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Security firm One World Labs founder Chris Roberts was prevented from making his United flight to San Francisco due to a tweet that referenced the airline's onboard systems. His equipment was confiscated once he landed in Syracuse.
This UK politician blamed a third-party iPhone charger for favoriting a pornographic tweet on his account. He called the situation a "technological accident," but bizarrely was still happy to later admit he watched adult content.
Messaging app WhatsApp is now used by 800 million people globally, founder Jan Koum said Friday. At its current growth rate, the Facebook-owned cross-platform service looks set to top a billion users by year's end.
When a lost iPhone without a passcode activated was handed into a police station in Australia recently, the cops decided to use an unusual method to reunite it with its owner. They posted selfies to her Facebook page.
Are photo selfies too boring for your social networking reputation? Stand out from the crowd and turn your selfies into illustrations, with the new Faces app from Fiverr. The service employs top illustrators to draw your mug.
Twitter's introducing a new homepage for the desktop that it hopes will persuade more people to join the microblogging service. While the old page acted simply as a place to login, the new one features lots of real-time Twitter content for…
Meerkat's had a rough few weeks following the launch of Twitter-owned Periscope, but it's not out of the livestreaming game yet. The plucky startup on Wednesday launched a public beta of its app for Android, beating Periscope to the…
A group of unknown artists placed a bronze bust of NSA leaker Edward Snowden in a Brooklyn park. It was later removed by park officials and the NYPD are investigating who made it. The artists are now demand its return.
Livestreaming app Periscope may be new, but it's already catching the attention of some of the cable networks. An annoyed HBO, for example, has told the startup to do something about its users streaming the new season of Game of Thrones.


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Amazon has several advantages over other tech companies that may look to get into banking services. Gerard du Toit, a partner with Bain's Financial Services practice, discusses why Amazon has a competitive edge in trust, distribution and economics and outlines three things traditional banks can do to compete.
Read the Bain Brief: Banking's Amazon Moment
Read the transcript below.
GERARD DU TOIT: Amazon looks well placed to succeed in their entry into banking. They have trust, they have distribution and they have economics on their side. For trust, in Bain's recent research on how likely customers are to trust big tech companies with their money, Amazon came out on top, comfortably ahead of Microsoft, Facebook, Apple and the others, and almost as high as retail banks in general.
They also have distribution. They have access to the customers: 55% of e-commerce shopping occasions started at Amazon, not Google, and that proceeds through to all sorts of daily interactions, including on Echo and various other ways that they have access to customers.
And this leads to, third, the economic advantage. They don't have to build new customer relationships. They already have access to those customers. To be able to sell a banking product on top of all of the other things they sell costs them almost nothing.
And they can also get the ongoing service interactions. These customers will be trained to use the Amazon app for their routine interactions or just ask Alexa what their balance is or to cut a check or whatever it is they need to do, instead of visiting a branch or a contact center, which for a traditional retail bank makes up anywhere between 40% and 50% of their costs.
And so they have a huge cost advantage to be able to take out. But, by the way, that's not even really why they're going after it. They don't need to make money in retail banking. They can make money just on the avoided interchange that, otherwise, the credit card company would be charging them for a purchase.
If instead, they can take that transaction direct from the DDA, they save their 2% or so of that transaction expense. And over time, as they get this to scale—you can easily do the math—that they would save a quarter of a billion dollars a year in interchange expense.
So they've got a lot of reasons to win in banking. And you could see over time this becoming a real business. If they continue to expand their retail banking offerings—and they're as disruptive as they could be with that sort of a cost and distribution advantage—they could grow over five or so years to as many as 70 million customers, if as many customers in the US take a banking product from Amazon as they suggest they would in our most recent research.
If they get to 70 million customers, just automatically, that's the same size as Wells Fargo, in terms of number of relationships. So, potentially, they could be very disruptive to the industry.
So what do you do if you're a bank at this watershed moment? Well, it's really three things. First, really getting serious about being customer-centric. Banks have made progress on this, but not to the sense of customer obsession that Amazon has, and until they do, they're going to struggle to compete with that sort of a value proposition that Amazon will bring.
Second, they need to learn to move a lot faster and change their operating model, abandoning decision making by committee to move at the speed of the big tech players so that they can actually compete with them.
And third, they've got to rethink their distribution strategy, in particular, the digital distribution, and in particular, being open to cobranding with disrupters and innovative players, whether it's Amazon or others. Banks have realized that the era of distributing just through retail branches is coming to an end but haven't really figured out what's next. After all, just expecting customers to somehow come to their website or download the app, especially as a new customer, isn't really realistic. They're going to need to learn new ways of partnering, as banks have done for decades now with credit cards. They've cobranded with everyone from airlines to hotels to even Amazon. They're going to need to do that for retail banking as well.

domain: news


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Alphabet’s Google stated on Thursday it plans to permit third-party cost techniques in South Korea to adjust to a brand new regulation, marking the primary time the US tech large has amended its cost coverage for a selected nation.
Google’s announcement comes after a Korea Communications Fee’s (KCC) request for Google and Apple to give you compliance plans for the brand new regulation, which bans main app retailer operators from forcing software program builders to make use of their funds techniques. A lot of the new regulation went into impact in mid-September.
The curb is the primary such transfer by a serious economic system on the likes of Apple and Google, which face world criticism for requiring using proprietary cost techniques that cost commissions of as much as 30 %.
In late August, parliament handed an modification to South Korea’s Telecommunications Enterprise Act — dubbed the “anti-Google regulation” — banning massive app retailer operators, reminiscent of Google and Apple Inc from forcing builders to make use of their cost techniques, successfully stopping them from charging fee on in-app purchases.
“We respect the choice of the Nationwide Meeting, and we’re sharing some adjustments to answer this new regulation, together with giving builders that promote in-app digital items and companies the choice so as to add an alternate in-app billing system alongside Google Play’s billing system for his or her customers in South Korea,” Google stated in an announcement.
Google, which expenses builders a 15 % service payment for distributing apps, stated it could cut back this to 11 % when customers select an alternate billing system, recognising that builders will incur prices to assist their very own billing system.
It was unclear how helpful that might be for builders.
Google added that various billing techniques could not supply the identical safety or cost choices and options of Google Play’s billing system.
The KCC stated Google’s plans can be carried out this yr and would solely apply to South Korea.
“We have been capable of verify Google’s willpower to adjust to the regulation, and I hope (Google) will implement this coverage change in a method to replicate the legislative function of the revised regulation,” stated KCC Chairman Han Sang-hyuk.
In October, Apple advised the South Korean authorities that it was already in compliance with the brand new regulation and didn’t want to alter its app retailer coverage.
The KCC stated it could ask Apple’s South Korean unit for a brand new coverage permitting better autonomy in cost strategies. If Apple didn’t comply, it could take into account measures reminiscent of a fact-finding investigation as a precursor to attainable fines or different penalties.
Apple didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
© Thomson Reuters 2021


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Social media is rapidly taking over the e-commerce sector in Cambodia with almost all local businesses promoting their services using social media platforms, a latest market report has revealed.
|The launch ceremony of Cambodia's Tinh Tinh E-commerce platform (Photo: Khmer Times) |
Phnom Penh – Social media is rapidly taking over the e-commerce sector in Cambodia with almost all local businesses promoting their services using social media platforms, a latest market report has revealed.
The Khmer Times on August 10 cited the Consumer Report 2023 published by Standard Insights in collaboration with Confluences which said digitalisation experts now opine that e-commerce ventures and businesses must leverage social media platforms and use them to their full potential in order to be successful in the Cambodian market.
According to various estimates, there are 10.95 million social media users in Cambodia, which is almost 65% of the total population. Facebook and other Meta platforms continue to lead in user numbers and popularity among social media platforms.
“Like in most Southeast Asian countries, online shopping has become increasingly popular in the Kingdom with more and more people turning to Internet for their shopping needs,” the report said.
With 10.45 million users, Facebook leads all other social media platforms in Cambodia, followed by Facebook Messenger (7.20 million), TikTok (7.06 million), Instagram (1.75 million), LinkedIn (530,000), and Twitter (393,200).
| ||Thousands of Cambodian households affected by flooding |
Around 4,000 households in the southern region of Cambodia have been affected by heavy flooding caused by prolonged rains over the past few days.
| ||Cambodia imposes VAT on cigarettes |
The Cambodian Government has implemented a value-added tax (VAT) on cigarettes to combat the health risks associated with smoking and tobacco products.


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Final Fantasy 14 TV Show Is Dead In The Water
A phoenix down won't help resurrect the Final Fantasy XIV live-action TV series, because it's "dead." Apparently the "size and scale" was just too much for a company like Amazon or Netflix to pick up the show, according to Hivemind cofounder Dinesh Shamdasani.
Spotted by Eurogamer, Shamdasani responded to a question on X (formerly known as Twitter) about the Final Fantasy live-action show that was announced in June 2019. "Dead," said the Hivemind cofounder, who now serves as CEO at Bad Idea and partner at Allnighter.
"We took around a fantastic pilot script by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton along with a multi-season plan they built with our showrunners but got rejected across the board," Shamdasani said. "The size and scale needed to do it right proved too much for anyone to want to risk. Amazon came closest."
Hivemind is a production company behind Netflix's The Witcher as well as The Expanse on Amazon Prime TV. Shamdasani was originally listed as an executive producer on the Final Fantasy live-action series, which would have been set in the MMO's Eorzea. Lustig and Thornton were not only writers for the project, but also executive producers. In fact, Thornton chimed in on Shamdasani's post, adding that he believes the COVID-19 pandemic hurt the show's chances as well. "We took it out just as studios began to zip up their purse strings," Thornton wrote on X.
As for the game, Final Fantasy XIV will get a new expansion called Dawntrail later this year. The story will take players to a new beach vacation location in Eorzea. In addition, the MMO will finally come to Xbox this year.


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The Rockstar Consortium that acquired Nortel Networks' patents filed Thursday patent infringement suits against Google, Samsung, HTC and five other companies.
A number of HTC devices including its flagship HTC One smartphone infringe on a Nokia mobile networks standards patent, a U.K. court ruled Wednesday.
Taiwan has slapped Korean electronics giant Samsung with a fine for fabricating Internet forum posts that praised the company at the expense of rivals including its home-country handset competitor HTC.
Telstra has today announced it will exclusively sell the HTC Desire 300 Android phone as a pre-paid device in Australia.
Two new smartphones are going after customers who want supersized screens: Nokia's new Lumia 1520, launched Tuesday, runs Windows Phone and HTC's One Max is an Android offering. But how do the two stack up side-by-side? It's time for a face-off on th...
It appears that Amazon will eventually produce a smartphone -- the question is not if, but when.
Its fortunes in the West having stumbled, HTC is looking to the massive China smartphone market to keep it in business.
HTC has announced that its mid-range Desire 601 smartphone will be sold exclusively in Australia through Vodafone.
HTC's newest phone, the 5.9-inch HTC One Max, includes a fingerprint scanner -- although unlike the one in Apple's latest iPhone, it's located on the back of the device.
Purported screenshots of the upcoming version of HTC's Sense 5 interface overlay reminded us that we've been wishing for a way to remove BlinkFeed from the Home screen since we reviewed the One earlier this year.
Microsoft has been trying to persuade Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC to load the Windows Phone OS jointly with Android on future smartphones, it has been reported.
HTC will hold a pair of events next week in Hong Kong and Taiwan that are largely expected to unveil the supersized HTC One Max smartphone.
Samsung Electronics forecast strong growth in revenue and profit in the third quarter as the company rolled out new models of its smartphones and tablets, including products for emerging markets.
HTC and Qualcomm are reworking a radio chip for the HTC One smartphone in order to avoid a U.S. ban on imports of patent-infringing technology, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
HTC is selling back the remainder of its stake in Beats Electronics, shedding its financial ties to the headphones vendor in a partnership that did little to help turn the smartphone maker's fortunes around.
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The company has set a target of having electric vehicles contribute up to 25% to global volumes by 2025.
Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava Thursday emphasised there is a need to focus on alternate energy solutions such as biofuels and compressed natural gas in India’s drive to bring on road cleaner, greener vehicles and reduce the dependency of oil imports.
Speaking at the Global Mobility Summit 'MOVE', the minister alleged that the companies promoting hybrid vehicles "want us to settle for the second best".
A govt panel decided to offer subsidy to all categories of electric vehicles.
General Motors Co is accelerating the pace of electric vehicle launches in China as policymakers in the world's biggest auto market continue to promote EVs as an alternative to gasoline cars.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of ICAT Test facilities here, the minister said India does not need to depend on imported vehicles anymore thanks to upgradation of in-house technologies and improved testing capabilities.
As multiple voices air their views on the electric vehicles road map, the automobile industry’s plans to seamlessly move to a cleaner solution run the risk of total breakdown.
The government feels that the automakers have two sets of opinions on subsidising hybrid vehicles, and because of this it is impacting the government’s decision and its future policies.
Geneva, Mar 8 () Mahindra group-owned automotive design firm Pininfarina is eyeing opportunities in sectors like railways, real estate and infrastructure development in India to strengthen the non-automotive business.
Under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020, there is an ambitious target to achieve 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric vehicles by the year 2020.
The group is allocating over 30% of its Rs 500 crore capex towards development of electric and hybrid vehicle solutions.
As per estimates available with the company, every single hybrid electric vehicle that it puts on the road saves one tonne of CO2 over a period of three years.
According to officials, government think-tank Niti Aayog has sought comments from ministries, including heavy industry, environment, road, transport and highways, and power on the issue and is in the process of chalking out the nitty-gritties of the framework.
While demonetisation dampened petrol demand growth to 3 per cent in the January-March quarter, slowest in the past decade, the growth will recover in the first quarter of 2018 to around 9 per cent, said the research and consultancy firm.
“Hybrids can be used with the existing infrastructure. Our purpose is to come up with hybrid vehicles that customers can choose, including the price,” said Takahiro Hachigo, president & CEO of Honda Motor Company.
The Japanese semiconductor manufacturer to source its low power and energy efficient power supplies to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles and other hybrid-electric-vehicles in India.
Using clean energy modes like electric vehicles for shared mass transport will help bring down high pollution level in big cities.
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Kimbal Musk - Elon's brother - is running a shipping container farm compound in New York City
For over a decade, Musk has run two restaurant chains, The Kitchen and Next Door, which serve dishes made strictly with locally-sourced meat and veggies. Since 2011, his nonprofit program has installed "Learning Gardens" in over 300 schools to teach kids about agriculture.
Musk's latest food venture delves into the world of local urban farming.
In early November 2016, he and fellow entrepreneur Tobias Peggs launched Square Roots, an urban farming incubator program in Brooklyn, New York. The setup consists of 10 steel shipping container farms where young entrepreneurs work to develop vertical farming startup businesses. Unlike traditional outdoor farms, vertical farms grow soil-free crops indoors and under LED lights.
On July 18, Square Roots opened applications for its second season, which will start in October and last 13 months.
"Graduates are uniquely positioned to embark on a lifetime of real food entrepreneurship - with the knowhow to build a thriving, responsible business. The opportunities in front of them will be endless," Musk wrote on Medium.
Six weeks into the first season, just after the entrepreneurs completed their first harvests, Business Insider got a tour of the farms. Take a look below.
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An infant formula show rack is seen at a Walmart food store in Orlando. Shops throughout the USA have actually battled to equip sufficient baby formula, creating some chains to restrict consumer acquisitions.
Paul Hennessy|Lightrocket|Getty Pictures
There seems no end in view to America’s child formula scarcity, according to one of the most current information from a retail monitoring team.
The share of child formula unavailable throughout the united state struck 40 percent on April 24, according to Datasembly. That’s up from 29 percent in March.
” However, we do not see this reducing whenever quickly,” Datasembly chief executive officer Ben Reich stated in a declaration Monday. “Rising cost of living, supply chain lacks as well as item recalls have actually remained to bring volatility to the classification, as well as remains to be just one of one of the most damaged items on the market.”
The lacks were triggered partly by the closure of a vital manufacturing center in Michigan this year. The plant, had by Abbott Nourishment, has actually been the topic of an FDA as well as CDC examination adhering to records of polluted formula that was connected to the fatalities of a minimum of 2 babies.
Formula lacks are specifically unsafe, Brian Dittmeier, elderly supervisor of public law at the National WIC Organization, a campaigning for team for females, babies as well as youngsters, stated in a declaration.
” Unlike various other food remembers, lacks in the baby formula supply impacts a significant– or perhaps special– resource of nourishment for infants,” he stated. “Insufficient nourishment can have lasting wellness ramifications for infants.”
The states seeing the most awful lacks consist of Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota as well as South Dakota– all with out-of-stock prices of regarding half. A total amount of 26 states have unavailable prices of 40 to half.
Amongst city locations, San Antonio’s out-of-stock price has actually reached 57 percent, with Memphis as well as Nashville at 52 percent as well as Houston as well as Des Moines at half.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is getting in touch with the FDA as well as the Biden Management to act.
An Abbott agent did not react to an ask for remark. The firm does not show up to have actually openly upgraded its web site pertaining to the examination given that April 15
A rep for CVS validated its shops are presently restricting consumers to 3 child formula items per acquisition A Target rep stated it presently had some on-line getting restrictions in position, yet not at in-person shops.
Agents for Amazon.com, Publix, Walmart as well as Walgreens did not instantly react to ask for remark.


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Hell may have officially frozen over this morning, as
Seriously, I had to triple-check this report to make sure I wasn't just imagining it.
In a general update from ID@Xbox Director Chris Charla over at Xbox Wire on the state of the program, Charla outlined a few new features that were hatched directly from developer feedback, including Cross-Network Play.
"First, in addition to natively supporting cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 games that use Xbox Live, we’re enabling developers to support cross-network play as well," Charla writes. "This means players on Xbox One and Windows 10 using Xbox Live will be able to play with players on different online multiplayer networks – including other console and PC networks."
While Microsoft isn't directly calling out consoles like
Charla also says Xbox Live users "will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players."
He then extended an invitation for other online networks to follow in Microsoft's footsteps.
On the surface this would initially seem borderline crazy, but it actually fits Microsoft's Nadella-driven narrative nicely. This is the same Microsoft that is releasing more and more software for Android and iOS rather than locking it down to their own ecosystem. The same Microsoft that seems increasingly uninterested in fanning the usual console war flames. The same Microsoft that, despite the recent complaints from Epic head Tim Sweeney, is adamant about making UWP (Universal Windows Platform) an open environment for developers to build their products on (even if it's not off to a shining start).
I view this as a wonderful direction for gaming that shows Microsoft continuing to show preference for their brand overall instead of just their hardware. Could this come back to bite them down the road? Should this become a prevalent feature, I suppose it could impact Xbox One console sales (but since Microsoft is playing the long game with their latest console, it may be less of a concern.) One of the main reasons I hear from people for choosing the latest multiplatform game on one system over the other is simply "where are my friends playing?"
Microsoft also announced that, similar to Rocket League on Playstation 4, their Xbox One version will support cross-platform play with the Steam version. Now it's up to the developers if they want to complete the circle and enable everyone, regardless of platform preference or online network, to play together.
I don't know about you, but I think this is something gamers have wanted for a very, very long time. Now let's see who else picks up the baton and continues the race.
By the way, I have to wonder if now we'll finally get Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox One.


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DECEMBER 14, 2000
How to make millions...
HE Dallas investment company Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst specializes in buying up small struggling companies in an industry, repackaging them and then selling them on. It has just achieved a major success with Formula 1's official champagne G H Mumm & Cie.
Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst bought Mumm and its rival champagne house Perrier-Jouet in July 1999 for around $100m. It has just announced that the companies will now be sold to Allied Domecq for $500m in cash. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst was planning to invest in the Minardi team through its South American TV company PSN but the deal fell through at the last minute.
Mumm is expected to remain the official supplier of champagne to the Grand Prix circus for several years to come.
|Print News Story|
BERGER AND SCHUMACHER EXPRESS FEARS OVER NEW MICHELIN TIRES
BRIDGESTONE SLASHES ITS PROFIT ESTIMATES
BUTTON SETS FASTEST TIME FOR NEW BENETTON TEAM AT BARCELONA TEST
COULTHARD QUICKEST AT VALENCIA
EM.TV INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
FISICHELLA TO UNDERGO KNEE OPERATION
HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS...
SCHUMACHER FORCED OUT OF BMW-WILLIAMS TEST
TROUBLE FOR WILLIE BROWN


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Last week had a few calls with various Youtube channels which is always fun and exciting.
Also diving deeper and deeper into the hardware and software integration with various engineers in the team.
Production samples have arrived to Don in Thailand for the video and photo shoot which has been a long time coming and we are pumped! With these in hand, more videos and photos and content will be coming soon. We also built out a mini kickstarter style site on Indigitus (coming soon) that will be where the launch will happen.
As many know, there is a shortage still of IC chips in the router (as well as global) that may delay the 200 units a bit - but what we are doing is procuring these chips from our own suppliers and sources. Besides the IC chip, the mid-August date is on track for the 200 ambassador unit order.
Also working on special incentives and gifts for these amazing ambassadors and early backers.


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Harvest Festival 2017 is being planned for February 12 to 18, says association president Danny Mataroa who is spearheading the project.
February is normally considered below shoulder season for the tourism industry in the Cook Islands and Mataroa says the lack of visitors also affects growers since the demand for fruit and vegetables is low.
He says the country needs to grow tourist numbers on struggling months such as February to ensure a healthy economy throughout the year.
Mataroa held a meeting with fellow growers to explain his concept and idea to revive the festival, last held in 2013.
“In February, there aren’t many visitors in our hotels. The average occupancy rate is less than 25 per cent,” he said.
“During this same time, we have mangoes falling off the tree, avocado and pawpaw being wasted and star fruit being fed to the pigs because there is no one in the hotels to eat them.
“The key thing is, with so much fruit available during this month, resorts can run promotions such as free breakfast with accommodation to bring in people.
“That will not only benefit the hoteliers, but also the growers.”
Mataroa says growers needed to collaborate with a major sporting event during the month to successfully hold the proposed event.
He is now talking to the Cook Islands Football Association regarding their proposed beach football competition.
The weekly festival will start with a harvest blessing ceremony on February 12 followed by a range of activities such as field day competitions, Valentines Day flower displays, food and animal shows and a market day.
Mataroa said the aim was to increase the visitor arrivals by 10,000 by 2021.
“During the meeting (yesterday), we discussed the activities that we have on the tentative programme.
“The meeting was also to prepare the growers because we will have a number of competitions for things such as the biggest watermelon, pumpkin and bunch of bananas.
“There was a suggestion that we should hold a fruit buffet competition for the hotels and a fishing competition as well.”
Mataroa said he would be going out to the business community in coming months to seek sponsorship for the festival.
“Everyone is affected when we have low numbers of visitors in the country so everyone needs to do something to put the nation up at the time when it is down.”


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Imagination Technologies announces confirmation of design wins for all announced members of its industry-leading POWERVR™ SGX family Imagination Technologies. Design wins have been achieved for all announced members of the POWERVR SGX family, comprising the SGX520, SGX530, SGX531, SGX535 and SGX540. The family now ranges from the world’s smallest OpenGL ES 2.0 IP core up to the most powerful shader-based embedded graphics engine.
Says Hossein Yassaie, CEO, Imagination Technologies: “The embedded graphics market continues to expand, relentlessly demanding higher performance, scalable solutions. It’s now not just industry leaders who are putting emphasis on accelerated graphics – advanced graphics sell products and drive compelling applications. Any silicon manufacturer with no plan to bring graphics acceleration to its roadmap is in a weak competitive position.”


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- Net sales grew 26 percent, chiefly driven by increased snowmobile, Wildcat™ side-by-side, and international all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and recreational off-road vehicle (ROV) sales;
- Gross margins improved 47 basis points, due to higher volumes, selling prices and improved product mix;
- Operating expenses as a percent of sales declined to 14.5 percent compared to 17.9 percent;
- Operating profit rose 153 percent to $45.9 million, up from $18.1 million;
- The company ended the fiscal 2012 year with cash and short-term investments totaling $62.6 million versus $125.1 million at the end of fiscal 2011. During the fiscal 2012 third quarter, Arctic Cat used $79.3 million in cash to purchase all of Suzuki Motor Corporation’s 6.1 million shares of Arctic Cat Class B common stock;
- The company had no short- or long-term debt.
Arctic Cat Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAT) today reported net earnings for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, rose 130 percent to $29.9 million, or $1.72 per diluted share, up from prior-year net earnings of $13.0 million, or $0.70 per diluted share. Arctic Cat’s net sales for the fiscal 2012 full year grew 26 percent to $585.3 million versus net sales of $464.7 million last fiscal year. “We are very pleased with the company’s continued strong sales and earnings performance in fiscal 2012,” said Claude Jordan, Arctic Cat’s president and chief executive officer. “Sales rose across all product lines for the full year. Double-digit gains in our snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle segments were fueled by the introduction of innovative products and technologies, such as our extensive new snowmobile line-up and the Wildcat sport side-by-side. Higher sales volumes, coupled with our focus on operational excellence and cost control, led to another year of outstanding financial results.” Among the highlights of Arctic Cat’s fiscal 2012 full-year financial results versus last fiscal year:


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FWD or AWD versions only
It hasn't been an entire year since Lexus demonstrated the 2019 NX F Sport Black Line, yet with the beginning of the 2020 model year, another distinctive is as of now in transit. Lexus is propelling a subsequent Black Line Edition on the NX, this time for the 300 model, and this time with bronze accents all around.
The NX 300 Black Line begins with the $3,720 Premium Package, which has blind spot monitor, auto-dimming warmed side mirrors with switch tilt, warmed and ventilated front seats, the Lexus memory system, a power moonroof, LED daytime running lights and 18-inch five-spoke wheels. On this new exceptional version, the wheels are separated with bronze wrapping up.
Furthermore, Lexus paints the regularly plastic bumper trim to coordinate one of three exterior hues: Eminent White Pearl, Nebula Gray Pearl or Matador Red Mica. Since it's as yet a Black Line, it has a dark grille, a dark grille encompass, black fog lamp lodging and black side mirrors. Inside, the dark leather, dark dashboard and dark headliner are less of the news than is the new brightening bronze pageantry. Lexus adopted bronze snitching on the door trim, floor mats, center console, seats, and the key dandies.
The Black Line Special Edition is furnished with a few current tech highlights, including a heated steering wheel, and a 10.3-inch infotainment display with Android Auto compatibility and Google Maps route. It additionally has parking assist and a power back door with kick action.
The Black Line treatment can be requested on front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive variations of the 2020 NX 300. It accompanies a 235-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that is matched with a six-speed programmed transmission. Counting destination costs, the FWD units begin at $45,735, and the AWD units begin at $47,135. They will be accessible at the beginning of November 2019.


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Drive Wire for July 20, 2016: Is Tesla Motors Changing Its Name and Mission?
Small changes and strategic moves suggest a future that could expand beyond cars.
In today's installment of Drive Wire, The Drive discusses just what Elon Musk and Tesla Motors might be up to. The electric carmaker has been taking steps large and small in recent days and weeks that suggest it could be planning on expanding beyond the realm of battery-powered cars in the near future. Details are slim at this point, but a flood of information should be coming shortly; CEO Musk is expected to announce the second phase of Tesla's so-called "master plan" as soon as today. Check out the video above for more.


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WATCHUNG — Police reported arresting two people and charging them with shoplifting last week, only to learn the people were also wanted on warrants.
Rhonda R. Peek, 31, of Manville was charged with shoplifting $144.11 in merchandise at 6:09 p.m. on March 8, from the Home Depot. She had allegedly selected merchandise consisting of commercial light bulbs, electrical breakers and a pair of pliers. She concealed them in her purse and tried to leave the store without paying for them, police said. Peek was stopped as she left the store and taken to the loss prevention office where the merchandise was recovered.
Bail was set at $500. Police also found there was a warrant from Plainfield for $500 out for Peek. She was taken to Somerset County Jail in lieu of bail.
Shakeea M. Cook, 30, of Newark was charged with shoplifting $176.05 in merchandise at 6:09 p.m. on March 8, from Home Depot. She allegedly took commercial light bulbs and electrical switches and concealed them in her purse. When she left the store without paying for the items, she was stopped and taken to the loss prevention office where the merchandise was recovered.
When asked for identification, Cook handed police her sister’s punched probationary driver's license. Police learned Cook was wanted on warrants from Dunellen for $1,486 and Plainfield for $1,036.
Watchung Court Administrator Loretta Shpunder set bail at $500 for the shoplifting and authorized police to put the hindering charge on a summons. Cook was taken to Somerset County Jail in lieu of bail.
More Somerset County news: NJ.com/somerset


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Sony has announced three new BRAVIA 3D TVs in 60, 55 and 46-inch models. The NX810 series feature DynamicEdge LED backlighting, MotionflowPRO 240Hz frame rate, built-in Wi-Fi, 1920×1080 resolution, and LightSensor technology for automatically adjusting backlight.
For connectivity, the 3D TVs utilize BRAVIA Internet Widgets which can access Twitter and streaming video services such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Video On Demand, and Slacker.
Pricing on the new NX810 models ranges from $3,000 to $4,700.
Sony is offering a bonus to customers who purchase one of the new 3D Bravias — two free Blu-ray 3D titles and a PlayStation Network voucher good for stereoscopic 3D game content.
Check out Sony’s selection of Bravia NX810 series 3D HDTVs available for pre-order at SonyStyle.com.


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Every year in early autumn Apple holds its event where it presents new iPhones, Apple Watches, and iPads. This year wasn’t an exclusion. But yesterday’s presentation didn’t result in Apple stock growth, and here’s why.
Asian equities rally
On Monday, Asian equities managed to jump, with Chinese shares adding more than 1%. News that SoftBank Group Corp's domestic telecoms unit obtained approval to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange attracted traders’ attention. The company’s initial public offering would be worth nearly 2.4 trillion yen, as follows from a regulatory filing, thus making this listing one of the most outstanding IPOs ever.
As a matter of fact, the Shanghai Composite index and the SZSE Component rallied by respectively 1.2% and 2.4% in China.
As for Alibaba Group, it reported a record 213.5 billion Yuan.
Besides this, in Hong Kong, smartphone and electronics manufacturer Xiaomi Corp rallied over 2% having posted firm sales during the event.
On Friday, the People’s Bank of China told that it’s going to change its policy because global outlook is getting worse and trade clashes with America are affecting the Chinese economy.
External conditions are currently facing profound changes. Moreover, downward pressures are intensifying, some businesses are having more difficulties in their operations, as the PBOC pointed out. China’s major financial institution will fine-tune and update its policies in compliance with the changing conditions.
The Hang Seng Index stood still sticking with 25,602.0 in Hong Kong.
Nikkei 225 headed north by 0.2% in Japan, while the KOSPI index dived by 0.3% in South Korea.
The equities of Samsung Biologics Co Ltd went down in the face of worries as for its accounting practices. What’s more, South Korean watchdogs were anticipated to offer a verdict on Wednesday on whether the company has broken rules that could end up with its delisting.
Besides this, the ASX 200 surged by 0.4% in Australia.
On Wednesday, Japan is expected to uncover its latest GDP, while China would come up with the latest figures on industrial output, retail sales as well as fixed asset investment.
Richard Branson offloaded nearly 10 million shares, which equals about 4% of the Virgin Galactic stock, leaving him with an 18% stake.
Today at 00:00 GMT+3 SPCE will present the second quarter 2021 financial results. We will get to know everything about the company's financial condition and plans.
Oil prices are rising while the US government is on the verge of shutting down. How will it affect the market?
US stock markets started falling, while the US dollar is rising. What to expect from
Oil prices are rising and Russia banned the export of its petrol. What's happening in the markets?


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Apple will very soon start assembling lower priced iPhone SE models at a contract manufacturer’s plant in IT hub Bengaluru. It is too early to ascertain if Apple will start the manufacture of much talked about Make in India iPhone 8.
However Apple may not assemble 300,000 to 400,000 iPhone SE handsets from the start as reported by The Economic Times and hinted at a substantially lower quantity, as informed by Reuters source.
Karnataka’s IT Minister Priyank M Kharge had earlier said in a statement that “Apple’s intentions to manufacture in Bengaluru will foster cutting edge technology ecosystem and supply-chain development in the state, which are critical for India to compete globally”.
Even Apple’s cheaper iPhone SE saw a lukewarm launch in the Indian market, where consumers tend to buy used or refurbished iPhones. Apple is making space for itself in smartphone market, having shipped 2.5 million iPhones to India last year — a third of which were shipped in the fourth quarter.


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The US’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange and wallet provider, Coinbase, announced earlier that it now has added support for Bitcoin Cash to its Coinbase Wallet.
The company made the announcement in a press release published yesterday.
Coinbase Wallet Adds Support for Bitcoin Cash
According to the Coinbase Wallet, the new update is set to roll out in a few weeks:
“The new Wallet update with Bitcoin Cash support will roll out to all users on iOS and Android over the next few weeks.”
The Coinbase Wallet is an upgraded version of what began initially as Coinbase’s open source decentralized app browser and wallet called Toshi.
Rebranding as Coinbase Wallet, the upgraded version claims to be more secure and more transparent at the same time.
According to the Coinbase Wallet homepage, the service allows customers to store “all your digital assets in one place.” And also to “Use Decentralized Apps” and “Pay friends, not addresses.”
>> Crypto News: Elon Musk Talks Bitcoin and Binance Expands
Effectively, it allows customers to store their own private keys on their devices, buy and store crypto-collectibles, use third-party dApps, and receive airdrops and tokens from initial coin offerings.
The latest support for Bitcoin Cash is just another step forward for Coinbase Wallet, which has been actively updating its service in recent weeks.
Earlier in February, it added support for Bitcoin to its Wallet app. Then on February 13th, it announced that customers can now “back up an encrypted version of their private keys to their personal cloud storage account. These accounts include either iCloud or Google Drive.”
Coinbase itself has bee actively growing too. The crypto service has teamed up with PayPal to offer PayPal withdrawals to Coinbase users in Europe.
The company has been looking to diversify its cryptocurrency support in recent months. It announced in December that it will potentially add an additional 30 different cryptos to its platform. As it stands, it offers users only five cryptos. They are Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, and Litecoin.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash is trading for $146.60 USD, up 0.33% on the day, according to CoinMarketCap.
Featured Image: Twitter


text: Remember the days when Black Friday sales actually started on Black Friday? In recent years, the event has extended beyond and prior to the Friday after Thanksgiving. Many retailers now start their huge discounts much earlier and extend them much beyond Black Friday. Despite this, Black Friday still remains an important selling opportunity that retailers cannot afford to miss out on. Mike Grimes, who heads up Ecrebo North America, explores the significance of loyalty during, what is now known as, the Black Friday season.


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April 27, 2017 3:59 pm
The unrelenting pace of technological change epitomises the domain of cybercrime and cybersecurity with criminals constantly developing new and transformed attacks. These innovations in...
February 13, 2017 3:18 pm
According to Sir Tom Winsor, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary in the UK, the amount of cyber fraud being conducted has now reached epidemic...


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Morrisons is championing its own credentials as a positive force in the fight to save our town centres, in a new report it submitted to Mary Portas' High Street Review.
The new lottery backed by Daily Express owner Richard Desmond has come under fire for supposedly taking cash away from the good causes aided by the National Lottery.
Sainsbury’s is to end its tea supply contract with Finlay Beverages after more than 100 years in a move that will see rivals Spicers and Ringtons take over the supply of the much-loved Red Label brand.
Delivering sustainable organic growth is an ongoing challenge for most businesses
Overall food and drink exports from the UK were down 4.4% to £12.3bn
Chichester Crown Court heard that contractor Bradley Watts was lagging pipes in the loft space of the company’s Chichester site when he was electrocuted in June
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CD Manufacturer on Fate of the CD: “I’m Not Dead Yet!”
Disc Makers is the biggest independent manufacturer of CDs and DVDs. You’d think that with physical CD sales in freefall (double digits this year in the US, about 9% so far in Canada) that they’d be looking for an exit. Or a noose.
Apparently not, though. From Echoes:
The company announced today that in October it broke two of its all-time disc replication records, proving that — as much as ever — physical media is a crucial part of any musician’s product offerings and the CD is not yet dead. In October 2012, Disc Makers replicated 4,380,296 CDs, an increase of over 600,000 units from October, 2011. This figure outpaces Disc Makers’ prior all-time monthly CD & DVD replication record of 4,013,000 CDs, which had held since 2008.
Who knew? Read more here.


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Decision on RV parks stalls out
CRISFIELD, Md. – The decision whether to make Crisfield an RV hotspot has been put on hold for now.
The city council decided to table the decision on a zoning change that would’ve allowed RV parks in zones designated “TM,” or Tourist Marine.
This comes after calls were made not to rush to a decision.
Those who favor a zoning change to allow RV parks, like City Manager Rick Pollitt, say it would draw more visitors.
“Being the tourism location that it is, right on the Chesapeake Bay, we feel is a prime destination for folks in the RV community,” said Pollitt.
Pollitt adds this change could mean more tax revenue for the City of Crisfield. But many residents tell me it’s not a wise decision to put these RV parking lots along the city’s coastline.
“That view down there on Seven Acres sometime is going to be far more valuable than just the property taxes paid on a piece of property that somebody parks their RV on,” former mayor Kim Lawson said in front of a packed crowd at city hall.
Though city hall was packed with ‘Say No To RV Parks’ buttons, some residents say it would be a wise investment.
“They’re going to buy the local foods, they’re going to buy the local gas, they’re going to buy the local propane, and those are the types of things that we need to help sustain what we have here,” said Derryk Walterman, commander of American Legion 16 in Crisfield.
One Crisfield resident pointed to other areas who have RV parks, as an example of what the Crab Capital could see.
“Long Neck is one example, Massey’s Landing, which has become an RV park. It’s a destination place,” said Andy Brice.
Those in favor of the RV park say it would bring jobs since parks need electricians, plumbers and more.
We are told there will be a workshop on this in the near future, and it could be held as early as next Wednesday.
There is no set date yet as to when the council will vote on rezoning to allow RV parks, but it could be held as soon as May 22.


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UPDATED 6/13/17: A second 2011 first series Casascius physical bitcoin has sold on eBay for $10,100, eclipsing the previous record set last week by $3,000! This one was not in mint condition either having been “removed from the capsule only twice”. The address 16cVGhzpeNzCKNcz4q5jBoKzNJRKHds4av still shows 1 BTC.
ORIGINAL: A mint 2011 series 1 Casascius physical bitcoin sold for USD $7,100 on eBay yesterday. The address, 17xS2adEin5TYQU4xnaBYaHoQDEzHvkg6L, containing 1 BTC, attracted 14 bidders and started at $.99 on May 26th. A bidding war for the “physical” bitcoin reached $2,500 after the first day and $4,050 to start the last day June 5.
5,140 of the 11,000 first series 1 BTC Casascius coins in circulation contain the same error, a missing “s” in the watermark, according to elianite. Continue reading 1BTC Casascius Bitcoin Sells For USD$7,100


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Seagate Tumbles the Most in 7 Years as Forecasts Miss Targetsby
Seagate Technology Plc shares tumbled the most in seven years after the maker of disk drives reported preliminary third-quarter earnings that missed its previous targets, hurt by the global slump in sales of personal computers.
The company late Wednesday said it expects to report fiscal third-quarter revenue of $2.6 billion, compared with its previous forecast for $2.7 billion. Adjusted gross margins will be about 23 percent, lower than previous projections of 25.6 percent, Seagate said.
The stock fell as much as 18 percent, its biggest intraday drop since January 2009. The shares were trading down 17 percent, to $28.03 at 10:12 a.m. in New York. They have tumbled 39 percent in the past year through Wednesday.
Cupertino, California-based Seagate said the earnings miss is being driven by reduced demand for the company’s traditional hard disk drives, silicon and desktop products primarily in China. Its decision not to participate aggressively in the low-capacity notebook market also contributed, the company said.
“We are disappointed that we did not anticipate the weaker demand in the March quarter," Chief Executive Officer Steve Luczo said in the statement. "There are many complex issues impacting the traditional go to market channels in our market, which are reducing our forecast visibility."
Seagate, which competes with Western Digital Corp. in the computer hard-drive market, has felt the shift away from personal computers and related components to mobile devices in recent years. Its sales have declined as customers turn to alternatives such as solid state drives or flash-based storage.
Worldwide personal-computer shipments slid to their lowest quarterly total since 2007 in the first quarter, according to market researcher Gartner Inc.
Seagate, the third-worst performer on the Nasdaq Composite Index, also dragged down shares of other computer component makers. Western Digital fell 9.1 percent to $40.72. Shares of data storage provider NetApp Inc fell 4.6 percent to $25.48.
Deutsche Bank Securities analyst Sherri Scribner downgraded the stock from buy to hold Wednesday, citing a limited near-term upside in Seagate shares.


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Drop in exports had the biggest reduction since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020
Exports from China registered a drop of 14.5% in July compared to the same month of the previous year. The country had US$ 281.8 billion in foreign sales. The data were released by the Chinese General Administration of Customs this Tuesday (8.Aug.2023).
The country’s trade surplus fell 20.4%, compared to the registered 1 year ago, to US$ 80.6 billion. The decline in exports has seen the biggest drop since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
According to the Chinese organ, imports also dropped by 12.4% in July compared to the previous year, totaling US$ 201.16 billion.
Demand for Chinese goods fell after interest rate hikes in the US and Europe.
China’s exports to the US dropped 23% year-on-year to US$42.3 billion, while US imports dropped 11.1% to US$12 billion.
Chinese exports to the European Union, on the other hand, had an even greater drop, of 39.5%, in relation to the previous year, reaching US$ 42.4 billion. Imports from the bloc’s countries also fell 44.1%, to US$ 23.3 billion.


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Favorite Valentines treats
Food at home prices rise
The benefit of berries
Chefs hate food porn!
Feb 14, 2013 Watch Video
How is Aussie MacDonalds forging ahead in the app world?
Which of MY 2013 Food Trend predictions is surfacing at Chipotle?
And we’ll tell you about a strange new way to relieve those flu symptoms!
Feb 07, 2013 Watch Video
Is extreme weather a sign of climate change? Our facebook friends share their favorite Super Bowl snacks. And healthy Super Bowl food ideas.
Jan 31, 2013 Watch Video
On this week's Food News Today: Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite dessert. Coca Cola joins the obesity debates. Favorite afternoon pick-me-ups and our Facebook responses! And extreme beer brewing!
Jan 24, 2013 Watch Video
How healthy is your shopping basket? Why does white bread smell so much better than whole grain? And check out how canned food and art came together for charity!
Jan 17, 2013 Watch Video
Reasons to spice up your meal!
Restaurant Industry Forecast for 2013
More Hot Trends for 2013
Jan 10, 2013 Watch Video
Happy New Year!
Is your tap water dangerous?
Where you may or may not want to go to get married.
A pineapple that tastes like a coconut.
More bizarre chip flavors.
Jan 03, 2013 Watch Video
What's your resolution going to be? Mislabeled seafood. Interesting Holiday food traditions. A look back on Food News Today 2012.
Dec 27, 2012 Watch Video
The "12 Days of Christmas" Gets Costly!, New Technology to Keep Bread Fresh for 60 Days, "You Are What You Eat": A Peek Inside America's Fridges
Dec 20, 2012 Watch Video
From Snacking & mini meals to the economy & new proteins, in today’s episode, I’m going to share some of my food trend predictions for 2013.
We’ll tell you about the latest in bizarre food scents and what do you think is the, “Best Coffee in America”?
Dec 13, 2012 Watch Video


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A wave of e-commerce has been sweeping the Middle East, and Jordanian-American computer engineer Ahmed Alkhatib is one of its leading lights. Mr. Alkhatib reasoned that, with a youthful, fashion-conscious population that loves online convenience, the region would be an excellent location in which to start an online retailer.
In November 2010, he left Silicon Valley to launch the online flash-sales shopping club MarkaVIP in Jordan, and in March opened centers in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Shopping clubs require membership and offer sales at discounted prices for a limited period; flash sales are bargain offers that are available for a very limited time, sometimes only hours. By working with clothing companies that need to get rid of excess inventory, MarkaVIP offers thousands of designer-label fashions at bargain-basement prices.
Today, the site has 600,000 members and more than 100,000 fans on Facebook. Mr. Alkhatib talked to The Wall Street Journal in Beirut about the consumer potential of the Middle East.
WSJ: Why did you decide to leave Silicon Valley for the Middle East?
Mr. Alkhatib: I was with [personalized product online retailer] Zazzle for 4½ years. I set up their data-center operations and built infrastructure of high-volume e-commerce. After four years, the job became more maintenance. I got the idea for MarkaVIP after learning about [online shopping club] KupiVIP in Russia. I was surprised that this business model worked in Russia, which is behind the Middle East in credit-card penetration.
They offered cash on delivery and a fleet of cars. With my co-founder from Jordan, we raised our first million dollars from Hummingbird Ventures in Belgium.
We launched the company in November 2010, and our first month's revenue was 10 times what was projected, so we expanded in January 2011 to Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. In March, we launched in the rest of the GCC [the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates].
WSJ: How did you decide the timing of your move?
Mr. Alkhatib: In 2009, the stock market had taken a toll on companies, and I wanted a fresh start. At that time, online companies had just started setting up shop in the Middle East, and it was almost a virgin market. Then Maktoob happened [when Yahoo YHOO -0.26 % acquired the Arabic email service provider] and that was an inspiration. I thought if I got in at the beginning, it would be a big advantage.
WSJ: Why do you think your business model has been so successful?
Mr. Alkhatib: I thought this business would work in the Middle East because the region has a very young population, and the people are aware of brands and fashion. A lot of buying habits are influenced by the West. We offer brands that are too expensive for people to buy at bricks-and-mortar stores. And we offer the same quality at much better prices, with an easy 21-day return policy and a no-risk cash-on-delivery system.
Saudi Arabia, where shopping isn't convenient for women, comprises 40% of our market.
We offer 30 to 40 Arab designers and more than 1,000 different brands, 40 of which aren't available at shops in the Middle East. We work with up-and-coming brands, so we also set trends.
WSJ: What are the main challenges you've faced?
Mr. Alkhatib: There are primitive logistics from a business-to-customer perspective, and not all shipping methods are optimized. Cross-border transportation is also a big challenge. We've established direct relationships with government agencies and clearance houses, which has helped with importing goods.
We plan to solve the logistics problems by having a fulfillment center in each country. We are working closely with government agencies to affect the regulatory environment and allow for a more efficient and faster import process for our goods. Also, consumers are still a bit leery of buying online. We have 600,000 members, and we have to teach them the benefits of shopping online.
We haven't been affected by the regional unrest because—so far—the countries where we have opened have been stable. But we want to open in Egypt, Iraq and Syria, once peace returns. Based on what we've already seen, there's potential for a huge market in those countries.
WSJ: Where do you see e-commerce going in the Middle East?
Mr. Alkhatib: It's inevitable that, like Europe and the [United] States, we'll see people having more online shops, wherever they can save money and have variety. You'll see people buying medicine and household products online. And governments will offer more services online. But [the increase in online services and penetration] will be at a slower rate than the U.S. or Europe.
WSJ: Do Middle Eastern customers want different things from e-commerce than those in the U.S.? Different products? Different levels of service?
Mr. Alkhatib: Customer service is important. Arab consumers need on-demand customer service. That's the ability to respond to customer requests immediately through our support center, email, Facebook page, Twitter and other mediums. We follow up to customer complaints, requests, questions within minutes of our customers reaching out to us.
Lingerie is one of our most popular products, because a lot of women don't feel comfortable going into lingerie shops that are mostly managed by men. Eyewear is another popular item because, unlike footwear, sizing isn't an issue. We eventually plan on selling lifestyle products, such as apartments and cars.
Write to Brooke Anderson at firstname.lastname@example.org


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New Report Details Net Metering Increase on Railbelt
Since 2016, ACEP has been using Regulatory Commission of Alaska filings to track the uptick in solar production.
The latest net metering figures were just released and are detailed in a report by ACEP researcher Chris Pike.
In 2019, the installed capacity of net metered generation in Alaska increased 74% to 5,636 kilowatts.
In 2019, there were 427 new net metered installations, and all but one of these was solar photovoltaic.
Alaska's net metering regulations were approved by the RCA in 2010 for large regulated utilities.
Net metering is an electricity billing mechanism that allows consumers who generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity at any time, not just when it is generated. For example, if a residential electric utility customer installs a solar photovoltaic system on their roof, it may generate more electricity than the home uses during daylight hours.
Net metering allows a customer to install and use certain types of renewable generation to offset their monthly usage. They can sell excess power to their serving utility. Customers are credited at the retail rate for energy pushed back onto the grid up to their monthly consumption. Beyond that, the are credited at the wholesale rate.
Oceanside Farm in Homer installed solar to help supply energy to the water pumps and greenhouses. Photo by Amanda Byrd.


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Platform provider BtoBet, which was recently acquired by leading igaming supplier Aspire Global, has announced an agreement with Nigeria-based operator Luckybet.
Through the agreement, which was formulated together with BtoBet’s regional certified partner for Africa, STM Gaming, Luckybet will power its extensive retail and online operations with the advanced Neuron 3 platform.
Focusing on delivering an enhanced user experience to its players, the Nigeria-based operator will be delivering a diverse content offering based on local and international sports betting, including live sports events, online and live casino, and virtual sports.
BtoBet’s chief marketing officer, Sabrina Soldà, expressed her satisfaction regarding the partnership, stating that throughout the years the company has developed itself into the primary gateway for the African igaming market, with a proven track record of success across various jurisdictions.
Sshe said: “I am positive that BtoBet’s technologies will help Luckybet reach its goals in becoming a local leader. I am also pleased that through this agreement Luckybet will make good use of our new retail solution in its network of almost 100 shops, which not only allow for more effective operations but will also permit our partner to target non-registered players through our innovative rapid registration process, making space for more cross-selling opportunities.
“This will not only enhance the betting experience at the retail level, but will also provide the players with an ameliorated UX through the true interconnection of all channels. I am confident that through the use of our advanced solutions Luckybet will strategically position themselves to register a growth in their market share.”
Morten Foght, Luckybet’s COO, stated that Luckybet has always sought to deliver an optimal experience to its players through its retail outlets, and now will be able to improve by diversifying its business model and incorporating the online channels. “We look forward to collaborating with BtoBet, who like us have at heart the betting experience provided to the player through the constant search for innovation,” he said.


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| Jul 26, 2012
| 9:01 AM
After sharing a serving of chocolate lava cake, Jeff Kaufman asked his lunch partners what they thought of the dessert, which had been prepared at his Clarksville restaurant, Great Sage, with no dairy or eggs.
But he already knew the answer.
| Aug 22, 2012
| 12:45 PM
Most weeks for the past year, Rachel Taft has headed to the Canton Safeway or Middle River Costco to pick up several pounds of steak or tofu for dinner.
Unlike most bulk shoppers, Taft wasn't cooking for several children — she was feeding a loose-...
| May 11, 2012
| 5:15 AM
The number of Americans considered obese is expected to rise from the current 34 percent to 42 percent by the year 2030, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and discussed at Monday's "Weight of the Nation"...
| Apr 20, 2012
| 8:39 AM
PETA wants to take a Baltimore City councilman up on his budget-balancing idea to put ads on fire trucks.
And the ad the group has in mind could start some fires all by itself.
The group, known for its attention-getting tactics, sent a letter to City...
| Apr 22, 2012
| 4:54 PM
Mother Nature brought relief to a parched Baltimore on Sunday, but the persistent rain didn't dampen the spirits at the Earth Day festivities in Hampden.
"We had a few hundred people come through today," said Don Barton, 29, an organizer of Sunday's...
| May 9, 2012
| 4:47 AM
Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis says that her mother would make frittatas, the Italian egg dish, with whatever leftovers she had in the refrigerator. "
That was the joke," she tells viewers in segment of her cooking show. "What's in the frittata...
| Dec 4, 2012
| 10:36 AM
As the patient and sympathetic host of shows like "Food 911" and "How to Boil Water," Tyler Florence has been a welcome presence on the Food Network for 16 years. But some fans have trouble pinning him down, Florence said. They'll say, "What do you do?...
| Sep 21, 2011
| 3:33 PM
Organic products and those without preservatives and harsh processing remain big business in the United States — with $81 billion in sales last year — despite a tough economy.
Sales in stores, online and in practitioners' offices were up 7...
| Nov 1, 2010
| 4:22 AM
This was a tricky one. I had to decide whether to review Great Sage as a restaurant or as a vegan restaurant. If I ended up somewhere in between, it's because Great Sage does a good job of not being......
| May 23, 2011
| 4:22 PM
John Lindner reviews the Land of Kush, a new vegan restaurant in Seton Hill, close to the State Office Building complex. He found a lot of vegan food that had the look and feel of meat. I know some vegans......
| Jul 13, 2010
| 4:22 PM
Scittino's, a Catonsville pizzeria and Italian market, has started offering vegan cheese on its pizzas.I'd like to think this is further proof that the area dining scene is getting more sophisticated, except that I'm not sure vegan cheese is all......
| Jun 1, 2010
| 4:22 PM
Great Sage, a vegetarian restaurant in Clarksvile, has gone completely vegan."It was just going with our feelings and our respect for all animal life and all life in general," manager Angel Shorter told me by phone just now. The change......


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User activity on the NFT marketplace Rarible has noticeably increased following the public announcement by its founder that the platform would continue supporting royalty payments to NFT creators.
According to DappRadar data, as of 14:00 (GMT+3), August 24, trading volume on Rarible has increased 444% over the past 24 hours, jumping to $54,000.
The growth in trading volume was sparked by a public announcement by Alex Salnikov, Co-Founder of Rarible, about royalty payments for NFT creators. He also stated that the platform wouldn’t support markets that neglect royalties. Therefore, starting September 30, Rarible will cease aggregating orders from OpenSea, LooksRare, and X2Y2.
Last week, the biggest NFT marketplace OpenSea stopped supporting the royalty compliance tool, drawing criticism from the community and provoking the growth of competitors.
In addition to Rarible, other NFT marketplaces also showed gains in the last 24 hours. According to DappRadar, LooksRare’s trading volume increased by 362% and reached $88,000, while X2Y2’s figures rose by 36% to $627,000. OpenSea’s trading volume fell 14% to $2.61 million over the last 24 hours. The closest competitor of OpenSea, Blur, also showed a drop in performance, with its trading volume declining by 26% to $4.66 million over the last 24 hours.


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Bharti Airtel Limited (“Airtel”), the third largest mobile services provider globally with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced the commercial launch of its high speed 4G services (also called LTE) in Mandi. With this, customers across Mandi will now
Commenting on the launch of Airtel 4G in Mandi, Manu Sood, Hub CEO – Upper North, Bharti Airtel said, “As customers in India show an increasing propensity for consuming data services, we at Airtel are excited to take the lead in introducing the market to the power of blazing 4G speeds. With the help of the feedback received from the beta launches, we have now built India’s first commercial 4G network. Today, as we launch Airtel 4G for our customers in Mandi, will be uniquely positioned for a superlative 4G experience. We are committed to building a world class 4G network in the region”.
Airtel has led the 4G story in India, having launched India’s first 4G network in Kolkata in April 2012. On 6th August 2015, Airtel announced that its 4G services were available in 350 towns across India. Prior to that, Airtel had successfully conducted trials of its 4G services in select cities and leveraged feedback from customers towards strengthening its service experience. Special demo zones and kiosks have been installed at Airtel Store, Plot no 2/3 Chaman Commercial Complex, Seri Bazar, Mandi.
Customers can enjoy Airtel’s recently launched carrier agnostic mobile app – ‘Wynk Movies’ – a first of its kind movie mall that will offer a specially curated library of thousands of movies and other popular videos.
Additionally, customers can leverage a host of strategic initiatives announced by Airtel as part of its national 4G rollout.


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Just the facts
WHAT: Brides to Be Expo
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 16
WHERE: Five Star Catering at Primo West, Plainfield
The Hendricks County Flyer is continuing its tradition of helping brides and grooms plan their perfect day by once again hosting the annual Brides to Be Expo. This year’s event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 16 at Five Star Catering at Primo West in Plainfield.
This is the seventh year for the bridal show that features free admission and more than 30 vendors from Hendricks County and surrounding communities.
The first 100 brides through the door will receive a free wedding planner.
“We will once again have the strolling fashion show by David’s Bridal and Men’s Wearhouse,” said Dave Johnson, advertising manager for the Hendricks County Flyer.
The event offers information on local vendors who specialize in weddings.
There will be door prizes and plenty of free advice, along with an opportunity to book photographers, cake designers, jewelers, caterers, musicians, venues, and more. Each vendor brings a door prize worth at least $25 to be given away.
“New this year is a flower by Queen Anne’s Lace,” Johnson said. “Each bride that registers will receive a flower with their number on it.”
There will also be a giveaway for an overnight stay and dinner at a downtown Indianapolis location.
“We are still finalizing the plans on that,” Johnson said. “It will be great for one lucky couple.
“Also new this year is a greeting by a harpist. As brides come in to register, the harpist will be performing.”
The event is put on by the Hendricks County Flyer and the Hendricks County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is billed as a “one stop shop” for brides and grooms from in and around Hendricks County.


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David and Victoria Beckham’s second son Romeo has officially joined the fashion industry.
The 10-year-old cutie has launched a modeling career as a star of Burberry’s Spring/Summer campaign. The adorable youngster clearly has his parents’ penchant for fashion and that natural charm. In one of the shots taken by famed photographer Mario Testino, Romeo steals the limelight alongside Edie Campbell and Charlie France.
Romeo is one of four Beckham children, aside from 13-year-old Brooklyn, 7-year-old Cruz and their 17-month-old only sister Harper Seven.
Considering Victoria Beckham is slowly becoming an iconic fashion designer, while their footballer father has been a successful underwear model, it was only a matter of time until one of those gorgeous kids joined the family biz.
Photos by: Daniel Deme / WENN.com


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Source: Financial Express, 13 July 2022
Rising inflation has been a menace to the global economy, hitting each and every stratum of society. Barring rich and upper-middle-class families, households have been forced to make lifestyle changes to accommodate the rise in prices. While certain expenses can be curtailed, a few cannot. Gurgaon-based startup zunpulse, the winner of the National Startup Awards 2021 in the energy sector, is helping its customers save up to 40% on electricity bills with its energy-efficient appliances and clean energy-generating solar products.
Growing up in the small city of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Pranesh Chaudhary, founder & CEO of zunpulse, had witnessed electricity shortages throughout his childhood. While completing his engineering at IIT Kharagpur, he became friends with Sushant Sachan, a product buff who loves hardware and technology and is now the chief R&D officer at zunpulse. On a mission to deliver smart choices for the electricity needs of every Indian home, they have together grown the company to a level where it has impacted over 100,000 households, aiming to reach five million households in the next five years.
“Technology has evolved significantly over the past decade and with the Internet of Things, the possibilities are endless, limited only by one’s imagination,” says Chaudhary. “With further advancement and use of artificial intelligence, we will be seeing these devices communicate with each other, e.g. lights turning on automatically when the door is unlocked and the door unlocking on its own when the doorbell recognises your face.”
zunpulse has developed an entire ecosystem of connected devices you can simply plug and play to automate your home. For instance, their latest range of smart BLDC fans consume 50% less electricity compared to a regular fan and can be operated with a remote. If you have a Wi-Fi connection at home, you can also control the fan’s working from your phone through the zunpulse app. “Let’s say you forgot to turn off a fan while leaving for office; you can simply use the app to check if the fan is on, and turn it off, avoiding electricity wastage,” says Chaudhary. “You can do the same with your air conditioner, TV, heater, geyser, and every other electrical appliance at home. With the energy monitor, you can also track the energy consumed by each appliance and identify energy-saving opportunities with its reports,” he adds.
Apart from monitoring and controlling your appliances through your phone, you can set timings for the appliances to turn on and off, says Chaudhary. “Let’s say you go to bed at 10:00 pm; you can schedule your air conditioner to turn off at 2:00 am and turn on at 6:00 am, thus saving you four hours of electricity consumption every day. You can also schedule your geyser to turn on at 7 am and turn off at 7:15 am every morning, and set similar schedules for every member of your household.”
The products have received a good response from the market, with the company witnessing over 2.5x annual growth in the sales of its smart devices over the last two years. “With these smart devices, you can easily save up to 40% on your electricity bills without compromising your lifestyle,” he says. With the use of AI and machine learning, the company is now working to ensure these smart devices can communicate with each other, further simplifying our lives.
— The firm has impacted over 100,000 households, and aims to reach 5 million households in the next five years
— Sunpulse has developed connected devices you can simply plug and play to automate your home
— Apart from controlling your appliances through a phone, you can set timings for the appliances to turn on and off


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The government has hiked the bulk power tariff by nearly 20 per cent. The new rate comes into effect from December, 2022. It does not come as a surprise. What does come as a surprise is that the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) didn't even bother to go through the motions of holding a public hearing, as has been the norm till date. Perhaps the idea was to avoid the inevitable public outcry that various stakeholders, including the Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) would raise on such a move.
The hike has, however, been minimised since the government will be providing the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) with a subsidy of Tk200 billion. Had that not happened the revised tariff would have gone up even further. Whilst such statements may be gratifying to those in the driving seat, it does little to help matters at consumer level. Because although we have been assured that there will be no increase of tariff at retail level, the various distribution companies (like West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd.) are, reportedly, clamouring for a corresponding raise in power tariff. The same can be said about Dhaka Power Distribution Ltd. (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd. (DESCO), Rural Electrification Board (REB), all of which are preparing their own respective proposals to be submitted to BERC for such a raise. Why shouldn't they? Since they'll be dishing out money at this new revised (upward) rate to buy bulk power, why would any of the distribution companies bear the brunt? Retail price hike may be deferred for some time, but it is likely to be raised eventually.
The State has raised the power tariff nine times during its tenure in power. With the primary fuel energy mix getting more and more dependent on expensive fuel imports, it is increasingly becoming impossible to rationalise the cost. The depletion of proven natural gas fields in the country which is being beefed up by a mixture of diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) points to a scenario where there will be periodic hikes in power tariff. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) (from which the government has sought a multi-billion dollar loan package) has also advised the government to ease off the subsidy it gives to the power sector.
Unfortunately for the Bangladeshi people, the economy has not been faring particularly well this year. In the broader scheme of things, the foreign exchange reserve has been under intense pressure to meet import payments, but the situation has gotten murkier with a fall in inward remittance. On top of all this, the global energy market has been turned on its head due to the seemingly endless Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The runaway inflation for basic food staples has been extremely painful. With an unheard-of spike in fuel prices for transportation coupled with racketeering at wholesale level, prices of edibles are rising at a phenomenal rate on a weekly basis.
The winter is knocking at the door. So city residents are refraining from running their air conditioners at full blast, which according to experts is saving at least 3,000 megawatts of electricity. The government has just announced that 25 per cent more LNG will be imported and there will be no more endless load-shedding. But what is the point of having ample energy if the prices at retail level is raised somewhere down the line? The sad reality is that we still refuse to tap our own proven reserves of primary energy sources. There is simply no way of scaling down energy prices until we move away from the expensive imported fuels, prices of which will always remain volatile, either due to geopolitical conflict or price fixation by producing nations.


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Supreme collaborating isn’t big news. Great, another collaboration. But somehow, they always manage to turn things around and keep the hype going, no mater what. We saw that earlier this year when they announced they would be dropping special Supreme Oreos. This time, they’re back again, but with Italian carmaker Lamborghini.
The seven-piece capsule collection will consist of hooded jackets, quilted shop jackets, hockey jersey-style shirts, skateboards, beanies and coveralls featuring the Italian carmaker’s iconic bull logo.
Supreme drops have become famous all over the word for the long cues they garner when a new collection is being released. But we won’t get to see that this time. Unlike previous drops from the New York-based brand, this collaboration will be released on Supreme’s webstore April 2 at 11 am EST as its US and UK retailers are all closed due to COVID-19.


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B&Q stores will be shut on Tuesday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the immediate closure of non-essential stores.
B&Q chief executive Graham Bell said in statement that he had learned “that the DIY and hardware store sector has been categorised as an essential retailer”.
He added: “We are now working out the safest and simplest way to support communities in providing only essential products moving forwards.”
B&Q stores will be closed on Tuesday “as we prepare”, Mr Bell said.
Earlier, Sports Direct came in for heavy criticism, with Labour’s chairman telling the firm’s majority owner Mike Ashley to “take some responsibility” and “shut up shop”.
Management justified keeping stores open on the basis that selling sporting and fitness equipment makes the company a vital asset during a national shutdown, according to an email seen by the PA news agency.
However, Sports Direct later tweeted a statement signed by finance chief Chris Wootton saying: “We would like confirmation as to whether our Sports Direct and Evans Cycle fascias should open in the morning?”
The chain later announced it would stay closed.
Any firm which closes its stores joins a long list which now includes Primark, McDonald’s, Greggs, Nando’s, Costa Coffee, Eat, and Debenhams.
In contrast, Waitrose announced in a statement that it was backing the Government’s plea with “a set of strong, new measures”.
These would include limiting customer numbers, introducing floor signage to mark safe distances, marshals to manage queues, protective screens at checkouts, and additional security, the company said in a statement.


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Pokémon Go Tips & Guide: how to earn XP, level up, join gym teams and more
Release dates: every game confirmed for 2016
A class-action lawsuit claiming EA Sports’ exclusive on the NFL football license constitutes an illegal monopoly has been finalized.
NFL Football License headlines
NFL Football License latest
EA settles Madden monopoly lawsuit


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ProMiles reports shows first diesel increase since late 2022
January 31, 2023
The ProMiles.com report released on Jan. 30, showed the national diesel price average on Monday was $4.68 per gallon, up 6.5 cents from last week.
ProMiles produces a report that is similar to one published weekly by the federal Energy Information Administration. A key difference between the two reports is the type and number of fueling stations in order to calculate its averages. While ProMiles uses its direct feed from thousands of truck stops to develop its averages, EIA surveys 400 truck stops and convenience stores nationwide. The EIA report is also the average price of diesel for the previous week.
All regions saw an increase this week, the largest of which came in the Gulf Coast (9.8 cents). California and the Midwest region reported increases of 7.7 cents and 7.5 cents, respectively, while the West Coast region’s price jumped by just under 7 cents.
With a price per gallon of $4.295, the Gulf Coast region again reported the lowest average of any region this week.
Here are the average U.S. prices for a gallon of diesel reported for each region on Monday, Jan. 30, by ProMiles.com:
- U.S. – $4.68, up 6.5 cents.
- East Coast – $4.845, up 3.8 cents.
- New England – $5.157, up 2 cents.
- Central Atlantic – $5.006, up 2.2 cents.
- Lower Atlantic – $4.676, up 5.3 cents.
- Midwest – $4.43, up 7.5 cents.
- Gulf Coast – $4.295, up 9.8 cents.
- Rocky Mountain – $4.643, up 2.8 cents.
- West Coast – $5.325, up 6.9 cents.
- West Coast without California –$4.803, up 4.5 cents.
- California – $5.734, up 7.7 cents.
Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.
AAA reported the retail average U.S. price per gallon of diesel at $4.676 for Jan. 30.
A week previous the average retail U.S. price was $4.621 per gallon.
A month previous, AAA reported $4.68 per gallon of diesel, and a year ago $3.717 per gallon.
The highest recorded retail average U.S. diesel price was $5.816 per gallon on June 19, 2022, according to AAA.
EIA’s Jan. 30 report showed the national price per gallon for diesel increased by 1.8 cents to $4.622.
That national average for this past week was 77.6 cents more than it was one year ago.
Every region’s average price was higher this week, with the exception of the Central Atlantic’s drop of 1.2 cents.
Of the increases, 3.7 cents each in the Lower Atlantic and West Coast less California regions were the largest. The Gulf Coast was also up some 3 cents, while the East Coast and New England regions reported a jump of 2.5 cents each.
The lowest average price reported was $4.35 per gallon in the Gulf Coast region.
Average U.S. price for a gallon of diesel on Jan. 30 as reported by the EIA:
- U.S. – $4.622, up 1.8 cents.
- East Coast – $4.835, up 2.5 cents.
- New England – $5.129, up 2.5 cents.
- Central Atlantic – $5.057, down 1.2 cents.
- Lower Atlantic – $4.723, up 3.7 cents.
- Midwest – $4.474, up one-tenth of a cent.
- Gulf Coast – $4.351, up 3.1 cents.
- Rocky Mountain – $4.742, up three-fifths of a cent.
- West Coast – $5.126, up 3.1 cents.
- West Coast less California – $4.794, up 3.7 cents.
- California – $5.508, up 2.4 cents. LL


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The latest twist in the hype-laden mystery around Magic Leap now includes a new set of patent drawings that offer a brand new look at what may be the company’s augmented reality glasses.
In a patent issued August 29, 2017 (but originally filed in 2015), we see a series of eight drawings that detail a pair of bulky glasses that appear to be equipped with sensor arrays on both sides.
One of the drawings shows what looks like a second pair of lenses fitted behind the main lenses, folding inward in a concave direction.
Interestingly, in the main description on the patent, the glasses are referred to as “virtual reality glasses” rather than augmented reality glasses. However, since the terms have been used loosely and interchangeably by some companies, this may not describe the final functionality of the device, particularly since most of the demonstration videos from Magic Leap have focused on what appears to be kind of augmented reality.
The drawings were surfaced by Business Insider in a report that managed to get a Magic Leap spokesperson on the record as saying that “what you are looking at is not our product.”
That could mean anything from the drawings are close, but the final version will be slightly different, to this really looks nothing like the final version. Nevertheless, the report goes on to cite sources “with knowledge of Magic Leap’s hardware” as saying the patent drawings are close to the product “in appearance.”
Great. We can’t wait to see them.
But here’s the thing: Magic Leap has mostly blown its shot at capitalizing on its early hype. Initially driven by massive funding that included the likes of Google and later Alibaba, eventually giving the company a valuation of around $4.5 billion, the expectations around Magic Leap have been huge. Add to that the glitzy video demos and comments from insiders who have tried it, and it seemed that Magic Leap was on the cusp on changing the very entertainment industry itself.
But a series of events, including high profile executive departures, legal issues, and a damning report late last year that gave less than impressive marks to Magic Leap’s capabilities have tamped down expectations, and raised the bar in terms of what the company needs to show us to justify the multi-year hype surrounding it.
Meanwhile, the AR and VR industry, from hardware to software companies, is improving every quarter, further raising the bar for what might have been mind blowing tech from Magic Leap just a few years ago.
A few patent drawings don’t tell the whole story, and Magic Leap may yet deliver something we’ve never seen before. But as each month passes, Magic Leap is beginning to look more and more like just another (albeit possibly cutting-edge) product that will have to first prove its value in the increasingly crowded AR/VR marketplace before winning over Hollywood or the general public.


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€16 gadget sparks 'right to recline' row among airline passengers
Aer Lingus has assured customers they won't have to fight for the right to recline despite soaring sales of a controversial travel gadget that prevents passengers from leaning back in their seats.
A device called the Knee Defender - which boasts the motto "standing up for the right of the tall guy to sit down" - sparked an air rage incident aboard an United Airlines Flight in America last week.
A 48-year-old female passenger who was unable to recline in her seat dumped a glass of water on a passenger who was using the gadget.
The male passenger who was seated behind her refused to remove the portable device - which can be attached to a seatback table to prevent the passenger in front from leaning backwards.
Both passengers were thrown off the flight when a mid-air row ensued, forcing the flight, which was bound for Denver, Colorado from Newark, New Jersey to divert to Chicago.
While the device is legal in Ireland, it has not sparked any air rage incidents here, the Irish Aviation Authority said.
But that doesn't mean the devices are welcome here either.
An Aer Lingus spokesman said it's "considering the situation" but hasn't banned the device yet, although "passengers are entitled to their comfort and have the right to recline if they choose."
Ryanair doesn't have seats which recline and has no intention of fitting them in the future, a spokesman said.
But a spokesman for American Airlines, which has banned the anti-recline device on its daily flights from Dublin to the US, said: "It's a shame when passengers take umbrage against fellow passengers when it's a question of using manners."
He added that etiquette also applies when passengers vie for arm-rest space with fellow passengers.
The air rage incident has now sparked a heated debate in the US where most major airlines have now banned the device.
The device is dubbed "a special favourite of tall frequent fliers" and described as being "as ingenious as it is devious," by luxury travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler.
The simple plastic device, which retails online for €16.65 ($21.95), has been on the market since 2003 but only recently came to prominence.
It was the brainchild of former US Congress staff member Ira Goldman, who stands at 6'3".


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K 2022 Opens at Critical Time
With a packed personal agenda and the confidence that while the halls might be less full in terms of total attendees they will be more filled with more decision makers, Ulrich Reifenhäuser is confident K 2022 (Oct. 19-26; Düsseldorf, Germany) will be a commercial success and perhaps even more, once the event is looked back at in hindsight.
“Since the last K show, the plastics industry has seen tremendous challenges,” Reifenhäuser, chair of the K’s exhibitor council and managing partner of the eponymous supplier of extrusion technology said at K 2022’s opening press conference held Oct. 18, one day before the show opened. Reifenhäuser noted not only the the impact of the global pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, but the public and political pressure on plastics. “I think K 2022 is the most important K that we have ever seen.”
Reifenhäuser said his sense of the importance is fed in part by exchanges with customers ahead of the show, many of whom are eager to consult with companies like his own to address the challenges of producing plastic products more sustainably. Many of these same companies have been waiting for an event like the K to see what technologies are available to introduce more recycled materials to their goods or use less energy in production.
Reifenhäuser’s comments came one day before the show halls open their doors for eight days of plastics spread across 17 halls, 3037 exhibitors and 179,000-m2 of space. While the total number of exhibitors is down almost 9% from K 2019’s 3327, the square meters is up, albeit only about 1%. Messe Düsseldorf expects there to be roughly two-thirds of the normal attendees on hand. For Reifenhäuser, however, as he was translated in the press event, “Class is better than mass,” with his expectation being that there will be less people in total but more individuals in a position to buy equipment.
U.S. representation is in some ways representative of the overall trend. There will be slightly fewer exhibitors from the states—104 versus 109—but they will occupy slightly more space. Four countries will not be represented by exhibitors in 2022 after turning out in 2019—Indonesia, Colombia, Kuwait and Russia. Overall, out of the 63 exhibiting countries from 2019, 37 had fewer (including the four opt outs) companies present, while 10 maintained the same number of exhibitors and 16 brought more. In terms of space from those exhibiting countries, 32 grew their space, 29 saw it decrease while two stayed at the same level.
K 2022’s Eastern entrance one day before the show’s open and under blue skies.


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SAN FRANCISCO—Chip vendor Microsemi Corp. said Thursday (Jan. 19) it acquired Maxim Integrated Products Inc.'s telecom clock generation, synchronization, packet timing and synthesis business. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Microsemi (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) said the acquired product lines are important to the effective and efficient delivery of voice, data and multimedia traffic over wireless and wired networks.
James Peterson, Microsemi's president and CEO, said through a statement that the acquired products complement the synchronization and timing products Microsemi obtained when it acquired Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. last September.
"We believe the two pieces fit like a glove and allow us to better serve our customers with the broadest high-end synchronization and timing technology portfolio in the market today," Peterson said.