior clearance and installation of a large-scale deep-lane AS/RS that could handle 7,000 pallets. "The idea of a smaller footprint and a taller building drove much of the project," Sobol says.
After its analysis, Peach State proposed installing an AS/RS designed by Dambach Lagersysteme, a German manufacturer of material handling systems. Dannon executives and managers visited several Dambach installations in Europe, including one dairy company that had a deep-lane system similar to the one proposed. Sobol says those visits gave Dannon executives confidence in the proposal.
Prior to launching the system, Peach State and Dannon put it through its paces in a simulation developed by Design Rate Simulations, a Salt Lake City simulation specialist. That gave them great confidence that the system would meet or exceed expectations. "We were pleased to see that it blew the project rates out the window," Sobol says. "The retrieval and putaway rates were way beyond the rates we expected."
The system employs three cranes: two storage and retrieval cranes with two shuttles each and a smaller crane used for shipping. It is capable of handling 120 pallets per hour. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the design is that either of the storage and retrieval cranes can reach most of the inventory even if one of the cranes is out of operation—critically important for Dannon's perishable goods. "It gives us a huge amount of flexibility in case something does happen since our products have a very short shelf life," Anderson says. "Product sits here a maximum of three days."
Either crane can reach as much as 80 percent of the pallet positions. Anderson explains that the racks are 11 positions deep. In normal operation, one crane handles six positions and the other, five. But because the racks are in a single channel, either crane can reach up to 10 positions deep, providing access to nearly all of the pallets. "The only reason we didn't go to 11 is that we don't want to risk the shuttle driving out of the rack," Anderson says.
Sobol adds that allowing access from both sides also offered storage flexibility for Dannon. It enables Dannon to vary the number of products from a single lot in any one lane. For example, one side could be eight pallets deep with one product, while the other could hold two pallets of a different product.
The AS/RS system itself is 31 pallet positions deep and 10 positions high. The shuttles that lift the pallets for storage or retrieval operate separately from the cranes. Shuttles glide under the pallets, lift them and carry them into the assigned storage position, and set them on rails within the racks or, for shipping, lift them from the racks and bring them to the cranes. "That leaves the cranes independent," Anderson says.
MAKE, COOL, STORE, RETRIEVE
The process starts back at the end of the manufacturing line. Production runs of between 20 and 50 pallets of a particular item move from the production lines to the warehouse, carried by Dematic automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Before going to storage, the yogurt must go through a cooling process: It comes off the production line at about 60 degrees F and must be cooled to between 36 and 45 degrees F. The AGVs drop the pallets into cooling cells, each of which holds a single pallet, or a cooling tunnel, through which up to 45 pallets move via conveyor. After the cooling process, the AGVs move the pallets to a conveyor for induction into the AS/RS.
To track the pallets as they move from production to the AS/RS, Dannon employs SAP's enterprise resource planning system as well as its own warehouse management system (WMS), called Tek Dan. Developed by the company's French parent, Danone, Tek Dan captures production data from the SAP system and then links the RFID-enabled pallets with the lot code and time from production. As the pallets move into storage, the facility's warehouse control system (WCS) reads their RFID tags, matching them with the lot code and number of cases retrieved from the WMS. The WCS was developed for Dannon and Peach State by Georgia-based engineering services and systems development firm Atronix Engineering.
After reading the pallet tag, the WCS produces a print-and-apply label, a pallet license plate with product information embedded in a bar code. In the meantime, the pallets go through one of the two stretch wrap machines before induction into the AS/RS racks. The pallets then move through a sizing station that ensures each pallet is square.
Having the WCS capture lot data on every pallet is crucial for efficient operation of the AS/RS because the WMS cannot see specific locations in the automated system. "It knows that it has X number of pallets of this material at this quantity, but it doesn't know a given pallet's position," Anderson says. "That's embedded in the WCS. The system will call for a specific pallet, but the WCS is designed to say, 'OK, you requested this pallet with this material and this code date and quantity, but we'll give you another pallet instead.' It gets the same material, but it might not be the specific pallet requested."
He explains that the Tek Dan system keeps close track of the time of production. So it may call for the first pallet produced in a run ahead of any others. But that first pallet into the AS/RS is likely to be deep in the rack. "We didn't want to have a system that would have to shuffle four or five pallets," he says. "Those are all wasted moves. If that pallet in front is exactly the same, I'm going to give it that instead."
The WCS also offers another redundancy important to Dannon, Sobol says. Should the Tek Dan system be down for any reason, the WCS can still keep the system running. "They can reconcile information after the fact," Sobol says. "The WCS acts much like a WMS."
Eighty-five percent of the shipments from the warehouse go by truckload carrier to Dannon DCs around the country, mostly to a DC in Salt Lake City, but also to facilities in Allentown, Pa.; Dayton, Ohio; and Fort Worth, Texas. The other 15 percent moves directly to end customers' DCs. The shipments are all managed from Dannon's U.S. headquarters in White Plains, N.Y.
The system feeds pallets to the shipping crane in the correct sequence for trailer loading. "It can queue those up in advance of the truck's arrival at the dock," says Sobol. (The system can configure up to 13 trailer loads in advance.) As a result, the warehouse can now load a 30-pallet outbound truck in 20 minutes, Sobol says. In fact, the system can outpace the forklift drivers who load the trailers. The fast shipping rate was one of Dannon's major goals. The system is currently able to move two trailer loads an hour out of each dock. Dannon ships 35 to 45 trailer loads out of the facility each day.
The system has provided Dannon with substantial cost savings. "The biggest things are the transportation and storage and handling savings we've been able to achieve by shipping direct," Anderson says. Another advantage: The old cooler space can now be used for raw materials, specifically the large stainless steel totes of fruit used in many of the products. That has saved Dannon much of the cost of storing goods at a third-party warehouse and the cost of shipping them daily to the plant.
Ultimately, Anderson expects the new warehouse and AS/RS will save Dannon $3 million to $4 million a year. "That will grow as our business grows," he says. And that growth is substantial: 20 percent per year, he says.


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Action Arcade MMORPG? This should be interesting.
From an official press release:
Seoul, Korea - July 31, 2007 - allm Corp., (CEO Lee Jong-myung, www.allm.co.kr) online computer game developer, is poised to launch a global open beta service of its online game brand Record of Lunia War - Action Arcade MMORPG (http://global.lunia.com), targeting gamers in some 80 countries across the world on July 31st, 2007.(U.S EST).
The online RPG was successfully tested in a closed beta held in May this year, and the company has been reinforcing the content and the system since then, listening carefully to the users who participated.
As a part of the contents update, the "[History] Episode3" will be introduced for the Stage Mode of the Record of Lunia War. A theme park in the game, called "Luna Park," will also be added to provide a variety of fun experiences for users. Also, a group of avatar body motions to express 32 unique emotional states for each of three characters (Sieg, Dainn, Eir) will be added, helping users communicate with each other more seamlessly.
To reinforce the game, a guild system has been added, and the existing messenger system was enhanced to allow close communication between users. The newly updated user interface also greatly improves the user's convenience. The company is also aimed at creating a more user-friendly environment by lowering computer specifications and installing new servers in the United States.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Record of Lunia War Game Page.


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The market, which comes to Woking on the third Thursday of each month, will be ploughing into town on three extra dates on Saturday July 30, October 29 and December 31 from 9am to 2.30pm.
There will be around 20 stalls to browse all bursting with produce direct from nearby farmers and producers including fresh fruit and vegetables, breads and cakes, meats, game and chutneys and sauces.
For more information about the Farmers’ Markets contact Ian Young, market co-ordinator at Woking Borough Council on 01483 743208 or e-mail email@example.com.
Market mooves into town square
ARMED with fresh farm produce and accompanied by her friendly cow, a Woking farm girl joined market traders to remind fresh food fans the popular Farmers’ Market will be moo-ving into the town square on Saturday.


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If its first quarter earnings were any indication, Boyd Gaming Corp. is well on its way back from the economic downturn seen in the casino industry due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a news release detailing the Las Vegas-based company’s financial results for the 90 days from the beginning of the year through March 31, Boyd showed earnings of $753.3 million, an 11% increase from the same period in 2020.
More important, the earning were just 9% lower from 2019 — when business was up-and-running at full capacity a year before the outset of the pandemic.
“As vaccinations continue to roll out, customers are clearly becoming more comfortable resuming their pre-pandemic activities, including regular visits to our properties,” said Keith Smith, Boyd’s CEO during an earnings call on Tuesday.
Smith said the strong spring showing for the company — which owns 28 gaming properties in 10 states, including 10 in the Las Vegas Valley — helped lead to a first quarter posting of $292.6 million in EBITDAR (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and restructuring or rent costs), a new company record.
EBITDAR figures are sometimes used by companies as an alternative to measure financial performance.
Smith said daily rated play — a measure of gamblers with a company loyalty account on the company’s BConnected system — at Boyd casinos increased 18% from February to March. That included a 25% increase in the company’s 65-and-up rated customer segment, Smith said.
A Boyd spokesman said there is no timeframe available yet on when the company might open its two Las Vegas properties — Eastside Cannery and Main Street Station, a favorite for visitors from Hawaii — that remain closed.
The spokesman said the timeframe to open Main Street, located in downtown Las Vegas, will hinge on travel patterns between Las Vegas and Hawaii.


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Wine sales in India rose by 21% from 95 lakh litres in 2013-14 to 1.15 crore litres in 2014-15, according to the All-India Wine Producers Association
An amendment to the Bombay Foreign Liqour Rules, 1953, which allows consumers to purchase 12 units at a time, spells cheer for Maharashtra’s wine industry.
Until now, consumers who visited wineries in Nashik were permitted to purchase only two units at a time but the amendment now spells more business for the industry, says All-India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA) president Shivajirao Aher.
According to Aher, this has been a long-standing demand of the industry that has finally been accepted by the government.
The decision comes at a time when the Kumbh Mela is being held in Nashik, with expectations of a marked increase in visitors during this period, he said.
According to the notification issued on August 28, consumers who were earlier allowed to purchase two units a week (three litres per week) are now permitted to purchase 12 units (18 litres per week).
For wineries, this means more sale because visitors can now purchase more bottles at one time, Manoj Jagtap, coordinator of the Association who also conducts wine tours for the industry, said.
Aher pointed out that even as the notification applies to the liquor industry as a whole, the wine industry stands to benefit the most because of the tourism aspect.
Jagdish Holkar, former chairman, Indian Grape Processing Board (IGPB) said, “there has been a 25-30% increase in wine sales during the Kumbh Mela period. When consumers realise that they can purchase more wine, the sales will go up.”
From April to July 2015, Nashik district recorded a 7% rise in wine sales in the current financial year to 1,65,389 litres as against 1,55,405 litres during the corresponding period in 2014-15.
For wineries such as Sula, wine sales at the company’s tasting room have gone up by 15%. On a daily basis, Sula Vineyards alone has some 2,000-odd visitors. Other wineries to have tasting rooms include Grover Zampa, York Wineries, Chateau de Ori, Soma Wines , Fratelli and Revioli. Nashik is known as the wine capital of the country, and rightly so, as half of the Maharashtra’s wineries are based in the district.
Besides, the wineries from Nashik contribute to a whopping 80% of the total sale in the domestic market.
There are a total of 93 wineries in the country, including 75 in Maharashtra. Of these, 37 wineries are based in Nashik alone.
Maharashtra accounts for almost 90% of the total grape-wine production in India, while Nashik contributes 80% of the total wine production in the country.
“Wineries earlier made premium wine worth Rs 350 a bottle (750ml). Now, they are making low-cost wines ranging from from Rs 150 a bottle onwards. Apart from this, wine is also available in hotels and restaurants at reasonable rates. Earlier, hoteliers would sell only four to five bottles a day due to high margin. They are now selling 10 to15 bottles per day. The young generation is also more inclined towards drinking wine than liquor. This has helped increase the wine sales in the district as well as in the country,”Aher said.
Wine sales in India rose by 21% from 95 lakh litres in 2013-14 to 1.15 crore litres in 2014-15, according to the All India Wine Producers association.
Studies by Vinexpo, another leading wine and spirits industry body, has forecast that by 2017 wine sales will grow by 73.5%, translating to an annual consumption of 2.4 million cases.
India wines have also started making their mark in overseas markets and therefore there is more curiosity to know about wines, an industry expert said.
For instance. one of the most renowned restaurants in the world, L’Arpège in Paris has selected two signature wines from the Grover Zampa Vineyards in India to be included in its menu. This is the first time an Indian wine has made it to the tables of the 3 Michelin star restaurant. The two wines – Grover Zampa’s Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc and La Reserve Red that won medals at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards and the Hong Kong International Wine Competition 2014, are the latest additions to the restaurant’s menu.


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In 2014 the full-service Motorcars automotive network established its Motorcars Mobility Sales & Service center to accommodate the needs of disabled drivers requiring specialized vehicles, repairs and maintenance. General Manager Ken Rainey recently answered a series of questions about the conversion process and how the marketing mix was implemented.
More than 18 million people in the U.S. and Canada report having transportation issues relating to physical challenges; 6 million of them are veterans, a figure that has jumped by 25 percent since 2001.
With global demand for disabled-friendly vehicles experiencing unprecedented growth, the need for obtaining expert education for both business owners and technicians is critical when venturing into this segment, according to Dave Hubbard, executive director and CEO of the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA).
The mayor of Chicago and executives from Advanstar Communications and Messe Frankfurt introduced Automechanika Chicago, a new trade show that will focus on shop-level training for technicians and product discovery.
Pep Boys is spicing up its relatively recent retail and wholesale sales presence within the specialty equipment marketplace by sponsoring a new “West Coast Customs” television show on the Fox Sports Network.
Heavy rain dampened the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series, Rolex Series and Sportsman Showcase Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway over this past weekend as all the race teams put Continental’s rain tires to the test.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), approximately five percent of the estimated 3,889,770
vehicles involved in accidents between 2005 and 2007 had
Transtar Industries, Inc., has announced the release of their 2011 Automatic Transmission Parts catalog. Featuring more than 150 automatic transmissions, this catalog is the most comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date and user- friendly catalog in the i


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The Deniliquin Business Excellence Awards are going online in 2020.
While the gala awards night planned for June was cancelled due to Coronavirus, the Deniliquin Business Chamber executive did not want to abandon the awards altogether.
There will be a reduced program of awards, and an online awards ceremony in lieu of the annual gala ceremony.
Chamber president said the gala evening is a popular event on the local events calendar, usually attracting 200 people to the Deniliquin RSL to celebrate the achievements and success of businesses.
Mrs Rutter said it was important to still celebrate those successes, despite the difficulties 2020 has brought.
She said the online awards format has been made possible thanks to support from Edward River Council, Deniliquin Pastoral Times, and Edge FM.
‘‘The challenges the business community and their staff have dealt with this year have been truly unprecedented,’’ Mrs Rutter said.
‘‘Yet amongst it all there have been businesses and employees that have continued to shine, and it would have been such a shame for us to miss the opportunity to celebrate that this year.’’
The online awards ceremony will be streamed live on Friday, October 16.
There are six awards categories, including the coveted Business of the Year.
Others include Employee of the Year, Excellence in Customer Service (one for businesses and one for individuals) and Outstanding Young Employee, Apprentice or Trainee, as well as the new
Inspiring Pivot Award.
‘‘In this category chamber is looking for a business that has pivoted their business model to achieve short term survival and long-term resilience,’’ Mrs Rutter said.
‘‘The inclusion of this award provides us with an opportunity to really celebrate and acknowledge some of the many innovations we have seen from businesses who have successfully adapted to the changing conditions this year.
‘‘Whether it was embracing technology in a creative way, redefining their product offering, or even using the downtime to make changes to their business, we want to acknowledge the enormous effort made by these businesses to keep the wheels turning for their business.’’
Winners of the individual staff awards will receive a $200 Deniliquin Gift Card.
Members of the public are encouraged to get involved by nominating a business or individual. Nominators go in to the draw to win a $100 Deniliquin Gift Card.
Nominate online at www.deniliquinchamber.com.au/awards by October 2. Nomination can also be sent to chamber at PO Box 513, Deniliquin.


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Indore: Charging Rs 4 over MRP (maximum retail price), Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited has been ordered to pay 2,500 times or 25,000 per cent compensation in the recent judgement passed by District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum Indore – 2.
The complaint was raised by advocate Manish Goyal son of Rameshchandra Goyal, who quoted the importance of water and frequent use of packaged drinking water by consumers.
“A bottle of Kinley has its MRP set at Rs 16 outside, but the same bottle is being sold at higher prices in outlets,” Goyal said. Citing the incident and presenting requisite bill as evidence from Nov. 20, 2011, the plaintiff presented his case.
“Dining at Delhi Grill restaurant in Malhar Mall, we felt thirsty and ordered bottled water, which costs about Rs 16 at MRP in various outlets in the city,” Goyal said.
It was a one litre bottle of Kinley.
The plaintiff did not see a point in arguing over the charged price of bottle with the restaurant owner as it was claimed to be company’s fault as well.
Approaching the forum, he presented the case seeking help in settling the dispute. Hence, defended in the case were both the restaurant and company selling the bottled water.
Though delayed and taking about 8 years, Goyal finally got justice and compensation. There is also a hope that this case would inspire consumer’s to fight for their justice and we will have lesser such cases of unfair trade in the country,” he said.
In the final verdict, Hindustan Coca Cola has agreed to settle the matter and was charged of unfair trade and taking benefit of consumer and hence, asked to pay compensation by forum president Om Prakash Sharma and member Sumitra Hatiwala.
In the verdict, Sharma noted the increasing number of cases of unfair trades and possible harm to innocent consumers, who fail to understand that MRP is the final possible price that can be charged by a retailer.
The forum has ordered Hindustan Coca Cola to pay compensation of Rs 10,000 and Rs 2,000 as fee for consumer forum. Also, the Rs 4 charged over MRP must be paid back with interest of 9 per cent per annum from the date of purchase.


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The food service industry is experiencing more changes than ever. Several decades ago, traditional food services were improved by food delivery apps. Now, a new method of food delivery is on the rise that will revolutionize this industry. Autonomous vehicles have been in the spotlight recently, from daily conversations to public debates. But who would have imagined for autonomous driving to step into the food industry first? Currently, auto manufactures from around the world are partnering with small startups to deliver food and groceries.
Kroger partnered with Nuro to make grocery deliveries. The autonomous vehicles will have no passengers and transport products only. This service is available seven days a week for a $5.95 flat fee. Right now, this service is being tested in Scottsdale, Arizona only. But in the future, it will most likely expand to more areas with more variations.
Last year, a Japanese brand, Toyota, revealed a prototype of an autonomous delivery vehicle. It plans to work with Pizza Hut on food deliveries. In addition, a German brand, Daimler AG, invested two years on a side-walk robot company called Starship Technologies. Companies from across the globe are all developing new strategies and inventing new creations in order to stay competitive in this fast-moving economy.
Efficient, autonomous delivery will significantly reduce costs while solving the problem of delivery driver shortages. Many analysts believe that in several decades, autonomous vehicles will be used for the majority of food deliveries.


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A new generation of paleontologists are finally bringing dinosaurs back to life in China
Xu Xing remembers receiving his acceptance letter from Peking University (PKU)—along with his assigned major, paleontology. He had always wanted to be a scientist, a big dream for a boy from the foothills of Xinjiang’s Tianshan Mountains.
“I didn’t know what paleontology meant, so I asked my teacher, who also didn’t know, and suggested that it might be a cutting-edge field,” Xu now laughs. “You can imagine my disappointment when I realized that I would be studying fossils hundreds of millions of years old.”
Today, Xu’s office at the Chinese Academy of Sciences is filled with fossils—crammed on tables, bookshelves, and even the floor, with the exception of a carefully constructed path from the door to his desk. As Xu walks by, he picks up these priceless items without a second thought; he’d dug most of them out of the dirt himself.
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As the security industry kicks off National Cyber Security Awareness Month today, a new report from McAfee has found that 90 per cent of people do not feel completely safe from online viruses, malware and hackers.
In partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), McAfee surveyed 1,000 adult Internet users, and found disparities between online safety perceptions and actual practices.
While the majority of those surveyed agree that a safe and secure Internet is important, the same amount are concerned about identity theft, viruses, hackers, loss of privacy, and other Internet security maladies.
"The Internet is central to our daily lives and our economy and this new survey shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe keeping this system safe and secure is vital," Michael Kaiser, executive director of the NCSA, said in a statement. "The Internet is a shared resource for so many of our daily activities, which is why protecting it is a shared responsibility."
Smartphone security and password protection issues have grown as more people have started using smartphones to access the Web. According to the NCSA/McAfee survey, an even 50 per cent reportedly turn to their mobile device for Internet use, up 6 per cent from last year.
Among them, 63 per cent believe their device is safe from cyber-criminality, with 15 per cent saying they feel "very safe." But 29 per cent are concerned about an attack on their smartphone.
The NCSA reminded smartphone and tablet users that it is just as important to install security software or apps on a mobile device as it is on a PC, where, according to the survey, most people feel safest accessing the Internet.
Chris Boyer, NCSA president and AT&T assistant vice president for public policy, said October's awareness month is a time to reflect on past security measures, and determine how to improve upon them.
"We want all audiences to understand that protecting the Internet is increasingly becoming a matter of public safety," Boyer said in a statement.
McAfee and NCSA reminded Internet users to stay safe online by keeping security software current, limiting shared personal information, creating strong passwords, and protecting all Internet-enabled devices, including computers, smartphones, and gaming systems.


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ASAE inspectors are now searching ads of existing listings on online platforms such as Booking.com, Airbnb or Home Away to verify their Local Lodging registrations. As of 01 July, those advertising holiday lets on online platforms are required to display their “AL” registration licence number. It is currently estimated that approximately 20% of offerings are illegal. Failure to comply can lead to heavy fines for internet platforms and unlisted local lodging operators.
Airbnb has capitulated to lawmaker demands over its operations in New York City, agreeing to drop a legal challenge against newly passed legislation. The suit disputed a recent state law calling for fines up to $7,500 for illegally listing short-term offerings on online rental platforms such as Airbnb.


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THE BUSINESS: Pareto Networks Inc. on June 29 launched a cloud-based way for businesses to deploy networks without investing in networking equipment. The company says its first product, Pareto Branch On Demand, helps businesses and groups roll out secure networks connecting teleworkers, mobile workgroups, kiosks and small branch offices in minutes.
HOW IT WILL MAKE MONEY: Pareto’s annual subscription starts at $228 per site, which includes all hardware, support, maintenance and future feature upgrades.
BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY IT COULD DISRUPT: Pareto plans to disrupt the traditional networking industry by eliminating the need to purchase routers, access points, switches and firewalls for distributed networking.
MANAGEMENT TEAM: Co-founder and CEO Matthew Palmer is the former VP of enterprise planning and operations at Juniper Networks Inc., coming via the Netscreen Technologies Inc. acquisition in 2004. Co-founder and engineering vice president Carl Mower has worked at a number of tech companies, has two patents, two more he himself has applied for and five more filed with Pareto. Michael Peachey, VP of marketing and product management, has held product management and product marketing roles at Juniper, joining the company when it acquired Peribit Networks Inc. in 2005. Cindy O’Connell, VP of business operations, was VP of operations at Rohati Systems Inc. and director of operations for Palo Alto Networks Inc.
ADVISERS: John McNulty, former chairman, president and CEO of Secure Computing Corp. Tom Kendra, former group president, enterprise security at Symantec Corp.
MONEY BEING SOUGHT: $5 million to $10 million
PARTNERSHIPS: McAfee Inc., VeriSign Inc. and OpenDNS have signed on as Pareto’s first cloud partners.
MARKET SIZE BEING PURSUED: Estimates of existing vendors peg the distributed networking market at $10 billion.
LIKELY COMPETITORS: Legacy networking vendors such as Cisco Systems Inc. and Juniper.
REVENUE: Pareto says it expects revenue in the next 12 months of between $3 million and $7 million.
CEO: Matthew Palmer
Employees: Fewer than 50


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June 28th 2017: Cloudability, the company that helps some of the world’s biggest brands to forecast and control their cloud spending, has today announced its European launch.
The company manages nearly £5bn of cloud spend data for some of the world’s largest cloud consumers, including Uber, GE and Cisco Systems. Its move into Europe follows the recent signing of four FTSE 100 customers. The EMEA launch comes close on the heels of Cloudability’s acquisition of AWS Advanced Technology Partner CloudMGR, marking its expansion into Australia.
Cloudability enables businesses to make a financial success of their move to the cloud, providing transparency and control over costs, aligning cloud expenditure with business applications and services, and helping customers to quickly determine the true ROI of cloud adoption.
The worldwide public cloud services market is projected to grow 18 per cent in 2017 to total $246.8 billion, up from $209.2 billion in 2016, according to industry analysts Gartner. However, many companies find it very difficult to control their spending and forecast costs effectively. As a result they lose one of the key benefits of cloud migration - predictable, controlled costs and the ability to evaluate their return on cloud investment.
Cloudability removes this problem by providing a technology platform that enables businesses to calculate and optimise the cost of their transition to the cloud, and works with them to provide a roadmap for cloud migration, establishing company-wide KPIs, aligning budgets with strategic goals, scaling infrastructure, organising efficient workflows, and forecasting cloud ROI.
Cloudability’s co-founder J.R. Storment will be leading the company’s EMEA expansion from the company’s new UK office.
“Cloud financing decisions are increasingly driven by technology engineers instead of being dictated by the CFO, and this is an issue for all businesses planning to migrate to the cloud,” said Storment. “This often results in buck-passing and internal witch hunts as organisations struggle to determine who is responsible for the economics of their cloud strategy, leading to a lack of clarity at the early stage of investment and the inability to control overspend once new investments have been made.”
“With Gartner predicting that cloud adoption strategies will influence more than 50 percent of IT outsourcing deals all the way to 2020, it’s vital that organisations have proper visibility of the predicted and actual costs of their cloud investment, without losing focus on delivering the strategy and vision. Gartner itself notes that if a business spends more than $10,000 a month on AWS, without having an MSP providing this service, then cloud management is easy to justify.”
Cloudability was launched in 2011 and has received over $40M in VC funding. The company already has major UK customers on board, including Zoopla, the Co-operative, HMRC, and Deloitte. The company will officially launch its EMEA operations at AWS London at ExCeL on June 28th.


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Apple (AAPL -1.61%) recently unveiled the new Apple TV. The device, priced at $149 for the 32GB version and $199 for the 64GB one, includes a new remote with a touchpad and a microphone that works with Siri. The remote also doubles as a Wii-like motion controller to play games from the new app store.
Nonetheless, combining a dedicated app store for games and a motion controller convinced some analysts that the Apple TV could challenge traditional consoles like Sony's (SONY -2.19%) PS4, Microsoft's (MSFT -1.15%) Xbox One, and Nintendo's Wii U. But on closer inspection, it becomes painfully clear that the Apple TV doesn't stand a chance against those premium consoles.
Overshadowed by the iPhone and iPad
For the new Apple TV to become a true gaming console, iOS developers must create dedicated games for the platform. This means that developers can't simply port over touchscreen games for the iPhone and iPad to the Apple TV.
Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that 25 million Apple TVs had been sold since its introduction in 2007. Between April 2014 and January 2015, it sold around 5 million units. By comparison, Apple sold 169 million iPhones and 68 million iPads last year. For iOS developers, the choice between developing games for the new Apple TV or the iPhone and iPad should be fairly obvious.
During its presentation, Apple announced that Disney (DIS -1.49%) Interactive and Activision Blizzard (ATVI -0.50%) would launch Infinity 3.0 and Guitar Hero (respectively) for the Apple TV. That's hardly impressive, since Infinity 3.0 has already been released for Windows, iOS, Android, and all major consoles. Guitar Hero is a dusty franchise which Activision previously suspended but recently rebooted. An exclusive title for the Apple TV, Harmonix's Beats Sports, looks like an outdated clone of Wii Sports.
It's been done before, badly
Apple isn't the first company to launch games on a set-top streaming device. Two years ago, Ouya launched the first Android gaming console for $99, but the device flopped after a lukewarm reception. Since then, other Android consoles -- including the Nexus Player, Razer's Forge TV, and Amazon's Fire TV -- tried to capture the same market by repackaging Android games for living rooms.
All these devices shared common problems. Only a limited number of Android games were controller-based, while most were designed for touch screens. Some well-known publishers half-heartedly ported old games to these consoles, which turned the devices into the "poor man's" PS4 or Xbox One. The same problems could easily trip up Apple's gaming ambitions.
The odd thing about Apple TV's tvOS is that apps will be limited to 200MB. Any additional data beyond that will be streamed from iCloud instead of remaining on the 32GB or 64GB hard drives. It's unclear how this restriction will affect loading times, but it's an odd design choice considering how large the hard drives are.
The 200MB limit indicates that the Apple TV can never seriously compete against the PS4 and Xbox One in "triple A" gaming. Considering that top-tier console games easily exceed 40GB per download, it's unlikely that the Apple TV will offer gamers anything beyond casual games.
A missed opportunity?
In my opinion, Apple TV's voice control and motion gaming capabilities don't justify its higher price tag. It basically combines features of the original Wii with Amazon's Fire TV, yet lacks the focus of either device.
If Apple had partnered with (or bought) a major publisher to create exclusive games for the device, the launch could have been impressive. But as it stands, most serious gamers will likely keep playing games on PCs or dedicated consoles, while casual games will probably stick to smartphones or tablets instead. Apple TV games will simply be an interesting distraction for customers primarily using the device to stream media.


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Nissan BladeGlider at 2013 Tokyo Motor Show (Photos and Videos)
Announced two weeks ago, the Nissan BladeGlider had its worldwide debut at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show.
This “deltoid-shape vehicle“ was created for “gliding” instead of “driving.”
Here’s the rest of what Nissan says of its eye-catching BladeGlider:
NISSAN BladeGlider – Leading Edge EV Technology Drives The Future
From “driving” to “gliding” in a hyper-agile and ultimately efficient EV, NISSAN BladeGlider shifts the engineering paradigm to reveal a new dimension of driving fun and excitement. Aerodynamically-focused, Nissan BladeGlider offers drivers and passengers a new sense of glider-like driving pleasure, evoking exhilaration through its nimble and intuitively controlled handling that stems from its swept-wing form and gliding roots.
Disrupting and challenging the status quo, the NISSAN BladeGlider shares sustainable engineering values with both the Nissan LEAF and the Nissan ZEOD RC, the futuristic-looking competition machine which will make its debut in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
“Electrifying” the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Nissan ZEOD RC is just the first step in changing the face of motorsport and making it once again relevant to what we actually drive on the road. This is Nissan’s challenge to redefine the existing concept of motorsports competition.
The NISSAN BladeGlider on display on the stand is not just for show. It demonstrates the innovation and excitement of the Nissan brand and Nissan’s Zero Emissions Mobility leadership as an exploratory prototype of upcoming production vehicle.”
Between the lines we read that something from the BladeGlider is an object of interest for production, but what could it be?


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Beats Music Sells Topspin To Transom Capital Group
(UPDATED) Beats Music has sold the Topspin music ecommerce platform to Transom Capital Group, owners of BandMerch and Cinderblock. They will continue to operate the ecommerce and fulfillment operation under the Topspin Media name, which was also part of the acquisition.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
In the announcement, former Topspin and now Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers said, "BandMerch and Cinder Block merged into one company last month to become a leader in the sports and entertainment merch space. Adding Topspin's technology and artist relationships to that mix is the best home I could have envisioned for them."
The combined companies rosters includes The Who, Manchester United, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, Kid Rock, Rise Against, All Time Low, Coheed and Cambria, Death Cab for Cutie, Misfits, Postal Service, The National and Flogging Molly.
"Topspin will continue to serve its customers in an uninterrupted fashion," according to its new owners, "with new services to be offered soon." Topspin will now operate from BandMerch’s headquarters in Los Angeles, CA.
Beats Music will continue to operate the Topspin Artistlink platform that enables artist-controlled profiles and commerce on Beats and MTV.com. Rogers promises, "exciting things built on the Topspin Artistlink platform that we'll unveil in the coming months."
Further consolidation in the artist services space is expected in the coming months.


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Apple likes to run an annual holiday giveaway, and this year we’re not only seeing the company’s 12 Days of Gifts promotion become available in more areas than ever before, but also get things started a little early, with the first gift already available.
The main stretch of Apple’s gift-giving kicks off the day after Christmas, running through the first week of the new year. Each day, Apple will have some new download available for you, including apps, music, movies, and other types of media. The gifts will only be available for one day a pop, so you’ll have to keep up with the app in order to get them all as they’re released.
Before those even begin becoming available, Apple has an early treat for its users, getting them started with some downloads from singer Lorde, including her new single “No Better.” If you’ve got an iOS device, hit up that iTunes link to get the app for yourself, snag today’s download, and get ready for next week when these floodgates really start opening.


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Starting Sept. 23, some 600 of North America’s travel industry experts who specialize in distribution and revenue will descend on Chicago for some major networking and lively debates.
That’s when EyeforTravel’s annual Travel Distribution Summit North America takes place. The two-day conference this year is being held at the design-driven Radisson Blu Aqua hotel.
The conference will tackle various hot topics such as search, mobile trends and online marketing.
The role that technology is increasingly playing in hotel revenue management will also be spotlighted during the first-day panel (11 a.m. to 12:30 local time) that will include ReviewPro’s Director of Business Development, Josiah Mackenzie. If you’re coming to TDS, look for the panel called, “Revenue Management Leaders: The Face of the New Online Travel Space.”
The panel comes at a time when revenue managers must keep up with the fast-paced changes in the online travel space, as new distribution channels pop up and the more established channels work to innovate. Joining Mackenzie on the panel will be senior revenue and distribution executives from companies such as Hilton Worldwide and privately held investment firm Starwood Capital.


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Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s estimated wealth surged 10-fold over the past year to hit $11.5 billion, according to China’s Hurun Research Institute.
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November 22, 2013 |
LG this week confirmed that its Smart TV sets are collecting information on users' viewing habits even when they have not been authorized to do so. The South Korean tech company's Smart TVs include a feature that gathers information on what users are watching and sends it back to LG in order to come up with recommendations for other content that they might like. LG gives users the option of turning the feature off, but LG said it has verified that its TVs continue to collect that information even if users opt out. LG looked into the issue after it was brought to its attention by a tech-savvy user . PHOTOS: Top 10 ways to take advantage of the 'sharing economy' "LG regrets any concerns these reports may have caused and will continue to strive to meet the expectations of all our customers and the public," the company said in a statement.
April 4, 2012 |
Do you have Instagram? Well, pick a team -- #TeamAndroid or #TeamiPhone ? Now that Instagram has launched its Android app, many iPhone app users with a not-in-my-backyard approach are crying, "There goes the neighborhood!" Can you blame them? For the past year and a half, iPhone users have graduated through the stages of development with Instagram. First, you shoot and share everything you see -- food and pets, mostly -- but without any discipline. Eventually, you develop an eye, a style, a flair, if you will.
March 26, 2014 |
Photo-sharing social network Instagram announced this week that it now has 200 million monthly active users. The milestone is an indicator for healthy user growth on the service, which Facebook purchased for $1 billion nearly two years ago. Instagram said it reached 100 million users in February 2013, so the service managed to double in about a year. VIDEO: Unboxing the Rocki music streaming device "To the 50 million of you who've joined in the last six months, welcome," Instagram said in a blog post . "We're so glad you're here.
December 17, 2013 |
Facebook has said that it is within its terms of service to see what users are typing even when the status or comment is never posted on the social network. The Menlo Park, Calif., company confirmed that it can track users' unpublished posts after two Facebook researchers disclosed that they had tracked the activity of about 5 million random Facebook users in the U.S. and England. The researchers' study looked at how often these users censored themselves while typing posts and comments on Facebook.
April 16, 2013 |
Snapchat, the popular app known for letting users send photos that disappear after a few seconds, announced Tuesday that its users are now sending more than 150 million pictures per day. Evan Spiegel, one of the app's founders, announced the impressive tally at a mobile technology conference held by AllThingsD on Tuesday. By comparison, Snapchat said that its users were sending 20 million photos a day in October, and currently the users on Instagram, a photo-sharing social network owned by Facebook, are sending 40 million photos a day, according to the company's media page.
May 21, 2013 |
AT&T has kept its unlimited-data iPhone users from making FaceTime calls over its cellular network for eight months, but that could change in just a few weeks. The Texas-based carrier on Tuesday announced it will give software and smartphone makers the ability to enable cellular video calling on apps that come preinstalled on devices, such as Apple's FaceTime feature, for unlimited-data users. AT&T said it will begin enabling cellular video calls to preinstalled apps by mid-June and will then continue to do so throughout the rest of 2013 -- so it's unclear when exactly each app will be enabled.
December 19, 2013 |
Vine will begin letting users register for custom website URLs, like the ones they can already get on Twitter and Facebook, on Monday. The benefit to custom URLs, which look like "vine.co/salrodriguez," is it lets users direct others toward their profiles with short and easy-to-remember links, rather than links with seemingly random numbers. Users can head to vine.co on Monday to register for their custom, or vanity, URL. To do so, users will log in with the information for their Vine account.
March 31, 2014 |
Hungry for doughnuts? Let Doughbot guide you to the nearest shop. Doughbot is a new app released this month for the iPhone and iPad that helps users quickly find the nearest doughnut shops in their vicinities. "Never be lost without doughnuts again. Ever," the app's description reads. PHOTOS: Comparing the HTC One (M8), iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5 Pulling information from users' smartphone GPS, Doughbot quickly finds the closest doughnut shops. Users can see the shops in a list, scroll through them or see them all on a map -- represented by big round sprinkled doughnut icons.
June 17, 2010 |
Facebook still has plenty of friends. Even amid last month's firestorm, which forced executives to hastily revamp the site's privacy settings, the social-networking juggernaut has held steady in membership and traffic. Quit Facebook Day, an online campaign May 31, resulted in about 30,000 departures — a negligible percentage of the platform's nearly 500 million active registered users. Yet people do quit Facebook, often without fanfare. Their stories are varied, but there is a shared sense that what started as a personal, close-knit community turned into an alienating experience as the site began adding millions of members and more ways to share content.
December 28, 2012 |
Instagram says it continues to see daily user growth despite a flap over its terms of service that prompted threats by some users to drop the service. The Facebook-owned social network was responding to a New York Post report that said the popular photo sharing app had lost a quarter of its daily users as a result of Instagram's controversial move to change its terms of service. The change would have allowed the social network to let companies pay to place users' photos in advertisements that would run within the Instagram app. Instagram withdrew the change after protests from Instagram users, but some users still vowed to drop the service.


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Forget signing up for Lavalife, hanging out in the dog park or cruising the aisles at your local supermarket. Shanghai singles have found a brand new place to look for love: Ikea.
Thanks to the free coffee made available to holders of its membership card, the Xuhui, Shanghai branch of Swedish furniture chain Ikea is quickly becoming the new place for people to meet cute, the Telegraph reports.
Single shoppers at the Xuhui branch have taken to hosting singles events every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon in various departments at the store.
The social events are proving so lively that Ikea staffers have resorted to setting up an isolated in-store area for the minglers, in an effort to stop them from disrupting other customers.


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If the TV set makers get their way, we will soon own "Ultra HD" or "4K" displays. These new TV sets, which have four times the resolution of today's top-of-the-line 1080p sets, are supposedly so breathtakingly amazing, we'll all want one on our walls.
Whether that's true is an open question. But it seems certain online video distributors will provide anyone with a need for that many pixels with their 4K fix for quite some time. Traditional linear TV providers, already burned by forays into 24-hour 3D networks, will probably be reluctant to devote the bandwidth necessary to provide 4K networks before a wider audience develops.
Online distributors can more easily justify adding some 4K programming even if only a small number of viewers will watch it.
But 4K files are so big, it's doubtful viewers will be able to stream them for the foreseeable future, Kurt Michel, Akamai's director of product marketing for digital media, told me. "If 4K is going to be big, we're probably not talking about streaming as the sweet spot," he said. "We're probably talking about downloads, or maybe progressive media where you can start watching it before all the content is delivered."
Sony has seemingly acknowledged this with the new download store it introduced earlier this month, Sony Video Unlimited 4K.
That could be problematic for consumer adoption. At a time when everything is moving to the cloud--even DVR recordings--asking consumers to download huge files and store them locally seems like a risky strategy. Online video devices are getting smaller and cheaper and they increasingly have little to no storage built into the device. Sony's 4K Ultra HD Media Player (Model FMP-X1) retails for $700 and includes a 2 TB hard drive.
Using today's codecs, streaming 4K video would require anywhere from 40 to 50 Mbps, according to Michel. That's a level of bandwidth most U.S. broadband subscribers don't approach.
Of course all video, including 4K, will become easier to distribute as encoding and decoding technology improves. With next-generation codecs, 4K streaming could be achieved at 15 to 20 Mbps, a far more manageable bitrate.
But even at 20 Mbps, 4K streams would put a significant strain on network resources. If it takes off, accommodating 4K streaming might require new Internet infrastructure geared toward multicast 4K streams, Michel said. The idea is to send a single 4K file to some local point in a neighborhood where presumably more than a few viewers live, then branching it out to individual sets from there. Akamai and others are already at work building such and architecture--Qwilt is an example of a company working on it from the network-operator side--and it clearly has applications beyond 4K.
While the industry is waiting, consumers may move in another direction. Or rather, they may stay put. Sony's new 84-inch 4K set costs $25,000, which includes the cost of the 4K player, a tablet, wall mount, installation and "VIP consultation." Obviously, it's not for everybody. --Josh | +Josh Wein | @JoshWein


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This post is also available in / Esta entrada está disponible también en: Spanish (Español) .
As announced via Twitter and Nintendo Treehouse, a Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct is coming on January 18 at 5 PM EST.
While fans of the franchise were happy to see a teaser trailer of Fire Emblem Warriors for the Nintendo Switch, not much is known about what else people will see about this specific franchise. The upcoming title Fire Emblem Warriors is being developed by Tecmo Koei, Omega Force, and Team Ninja for the Nintendo Switch.
A Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct is coming next week on 1/18!
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 13, 2017
Fire Emblem Warriors – Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 Trailer