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People in the textile industry are becoming more aware of the waste they create and are looking toward methods to recycle it. Nike, the famous athletic apparel company, can end up wasting nearly a third of cow’s hide material when creating leather for their shoes. To trim the waste, the company is recycling the product into a different kind of leather.
In a collaboration with E-Leather from the United Kingdom, Nike has created shoes made of a new Flyleather material. Around half of it comes from the discarded cowhide that’s turned into fiber. That is mixed in with synthetic fibers and it’s fused together with a high-powered water process -- the liquid comes out so strong it morphs the two into the Flyleather material.
E-Leather has done a similar process to create seat covers for the transportation industry over in the UK. Since the company began the process in 2007, they’ve been able to save over 5,700 tons of traditional leather from being wasted -- exactly zero of their waste has gone to the landfills -- and 95 percent of the water used is recycled.
Flyleather is also very sustainable due to the limited water it uses in the first place. According to Nike, creating the new material uses only 10 percent of the amount needed for traditional leather. This brings their carbon footprint down by a whopping 80 percent. It's also 40 percent lighter and five times more durable compared to full-grain leather. The product is produced and cut on a roll, which improves the cutting method.
Traditional leather manufacturing has been a significant environmental hazard. Lots of energy is used along with a significant mixture of hazardous chemicals. Even worse, there’s now awareness of how dangerous the process of treating these skins and hides are. Also known as tanning, this method also impacts the people who work and live around it.
“We've always struggled to find ways to address the leather environmental impact,” Hannah Jones, Nike’s Chief Sustainable Officer, told Wired. “You can take what would've gone to a landfill and put it straight back into the material, so it’s a continuous cycle.”
There’s also no sacrifice when it comes to using Flyleather. In fact, Nike boasts that it feels and looks like premium leather. According to Fast Company, Nike’s Flyknit shoe brand has “reduced more than 3.5 million pounds of waste since they were introduced in 2012.”
Clothing produces a ridiculous amount of waste, both in how its made and what is thrown away annually after wearing out. It’s even worse when it comes to creating traditional leather, which is extremely hazardous to the environment and people. Nike’s new approach is a great step in the sustainable direction.


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Producers must be open to change
Anyone making a living farming today is a successful businessperson.
Being good at production isn’t enough. You must innovate and adopt new technology, improve efficiency and manage budgets and risks on a scale unimaginable even a couple of decades ago.
The danger is that it’s easy to become complacent.
In a rapidly changing world, sticking to the same practices, even the ones that got you to where you are today, can cost you money.
That’s why Milligan Bio-Tech decided to rethink just about everything it does.
Milligan is the brainchild of a group of farmers from Foam Lake, Sask., who set out two decades ago to build a biodiesel plant that would use non food-grade canola, which generally earned them little or nothing.
They faced many technical challenges but bigger financial ones. The market for biodiesel remained tiny until last year, when government mandates requiring diesel to have a two percent biofuel blend began coming into effect. Staying in business required creativity, and the company relied heavily on byproducts such as a diesel fuel conditioner and penetrating oil.
“Co-products sort of carried the company in the early days,” said chief executive officer Joe Holash, a chemical engineer and executive recruited two years ago.
“But now with government mandates in place, there is strong demand for biodiesel.”
Biodiesel production was just 500,000 litres annually when Holash joined the company, but this year its 20-million litre plant is going flat out. Managing that growth was his No. 1 priority, but he also cast a fresh eye on the byproduct business.
What he saw was a marketing team that had worked its butt off to generate the sales that had been vital to the company’s survival. The effort was great, but the rewards were unequal.
“We were doing a lot of running around,” said Holash.
“We would sell a few bottles at a trade show or to garages in all sorts of small communities and that sort of thing.”
It turned out that 15 percent of customers generated 80 percent of byproduct sales, but the revamp wasn’t as simple as reducing in-person sales calls for small accounts and spending more time servicing larger ones. Holash encouraged his sales team to look with fresh eyes at what they’d been doing.
One of the things they noticed was pretty obvious: you need to sell a lot of small cans of penetrating oil to generate the revenue you get from one big barrel of a newer Milligan byproduct, a biodegradable tar and oil remover.
So they targeted large paving and oilfield companies, and today the company can’t keep up with demand, “which is a nice position to be in,” says Holash.
But if this sounds easy, don’t be fooled, he quickly adds.
“Anyone who has been successful in growing a business can easily develop these biases and filters that get you locked into a path,” he says.
“Good businesspeople recognize that, which is why they bring in new blood and make a real effort to be open to change.”
Family farms aren’t going to go out and recruit a new CEO, but they can hire advisers or, better yet, give another family member authority, especially the heir apparent, over some part of the business such as marketing, finances or long-term planning.
Being open to change means looking dispassionately at what you do and asking why you do it that way, says Holash.
“When something has worked for you, it becomes part of your culture and so you may not look at it objectively.”
It doesn’t have to be a radical overhaul. After all, Milligan still sells byproducts. It just does it differently — and more profitably.

domain: news


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A taste of Vietnam is coming to South Buckhead.
Bún Mì -- a combination of the names of traditional Vietnamese dishes bánh mì and bún -- is set to open 11 a.m. May 23 on Peachtree Road down the street from Restaurant Eugene.
The fast casual spot will serve a variety of bánh mì sandwiches and bún bowls made with ingredients including grilled short ribs, garlic shrimp, grilled tumeric chicken and mushrooms. The eatery also offers fresh juices and Vietnamese iced coffee.
The restaurant is dedicated to "responsibility and sustainability," according to a press release, using locally-sourced ingredients and biodegradable products and donating a portion of profits to environmental preservation causes.
Bún Mì will be open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
2277 Peachtree Road Ste H, Atlanta. 678-705-9156, bunmigrill.com
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After enduring its worst plunge since 2008, the stock market has staged an extraordinary recovery in 2023, with each of the major market indexes soaring more than 20% from their recent lows — and the year is far from over. This has caused some Wall Street pundits to announce the beginning of a new bull market, at least by that measure.
Yet even as some businesses have already shaken off the events of the past couple of years, others haven’t been so fortunate. As an example, the personal computing (PC) industry remains mired deep in the red, as PC shipments last year hit their lowest level since 2008, according to market intelligence provider IDC.
Despite an otherwise robust performance, Microsoft continues to feel the pinch of lower consumer spending, but there are suggestions that the PC market could finally rebound.
While that would be a welcome development for the company, there are plenty of other reasons to buy Microsoft stock before this bull market begins in earnest.
One Magnificent Artificial Intelligence (AI) Growth Stock to Buy Hand Over Fist and Hold Forever as a Bull Market Approaches
The well-known stock was severely damaged by the bear market, but its growth has held steady.
The stock market has produced an astonishing comeback in 2023 after experiencing its greatest decline since 2008, with each of the major market indices rising more than 20% from their most recent lows — and the year is far from done. Due to this, some Wall Street analysts have declared the start of a new bull market, at least by that metric.
Others haven’t been as fortunate, even though some businesses have already recovered from the events of the previous two years. Consider the personal computer (PC) sector as an illustration.
An “unprecedented expansion”
According to IDC, the PC market experienced a surge in demand during the early stages of the pandemic as a result of widespread lockdowns, at-home employment, and the widespread use of video games.
However, a crowded market and the emergence of economic problems combined to abruptly end that growth. IDC anticipates growth to stabilize, with shipping numbers eventually returning to pre-pandemic levels over the course of the upcoming year. The typical PC has a lifespan of roughly three years.
Revenue from Microsoft’s more personal computing division, which includes the Windows operating system, personal devices, search and news advertising, and gaming, fell to $54.7 billion for the company’s fiscal 2023, which ended on June 30, down 9%, offsetting advances from its other businesses.
At least a portion of the present artificial intelligence (AI) revolution can be attributed to Microsoft. The business invested $13 billion in OpenAI not long after the start-up published ChatGPT, making it one of the first to realize the potential effects of generative AI.
Since then, a wide range of Microsoft’s goods and services have included AI; this might have a substantial impact on the company’s financial performance. Microsoft’s AI-assisted Office Copilot, according to billionaire Dan Loeb of the hedge firm Third Point, could boost the company’s revenue by “$25 billion or more in software sales alone.”
Microsoft still has plenty of untapped opportunities to make money using AI; the only restriction is the company’s creativity.
Clouds in the sky
Microsoft’s Azure Cloud is another potential growth catalyst. According to data provided by Canalys, Microsoft has long been the No. 2 provider of cloud infrastructure, but its expansion keeps outpacing that of market leader Amazon Web Services. If this keeps up, Microsoft might eventually win the competition.
The business may use its AI know-how to convince customers to use its cloud products, which have a wealth of promise for boosting productivity. Microsoft recently announced the launch of Bing Chat for Enterprise, an AI-powered search bot, as well as a number of AI-driven upgrades.
According to CFO Amy Hood, who made the statement last month, “next generation AI business will be the fastest growing $10 billion business in our history.”
Microsoft’s Azure Cloud will provide a large portion of that increase.
fist to hand
Investors who purchase Microsoft stock at this time are receiving a great deal. The business has significant experience in cloud computing, SaaS, and artificial intelligence (AI). The growth prospects are starting to increase once you factor in the anticipated PC industry recovery.
Despite all of this potential, Microsoft stock is still quite affordable, trading at just 11 times current year revenues and 9 times those of the following year, which, in my opinion, is a great deal given the company’s growth prospects.
For all of the above mentioned reasons, I think investors should buy Microsoft stock in droves with the intention of holding it for the foreseeable future.
Must read:Jeffrey Celavie AI


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HONG KONG, April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Monaco, the pioneering payments and cryptocurrency platform, announces that the MCO token will be listed on Bithumb, South Korea's leading cryptocurrency exchange, today, April 19, 2018. This partnership marks another significant step towards fulfilling Monaco's vision of putting cryptocurrency in every wallet on a global scale.
Kris Marszalek, Co-Founder and CEO of Monaco said, "Local partnerships such as this one are an essential part of our game plan to make the MCO Token accessible globally. South Korea is one of the most important markets for cryptocurrencies, and with the support of Bithumb, we look to expand the scale and reach of Monaco to fulfil our vision of 'cryptocurrency in every wallet'."
To demonstrate commitment to the Korean market, Monaco has recently added Korean language content to its website (http://www.mona.co/kr ) and launched a number of Korean social media channels to engage with the community.
Monaco Technology GmbH with a vision of Cryptocurrency in Every Wallet[TM] is the pioneering payments and cryptocurrency platform. The Monaco Visa card and mobile app allow users to buy, exchange, and spend fiat and cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ether, at perfect interbank exchange rates.
Founded in June 2016, Monaco raised US$26.7 million through one of the most successful Token Sale events to date. The company is headquartered in Switzerland with offices in Hong Kong and Singapore.
For more information on Monaco, please visit http://www.mona.co. Monaco Visa cards can be reserved with the Monaco app available for download for iOS and Android users.
Since the beginning of service in January 2014, Bithumb, one of the Top 10 largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally, has seen explosive growth in its daily trading volume and now ranks number one. Bithumb is a financial platform that provides exchange services for bitcoin, ether, and other various cryptocurrencies. It is also expanding its business area into payment services and international money transfer services.


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The Advertising Association has called on the British government to
use its presidency of the European Union to tackle restrictive
advertising laws in EU countries.
The call for a ’full and frank’ discussion on national laws which
restrict advertising is one of seven recommendations sent to ministers
The AA’s document highlights restrictions such as the Greek ban on toy
advertising, the French Loi Evin, which limits alcohol advertising, and
the Swedish ban on TV advertising to children. In an accompanying
letter, Lionel Stanbrook, the Association’s deputy director general,
tells ministers that while, in theory, an internal market should exist
in the EU, in reality it does not.
The AA’s call comes as the EU’s ’infringements committee’ prepares for a
meeting on Thursday to discuss the ad bans.
The full text of the letter and recommendations can be found on
Marketing Online at www.marketing.haynet.com.


text: Australian luxury reseller Blue Spinach has joined David Jones' Mindfully Made edit, giving pre-owned designer pieces a second life. The online designer resale at David Jones features more than 30 luxury accessories items from brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Hermes, Gucci, Celine, Balenciaga, Valentino and Fendi. Designer items will be regularly refreshed with one-off, hard-to-find and popular pieces at David Jones. The brand will also bring the resale to its Elizabeth Street flagship store early next year. Mindful Made edit was introduced by David Jones last year as a platform for sustainable commitments.


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Mike Halford Coaches auction
ES Group’s Exeter office has been instructed by the Director of Mike Halford Coaches from Bridport, Dorset, to hold an online auction of the company’s assets commencing 24 July 2014. ES Group was appointed to undertake the work following a decision by Mike Halford Coaches to restructure the business. The online auction will see the sale of six Mercedes-Benz based service and mini buses in addition to a panel van, with assets on view at Mike Halford Coaches on 23 July 2014. Alongside the vehicles, workshop equipment will also be up for auction, including a Taskmaster compressor, an engine hoist and stand and further stock and spares.


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The largest recycler operating from supermarket parking lots in California, rePlanet, closed operations this month, despite receiving $25 million in payments from the state in 2018.
A major California recycler that shuttered hundreds of centers this month, laying off 750 workers, went under despite receiving state payments of nearly $25 million last year, an internal state record obtained by CalMatters shows.
The closure of Ontario-based rePlanet, LLC, underscored — and exacerbated — California’s recycling crisis, which threatens a pillar of the state’s environmental agenda. The company cited insufficient state payments when it announced its 284 recycling centers would end operations.
In a statement, rePlanet blamed “the continued reduction in State fees, the depressed pricing of recycled aluminum and PET plastic, and the rise in operating costs resulting from minimum wage increases and required health and workers compensation insurance.”
In business in California since 2012, rePlanet was by far the state’s largest collector at grocery stores of used cans and bottles. Its closure came despite a decision by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators to include an extra $5 million in the 2019-20 budget to help such recyclers defray their costs.
Company representatives have not commented beyond its Aug. 5 announcement. But a document obtained by CalMatters shows that the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, also known as CalRecycle, made $25 million in payments to rePlanet in 2018, including $10.4 million in processing payments, $13.76 million in handling fees and $738,661 in administrative fees.
State payments to recyclers are funded by 5-cent recycling charges levied on consumers for redeemable cans and bottles.
CalRecycle refused to discuss rePlanet’s payout or the company’s claim that insufficient state support led to its closure. Agency spokesman Lance Klug said details about payments would divulge a company’s “proprietary” or internal information.
“That information should be public,” said Mark Murray, director of Californians Against Waste, the state’s leading nonprofit advocate for more recycling. Murray noted that the confidentiality requirement dates to the original recycling legislation in the 1980s, when scrap metal collectors insisted that their internal information be hidden from competitors and not be disclosed to the public.
Bulk numbers, however, show that rePlanet got nearly 16% of the $66 million in overall processing payments the state made in 2018, and 28.5% of the $48 million the state paid in handling fees to recyclers that operate in grocery store parking lots.
Murray said that while an annual payment of $25 million may seem to be a lot of money, it doesn’t match operating costs. The state should increase payments by at least 20%, he said, citing not only rePlanet’s struggle but that of hundreds of other facilities that have shut in recent months.
“The state program is not providing small recyclers with sufficient payment … and that is why 1,000 of them have closed,” Murray said.
In 2018, then Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation by Sen. Steve Glazer, Orinda Democrat, that would have increased payments. Brown cited a need for “reforming and modernizing” California recycling program. Similar legislation by Sen. Henry Stern, Malibu Democrat, has stalled this year.


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ADDIS ABABA – Africa should step up inclusive recovery efforts to prevent more vulnerable people from falling below poverty line due to global crises, as per the top Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) official.
The continent is grappling with the impact of the shocks caused by COVID -19, the war in Ukraine and climate change.
In his press briefing on Monday, ECA’s Acting executive secretary Antonio Pedro said the adverse impacts of global shocks are pushing more people into extreme poverty.
“Africa is falling even further behind, with the continent now accounting for the highest proportion of the world’s poor of any region globally,” Pedro warned.
The warning comes ahead of the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (CoM 2023) which will be held on March 20 and 21.
“efforts must be pro-poor”
The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed an additional 55 million people below the poverty line. The impact of the war in Ukraine is expected to further compound the challenge.
Ways to withstand these and other challenges are expected to be explored during the ministerial discussions in Addis Ababa.
Pedro said recovery efforts have to be pro-poor and does not leave anyone behind”. “If we do so then the social contract that is key to have stability and prosperity will be completely disrupted,” he warned.
More than 546 million people in Africa are living in poverty, according to ECA’s estimates.
‘Promoting local solutions key’
As per Pedro, declining economic growth, narrowing fiscal space, rising debt, and commodity shocks “severely constrained” Africa countries’ capacity “to effectively tackle poverty”.
Africa’s trade flows and supply chains were also disrupted, he said, adding that it was pertinent for Africa to promote local solutions akin to the creation of the Africa Exchange Trade Platform (ATEX).
The digital platform was created during the pandemic to boost trade in critical commodities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Africa, he said, has also considerable opportunities to build strong, resilient and competitive economies through accelerated implementation of the AfCFTA.
The development of carbon credit markets, fostering the emergency of regional value chains in the battery and electric vehicle subsector are also among the opportunities proposed by the acting executive Secretary of the ECA.


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China National Tourist Office in New York, Guizhou, Henan, Chinese destinations and a number of Chinese airlines participated in the annual New York Times Travel Show, which took place January 27-29, 2017 at the Javits Convention Center in New York. The exhibition is the largest tourism exhibition in the U.S., with more than 500 exhibitors from 150 countries and regions.
The trade show coincided with the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). To celebrate it, CNTO presented a series of cultural activities in the booth specifically related to Spring Festival: red lanterns were arranged, a lifelike zodiac rooster was placed, paper-cut bookmarks were given out, Chinese New Year food was served, and the entire booth was decorated with festival elements. Wang Yanjie, Director of the China National Tourist Office in New York, and Li Liyan, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, attended the tourism exhibition.
China pavilion staff actively promoted the image of “Beautiful China,” and warmly introduced the natural scenery and cultural heritage of China. The airline also offered souvenir raffle tickets to people interested in flying to China. The event was very successful, attracting more than 1,000 visitors each day to learn more about visiting China.
During the exhibition, China booth staff also invited Chinese and American tai chi enthusiasts to perform on site. Chefs demonstrated the process of Chinese traditional gourmet dumplings (Jiaozi), and explained the origins and culture of dumplings and the Chinese New Year, which attracted many visitors. Through the New York Times Travel Show platform, CNTO and its partners extended best Chinese New Year wishes to guests at the show, and sincerely welcomed all attendees to visit China in the future.


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By: Gerome Dalipe
ALL fresh, frozen, and processed pork products are prohibited on all public utility vehicles (PUVs) if the carrier does not have the required permits, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced recently.
In a statement, the LTFRB, in cooperation with the Bureau of Animal Industry, issued the statement to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF).
These pork products include all fresh, frozen, and processed pork products and by-products like sausages, ham, among others.
“All swine commercial farms will be allowed to move via Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs), provided they have presented the documents in designated animal quarantine checkpoints in the disease outbreak areas,” the LTFRB said in a statement.
In the shipment of live animals, those with incomplete shipment documents will be held and given 24 hours to complete the required document, otherwise, it will be ordered to return to origin.
Likewise, the shipment of dead or sick animals with incomplete shipment documents shall be confiscated and disposed of by apprehending officers.
The shipment of semi-cooked and raw meat with incomplete shipment documents will be held and given 24 hours to complete required documents, otherwise will be confiscated and disposed of accordingly.
Likewise, the shipment with falsified and tampered with documents will be confined at the animal quarantine checkpoint. Violators will face a fine of P200,000.


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Steve Gibson’s luxury complex at Rockliffe Hall remains loss-making - but recent improvements are helping to drive revenues.
Annual results for the hotel, spa and golf facility in Hurworth were released today.
The award-winning facility, which employs around 320 staff, posted a pre-tax loss of £1.2m for the year to June 2016, the same as a year earlier.
Mr Gibson, one of Rockliffe’s three directors and majority shareholder of parent company Gibson O’Neill, said: “The overall business continued the previous trend of year-on-year growth in all revenue streams.
“The core elements of accommodation occupancy, spa and golf memberships and food and beverage provided strong income.
“The capital developments continued to provide incremental revenues, most notably the extended spa facility.
“Further growth is forecast for future years as the business continues to enhance the customer experience.”
Mr Gibson added that the market remains “competitive”, adding that several regional operations have upgraded their facilities.
He said: “This will result in some discounting but mainly in the four-star properties which will not directly impact.”
Revenues for Rockliffe, which opened in 2009, grew to £11.1m from £10.3m a year earlier.
Income increased from food, accommodation and the spa but were flat from the golf operation.
Earlier this year it emerged a new £750,000 facility is to be built on the grounds of the five-star hotel.
The development will include children’s play zones, formal gardens, wildflower gardens, a walled kitchen garden, a maze and two tennis courts.
One of the main aims of the new development will be to help keep younger visitors to the resort entertained, but there will also be new offerings for older guests as well.
The new facilities are set to be launched this summer with the promise of creating a handful of new jobs aimed at maintaining the development.
A new spa garden opened in 2015 with two outdoor hot pools - including an infinity edge hydrotherapy pool with massage features and a warm Jacuzzi.
The results follow the release of the annual accounts of Gibson O’Neill last week.
The group, also parent for Middlesbrough FC and chemical transport firm Bulkhaul, posted a drop in annual profits fro £22.8m to £5.4m due to the cost of funding Boro’s successful promotion push.


text: Panasonic's about to hit us with the first ruggedized Sonoma-based laptop, the Toughbook CF-73 — 'cause the only thing better than having the latest technology is being able to beat the crap out of it. The CF-73 comes loaded with a 1.86GHz Intel Mobile CPU with 533MHz front-side bus, Mobile Intel 915 Express chipset and a Graphics Media Accelerator 900 graphics core. Wireless capability comes from integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG chips and built-in GPRS/GSM support. Two different models are available, but (no surprise) neither will come cheap — the lower-end model with 256MB RAM and a 60GB hard drive will set you back $3500; upping that to 512MB and 80GB will push the total up to $3750. A 13.3-inch touchscreen is the only display option and, yes, it's been beefed up too. In addition to being daylight readable and anti-reflective, it's also shock and intrusion hardened. So smack that laptop up.


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News Desk |
Finance Minister Asad Umar has said that the government directed FBR to review and improve the Expeditious Refund System (ERS) parameters to ensure the early processing of exporters’ claims. He was talking to the delegation of Pakistan Business Council (PBC) here on Wednesday.
The delegation discussed with the minister the overall business environment in the country and made recommendations for necessary policy interventions to enhance business & commercial activity in the economy.
The Minister said that the government was working on enhancing the productivity of various sectors and promoting value addition with a view to achieving export enhancement and job creation.
Finance Minister said the government believed in facilitating all sectors of the economy and was taking serious measures to create an enabling business environment. Having a quality tax regime which could help achieve this end was among government’s top priorities.
The Minister particularly expressed the government’s commitment to resolving the sales tax refund issue on a sustainable basis. He informed the delegation that the procedure for processing of DLTL claims was also being revised to ensure that the delays are eliminated.
The delegation also raised the issue of GIDC. The Minister said that the prolonged litigation was neither in the interest of the business community nor the government. He sought recommendations of the business community to resolve this long-standing issue.
The Minister said that the government was working on enhancing the productivity of various sectors and promoting value addition with a view to achieving export enhancement and job creation. He invited the business community to make suggestions for achieving these objectives.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Industries, Abdul Razak Dawood, Minister of State for Revenue, Mohammad Hammad Azhar were also present in the meeting. The recommendations included measures related to tax as well as ease of doing business in general.


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FREMONT, CA: Intel announces acquisition of Ascending Technologies, a German drone maker and manufacturer of autopilot systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and multi-rotor technology. The acquisition integrates Intel’s processors & RealSense imaging technology with Ascending’s auto-pilot software, reports Natalie Gagliordi for ZDNet.
Intel’s RealSense camera is a combination of hardware and software that allows drones to sense the images, avoid obstacles around it and captures 3D information. The auto-pilot software uses a low level protocol for AscTec Research UAVs which gives the drones a sense-and-avoid system.
Ascending technologies continues to support the current customers in developing UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) technology with Intel’s Perceptual Computing team regardless of the acquisition. The acquisition benefits Intel to make more investments in newer areas of technology beyond basic PC and helps fast growing drone market segments.
"Intel is positioning itself at the forefront of this opportunity to increasingly integrate the computing, communications, sensor and cloud technology required to make drones smarter and more connected," says Josh Walden, SVP and GM of Intel's New Technology Group.
See Also: Enterprise Security Review


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In just one month, fraudsters were able to get the official SSL security ‘padlock' seal of approval for hundreds of fake websites impersonating banks and other companies, partly because the checks on them were minimal or non-existent.
According to Bath-based internet services provider Netcraft, during August sites purporting to be the official domains of PayPal, Halifax Bank and others managed to get SSL security clearance from the likes of CloudFlare, Symantec and GoDaddy.
Netcraft internet services developer Graham Edgecombe warned in a 12 October blog: “Consumers have been trained to ‘look for the padlock' in their browser before submitting sensitive information to websites, such as passwords and credit card numbers. However, a displayed padlock alone does not imply that a site using TLS (the successor to SSL) can be trusted, or is operated by a legitimate organisation.”
Fake sites that Netcraft found being used in phishing campaigns included ‘halifaxonline-uyk.com' and ‘emergencypaylap.net'. Netcraft also noted the plausible-looking site ‘natwestnwolb.co.uk' impersonating NatWest's online banking service, when the real site's name is ‘nwolb.com'.
Edgecombe highlighted the problem that fraudsters can obtain low-level Domain Validated (DV) SSL authentication – and the right to display the padlock – with only minimal ID checks and sometimes at no cost.
He said one certificate authority (CA), CloudFlare, which provides free ‘Universal SSL' certification in partnership with Comodo, ”is a hotspot for deceptive certificates, accounting for 40 percent of SSL certificates used by phishing attacks with deceptive domain names during August”.
He added: “CloudFlare's flexible SSL option also appeals to fraudsters, offering a padlock in victims' browsers without the need for attackers to set up SSL on their web servers.
“Comodo offers free 90-day certificates, which have been used by a number of SSL phishing attacks. Symantec also offers free 30-day certificates through its GeoTrust brand. The short validity periods are ideal for fraudsters as phishing attacks themselves typically have short lifetimes.”
Edgecombe also pointed out that Let's Encrypt is planning to offer free, automatically-issued DV certificates later in 2015.
He told SCMagazineUK.com that the problem of fake SSL certificates is not new, but price competition between CAs means the cost and levels of checks on certificates have fallen, while the quality of phishing sites has risen, putting online consumers at greater risk.
Edgecombe explained: “The tech industry has been telling users for years, if you want to enter credit card information on a website make sure it's got a padlock, make sure it's using SSL. But now anyone can go and get an SSL certificate for £5 or so, using minimal information, but it's verified.
“All the CA will check is that you own the domain name, and that's it. Some of them don't even check that the domain may be misused. One of the rules imposed on certificate authorities is they have to give additional scrutiny to domain names that may be used for fraudulent purposes, but these rules are quite vague.”
He added: “Some phishing sites with fake certificates are getting much harder for users to check – some of the screens look exactly like the real bank's website, and they've got an SSL certificate so you've got the padlock. The only way the user is going to know is by checking the domain name is correct and if you didn't know exactly what your bank's domain name was, you could be caught out.”
Edgecombe said some CAs do more verification of domain names than others, such as DigiCert and Entrust who do not supply the cheapest DV certificate. But he said: “Fraudsters go for the lowest-hanging fruit which is these cheap domain validated certificates.”
Commenting on the blog, independent UK cyber-security expert Amar Singh, founder of the Cyber Management Alliance, told SC: “This has been a major issue for some time. Anyone has a right to register any domain name and get a certificate. I recommend very highly to companies to register variations of their domain name so that spammers and phishers cannot do that.
“The current ecosystem for domain names and its related SSL trust issue is quite flawed. The only real current solution is to raise user awareness. Remind customers – ‘ folks keep an eye out' – on a regular basis. The problem is everything is being done one time, education one time. It's up to the banks, companies to educate not only their employees but customers on a regular basis.”
Edgecombe said Netcraft's figure of ‘hundreds' of phishing sites using SSL certificates in August was sourced from phishing reports from a variety of sources, and he could not confirm the total number of phishing attacks.
Kevin Bocek, VP at Venafi, told SC via email: “The fact that CAs are issuing these certificates with little thought to the potential misuse is unacceptable, yet increasingly common. In particular, we are seeing ‘free' CA offerings are particularly easy targets for hackers. This is bad for both businesses and consumers. The potential impact to business and the economy if people lose faith in the security of the online world could be catastrophic.
“Yet it is not only consumers that need to be concerned; it's business operating online – from banks, retailers, insurers, every business – that need to be concerned. There are over 200 CAs in operation, all are afforded the same level of trust but the reality is that they are often very different in terms of the level of fraud and security controls they have in place.
“Businesses have no way of telling which CAs are better or worse, yet they also face a huge risk that they're not responsible for creating. This is why Certificate Reputation – finding and knowing good certificates from bad – is so important.”
We contacted CloudFlare for a comment on Netcraft's blog but it did not immediately respond.


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I was reading Mathew Ingram's article about Re/Code, called "Was the power shift to individual media brands just a mirage?" and I got very annoyed by it. Mostly because of the quotes in it:
First Bob Lefsetz wrote:
Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher built a team of experts. But nobody cared, nobody went to the site, they thought their minions would follow them but it turned out they were aligned more with the Wall Street Journal, their former home, than the writers themselves. It's kind of like when the lead singer leaves the band... good luck!
Just because you're a star don't think you're bigger than the enterprise.
Then Dan Lyons posted:
All of that nonsense about journalists with big personal brands was just that-nonsense. Walt Mossberg's power came from his association with the Journal. Pogue was better off at the Times, Levy was better off at Wired, Nate Silver was better off at the Times, and so on. The late David Carr knew this, and I suspect Nick Bilton does too.
There is no way, currently, to build a sustainable, profitable business out of publishing news online. Maybe someone will dream up a new model. But the current one - put ads next to stories - is dead on arrival.
There is a lot of truth to all of this. But I'm annoyed by it because Re/Code isn't an individual media brand. It is as traditional as you can possibly imagine.
The real world of individual media brands is stronger than ever, and they are nothing like Re/Code.
Let me explain.
First of all, what is an individual media brand?
Arguably, we can define this in two ways. It can either be an individual creating a media brand from scratch, turning it into a success. Or it can be someone famous using his or hers already built up fame to start something new, capitalizing on existing connections, contracts, investors, and so forth.
To give you a good example of the former, we have a person like Derek Muller from the amazing YouTube channel Veritasium. And, as of this moment, he has 211 videos, 158 million views and 2.7 million subscribers since its launch in 2011.
Here is an example of what he does:
By all accounts, he is a successful individual media brand. And just to put this into perspective, think about this:
BuzzFeed, which people usually point to as the big successful digital native media site, now has about 750 million video views per month and more than 200 million uniques. That's quite a huge number.
But Buzzfeed also employs 700+ people. So, per person, they only have 0.28 million uniques, and one million video views.
Derek has 190% more than that, per month.
Want more examples?
What about Unbox Therapy? It's 365% larger than Buzzfeed, per person. What about Marques Brownlee? He is 550% larger than Buzzfeed, per person.
This is what I mean when I talk about individual media brands. It's individuals who have built up amazingly successful media companies around themselves, as persons. It's not companies at massive scale.
There a thousands of other people just like them. People who have managed to build up media brands around themselves as individuals, allowing them to earn more money and perform better than most popular media sites. And not just on YouTube.
So what about Re/Code? Was/is that an individual media brand? Not really.
Sure, it was started by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher along with a slew of other semi-famous journalists. But Re/Code has 44 employees, of which 18 of them are journalists.
There is nothing individual about that. This is a very traditional definition of a media company.
When they launched Re/Code a little more than a year ago, they did so with the backing of traditional media and investors. Specifically from NBC Universal News Group and Windsor Media.
This investment included a content partnership deal:
In addition to NBCUniversal News Group's strategic investment, Swisher and Mossberg's holding company Revere Digital LLC is also signing a separate content partnership with NBCUniversal News Group to partner on tech coverage.
While the two companies will maintain editorial independence, Re/code will have access to NBC video, the NBC News group will have access to breaking stories, and Re/code reporters will appear across NBC's on-air and digital platforms.
And they secured partnership deals for their events before they even launched the company.
CNBC will be Revere's media partner (Revere is the holding company of Re/Code) for its conferences and the two companies will collaborate on advertising to expand their respective reach.
And remember, while they today have 44 employees, they started out with 18 people, and planning to bring in 6 more.
That's 24 people ... at launch!
There is absolutely nothing 'individual' about this. The only thing that is partly individual was that Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher had a level of personal fame, but that doesn't make them individual media brands. That's like saying that Harrison Ford is an individual media brand after he announced making a new movie in collaboration with Universal Studios.
This is as traditional as it can get. And it's a business model based, not on the people, but on the scale of the company. From the very start, Re/Code locked itself into an investor relationship, defined by what now seems to have been completely unrealistic expectations of scale.
Before Re/Code, when Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher ran AllThingsD for WSJ, they generated about $12 million in revenue for News Corp, with about 8 million uniques.
And three months before the launch of Re/Code, they said this:
Starting Jan. 1, 2014, we will still be Web-siting and conference-producing and much more, albeit under a new corporate structure with new partners and investors. While we can't give any details yet - and there are details - you can assume that this new independent business will be laser-focused on continuing and extending Web journalism and conference journalism with the highest standards. Plus, we will be able to finally have added resources, so we can grow in new and exciting ways, including hiring more journalists and doing much more video.
So, apparently, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher believed that they could start over with a new site, and within 16 months build up a tech site that would be bigger than what they had on AllThingsD.
Why 16 months? Because that's how old they are today. And, as you know, they are now in a situation where they were forced to sell. That can only imply that they didn't meet their objectives, and is likely losing money.
What on Earth compelled them to think they could build a new tech media site, from scratch, in as competitive a tech news market as this, and become more successful than what they were before ... with 44 people?
What the heck?
I like John Gruber's take on this:
The tidbit that stood out to me regarding Recode is that they had 44 full-time employees - plus a few contractors. That's not lean and mean. The advantage the internet provides to new publishers is that there's so little overhead. You can go really far with a really small talented team. 44 employees sounds like Recode was trying to go head-to-head with the Wall Street Journal on the business/tech beat. Rather than start small and grow big organically, they wanted to start big. And so to start big they took on investors, and next thing you know, they had to sell.
That's exactly what is happening here.
I'm also reminded by Danny Sullivan, when he wrote this:
Third Door Media (home of SearchEngineLand and MarketingLand) started in late 2006. It never took investment. We grew our staff as our revenue grew, according to our business plans. In 2008, when the world economy crashed, we hunkered down and came through without losing people. In part, this was because we'd been careful not to overextend, not to build a large operation beyond what it could support with native revenue.
It's what I once called the SimCity model of growing. I used to often play the game years ago. I would take two approaches. One was to use the FUNDS cheat to get all the money I needed to build everything at once. But in doing this, I often found my cities built that way didn't thrive. Instead, naturally growing my city slowly over time allowed it to stabilize and do well.
Third Door Media has taken this SimCity natural approach, over the years. Our growth has continued. Two years ago, we were even able to take money out to return to some of our early employees, who have shares in the company. We've made the Inc. 5000 list four times in a row. We've done three hires this year and have several others planned, bringing our overall staff to nearly 50 people. This will all be funded by our own revenues, not because we had VC money pouring in. We also have a solid cash balance in the bank because our CEO Chris Elwell is dead serious (and right) on being conservative and being prepared.
Again, spot on!
This is why Re/Code failed and had to sell after merely 16 months. They were never an individual media company. They never understood what being an individual media company was about. From the first day, they tried to be a big traditional media company, with all the failings of such companies.
This is why they are in the situation they are today.
Mind you, Re/Code still has the potential to be a huge success. It's a wonderful site, and Walt Mossberg, Kara Swisher and all the others are some of the best in the business.
But, this is the reason I got so annoyed after reading how people reacted to Re/Code being sold to Vox. Like when Dan Lyons wrote:
All of that nonsense about journalists with big personal brands was just that-nonsense. [...] There is no way, currently, to build a sustainable, profitable business out of publishing news online.
No. Just no!
The real trend of individual media brands is alive and well. In fact, the trend of individual media is growing and getting more and more exciting every single day. You only have to look at individuals like Marques Brownlee to see how well this world thrives.
But individual media brands have nothing in common with the investments for scale, market valuations, and those things. As an analyst, I have nothing against that. But it's a completely different focus than what we see with the real individual media brands.
Re/Code had to sell because they weren't focusing on being an individual media brand. They instead tried to be a traditional media company. Designed with an unsustainable business model based on bringing in investors demanding scale above anything else. A mistake that we have seen so many times.
There are plenty of ways to build truly sustainable and profitable businesses around individuals.
For more on this topic, see:
Almost every time a news site launched something new, they also cover the same stories the same way.
Editorial analytics is the tool we use to define how to report the news.
Google wants to build tracking into the browser, and then remove personal identifiers ... but is that good?
AIs can be both good and bad, but using an AI to fake some text is always bad.
Many people in the media wants newspapers to be tax exempt, but what about the rest of the media?
When a publishers says that WhatsApp converts 12 times more people than their website, what does that actually mean?
Facebook said that it wouldn't block misleading political ads, so let's talk about that
Cookies today are doing all kinds of bad things, but did you know that the original creators wanted to stop that?
We all knew this would happen, but Google won't pay publishers for snippets.
Founder, media analyst, author, and publisher. Follow on Twitter
"Thomas Baekdal is one of Scandinavia's most sought-after experts in the digitization of media companies. He has made himself known for his analysis of how digitization has changed the way we consume media."
Swedish business magazine, Resumé


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X3F‘s posted a video of American people quite literally fighting for Xbox 360s on Black Friday, America’s big pre-Christmas sales day.
It’s not pretty. After the break. Thanks, Kotaku.
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.


text: The Sackboy: A big Adventure PS5 gameplay will be a platform gaming and is going to be another level of excitement and enthusiasm for platform gaming lovers. The game will bring you a unique kind of thrilling experience that you have not encountered yet. Interesting, right? The Sackboy PS5 is going to be the development of Sumo Digital and it’s going to be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Another great news that we have is for our Play Station 5 holders, the Sackboy PS5 is all set to make its biggest release this November for Play Station 5, we know you cannot contain your excitement!


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Ofcom's Blockchain Exploration Grant from BEIS As of October 8, 2018, The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy gave Ofcom a grant of £700,000 to use for blockchain technology exploration. The money will supposedly help Ofcom investigate ways in which blockchain technology improves phone number management. BEIS Overview The BEIS is a ministerial department founded in July 14, 2016 that is supported by 46 organizations in charge of business, climate change and energy policy, industrial strategy, innovation, and science. Ofcom's Blockchain Exploration Efforts Ofcom is in search of telecom companies to manage blocks of phone numbers and move them into and out of their control with blockchain technology, while the Office of Communications coordinates the undertaking. Earlier efforts to launch a CDB have failed as a result of barriers to collaboration and high expenses, which are two things blockchain technology will purposely prevent. Advantages of Blockchain Technology Ofcom's Chief Technology Officer, Mansoor Hanif, mentions the benefits of blockchain technology: reduced regulatory and business expenses, ending of unwanted calls and fraud, and greater industry agility. Additionally, Ofcom will find ways to make switching providers faster and simpler for landline customers as they stay with their number. Adoption of Blockchain Technology by Foreign Telecommunications Operators Also, foreign telephone service providers have been thinking about using blockchain technology as a network management tool. In July of 2018, the three biggest Chinese telecommunications companies (i.e. China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom) set up a blockchain exploration team. In July of 2018, the major South Korean phone company, KT Corp., introduced its commercial network using blockchain technology. The firm created a layer of blockchain technology in addition to its current nationwide network for the purpose of increasing its security, transparency, and data management efficiency.
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Steve Jobs revealed some vague future plans for Apple before he passed away from pancreatic cancer earlier this month. Including a possible Apple television set. Which is a nice idea but something that still feels like it’ll be years away.
The Apple TV set-top box has never been more than a hobby for Apple, with Steve Jobs admitting as much a few years ago. However, it’s always been clear that Jobs and co. had bigger plans for the device and was merely waiting for the industry, technology, and consumers to catch up.
We now have some proof of this, with Steve Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson revealing Jobs’ thoughts on the future of the product. Forget a small set-top box, we’re talking about a true Apple television set here. Which would no doubt be white, have rounded edges, and be called iTV.
Steve Jobs’ Dream
The Steve Jobs biography was written from insights forged from multiple interviews both with the man himself and his friends, family, and colleagues. Elements of the book have been leaking this week, with the Washington Post finding the section on the possible Apple TV set.
In the biography Isaacson writes:
“He [Jobs] very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant. ‘I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.’ No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. ‘It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.’”
An Apple television set has been rumored for some time. It seems an obvious next step for a company that can change industries and ways of thinking with the release of new hardware. But this is the first evidence that such a device could be in the making.
While the set-up of any Apple television set is still unclear, I can only imagine it will be built on the groundwork of Apple TV. But that means Apple still needs the cooperation of the content owners and creators for the product to have any chance of succeeding. And judging by Google TV that could be a long way off yet.
Ad: Apple TV Deals on eBay
[phpbay]Apple TV, 2, “”, “”[/phpbay]


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MINNEAPOLIS, MN–(February 3, 2016) – ASPIRE Beverage Company announces Minnesota linebacker Chad Greenway as its newest partner and shareholder. Greenway joins Minnesota hockey player Ryan Suter and other high-profile investors. The partnership with Greenway further signals the company’s growing momentum as it expands on a national level.
A first-round draft pick, Greenway has been a top performer in the National Football League (NFL) since his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2006-2007. Greenway is a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2012-2013). He received the Ed Block Courage Award in 2007 and was the NFC Combined Tackles Leader in 2010. Prior to his professional career, Greenway played for the University of Iowa where he was a two-time All-American selection.
“As a professional athlete that is also a father with kids that are involved in youth sports, I’m always looking for new products that are both healthy and taste great,” said Chad Greenway. “My wife introduced our family to ASPIRE. She’s very health conscious and pays close attention to what we put in our bodies. Also, she’s an athlete, so she understands the importance of sports nutrition and hydration for performance.”
Greenway’s wife, Jennifer (Capista) Greenway, was a track and field athlete at the University of Iowa. Currently, she is a trainer at the YMCA and Tiger Athletics in Plymouth where she was initially introduced to ASPIRE sports drinks.
“As I’ve matured as a professional athlete, I understand that we are role models and need to show a good example,” said Greenway. “I’m proud to be associated with a company that is committed to improving the health and performance of athletes. I was drawn to ASPIRE by the quality of its products and the importance of its mission.”
Off the field, Greenway has been involved in a variety of community initiatives with a focus on children’s health. His Lead the Way Foundation provides seriously ill and physically challenged children with daily support and life changing experiences. In the 2015 season, Greenway was named as the Vikings’ Community Man of the Year for a second consecutive year. He was also recently named as the Minnesota Vikings’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, recognizing NFL players for excellence on and off the field.
“We’re honored to welcome Chad to our ASPIRE team,” said Jesse Parker, Co-Founder and CEO of ASPIRE Beverage Company. “He is a class act and a great role model for youth athletes.”
The popularity and demand for ASPIRE sports drinks has grown steadily since the Minnesota company launched in 2012. Its products are currently sold across the United States at retailers, schools, sports facilities and fitness centers. ASPIRE sports drinks were recently featured as the “Official Sports Drink” on the sidelines of the Under Armour All-America Football Game (top high school players) that aired on ESPN2 on January 2. On Friday, February 5, the company’s products will be featured as the “Official Sports Drink” of the All-Star Football Challenge (top college players), also airing on ESPN2.
To accelerate growth and expand nationwide, the company is actively developing new partnerships with distributors and retailers throughout the country.
About ASPIRE Beverage Company
Founded in 2012 by two Minnesota hockey dads that were concerned about the prevalence of sugary, caloric, neon-colored drinks being consumed in the name of sports, ASPIRE Beverage Company makes better-for-you sports drinks with natural ingredients that are designed to improve the health and performance of athletes. The great-tasting ASPIRE FIRE, ICE, STORM, RUSH and RISE sports drinks contain beneficial electrolytes, vitamins and minerals without the artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives found in other brands. ASPIRE sports drinks are sold at schools, sports facilities and retailers throughout the United States including Target, Costco, Cub Foods, Lunds & Byerlys, Kowalski’s, Jerry’s, Hy-Vee, Super America, Holiday, Life Time Fitness and Amazon.com. More information is available at www.ASPIREbeverages.com.


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Safe Harbor on Data Declared Illegal: Message to U.S.—Time to Enact Privacy Law that Protects Americans and Supports Global Data Protection
By: Jeff Chester | Oct 6 2015
Today’s historic decision by the European Court of Justice, which overturned the purposely ineffective “Safe Harbor” deal enabling data to flow to the U.S., is very welcome. As one reads the court’s findings, it’s clear that for the EU, fundamental and human rights include the right to have your personal privacy protected. That means from both governmental surveillance (such as the NSA and other intelligence agencies) and also with commercial Internet companies—as Google or Facebook.
Advocates always recognized that the Safe Harbor agreement brokered by the Clinton Administration was a digital privacy `house of cards.’ All U.S. companies needed to do was to sign up for some inadequate principles that allegedly would protect the EU public. The Federal Trade Commission was supposed to investigate problems. But as CDD demonstrated last year in its complaint to the FTC on how leading U.S. companies were thumbing their data collecting noses at Safe Harbor, the system doesn't really do much of anything. Safe Harbor is run by the U.S. Department of Commerce, whose political loyalties (and revolving door) lie with the data collection industry.
The message to America from the EU is clear: enact comprehensive privacy legislation. It has to meet (and should try and exceed) the high bar set by the EU. It can’t be the weak and self-regulatory based “Privacy Bill of Rights” proposed this year by the White House. It has to define strong and enforceable rights, including limiting Big Data style collection—which is now a pervasive part of our online landscape. The law should empower an independent privacy commissioner and give the FTC real regulatory clout. The U.S. also should endorse the EU’s framework on privacy that is supported by many countries around the world.
In its decision, the European Court of Justice reaffirmed what its Advocate-General has explained earlier. That the U.S. Federal Trade Commission does not have the statutory authority and legal powers to protect a person's privacy as required by the EU. In the EU, privacy is a "fundamental right." In the U.S., consumers have really very few such rights online. The court explained yesterday (in referring to the 2000 decision by the EU approving the Safe Harbor deal with the U.S.) that: " Decision 2000/520 does not contain any finding regarding the existence, in the United States, of rules adopted by the State intended to limit any interference with the fundamental rights of the persons whose data is transferred from the European Union to the United States, interference which the State entities of that country would be authorised to engage in when they pursue legitimate objectives, such as national security... Nor does Decision 2000/520 refer to the existence of effective legal protection against interference of that kind. As the Advocate General has observed in points 204 to 206 of his Opinion, procedures before the Federal Trade Commission... are limited to commercial disputes..."
The Business lobby has consistently fought against legislation that would empower the FTC to regulate privacy and other commercial practices. Consequently, while the commission does what it can (and is very active working to help the public), it cannot address the fundamental issue. U.S. companies gather and use our information in far-reaching, non-transparent and often troubling ways (think all the secret "scoring" of people that goes on to assess how to treat them; or the use of race, ethnicity, income and location used to track and target us, regardless of device, etc.). Safe Harbor cannot be fixed without the U.S. enacting comprehensive privacy legislation that brings it in sync with the EU. The time to do so is way best due.


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Nate Tyler is founder of Lights Out San Francisco, and here, he explains what's behind the project:
Our goal is to get everyone in the city to turn off their lights from 8-9 PM on Saturday October 20th, to save energy. We started just a few months ago and the momentum behind this movement is growing beyond our expectations.
Today we announced the Golden Gate Bridge will turn lights off on the main towers, Alcatraz Island, City Hall and a bunch of local businesses are also turning off (non-essential) lights that night. And, we plan to hand out more than 110 thousand free compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to help save energy and build awareness for the event. It's amazing how the small things we do can make a huge difference. If everyone installs one CFL and turns lights out for one hour we think we'll save more than 15 percent of an average Saturday night energy usage. Not to mention the ongoing energy savings for each efficient bulb that gets installed.
We're not stopping in San Francisco. Stay tuned, we're launching a national event on March 29th in 15 cities across the nation.
Image: a poster for the SF event, designed by Nick Rubenstein. Link to larger size.
Do you own a Samsung smartphone? Do you take photos with said phone? Congratulations, there’s an excellent chance that your handset is randomly firing off those pictures you’ve snapped to folks on your contact list without your permission. According to The Verge, the images are being pushed out by Samsung’s cleverly named default messaging app, […]
When you live full-time in a motorhome, no matter how big it is, there’s not a lot of room for extras. In order to have enough space to be comfortable, its necessary to strip your belongings down to the essentials. A library full of books gives way to e-readers and tablets. Full-sized anything? You’re gonna […]
On Monday, the Supreme Court will review the 9th Circuit's decision in Apple Inc. v. Pepper, in which the plaintiffs argue that Apple has established a monopoly over apps for Ios (this part is actually incontrovertible, as Apple has used both technology and law to prevent rival app stores from operating), and that Iphone and […]
Summer’s here, which brings not only warmer weather but also the unsettling realization that the year is more than halfway over. So, for those who weren’t as productive as they would have liked during the first half of 2018, we’ve rounded up 5 skill course bundles you can start learning today to help you finish […]
It’s good to be proactive, but when it comes to preparing for an emergency situation, one of the most important items you can pack is a flashlight. After all, whatever else you include in your kit won’t be of much use if you can’t see what you’re doing. The Viper 1000-Lumen Tactical Flashlights not only […]
Chances are you took a handful of language classes in high school, and aside from a smattering of conjugations and vocabulary words, the only things you likely remember are the dry, rehearsed sentences that did little to make you speak like a true native. If you’re still hoping to learn a new language but want […]


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UPDATED: Winning bids in a 550MW solar auction in Uttar Pradesh, India, have come out between INR 3.02-3.08/kWh (US$0.0429-0.0437), a notable drop from 3.17-3.23 rupees in its most recent 500MW auction in October.
The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has drawn lowest bids of more than 3 rupees per unit for its latest 500MW solar auction, but these were still significantly lower than tariffs from its 1GW auction that was annulled over the summer.
PV Tech caught up with Ramesh Nair, CEO of Indian PV manufacturer and developer Adani Solar, at the REI Expo in Greater Noida last week, to discuss the future landscape of solar manufacturing in India and trends in module technology choices.
India's government has made clear its intentions to cultivate a solar PV manufacturing base at home, but interest from foreign players has yet to be translated into major capacity expansions. PV Tech gathered views from various players - both foreign and domestic - about what steps need to be taken, while at the REI Expo 2018 exhibition in Greater Noida, India.
The Indian Finance Ministry’s order imposing a safeguard duty for two years on solar imports from developed countries as well as China and Malaysia has brought long-awaited clarity to both manufacturers and developers, but both segments of the industry have a number of fears.


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The 3D printing industry keeps getting bigger and bigger, and the technology involved keeps getting more and more ridiculously science-fiction-y. It really is the future of manufacturing, because, as researchers at MIT recently proved, you really can create dang near anything via 3D printing. MIT’s newest development: lifelike 3D printed hair.
It’s Called “Cilllia,” Silly
The Tangible Media Group, which sounds like the name of a front for a criminal organization in a crappy Michael Bay movie*, working out of MIT’s Media Lab, has developed a unique process for creating micro-pillar objects they’re calling “cilllia” [sic]. Obviously, cilllia is the result of several metric tons of experimentation and trial and error.
The key to TMG’s discovery was a new type of 3D printing process. Digital printing equipment using existing CAD software was not capable of printing the incredibly thin strands the team was looking for, so they built a brand new custom software program. “We built [software] to let one quickly define a hair’s angle, thickness, density, and height,” said TMG’s Jifei Ou. “We can [now] 3D print super-dense hair surface at micron density.”
“Just how micron is that density?,” you ask. Despite your query making no sense, the answer is very micron. Cilllia can be printed in a broad spectrum of hair and hair-adjacent forms, including strands as miniscule as 50 micrometers—essentially the same thickness as the average strand of human hair. Cilllia strands can be as stiff as badger hair or as soft as a Persian cat’s fur.
This being MIT we’re talking about, the new 3D printed hair of course does more than just be hair. The Tangible Media Group is currently developing ways to add all sorts of micro-technology into cilllia strands. Mechanical adhesions, actuators, sensors, and more will soon be incorporated, allowing researchers to create swatches of faux-hair that can react to and interact with the surrounding environment. Current applications of this nigh-unbelievable technology include a windmill-like structure that spins when it detects vibration and a patch of cilllia that can detect the touch and respond to different movements of a finger.
Sounds like this cilllia stuff could really give whatever the hell that thing on Donald Drumpf’s head is a run for its money. #makedonalddrumpfagain
* I realize “crappy Michael Bay movie” is redundant


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Shopping centre transactions have moderated. Even though transactions are higher than a year earlier, the first quarter of this year has witnessed a distinct slowing in activity. Compared to the first quarter of last year, The Data App estimate, all the transactional measures are higher, while cap rates have declined. However, it was around April last year when shopping centre transactions picked up dramatically; a trend which continued through to the end of the year. Clearly, some of the slowing in the market is seasonal, but there are growing indications the boom which took place last year has passed.
Last year was a record year, with of $13bn of shopping centre transactions. Placed in perspective, this was over three times more than 2020. While there are no clear-cut reasons for the boom (ex-post rationalisation is always easy in hindsight), the pandemic certainly resulted in a surge in demand for daily needs assets, while “portfolio rebalancing” led to a number of large shopping centres, being more heavily exposed to the competition from on-line spending, being off-loaded. All of this was underpinned by cheap and ample liquidity.
Retail spending is well supported by a high level of personal saving which, if necessary, could be run down. Even so, this is not guaranteed, as these savings could be used to reduce debt levels or kept as a buffer for future needs. The other spending driver, real income growth, is likely to be pedestrian, at best.
With shopping centre portfolios more rebalanced and credit conditions marginally less relaxed, transactions seem likely to return to more normal levels. It is also worth noting the supply of shopping centre assets coming to market has picked up dramatically in recent weeks. In spite of the portfolio shift, the reference towards convenience, every day needs centres looks set to continue.
For further information or additional data, contact firstname.lastname@example.org
Other research undertaken by the http://PAR.Group/ on the impact of the pandemic and e-commerce on shopping centres refer to the links below:
About PAR Group
The Data App (TDA) is a member of the PAR Group, an independent research collective offering a comprehensive range of property research and analytical services. The team is experienced in economics, property research, transactional and corporate strategy; all with extensive industry involvement in both the property and finance sectors. Visit: http://par.group/ for more information.


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Business in Savannah in brief
Robertson & Markowitz honored for ad campaigns
Savannah-based Robertson & Markowitz Advertising and Public Relations Inc. - with its client, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport - recently won three awards for creative work from the MarCom Awards, an international competition for marketing and communication professionals.
The MarCom Awards annually honor the top submissions from agencies, freelancers and others from around the world, recognizing creative work in various categories relating to print, visual, audio, and website design.
More than 6,000 entries from 34 countries are submitted each year.
Savannah/Hilton Head International received a gold award for its 2015 RBC Heritage Television Commercial in the TV: Single Spot category; a gold award for its 2014 Annual Report in the Uncategorized Annual Report category and an Honorable Mention for the Have a Scoop on Us with a Sip of Southern project in the Communications/Public Relations: Special Event category.
For more information or to see a full list of winners, go toEnter.MarComAwards.com/Winners.
West Elm coming to Savannah
West Elm, an upscale retail store that features contemporary furniture designs and housewares recently announced they will open its first Savannah store at 214 Drayton St.
West Elm is a subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma Inc and opened its first store in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2003. The company now has stores in Canada, Mexico, Australia, England and the Middle East.
For more information, go towww.westelm.com.
Students' art to be displayed at the Savannah Mall
The Savannah Mall will showcase students' works of art during the month of March in recognition of National Youth Art Month.
Projects created by students from 53 area schools will be displayed in the Dillard's Court from March 5-March 27. The theme of this year's event is "Save the Earth!"
The exhibit will be unveiled with an opening ceremony at noon March 5. The event will include performance by The Troubadours, an all-male quartet from Windsor Forest High School; the New Hampstead High School Chorus; Woodville Tompkins High School Chorus, and the Hodge Elementary School Chorus.
"A well-rounded education is dependent upon a background laced with artistic experiences," said Catriona Schaefer, teacher specialist for visual arts with Savannah Chatham County Public Schools. "The arts are a way for people of any culture to communicate and connect with one another. Practicing a form of art helps to develop critical thinking, problem solving skills, and promotes active and complex learning."
For more information about the Youth Art Month exhibit at the Savannah Mall, go towww.savannahmall.com.


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The world's largest premium carmaker said on Thursday that the segment's earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) dropped to 6.66 billion euros.
Hinduja group is looking at huge expansion plans in the African region across diverse sectors including automotive, technology and energy.
The last year, in particular, has been one of the worst that the industry has seen. All the market segments, except two wheelers, have been declining continuously.
Former Tata group chairman Ratan Tata — now chairman emeritus — recently said the “cheap car” image had hampered the Nano’s progress.
Peugeot is among the worst casualties of Europe's six-year market slump and is being kept alive by state guarantees that expire next year.
Great Wall made its debut seven years ago in Africa's top automotive exporter, where its pick-ups and sports utility vehicles compete with market leaders such as Toyota, Ford and Nissan.
Due to the sluggish market and poor financial performance, Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland has proposed to cut the remuneration of its Managing Director by 21 per cent.
From painstakingly peddling vehicles to hesitant individuals, the focus for increasing adoption of EVs in India is shifting to fostering EV ecosystems.


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Achievements of the most successful companies in 2019 presented in the Top 100 publication
The Top 100 in Montenegro Project has been brought to its completion even in this COVID year, and the result of several months of dedicated work is the publication “Business Newspaper – TOP 100 in Montenegro 2020”, which is available on the market starting from today and which promotes business achievements of the most successful companies.
Within the “Top 100 in Montenegro” Project, companies operating on the territory of Montenegro have been analysed and ranked for already three years. The basis used for this extensive analysis includes the data presented in their financial statements, and the clear criteria applied to rank them are publicly available on the Project’s official website. Winners of the prestigious awards were announced in May, and the information about all ranked companies have been published in this year’s edition of the “Business Newspaper – TOP 100 in Montenegro 2020”.
The Project, aimed at improving and promoting the Montenegrin economy, was initiated by the leading Montenegrin provider of information on creditworthiness, BI Consulting, in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, with the support of the Montenegrin Chamber of Economy and the general sponsorship of Podgorička banka and Crnogorska komercijalna banka, both members of the OTP Group.
The founder of BI Consulting, Mr Ratko Nikolić, has said that 2019 was a very successful business year by many parameters, and has added that the Business Newspaper publication will remain as a testimony of individual valuable business results of entities that the Montenegrin economy relies on.
“In that sense, we are also proud that, by doing this job, we are contributing to the promotion of successful business practices, which we will be happy to do in the coming years, as well,” Mr Nikolić has said.
He has explained that, taking into consideration correctly filed financial reports, the 2019 revenues are 8.44 percent higher compared to 2018 and amounted to 9.91 billion euros.
“The business results after taxes amounted to 301.2 million euros and are 8 percent higher. The number of employees in companies grew by 6.91 percent and, according to the submitted correct data, there were 133,594 employees in companies on average in 2019“, Mr Nikolić has explained.
The number of companies that made a profit is 6.7 percent higher, meaning that business operations of 10,756 companies in total were profitable.
“1,339 companies had revenues exceeding one million euros, which is 6.76 percent more than the previous year. 1,038 companies had net profit of more than one hundred thousand euros, which is 15.8 percent more than the previous year. All these data show that this was the most successful business year since the business data became publicly available, and we have good reasons to believe that this period is much longer. We are convinced that the 2019 results can serve as a benchmark for measuring the speed of recovery of the Montenegrin economy after the crisis caused by COVID-19”, Mr Nikolić believes.
The Ministry of Finance has congratulated the Project implementors for their determination and effort to make this a continuous endeavour possible.
“Very useful data are provided in this way, and they can be used as a good basis for both businessmen and decision makers to design their future policies or business strategies. We are particularly encouraged by the fact that the small business sector increased its profit in 2019 by as much as 86.75 percent. Within the context of the current pandemic, the results of the 2020 survey to identify consequences of the pandemic on the business operations of companies in Montenegro will be especially interesting,” Mr Nemanja Katnić, state secretary at the Ministry of Finance, has said.
Mr. Radosav Babić, director general of the Directorate for Investments, Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and Management of EU Funds at the Ministry of Economy, has said that support for domestic businessmen and creation of a stable business environment are one of the strategic commitments of the Ministry of Economy.
“The economic policy is focused on further improvement of the business environment, with the aim to contribute to the further growth and development of the private sector. The Ministry of Economy continues to provide full support to all companies, both those that are among the Top 100 and companies that certainly aspire to be on the list of the most successful ones in Montenegro,” Mr Babić has said.
Mrs Ljiljana Filipović, vice president of the Montenegrin Chamber of Economy, has said that the third edition of the special publication “Business Newspapers – Top 100 in Montenegro 2020” represents a strong contribution to the promotion of the success achieved by the best companies.
“Their results deserve respect, both in terms of achieved values and in terms of importance for the development of the Montenegrin society. The business community would like to express its gratitude to BI Consulting, the implementor of the “Top 100 in Montenegro” Project, for making valuable information available in this way for future activities,” Mrs Filipović has said.
She has said that the Montenegrin Chamber of Economy, an association that pools the interests of the entire Montenegrin economy, supports the promotion of success and is very active “to make the business environment as favourable as possible, and to ensure that our members are increasingly recognized with each new edition of the publication as a serious and reliable partner for cooperation”.
“We are proud to have supported this year’s activities within the ‘Top 100 in Montenegro’ Project. As the largest bank, it was natural for CKB to participate in this project and we are glad that we have contributed to make successes of Montenegrin companies become visible and recognized,” Mr Pal Kovacs, CEO of the Crnogorska komercijalna banka, has said.
He has added that CKB initiates innovations, modernization, improvement of business culture and business climate, and therefore this Project, as he has explained, is in line with their aspiration to be at the service of their clients and to promote their joint successes.
“I would like to congratulate to all ranked companies, which include a large number of clients of CKB and Podgorička banka. Our mission is to be the initiator of their further development, to contribute to the introduction of the highest European business standards as well as to help clients accomplish their best results. On this occasion, I would like to commend the commitment of the organizers and the content of this year’s “Top 100″ publication, which is the result of their and our efforts to highlight those companies that achieve the best results and thus contribute to the progress of the economy and entire society,” Mr Kovacs has concluded.
The “Business Newspapers – Top 100 in Montenegro 2020” publication can be order via the website www.100najvecih.me .


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VW is among the first. The automaker has created an appropriately themed image for Facebook users in need of a cover for their redesigned profile pages, which are expected to go live sometime Friday.
The cover image matches the current out-of-home and print advertising being used to market the 2012 Beetle, which already uses — fortuitously enough — the tagline, "Profile Update." Extending the campaign to the new Facebook profile layouts was practically obvious, a spokesperson said.
How do you feel about turning your Facebook profile into a marketing vehicle?


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A group purporting to be the Guardians of Peace or #GOP sent a new warning to Sony Pictures Thursday, causing an ominous message to flash across employee computer screens, an individual familiar with the situation tells TheWrap.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) threatened to use lethal force against Ferguson protesters; Anonymous successfully retaliated against the Ku Klux Klan’s Ferguson threats by taking over two primary Twitter accounts, keeping KKK websites offline and outing KKK members.
With hackers stealing millions of credit and debit card numbers with seeming impunity from Target, Home Depot, and other retailers lately, it might seem as if there’s nothing the average consumer can do to protect themselves.
Several years ago, Vint Cerf visited the Guardian in his capacity as Google’s “evangelist in chief” – the kind of Silicon Valley title you can carry off only if you have invented the internet, which, luckily for Cerf, he had.
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INDONESIA is again participating in the largest international tourism exchange in India, namely South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE) 2024 as an effort to increase foreign tourist visits in 2024.
According to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, when giving a speech at the opening of SATTE, Thursday (02/22), 2024, said that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s re-participation in the SATTE 2024 event could not be separated from the results of Indonesia’s participation in SATTE in previous years which had been assisting in the recovery of tourism after the last pandemic.
“The number of Indian tourists visits post-pandemic continues to show a positive trend. India ranks 6th as the country with the highest number of foreign tourist visits in Indonesia and 2nd in Bali, after Australia, in the 2023 period. The number of Indian tourist visits to Indonesia in 2023 will almost reach 607,000 foreign tourists, this increase will reach 125.8% of the number of Indian tourists the previous year,” said Sandiaga.
Sandiaga explained that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s international promotional strategy focuses on promoting key tourism markets, including India, where the growth of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia is increasing rapidly. The increase is not only in the number of foreign tourists but it is also hoped that the quality of foreign tourists visiting will increase so that it is hoped that it can open up more business opportunities and create new jobs.
SATTE 2024 takes place on February 22-24 at India Expo & Mart, Greater Noida, New Delhi. The Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, through the Wonderful Indonesia brand, this time raised the theme “Keep the Wonder” with designs of Borobudur, Prambanan and Yogyakarta in its pavilion as a form of Tourism Minsitry’s consistency in promoting 5 Super Priority Destinations (DSP).
Two tourism industries participating as official partners for the Wonderful Indonesia pavilion at SATTE 2024 are Marriott Indonesia and Taman Safari Indonesia. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy also collaborates with 41 selected tourism industry players, consisting of travel agents/tour operators, DMCs, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.
Meanwhile, Deputy for Marketing at the Tourism Ministry, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, said that Bali had become top of mind for Indian tourists. So, in promotional activities at SATTE 2024, apart from Bali, Wonderful Indonesia also offers other destinations, namely 5 Super Priority Tourism Destinations.
“In this exhibition, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy focuses on four segments for the Indian market, including wedding, honeymoon, family and MICE, which are the leading segments for the Indian market. “Apart from that, to target the quite large luxury travel segment in India, Indonesian tourism industry players are also preparing tour packages in a number of priority destinations that suit the characteristics of luxury travelers from India,” Made remarked.
Made explained that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is also promoting destinations in Indonesia to be offered as filming locations to the Indian film industry. The Indonesia Film Facilitation (IFFa) platform, which was launched at the end of last year, will make it easier for Indian filmmakers to access filmmaking locations in Indonesia.
“The huge Indian film industry is an opportunity for Indonesia which has a variety of destinations with natural beauty and interesting cultural uniqueness to be used as filmmaking locations. I hope that promotion of destinations through this film will introduce more Indonesian tourism destinations in India and encourage visits by tourists from India to Indonesia,” Made noted.
The series of tourism marketing in the Indian market will end with the implementation of the Indonesia Sales Mission in Chandigarh City on September 26 2024 which will bring together the Indonesian tourism industry and tourism actors in Chandigarh.
This sales mission is a form of collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi to expand Indonesia’s tourism business network to potential cities in India. [traveltext.id]


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Localytics reported today that app retention rates are improving as mobile app developers and publishers have shifted their focus from downloads to customer acquisition and retention models. They stated that overall, the app industry has improved retention rates 19% over the last year.
Localytics states that “App publishers for the iPhone and iPad saw the greatest success, with retention rates 52% higher than those on Android.” Maybe most interesting is that the percentage of installed apps that were used more than ten times climbed by a solid 5% (from 26% to 31%).
iPhone has a clear advantage when it comes to retention. “iPhone’s far greater app retention rates is also an echo of the 94 percent retention rate of iPhone itself compared to 47 percent for Android,” the Localytics report states.
Clearly, a focus on creating quality mobile applications that are designed with good usability principles and are useful to users is paying dividends to mobile application developers and publishers.


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Transcript for Retail Bust Could Bring Post-Holiday Discounts
It was -- unhappy holiday for retailers early numbers revealing sales slowed to a pace not seen since the start of the recession. For Smart shoppers that could -- cashing in on. ABC's Neal Karlinsky has the story. To this season -- -- unwanted gifts into free stuff you really want. Lot of returns that are I want return and then we have that and he's ever return -- turns into -- purchase I didn't have. The holidays may be over but retailers are clinging to hope that the shopping season still has a little more left to give. And they're renewing their biggest sales to tempt shoppers flush with returns in one hand and gift. Cards in the other hand -- money for Christmas sonong spending. The early numbers show that quality sales rose an underwhelming point 7% from last year the slowest growth since 2008. Forecasters though point out that this final week of December. Makes up for about 15%. Of the -- seals there's quite a bit of gift card redemptions as well as clearance sales. That could help lift sales -- power shopping mother and daughter duo donned running shoes to get the job done. -- -- up 400 dollar coat purchased a 148. Dollars. I'm I added. -- Jack Kent today Mimi and her shoes and pants this today the day for deals today today -- -- else. Everywhere 6781%. People. Many of the biggest deals are running until new years has retailers hope to salvage a tough year. And shoppers who still have cash left over treat themselves to a season -- seals -- Good Morning America and Neal Karlinsky ABC news Seattle.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.