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The area includes a bar, DJ booth, a small stage and tables in an environment of white painted walls, stripped wood panels and stark dangling light bulbs – echoing the new design scheme for Carlsberg Export introduced in 2016.
Carlsberg worked with the experiential team at Live Nation on the execution.
“This is the time and the opportunity for people to actually experience the campaign”, Paul Morris, brand activation and sponsorship manager at Carlsberg, said – referring to “The Danish way”, the campaign created by Fold7 that launched last year in a bid to increase awareness of the brand’s Danish origins and quality perceptions.
“We’ve got great TV advertising, great social, and when you get here, what we’re trying to create is a little pocket of Copenhagen. It looks fantastic, feels Danish, the staff are dressed differently, the cups are different, and this is the only place on site you can only get Export.”
Morris was speaking to Campaign at Rize festival in Chelmsford. Rize has taken the place of V Festival – which came to an end after Virgin decided to end its 22-year sponsorship – though not at V’s other site in Staffordshire.
It was one of three stops the Quarter is making this summer, along with Latitude, which was in July, and Reading, which takes place this bank holiday weekend. It is all about “betterment”, Morris said: “what are we doing to make the consumer’s experience better?
“As well as having a mega stylish bar, some of the best DJs and acoustic acts, we’ve got wifi, phone charging… seating is another massive thing. It’s just a really cool space for people to come and enjoy.”
Another feature is a gif booth in which visitors can have a short video taken, perched on a bike like the one ridden by Mads Mikkelsen in “The Danish way”, which is then sent to the user as a branded Gif.
It was there last year, but the photo booth has been increased in size, so it can now fit big groups of people in, rather than one or two. “The record is about 35, which is a bit crazy”, Morris said.
Phone charging points are another new feature, and part of what Morris sees as helping to improve the overall festival experience. The brand had observed the demand for phone charging elsewhere in the festival site, he said – “we thought rather than standing next to a tree, wouldn’t it be better if you could come in here and have a pint while you wait?”
The experience is also being tailored to each festival. For Latitude, which has built an image of being the most unashamedly middle-class of the UK’s major festivals – but which also attracts lots of families – the brand offered Danish bread-making and bracelet-making classes.
“We didn’t feel that was right for the audience here at Rize ”, Morris said, “and certainly next week at Reading.” At Rize, the Quarter featured a mix of live acoustic acts and DJs, whereas Reading will feature almost continuous DJ sets.
While Rize was still a huge festival, the lack of a headline sponsor like Virgin may have resulted in it not being able to book quite the same calibre of acts as its predecessor – this year’s headliners, Liam Gallagher and Stereophonics, both appeared lower down on the bill in previous years.
It was also, unusually, held on a Friday and Saturday, perhaps better catering to locals coming mostly to see the Oasis frontman. The change comes as urban festivals grow in popularity; Scotland’s T in the Park, for example, has been mothballed and replaced by Trnsmt, which is in central Glasgow.
Despite this, Morris said that Carlsberg’s experience worked best at a traditional camping festival, which he said gave consumers more chance to really absorb what it had to offer and could act as a rendezvous point.
He acknowledged that the festival market was changing, but added: “There are more festivals in the UK that there have ever been. Boutique festivals and more kind of interesting festivals are probably on the rise, but there’s always a need for a big festival that does what this does.
“For me, festivals are the new superclub. You go back about 10 years, think of all the big nightclubs – you don’t really hear about them now. People want to be outdoors, sharing occasions with their friends. Things will always plateau but there’s always going to be demand for it.”
Football’s leaving home
Carlsberg announced in February it would end its sponsorship of the England football team after 22 years, as part of a shift in its marketing focus away from the beautiful game and towards music. Since then, the Three Lions made it to a first World Cup semi-final in 28 years, while manager Gareth Southgate became something of a national treasure (not to mention style icon).
Morris admits there’s an element of sod’s law at play that the brand should be ending its relationship just as interest in the national side is at its highest in years, but maintains it was the right move.
“It was a strategic decision, it wasn’t working for us”, he said. “You go to a football match and you’ll see advertising, but you’re not absorbing the brand in the same way you can do here at a festival.” He added that football remained “a big part of our brand”, thanks to commercial relationships with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham.
If The Danish Quarter provides a better opportunity to soak up the brand than a football match, the brand went one further with the “Carlsberg cabin”, a waterfall-powered pub in Cornwall that is available to rent on Airbnb.
The cabin is “absolutely another way of realising what we’re doing with The Danish Quarter”, Morris said. “It’s an extension of that but it’s a different avenue – not to do with music, but we loved the idea of a bar powered by a waterfall.
“The Danes love the outdoors, it’s part of their DNA, and it’s set in a beautiful country forest in Cornwall. It was just perfect for us really.”


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With criminal charges brought against Bulgarian crypto platform Nexo, while everyone is waiting for the MiCA regulation, the country's latest developments will potentially have far-reaching implications worldwide, according to Mikov＆Attorneys Managing Partner Konstantin Mikov.
"One of the most notable topics in Bulgaria in the past few months has been related to criminal charges against major Bulgarian crypto exchange platform Nexo," Mikov begins. "This criminal case brought against the company might take years to be resolved and can potentially have a huge impact not only in Bulgaria but worldwide as well."
"Established by Bulgarian owners, Nexo has provided a platform for borrowing money where crypto is used as a security mechanism," Mikov explains. "The platform operated as a kind of bank, although not a traditional one – since the company does not hold any fiat money as deposits of the clients." He adds that "Nexo operates globally, with a large number of clients in Europe, Australia, as well as Canada. According to publicly available information, the cryptocurrency network operated from Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Serbia. Nexo operated the call centers from Serbia and used a technology structure from Bulgaria. One company, part of Nexo group, which created and administered the online platforms through which the allegedly fraudulent activity was carried out, was registered and based in Bulgaria. The money laundering base is alleged to have been in Cyprus."
Mikov says that, recently, "the Bulgarian prosecution’s office decided to raid local offices in Bulgaria and charged the company with alleged money laundering offenses, carrying out banking and financial activities without obtaining relevant licenses, as well as computer fraud and tax crimes.” According to him, “the precise alleged charges and the related information are not publicly available but are rather confidential. On the other hand, Nexo has decided to fight back, arguing that the raid was illegal and politically motivated. As stated by Antony Trenchev, co-founder of Nexo, the damage caused by the state is more than USD 1 billion and Nexo will sue Bulgaria for the proven damages."
Consequently, Mikov says that "the criminal case is related to one of the dominant crypto platforms in the world and, together with the recent FTX scandal, might have a significant impact on the crypto market. It is still early to speculate about the number of victims and losses." Still, he says, if successful, the case can showcase that scammers are not welcome in Bulgaria. "This entire area is slightly nebulous, beyond any kind of regulation," he explains. "There is no public regulator, which might lead to pyramid schemes and the need for consumer protection."
In light of that, Mikov says that the legal sector is now awaiting the EU regulation on Markets in Crypto-Assets. "Just as the normal financial market is regulated on the EU level, we anticipate a somewhat similar legal regime to be applied to the crypto market as well," he notes, adding that, subsequently, local jurisdictions would adopt laws so that the rules are harmonized. "At this moment, there is no such kind of protection, as the only authorities that can control the situation are criminal authorities. Without regulation, the state's prerogatives remain rather limited when addressing the situation," he concludes.

domain: news


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- KCII Radio - http://kciiradio.com -
Sweeps Event Yesterday
Posted By News On @ 6:26 am In Today's Local News | Comments Disabled
Representatives from Main Street Washington broke out the brooms yesterday afternoon to recognize the remodeling of a Washington business. Amy Vetter with Main Street Washington says their group called SWEEPs visited the storefront of McDonald’s to recognize the $850,000 investment owner Kevin O’Brien put into the remodel of the business. SWEEPs is Supporting Washington’s Economic Enhancement Project.
The American Legion Post 29 raised a new flag at the event.
The McDonald’s is also giving away $1500 as a way to support three local charities. Lending Hands Adult Day Services, The Washington Y and Washington Betterment Foundation will each receive $500.
O’Brien received a new broom with a Main Street Washington apron as well as a decal showing that the business was swept.
Article printed from KCII Radio: http://kciiradio.com
URL to article: http://kciiradio.com/2011/10/sweeps-event-yesterday/
Copyright © 2005-2013 KCII Radio


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If at first you don’t succeed, sue, sue again.
Pasadena stockbroker Rafi Kahn has filed suit against Intermix Media Inc., claiming that he lost $421,000 in share value when the company, then called eUniverse Inc., restated its earnings in May 2003.
Kahn initially was hired by eUniverse in 2001 as a consultant. A year later, the Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating him for allegedly promoting and then selling the stocks of four companies, including eUniverse.
In May 2003, the online entertainment network restated earnings for the second and third quarters of that year. After the restatement, the company suffered several shareholder suits and was de-listed. In the past year, the company reorganized and changed its name to Intermix Media.
Kahn, in a suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges he had warrants as part of his consulting agreement that had a share value of more than $600,000 in early 2003, but was forced to sell them later that year for $189,532 because of the restatement.
The suit is the second time Kahn has alleged shareholder fraud against Intermix, which operates Web sites that include Flowgo.com and MySpace.com. He withdrew his first suit last month but re-filed after discovering that the company’s former chief executive, Brad Greenspan, who resigned after the restatement, filed a shareholder suit against the company earlier this year.
In a statement via e-mail, Antone Johnson, assistant general counsel of Intermix, said: “We believe the allegations and claims, which arise out of an agreement that dates back to January 2001 and which was terminated in June 2002 are frivolous and entirely without merit.”
Last year, Intermix announced that the SEC had dropped an investigation into the company’s May 2003 restatement. Anton Handal, a partner at Handal & Associates who represents Kahn, could not be reached for comment.
Earlier this month, Intermix agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, charging the company with bundling hidden “spyware” along with millions of programs it gave away for free.
The company said it would discontinue distribution of its adware, redirect and toolbar programs, all of which Intermix said it had previously stopped distributing.


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Hellenic retail sales volume decreased by 0.8% this March, however various store divisions revealed mixed results, as reported by the Hellenic Statistical Authority.
In its analysis, ELSTAT determined that turnover decreased in department stores by -15.7%, food/beverage/tobacco sales decreased by -8.2%, and cosmetics/pharmaceuticals dropped by -10.6%. Supermarkets held a -0.7% downfall, home equipment/furniture experienced a -1.7% decrease.
However, bookstore sales increased by 2.6%, along with 5.3% in clothing/shoes and fuel/lubricants rose 2.2%. ELSTAT reported that sales volume dove 0.8% in March, in comparison to March of 2013. The current turnover index fell 3.4% in March.
- Greek companies take EU lead in innovation
- Greek, Italian, French, and Cyprus defense ministers meet in Brussels
- Inflation in Greece at 9.1% in October
- Nouriel Roubini: World War III has begun -Erdogan may invade Greece next year
- EDA chief Jiří Šedivý: Joint procurement of military hardware for EU states


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WASHINGTON (Alliance News) – Consumer confidence in the US unexpectedly improved in the month of March, according to a report released by the Conference Board on Tuesday.
The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index jumped to 125.6 in March from a revised 116.1 in February.
The increase surprised economists, who had expected the index to dip to 113.8 from the 114.8 originally reported for the previous month.
With the unexpected increase, the consumer confidence index climb to its highest level since reaching 128.6 in December of 2000.
“Consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions improved considerably,” said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers also expressed much greater optimism regarding the short-term outlook for business, jobs and personal income prospects.”
She added, “Thus, consumers feel current economic conditions have improved over the recent period, and their renewed optimism suggests the possibility of some upside to the prospects for economic growth in the coming months.”
The Conference Board said the present situation index rose to 143.1 in March from 134.4 in February, while the expectations index increased to 113.8 from 103.9.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.


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Amazon is planning to invest $5 billion on a new second headquarters in the U.S., and the New York Times says Miami ranks as one of the top contenders.
The company will create 50,000 high paying jobs over the next two decades, and cities around the country are now putting together bid packages for the Amazon RFP.
Of 50 metro areas analyzed by the New York Times, Miami ranks in the final 9. The reason: Miami has strong job growth, a growing educated work force, and quality of life that is desired by Amazon.
The one reason Miami does not make the top 4 is traffic congestion and weak transit.
Despite all of the criteria listed above, most important of all to Amazon is finding a suitable development site or building for a “transformational” project.
Miami Innovation District principal Michael Simkins told The Next Miami that his company was evaluating the RFP and should have more information soon.


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Yahoo's new CEO Mayer takes on the mobile challenge
By Alexei Oreskovic and Gerry Shih
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc's new CEO Marissa Mayer sketched out her plan for revamping the mobile and search advertising business on Monday, outlining publicly for the first time her vision for getting the ailing Web company back on its feet.
Mayer, once a rising star at Google Inc who took charge at Yahoo in July, told analysts on a conference call she wanted to focus Yahoo's efforts around the "daily habits" of users such as email, the home page, Internet search and mobile devices.
But her top priority is to fashion a coherent strategy to manage the industry's transition to mobile devices, a fundamental shift that some of the most innovative Silicon Valley companies - from Facebook Inc to Google Inc - are struggling with.
"The mobile wave is a huge wave for us to ride," Mayer said on the conference call.
The 37-year-old CEO talked about working more closely with software provider and Web search partner Microsoft Corp, while employing technology to shore up its display ads business through such features as automated buying.
She added that the company is likely to begin withdrawing from international businesses that fail to grow. This month, executives said the company will pull out of South Korea, a market full of local rivals. And she said that the company would primarily focus on "smaller-scale" acquisitions to bolster Yahoo's products, assuaging some shareholder concerns that the company could embark on an expensive shopping spree.
Yahoo shares were up more than 4 percent at $16.50 in after hours trading on Monday.
"She handled the call very well," said Gabelli & Co analyst Brett Harriss. Continued...


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There are some rumors about the upcoming production factory for the Karma PHEV of Fisker being located on some ex GM plant in Delaware, Wilmington; they turned out true, having official confirmation from Fisker and Joe Biden - American Vice President.
Henrik Fisker, the CEO of Fisker affirmed when he announced this acquisition 'This is a major step toward establishing America as a leader of advanced vehicle technology. Wilmington is perfect for high quality, low volume production and will soon be the proud builder of world-class, fuel-efficient Fisker plug-in hybrids'.
Jack Markell - Governor (D-Delaware) continued 'With our close-knit business, government, and educational communities and our potential to respond rapidly to new opportunities, today's announcement is a testament to what works best in Delaware. Fisker is a perfect partner in shaping Delaware's economic future, and we are thrilled that the vehicle that can reshape the automobile industry will be built here in Delaware, by Delaware workers'.
The production at this plant starts in 2012, having officials that expects some 2,000 jobs at the plant and over 3,000 supplier and vendor jobs to be made in the area.
Fisker will acquire Wilmington for just 18 million Dollars and just after it gives a good try for 4 months. The factory will burn up an extra 175 million Dollars on retooling and refurbishing it.
The local unions, as expected, have been very happy welcoming Fisker.
Gary Casteel, director of the UAW factory concluded 'It gives me great pride to give UAW Local 435 workers the opportunity to partner with Fisker Automotive to create a greener America by building a plug-in hybrid car that will compete globally'.
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|Fisker Karma EV will compete at the Monterey Historic Automobiles Races|
|Fisker is announcing the dealers in North America|
|Fisker will start selling the 2012 Karma|
|Fisker Karma will soon be available on the European market|
|Fisker obtained a good price for its first Karma in the UK|
|Fisker Karma S Concept|
|Fisker Latigo CS|
|Fisker Karma by Lutz|
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Fashion designer Michael Kors is suing retail company Costco, accusing the warehouse giant of false advertisement.
The lawsuit claims Costco sent out an email blast to customers for Mother's Day that showed photos of Michael Kors designer handbags being advertised for $99.
Costco, however, does not sell Michael Kors bags.
Business Insider reporter Laura Stampler said, "It's Michael Kors' decision if it wants to go down to a lower price point at a store where you're allowed to buy a jumbo-sized toilet paper before you buy its luxury bag. So it doesn't necessarily want to make that leap down yet."
Earlier this year, Costco was accused of misleading customers into thinking it was selling Tiffany diamond rings.
Also download our 10News mobile and tablet apps to stay up-to-date with developing stories when you are on the go: http://www.10news.com/about/mobile.


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Something that has gained considerable momentum in the world, is that blockchain and cryptocurrency are separate entities and one can exist without the other.
In fact, so much so has this narrative been suggested, that the masses believe the two things are in fact separate when the reality is, there is no separation – one cannot exist without the other.
To put this simply, there are no blockchains that exist without an underlying currency, and there are no currencies that exist without an underlying blockchain.
Elizabeth Stark, the CEO of Lightning Labs, claims the idea that blockchain and cryptocurrency were separate came directly from her company and their project Lightning Network.
Lightning Network is considered to be a second layer blockchain protocol. The original intent of lightning network was to help with issues and problems people foresaw in the ability of bitcoin to properly scale and become a true currency.
The idea was to create a payment channel between users that keep most transaction off of the blockchain and to instead only use the blockchain to record the combined total of all transactions between two parties.
To make this easier to understand, the wallet provider of Coinbase and the company of Starbucks could open a private channel of trust between each other.
In doing so, Starbucks could perform thousands of transactions each day with people who used the Coinbase wallet, without each person having to pay a transaction fee. At the end of the day, Starbucks could then total up all the transactions it had performed between its sales and users of the coinbase wallet, and send all the transaction as 1 large transaction onto the bitcoin blockchain.
This would cut down the amount of congestion on the network, while also reducing the fee’s of users so that the cup of coffee they were purchasing did not have transaction fee’s larger than the cost they were spending.
In a similar fashion this is how credit cards work where at the end of the business day, a company will send in a batch form all the credit card transactions they have done during that day to the credit card processing company. All those swipes are really doing is verifying the money actually exists for the card holder, and putting the money on hold so it cannot be used by the card holder after the purchase. The actual transfer takes place at the end of the day.
According to Elizabeth in an interview with Yahoo:
When we first pitched my company Lightning Labs, we actually took the word ‘bitcoin’ out of our deck and our marketing material because it was so much about blockchain,” she says. “Now, I feel like we’ve entered into a ‘bitcoin, not blockchain’ world, where people understand the value of cryptocurrency technology and what these can bring. You also have proof of work in bitcoin, you have the public/private key cryptography. There are other things that make bitcoin special. Somehow, the blockchain part got separated and became a thing.
Elizabeth talks about how the media and corporate world have tried to use this separation of blockchain from cryptocurrency, specifically bitcoin, as a means of downplaying the importance of cryptocurrency to the financial sector. However she also admits, she is somewhat glad this downplay is taking place.
“I kind of want things to calm down a bit — big price spikes aren’t good for us technical folks that are developing,” she says. “We are in the early days of bitcoin. This is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. I think people wanted it to be a sprint, but it’s going to take time.”
The messages she is trying to deliver to the world are numerous. First is that unlike many alternative technologies, bitcoin is not trying to sprint ahead to please investors. That this is a slow race and those who do it properly will always end up as the front-runners in technological advancements.
This is an important factor to take into account as it has many different implications.
It mean’s the people involved with bitcoin and its future, are not worried about profits and investors. It also shows that most of these new alternative technologies are coming out thinking they can simply outspend bitcoin to become the newest and best technology because they are trying to please investors.
In fact, Elizabeth is well-known for speaking out against the practice of hosting ICO’s in the blockchain space.
It also sets an example for future projects that ICO’s are not needed in this technology.
The private funding rounds, which is where the money came from to support the lightning network project from well-known cryptocurrency supporters such as Jack Dorsey; Charlie Lee; and Vlad Tenev, will work just as well.
In fact she says:
We are back to a ‘bitcoin, not blockchain’ world
Whereas it’s unlikely that ICO’s are going to stop anytime soon, the hope is someone of such influence will make new project creators think twice before jumping on the ICO bandwagon and instead look for private funding rounds from people inside the crytpocurrency industry who understand the technology and plans to help back their funding.
This would certainly reopen the doors for many projects who otherwise feel ICO’s are the only way to carry a project forward.


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Washington, DC (January 22, 2020): After several years of all-electric cars dominating the annual Greenest vehicles list, 2020 brings a surprise – a resurgence of the hybrid, whether plug-in or gasoline only. With slightly higher scores, hybrids account for nine of the 12 greenest vehicles in the 23rd GreenerCars’ ratings, released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. These high-scoring hybrids include the Toyota Prius Prime, three others by Toyota, four by Hyundai-Kia, and one by Honda.
The auto industry, despite slowing sales, labor disputes, trade wars, and regulatory unrest, is producing more of the most technologically advanced and fuel efficient vehicles ever offered. This is great news for consumers, who continue to have plenty of options to buy a greener, more efficient vehicle.
While electric vehicles (EVs) get a lot of buzz, the top-scoring 2020 car reflects impressive improvements to the internal combustion engine that reduce tailpipe emissions and fuel consumption. Stronger tailpipe emission standards and lower emissions from the production and distribution of gasoline have also helped nudge hybrids to the top of the list.
“Some level of vehicle electrification is the clear path forward for both cars and light trucks, and for the foreseeable future, that will include everything from mild hybrids to all-electric vehicles,” said Eric Junga, senior transportation research analyst at ACEEE. “Gasoline hybrids are hitting seriously impressive fuel economy numbers and are available in nearly every vehicle category. And a hybrid full-size pickup may soon follow.”
The 2020 Greenest List features the most environmentally friendly cars now available. Each car is given a Green Score based on an environmental damage index (EDX), which reflects the cost to human health from air pollution associated with vehicle manufacturing, the production and distribution of fuel or electricity, and vehicle tailpipes.
Scores for many battery or all-electric vehicles (EVs) dropped slightly from last year. For some, this is a result of an update to the GreenerCars scoring model that calculates emissions from manufacturing different types of battery chemistries. Others, including the Hyundai Ionic Electric and Kia Soul Electric, come with substantially larger batteries and a considerable boost in driving range for 2020 that increase emissions from manufacturing and recycling and also slightly increase per-mile energy consumption.
Still, the greenest list has become increasingly competitive over time. We score vehicles on an even playing field that uses average emissions across the country, but the emissions associated with a particular vehicle can depend on many factors. One of the most significant impacts for EVs is the fuel used to generate electricity where the vehicle is charged, both today and in the future. Our analysis uses US government projections, which include slower growth in renewable energy generation than many other forecasts. For those considering whether a particular EV would fare better for their particular area, check out the GreenerCars Electric Vehicle Emissions Calculator.
“This year really marks the beginning of a historic influx of hybrids and alternative fuel powertrains. The days are long past where electrification was limited to smaller vehicles that may not suit everyone’s needs,” Junga said. He noted that hybrid versions of two of 2019’s most popular and practical cars – the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry – are now on the Greenest List. “No matter the type of vehicle, there is now a hybrid option, and we will soon be able to say the same about plug-in options as well.”
This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Greenest List contains no vehicle with solely an internal combustion engine. Even a small degree of electrification can greatly improve fuel economy and power, giving automakers an important tool to maintain the power that consumers expect, while allowing electric motors to help engines operate as efficiently as possible. Today’s results are truly a glimpse into the future of more-efficient and greener vehicles driven primarily by electrification.
GreenerCars.org also identifies practical options in each class among widely available automatic transmission gasoline-powered models. The Greener Choices list includes conventional vehicles and traditional hybrids, but excludes plug-in hybrids and pure battery EVs given the limited availability of charging stations.
Many of these vehicles return to the Greener Choices list from prior years, indicating both their popularity with consumers and the ability of the automaker to design and sell greener vehicles. While a number of models are hybrids, most are standard gasoline-fueled vehicles that achieve better fuel economy today compared to some hybrid options of just 10 years ago.
GreenerCars.org also provides a Meanest List, as usual made up of gasoline-powered large SUVs, pickup trucks, and European luxury cars that are the least friendly to the environment. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk takes the first (or last) position for a second year, with the rest of the list populated by regulars from prior years.
Green Scores of the 1,100-plus model year 2020 vehicles are available for free in the GreenerCars.org interactive database, along with each configuration’s fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions. Visitors can also turn to GreenerCars scores to determine eligibility for parking benefits at participating LEED-certified buildings. GreenerCars.org also features a 2020 market trends report and shopping advice, as well as a consumer primer on vehicles and the environment.
Changes to this year’s methodology include updates to estimates of vehicle lifetime miles travelled for electric vehicles, emissions associated with the production of gasoline and diesel fuels, and refinements to estimates of emissions from the manufacturing and recycling of battery electric vehicles.


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The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Philippines next month will pave the way for stronger economic ties between the two countries, an official from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China here said Thursday.
During the 44th Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBCE) at the Manila Hotel, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy Jin Yuan said the two Asian nations are expected to further explore their bilateral relations with the visit of Xi here.
“This year will be the exploration of our bilateral relations.” Jin said in his speech, adding that more Chinese investors are expected to come to the Philippines in the coming years.
The Chinese commercial counselor said the two governments will sign a framework agreement on establishing Chinese industrial zones. Construction of industrial parks are expected to commence next year, he added.
“These industrial zones are not limited to one. That means Chinese government will encourage the interested Chinese companies to invest in industrial parks or industrial zones in the Philippines,” he said on the sidelines of the PBCE.
“At present, as far as I know, there are two Chinese companies that already made preliminary preparation, and maybe the venue will be in Clark and Subic,” the Chinese official here added.
Early this year, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua mentioned that China will put up its first industrial park in the country, which will be larger than the eight industrial parks in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, Jin said the current “trade friction” between China and the United States “will do more harm than good” to the Philippines. He noted that the trade friction between the two major economies is affecting the local stock market and currency.
“Trade friction will do more harm than good to the Philippines. But let’s not worry. There is [an] old Chinese saying: There will be sunshine in the east and raining in the west. You have a huge market next to you -- that is China,” he said.


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Tesla announced it produced 10 million 4680 battery cells at Gigafactory Texas. It is a good sign for the automaker’s production ramp-up, which relies heavily on the new cell.
The 4680 battery cell format has taken the industry by storm since Tesla unveiled its own cell strategy at Battery Day in 2020.
The automaker claimed the potential to reduce battery cost by over 50% with the new design; it has been trying to bring it to volume production since, but it has run into some bottlenecks.
Earlier this year, Tesla gave a rare update about 4680 cell production that included good news about the automaker working through those bottlenecks, but it didn’t share numbers regarding production output.
Now, Tesla has revealed that Gigafactory Texas has recently produced its 10 millionth 4680 battery cell:
Produced our 10 millionth 4680 cell at Giga Texas this week! pic.twitter.com/0x2CNoDvCR
— Tesla (@Tesla)
To be clear, that’s the total production to date and not the current output, which is the most important metric, but it is still a good sign of progress, considering Tesla hasn’t been producing cells in Texas for long.
Ten million 4680 cells are enough to produce about 12,000 Model Ys.
Giga Texas has produced more than 12,000 vehicles to date, but it has relied on cells from Tesla’s pilot battery factory in Fremont.
Now Tesla will likely start to rely more on cells produced at Gigafactory Texas, which should help reduce logistic costs.
On top of production in California and Texas, Tesla also announced an expansion of Gigafactory Nevada near Reno to produce the 4680 cells.
While Tesla still heavily relies on cell suppliers for most of its electric vehicle production, the automaker is expected to become a major player itself in cell production with those manufacturing projects.
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Struggling US photography pioneer Kodak was dealt a major blow when the International Trade Commission ruled that its color image preview patent, No. 6,292,218, was invalid, according to the Wall Street Journal. Kodak hoped to extract money from companies that were not licensing the patent and ...
Struggling camera and film pioneer Kodak is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. While it deals with angry creditors, the company is also juggling a legal battle with Apple over the rights to several patents in its patent portfolio. According to Bloomberg, Kodak recently was handed a setback in...
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- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
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How they're coping on the Continent
THE big switchover has had a varied effect on the 12 countries changing to the euro.
ITALY: The government is handing out 18m free euro converter calculators to families.
Starter kits - a sample selection of notes and coins to familiarise Italians with the euro - also went on sale two weeks ago. But only a third have been sold, the lowest in Europe.
Stressed-out bank workers have threatened to strike next week unless they get a £700 bonus for coping with the switch from liras.
GERMANY: Supermarket and bank employees are banned from taking time off in the first two months of 2002 as bosses fear 'retail anarchy'.
Consumers expect price rises and the government has admitted that its survey on food and electrical goods showed the costs rose when converted to euros.
Deutschmarks cease to be legal tender on 1 January although Germans can still use them to pay for goods until 28 February.
FRANCE: There are last-minute jitters as the franc, their currency since 1360, enters its last days. Chaos is feared after a survey revealed a third of shops and small businesses are making no preparations until next Tuesday.
The last francs have to be taken to a High Street bank by 30 June to be swopped for euros but the Bank of France in Paris will accept coins until 2005 and notes until 2012.
BELGIUM: Police leave has been cancelled over the New Year when banks, shops and pubs will be awash with francs as well as 12,000 tons of euro coins and 550m euro notes. Only 20,000 of the country's 60,000 open-all-hours corner shops have converted their debit card terminals for the single currency.
SPAIN: A consumer boom has seen tens of thousands of Spaniards unload pesetas which they have not declared to the taxman before the euro takes over. There has been a surge in sales of luxury goods, including cars, TVs and home computers. Property prices have gone up by more than 10%, especially in Madrid and on the Costas.
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Retail Sales Rise 0.7%
Retail sales rose 0.7% in September after rising an upwardly revised 0.8% in August, well ahead of expectations. Sales were up 13.9% year over year. Sales rose in most categories, but some of the increase came from rising prices due to shortages of products and raw materials and supply chain problems. Sales at non-store retailers rose 1.0% after rising a very robust 5.3% in August. Excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, retail sales rose 0.8% in September and were up 11.5% year over year. These core retail sales correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of GDP. Building materials and garden supply stores were up 0.1% from August. The National Retail Federation forecast that 2021 retail sales will rise between 6.5% and 8.2%, which would beat the previous record growth rate of 6.3% in 2004.
Christmas in October
The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, and a host of other retailers kicked off their holiday promotions in October, with Amazon leading the way the first week of the month. Amazon tweeted that they sold more than one million toys from their Holiday Toy List in October. A recent poll revealed that half of Americans have already begun their holiday shopping, and a full 70% of early birds have already run into out-of-stock issues. Many retailers, including The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and Ace, will be closed Thanksgiving Day to allow associates to spend the day with their families, although of course their websites will be open for business. Industry experts are unsure how all the early shopping will impact Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend sales, traditionally the biggest shopping spree of the year.
The Home Depot
THD is teaming up with Walmart’s GoLocal delivery service business, which provides same-day and next-day delivery services for businesses. THD will roll out delivery with Walmart GoLocal in select markets, with plans to expand the number of markets through the end of the year. The service will deliver items that can easily fit in a car, such as tools and paint. Delivery speed is one of the areas in which retailers are trying to step up their game as they compete with expectations created by Amazon Prime.
Veteran supply-chain executive Mark Holifield left THD the end of October to take a job as CEO of US-based last-mile delivery firm Laser Ship. Holifield has been THD’s senior supply chain exec since 2006 and was among THD’s top five executives. John Deaton, currently senior vice president of US retail operations, was promoted to executive vice president, supply chain and product development.
THD introduced Ring Jobsite Security using the new Ring Alarm Pro, which combines features of the Ring Alarm and a built-in eero WiFi 6 router to keep the job site connected. An additional subscription allows the system to use a cellular-only internet connection to keep connected cameras and sensors online. Add-ons include security cameras, smart lighting and various sensors. Job site managers can customize their system based on project needs and easily transfer it to the next site.
THD introduced a new app designed to corral all their exclusive smart products and proprietary brands. Connected products are equipped with settings that can be controlled through the Hubspace app and be fully customized by the user.
THD committed $10 million to venture capital focused on diversity and innovation by investing in specific venture capital funds that promote diversity, technology and entrepreneurship.
Lowe’s kicked off their “Make More Holiday” campaign in mid-October, featuring special services, expanded inventory and more ways to shop. According to Lowe’s, their objective is to take the stress out of the holiday shopping season. They will have special deals weekly on different items, including tools, smart home equipment, appliances and décor. Lowe’s says they have their largest selection ever of artificial trees, wreaths and garlands as well as fresh-cut trees that will be available in mid-November. Lowe’s holiday survey showed that 90% of consumers intend to spend as much or more this year on gifts as they did last year, and 85% plan to participate in holiday traditions.
Lowe’s will bring back PROvember during November, with special deals that cater to Pros.
Mike Shady will take on an expanded role with Lowe’s as senior vice president, online. He will be handling all aspects of online strategies. He was recently vice president of Lowe’s online business and has more than 20 years of retail experience, including 16 years in ecommerce and omnichannel merchandising. Prior to joining Lowe’s in 2018 Shady held various leadership roles at The Home Depot. He’s replacing Mike Amend. Lowe’s said they want to build on the 110% growth their online segment produced in 2020.
Lowe’s launched Lowe’s One Roof Media Network, a retail media service designed to provide a portfolio of omnichannel advertising services to connect brands with their customers. Reportedly more than 100 brands, including Samsung, Kohler and GE Lighting, participated in early beta tests and saw exceptional returns on their investment. The platform includes data-driven insights integrated with analysis of consumer behaviors and home category trends as well as customized advertising products. Lowe’s partnered with retail media technology and service providers CitrusAd and Criteo to develop the network.
Lowe’s execs will appear on a USA Network television show, “America’s Big Deal.” The show is a shoppable, live competition show that will air weekly. Every week, inventors and small-business owners will pitch their products to America. The four retail panelists will offer marketplace insights and business advice. Several different execs from Lowe’s will be featured on different episodes. CEO Marvin Ellison said that Lowe’s is participating as part of their efforts to support small businesses and entrepreneurs and give them a chance to have their products sold on Lowe’s website and in stores.
Walmart announced that new subscribers to Walmart+ will get a $9.95 rebate, reportedly in response to Amazon announcing that Whole Foods will start charging Amazon Prime members $9.95 for delivery. Walmart+ membership costs $98 a year, or $12.95 a month, and includes free delivery and shipping with no minimum order limit.
Q3 sales rose 11.7% to $3.4 billion. Organic sales were up 11.9%, driven by strong performance in both the High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment segments. Grainger CEO DG Macpherson said that demand for core products was very strong throughout the quarter, and they were confident of their ability to deliver through the fourth quarter despite supply chain disruptions and shortages.
Q3 sales rose 12% to $110.8 billion, below expectations. For the fourth quarter, Amazon lowered their sales forecast to between $130 billion and $140 billion, representing annual growth between 4% and 12%.
Amazon warned that rising costs, including labor, labor-related productivity losses and higher steel and trucking expenses, added approximately $2 billion in operating costs in the third quarter and will add an expected $4 billion in the fourth quarter.
Amazon expects to spend billions during the fourth quarter to ensure that they meet customer and partner expectations and deliver holiday goods on time.
Amazon plans to hire an additional 150,000 seasonal workers in the US in hopes of being able to keep up with seasonal demand. Amazon is also trying to hire 125,000 permanent workers and 40,000 people for IT and corporate. As of July, Amazon had 950,000 employees in the US and 1.3 million permanent workers world-wide.
Amazon is reinforcing their supply chain to meet holiday demand. They’ve increased ports of entry across their network by 50%, doubled their container processing capacity and expanded their ocean freight carrier network partnerships to secure capacity in critical ports. The Amazon Freight network operates a pool of more than 50,000 trailers, with more than 800 delivery stations globally and 260,000 drivers worldwide, along with hundreds of thousands of Amazon Flex contract drivers.
Amazon will let individual teams decide how many days each week corporate employees should come in to the office to work. Earlier, Amazon had stated that employees needed to come back to the office at least three days each week beginning January 3. Company directors will have the discretion to allow teams that they manage to continue working remotely. Most of Amazon’s more than 1 million global employees cannot work remotely because they work in the company’s fulfillment and transportation division. About 50,000 tech and office employees work at Amazon’s headquarters in downtown Seattle as well as other locations.
Amazon will invest more than one billion dollars in education and skills training in the US. They will now fund full college tuition, as well as high school diplomas, GEDs and English as a Second Language (ESL) proficiency certification. Amazon is also adding upskilling programs to provide employees with the opportunity to learn skills within data center maintenance and technology, IT and research design.
Amazon launched a cloud service that identifies defects and anomalies in manufactured products called Lookout for Vision. It’s available in select Amazon Web Services (AWS) regions. Lookout for Vision uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect cracks, dents, incorrect colors and irregular shapes in products. Customers pay per hour to train the model; Lookout for Vision reports analyzed image data that deviates from the baseline on the service dashboard or in real time.
Amazon is reportedly shopping for long-range jets that can fly directly from China to the US, according to Bloomberg News. Amazon is looking for refurbished cargo versions of 10 Airbus A330-300 aircraft as well as an unknown number of 777-300ER aircraft. The mid-sized Boeing 767 has been the backbone of Amazon Air’s fleet for the past five years.
© Robert Bosch Tool Corporation. All rights reserved, no copying or reproducing is permitted without prior written approval.


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UPDATE 1-Low prices help Costco's quarterly profit rise
May 30 (Reuters) - Costco Wholesale Corp reported third-quarter profit just above analysts' estimates, as its low prices for food and gasoline appealed to shoppers.
The largest U.S. warehouse club chain typically offers everyday items like eggs below supermarket prices, hoping customers will stock up on other goods as well, and usually prices gasoline lower than nearby competing stations to attract members.
Members pay up to $110 per year to shop at Costco's big stores and website, which sell items ranging from food to furniture. The fee revenue pads the bottom line, allowing the company to offer low prices and take in thin profit margins on products it sells.
Membership fees rose 12 percent to $531 million in the third quarter ended May 12.
Costco said net income rose to $459 million, or $1.04 per share, from $386 million, or 88 cents per share, a year earlier.
Analysts on average were expecting profit of $1.03 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Sales rose 8 percent to $23.55 billion but were below market estimates of $24.21 billion.
Total sales at stores open at least a year, or same-store sales, rose 5 percent.
Shares of Costco closed at $112.95 on the Nasdaq on Wednesday.
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Brand new data and reports show impact of expanded CTC: ‘This is huge for low-income families’
Now the Census Bureau, as reported by the Economic Security Project, has released brand new data, collected after the second installment of payments was distributed in August. And the news is even better. The new figures show that hunger among families with kids has now dropped from 11 percent before the expanded CTC payments to 7.7 percent – last month, that figure was 8.4 percent. The number of adults living with children reporting that they sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the past week dropped from 10.7 million before the first CTC payment to nearly 8.1 million just after the payment, and down to 7.4 million during a period that included the second payment.
And the data show that Black and Latinx families in particular have benefited. Among Latinx adults living with children, food insecurity fell from 21 percent before the first payment to 13 percent in mid-August. Among Black adults living with children, the drop was from 20 percent before the July payments to 15 percent after the August payments. Latinx and Black families also recorded a very slight drop in the number of households reporting that they had little or no confidence in making next month’s rent payment.
One of the most dramatic and encouraging findings: some 20 percent of Latinx families with kids and 18 percent of Black families with kids say they are newly able to meet their basic needs — stark evidence that the CTC expansion is working.
In addition to the new data released this week, two new studies show more benefits from the CTC expansion – a significant drop in child poverty in the U.S., and a forecast of enhanced economic stimulus, particularly in rural parts of the country and in parts of the country populated by larger families.
The first study, released by researchers at Columbia University’s Center on Poverty & Social Policy, found that the July monthly payment alone lifted households with 3 million children out of poverty. That represents a 25 percent reduction in the nation’s childhood poverty rate — from 15.8 percent to 11.9 percent. Researchers said the rate will likely fall further, depending on the success of outreach efforts to lower income parents who don’t typically file a tax return.
“This is huge for low-income families,” Zachary Parolin, who co-authored the report, told CNBC.
The first installment of payments reached families with more than 59 million children – about 80 percent of all kids in the U.S., the report found. It found that poverty was reduced fairly evenly, falling about 20 to 25 percent across all major and ethnic groups. However, Black and Latinx children still face twice the rate of poverty compared to White children.
The Biden Administration issued the payment to households with 61 million children in August – about 1.6 million more children than in July. That could mean that the reduction in poverty going forward could be even larger than the Columbia University report indicates.
A second report, issued by the Niskanen Center, forecasts the broad economic impact of the CTC expansion. The report’s authors estimate that over the next 12 months, the extra benefit will boost consumer spending in the U.S. by $27 billion, generate $1.9 billion in revenues from state and local sales taxes, and support more than 500,000 full-time jobs at the median wage.
The report found that more populous states will by nature see a larger overall benefit from the CTC expansion. But in relative terms, the expansion provides larger benefits to states with lower average incomes and larger average family sizes. In particular, rural regions will benefit from a substantial injection of relative purchasing power – equivalent, the report says, to 1.35 percent of non-metro GDP.
“This is a benefit that doesn’t discriminate based on where you live; it’s the same amount regardless,” report co-author Sam Hammond said in an interview with Georgetown University’s Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. “Nonetheless, in relative terms, the Child Tax Credit represents an enormous increase in the purchasing power of families in rural areas. And I think we’ll see, over the medium term, greater economic activity and job creation in rural America as well.”
The new Census data – coupled with these two new studies that have come out in the past week – will generate momentum as children’s advocates and others seek to either make the CTC expansion permanent as Congress spends its next weeks hammering out detailed budget legislation.
For his part, Hammond is optimistic about the future of the Child Tax Credit and is confident that it will be made permanent. “We see the immediate effect on parents being able to purchase food and pay for things like rent, but over the longer term, I think we’ll also see new businesses form in areas where they didn’t use to be viable because of low demand,” he said. “As more of these impacts are felt, any residual ambivalence about the Child Tax Credit will wane. That’s my prediction.”


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Nordstrom introduces livestream shopping
Department store chain Nordstrom said on Wednesday that it is getting into livestream shopping, with the launch of a new interactive shopping platform formalizing its commitment to digital customer experiences.
This online shopping channel will host informative and entertaining shopping events, where customers can seamlessly shop the products they see in real-time and ask questions to the experts hosting the events.
The livestreaming channel will kick off on Thursday with a Burberry virtual styling event, presented by stylist, José Ramón Reyes. The presentation will focus on how to wear Burberry runway looks and style them, and will conclude with a Q&A session with Ramón Reyes and a Nordstrom representative. Likewise on Friday, viewers can tune into a spring beauty trend happy-hour to learn the latest skincare and hair care tips, tricks, and trends, with several beauty experts.
Events are already scheduled well into June, including a personal appearance in May from creator, and founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, Anastasia Soare, as well as a personal appearance from Charlotte Tilbury, in June.
"Through livestream shopping, we can meet the ever-changing needs and expectations of our customers and equip our team with more tools to deliver on our commitment to serve our customer wherever, whenever and however they want to shop," said Fanya Chandler, senior vice president at Nordstrom.
"Livestream shopping enables us to stay closer to the customer with interactive and engaging experiences that allow for discovery, personalization and service at scale."
Last month, the Seattle-based company announced plans to head in a new direction with a focus on growing its digital business. The launch of livestream shopping marks the next evolution of the company’s digital shopping capabilities.
Over the last year, Nordstrom has already hosted over 50 virtual events further translating the store experience into the digital world.
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The operator of the MAC electronic banking network has introduced a prepaid phone card -- the first in a series of products expected to culminate in a storedvalue smart card.
Money Access Service, the division of Electronic Payment Services Inc., Wilmington, Del., that runs MAC, said its telephone calling service will include discounted long-distance rates.
Unlike other prepaid calling cards on the market, which are thrown away when their value is used up, the MAC phone accounts are replenishable.
The prepaid phone card will be piloted with seven MAC-member financial institutions in the Middle Atlantic region by the end of this month. It is to be available to all MAC members and their cardholders in December.
"The MAC prepaid phone card is the first in a series of MAC products that will familiarize the public with the general concept of stored value," said John R. Beran, president of Money Access Service.
Next year, EPS and the MAC network plan to introduce in Delaware an open-system stored value program, using smart cards accepted by multiple merchants. Funds will be transferable directly from the chip embedded in MAC ATM cards, without the need for an on-line communication between store and bank.
Like its precursor, the prepaid phone card, the MAC smart card also will be replenishable.
EPS worked with Bottom Line Telecommunications, of Vancouver, Wash., a leading provider of prepaid calling card services, to produce the MAC phone card.
The card can be used for domestic and international calls from any touch-tone phone without the surcharges often associated with hotel, collect, operatorassisted, pay phone, credit card, and other premium telephone services. The per-minute rate. is the same 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the continental United States.
Financial institutions that are members of MAC will promote and sell the phone cards, in $10 to $100 increments. The cards will bear the financial institution's name.
When phone card customers want to add more time to the card, they can call an 800 number, key in their personal identification MAC number and debit their deposit account. Ultimately, phone cardholders will be able to add value at a MAC ATM using their MAC cards.
Prepaid phone cads were introduced about four years ago and became popular among consumers and collectors last year. A number of banks, including Key Federal Savings Bank, Havre de Grace, Md., and Community Bank & Trust of Comelia, Ga., have begun to offer the prepaid products.
The MAC network is the largest U.S. electronic funds transfer network in terms of transactions handled by its central switch. It connects 15,000 ATMs and 117,000 point of sale terminals in 32 states. Some 1,500 financial institutions are members of the MAC network, and they have 28 million customers carrying cards bearing the MAC logo.


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Andela, the Africa-focused software developer training and outsourcing company has laid off 135 staff across five markets. According to reports, the layoff has mostly affected the company’s senior staff.
On Tuesday, Andela CEO Jeremy Johnson, is said to have held a video conference call attended by over 1,300 staff from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Egypt, and the United States.
The CEO, noted that Andela’s customer base has collectively done fairly well this period. Majority of them have however been massively affected by the coronavirus pandemic hence the startup is projecting a decline in customers.
‘’While our customer base has held up better than most, the majority have still been impacted by the economic downturn. ‘’ the CEO told the staff in an email seen by TechTrendsKE.
‘’And while I’ve been blown away by messages from engineering leaders explaining how much they value the Andelans on their team, we’re still going to see churn spike this year as well as a decline in new customers due to the economic uncertainty. Now that we know that growth is going to be much slower than anticipated, we need to cut costs to ensure that we make it to the other side.’’ the email read.
The layoff represents 10% of the staff size and is the third round of layoffs in the company within the last 9 months. No engineers are impacted by this reduction.
In September last year, it laid off more than 400 developers from its hubs in Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda. The move came as the company looks to restructure its talent pool to more closely align with what it said is the global market demand.
Andela will providing comprehensive severance packages as well as four months of health coverage in every country to the affected staff. In addition, due to the extraordinary circumstances of this period, the company says it has secured two one-time approvals from the its board to allow those who were granted options the ability to be an owner of Andela.
‘The first is by removing the vesting cliff of any exiting employees who have been with Andela for less than a year so that they can exercise the options that would have vested if it weren’t in place. The second is that for all exiting employees, the company has extended the exercise window from three months to one year.
‘’If you are impacted, you’ll receive an invitation for your departure meeting today, where you’ll have a chance to ask questions to make sure you understand your package.’’ read the email.
The layoff are expected to start taking effect from May 8, 2020.


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UniPixel, Inc., a provider of advanced touch solutions to the touchscreen and flexible electronics markets, today announced it has been awarded a 14-inch consumer market laptop program from an existing customer.
UniPixel’s XTouch touchscreen sensors and Diamond Guard hardcoat will be featured in the new device to maximize touchscreen responsiveness and seamlessly support the Microsoft Pen protocol. This marks the 23rdprogram awarded to UniPixel since the beginning of calendar 2016.
Jeff Hawthorne, president and chief executive officer of UniPixel, said, “The active order pipeline for 2017 continues to build with the award of this new consumer market laptop program. Given there is a six- to nine-month time frame for a design win to translate into revenue, we believe that this increased pipeline is an important step toward generating more consistent revenue growth. Winning this order brings to seven the number of consumer design wins and 23 total design wins since the beginning of 2016. The growing number of design wins gives us increased confidence that the market is moving toward our technological strengths as end-user consumers increasingly demand high-end touchscreen and active stylus capabilities.”
Mr. Hawthorne concluded, “We believe that the Microsoft Surface Pro product is igniting an evolution, in both the commercial and consumer markets, in expanding the capabilities of pen/stylus usage on computing devices that will expand the possibilities of end-users to do things that were previously not possible. We believe that our products can directly address the evolving needs of these markets.”
Volume production for this program is expected to commence in the second quarter of calendar 2017. The announcement of this new product win, plus the programs originally acquired in the April 2015 acquisition, the others awarded this year and the one product announced late in 2015, brings to 27 the total number of computing devices for which the UniPixel touch sensor provides the touch experience and stylus writing experience in tablets, notebooks and 2-in-1 laptops.


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Audio ads — whether in podcasts, music streamers or radio channels — are gaining popularity. Part of the rise is due to the pandemic, which recorded an increase in users.
Digital advertising increased by 35% to reach $189 billion in 2021, according to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report. Podcasts have had a major impact on the audio ad marketplace.
At the same time, ResearchandMarkets.com’s “Global Audio Advertising Market – Forecasts from 2022 to 2027” projects a CAGR of 5.07% for the five-year period.
A big plus for audio ad is its appeal to brand advertisers. For example, Spotify added more than 1 million new podcasts in 2021, making it easy for listeners to interact with ads and marketers to enlarge reach.
Also,iHeart announced its plan to launch a new digital ad network. The iHeart Audience Network (iAN) will gather advertising content across streaming and podcasting from the iHeartRadio database and other premium publishers.
IAB reports podcast ad revenue increased by 19% YoY in 2020. Revenues from podcast advertising hit $842 million in 2020, an uptick from increased $708 million in 2019.
One big caveat: The adoption of ad-blockers may decrease the overall market demand. Per Blockthrough, by the end of 2020, there were 257 million PC ad blockers and 586 million mobile ad blockers.


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September 22, 2020|
SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Hybrid Opens Tomorrow With Advanced, Smart and Green Manufacturing in Spotlight
SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Hybrid opens with advanced, smart and green manufacturing in the spotlight on-site and online as industry visionaries and experts gather for the latest ...
September 21, 2020|
North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts August 2020 Billings
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.65 billion in billings worldwide in August 2020. The billings figure is 3.0% higher than the final July 2020 ...
September 15, 2020|
SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Hybrid to Lead the Way in AI and 5G Era
Advanced, smart and green manufacturing will take center stage on-site and online September 23-25 as SEMICON Taiwan 2020 gathers industry visionaries and experts ...
September 10, 2020|
COVID-19 Drives Rise in Global Fab Equipment Spending, SEMI Reports
Soaring pandemic-inspired demand for chips that power everything from communications and IT infrastructures to personal computing, gaming and healthcare electronics ...
September 9, 2020|
Second Quarter 2020 Global Semiconductor Equipment Billings Up 26% Year-Over-Year, SEMI Reports
Second quarter 2020 global billings for semiconductor manufacturing equipment jumped 26% year-over-year and 8%, to US$16.8 billion, from the first quarter of the year ...
September 1, 2020|
Virtual MSEC 2020 to Spotlight MEMS and Sensor Innovations
Staged for the first time in virtual format, MEMS and Sensors Executive Conference (MSEC 2020) will gather industry visionaries and experts October 6-15 for the latest trends ...
August 26, 2020|
SEMI Statement on New U.S. Export Control Regulations
SEMI released the following statement in response to the new export control rule changes announced by the United States Commerce Department. SEMI recognizes the role ...
August 24, 2020|
North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts July 2020 Billings
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.60 billion in billings worldwide in July 2020, according to the July Equipment Market Data Subscription ...
August 19, 2020|
SEMI Launches First Flexible Hybrid Electronics Standards Technical Committee
SEMI announced the formation of a new standards committee that aims to develop global standards for flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) spanning design, materials, manufacturing ...
August 18, 2020|
SEMI Partners with GLOBALFOUNDRIES to Offer Apprentice Program
SEMI launched a new collaborative apprenticeship program to make it easier for companies to offer training and for more workers to pursue careers in electronics. The competency ...


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Press Releases2011Oct 31, 2011
Essel Group Chairman, Subhash Chandra features as a leading Media Baron in Forbes India's top 100 Rich list
Emerging from the global financial crisis, India remains resilient and one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Not only this, Indian entrepreneurs are generating more wealth than have ever before. The 2011 Forbes India Rich List features 57 billionaires in all.« Back
The list of top 100 rich Indians has 4 media barons as well. According to Forbes India, ZEE's Subhash Chandra holds 22nd rank followed by Kalanithi Maran of Sun TV Network at No.23, HT Media's Chairperson Shobhana Bhartiya and Dainik Bhaskar Group's Ramesh Agarwal at 67th and 85th ranks respectively.
All the entrepreneurs featuring in the 100 richest Indians have not only accumulated wealth, but have also created multiple job opportunities, fame and recognition for our society and have put India firmly on the global map.
Kudos to all of them!


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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Verizon Wireless and Skype announced a partnership Tuesday to bring the Internet calling service to nine of the carrier's 3G smartphones beginning in March.
They can also use it to call any international phone number at Skype's standard rates, which are much lower than Verizon's international wireless calling rates. Calls abroad through Skype start at 2.1 cents per minute, and monthly unlimited packages are also available. The app will also let Skype users exchange instant messages.
"With any partnership, we're looking to do what our consumers want. In this case, they asked for Skype to be untethered from their PCs," Skype's chief executive, Josh Silverman, told CNNMoney.com.
Skype Mobile will be available on nine of Verizon's 3G smartphones: Research in Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry Storm, Storm 2, Curve 8330, Curve 8530, 8830 World Edition, and Tour 9630; Motorola's (MOT, Fortune 500) Droid and Devour; and HTC's Droid Eris.
The Verizon Skype calls will travel over both the Internet and wireless voice technology, but they won't be counted against customers' voice or data plans, according to a Verizon spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the Skype deal would cannibalize Verizon's own, more expensive calling plans, and would not disclose the financial terms of the partnership.
"It's more about giving our 91 million customers a great mobile experience through a really cool custom application," she said.
Skype CEO Silverman said that while he could not comment on Verizon specifically, international calls are a small part of revenue for most carriers.
"What [carriers] care about is acquiring new customers and really helping them understand the great value of what their smartphones can do," he said.
Skype now has 520 million users and is adding more than 300,000 a day, according to Silverman. In 2009, 12% of all international calling minutes were made through Skype, he said, up from 8% in 2008.
"This is a huge milestone for Skype, and we're looking to keep launching apps and creating more partnerships," Silverman said. "We're just a six-year-old company and we are definitely looking to expand."
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SAUDI ARABIA. CB Richard Ellis released today the latest MarketView for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
OVERVIEWKing Abdullah’s recent pledge to spend 30% of the Kingdom’s annual economic output (approximately US$130 billion) on mass housing, job creation and training, unemployment benefits and a raft of other social and economic measures has been welcomed with great enthusiasm.
However, as the supply and demand gap continues to widen in the housing sector, affordability remains the key deterrent for home ownership amongst Saudi nationals. Saudi Arabia has the largest re
SAUDI ARABIA. Over 50 traders attended events hosted by regional analyst, Noureldeen Al Hammoury, who offered his thoughts and advice on the latest investment strategies for a range of assets from oil through to the Renminbi.
UAE. "The company's plan (is) to continue expansion in attractive markets, mainly the Gulf region; in particular the Saudi market, and to study the expansion opportunities in other markets, taking into account the importance of the Egyptian market."
UAE. Middle East family businesses remain dynamic and resilient, with 79% recording growth in sales last year and 40% looking to achieve aggressive growth in the next five years; Succession is more hazardous than ever, with only 14% claiming to have a robust succession process, below the global average of 16%.
UAE. Concerns remain about the fuel for continued innovation and competitiveness according to Oliver Wyman / Zogby Research survey; the needs for investment, talent, research, and infrastructure are stubborn obstacles to innovation within Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, and especially in the UAE.
QATAR. Notwithstanding the weak start for the global economy, Asian economies are expected to continue to grow rapidly in 2015. We expect economic growth to average 5.7% in 2015, the same rate as in 2014.
UAE. Consumption of luxury goods up 11% in the GCC, according to Bain & Company; China luxury market shows a shift in consumer preferences and ties to the GCC; In the UAE, Chinese represent about 2.5% of overall tourists, but account for 7% of the mall footfall and even bigger part of the spend.


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Samsung will, in all likelihood, drop its plans for the Galaxy Note 8 optical fingerprint sensor. Last year, Samsung had invested in Synaptics to help integrated fingerprint sensor into the Galaxy S8 display, but things didn’t work out. Then fans began to expect that the fingerprint sensor would finally be embedded into the Galaxy Note 8 display, and they are likely to be disappointed again.
Why Samsung is ditching the Galaxy Note 8 optical fingerprint sensor
Earlier this month, a Samsung executive told Naver on condition of anonymity that the company had decided against using an optical fingerprint sensor for the Note 8. The exec added that Samsung made “every effort” to embed the technology under the display. But the Galaxy Note 8 optical fingerprint sensor was suffering from “technical limitations such as security.” Other problems included low production yields.
Turns out, security and yield rates were not the only reason Samsung had to drop the Galaxy Note 8 optical fingerprint sensor. Chinese leaker Ice Universe said in a Weibo post that the problem is much bigger than just production yields. The leaker claims that the Galaxy Note 8 optical fingerprint sensor was causing a circular area where it was placed to appear significantly brighter than the rest of the display. It leaves a “ghosting effect” on the screen.
Meanwhile, The Investor has learned from multiple industry sources that Samsung has indeed given up on the Galaxy Note 8 optical fingerprint sensor. The in-display fingerprint scanner allows users to unlock their devices by placing their finger on the screen. Samsung had placed the feature on the back panel of Galaxy S8, next to the rear camera. Consumers criticized the move because they end up accidentally touching the camera lens.
The Investor said Samsung was having a hard time making the integrated circuit that was supposed to be placed under the display because of its “opaque color,” to read the user’s fingerprint. It doesn’t mean Samsung has given up on the technology altogether. The company continues to refine the solution, and it is now expected to debut with the Galaxy S9 next year. It is unclear whether the fingerprint sensor would be positioned on the Note 8.
Vivo to be the first vendor to launch phones with in-display fingerprint solution
Apple has also been working on an optical fingerprint sensor for its 10th anniversary iPhone 8. According to a Foxconn insider, the Cupertino company was also facing production and yield issues with the technology, but was unlikely to opt for a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Apple could delay the iPhone 8 launch by a few weeks to resolve the issue. Alternatively, Apple already owns the patent for a method to place the fingerprint sensor on the power button.
Neither Samsung nor Apple are going to be the first company to use the in-display fingerprint sensor. According to noted Chinese analyst Jiutang Pan, Vivo could be the first smartphone vendor to offer the technology with its upcoming flagship. Vivo recently released a video clip showing a user unlocking a device simply by touching its screen.
From the video, it was not clear whether users will be able to lock the device by touching only a specific area or any part of the display. Apple could be the first non-Chinese vendor to offer the technology, according to Jiutang Pan. Other Chinese smartphone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi are also planning to launch phones with in-display fingerprint sensor.
Chinese model of Galaxy Note 8 to have 8GB RAM
Chinese vendors have been giving Samsung a tough competition in China and other emerging markets. They are increasingly packing their phones with more RAM, more storage, higher megapixel counts, and other features. That’s why Samsung was forced to launch a special Galaxy S8 Plus with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage for the Chinese market, while the rest of the world got a 4GB RAM variant.
A new report claims that Samsung is going to launch an Emperor edition of Galaxy Note 8 in China. It would feature 8GB RAM and 256GB of built-in storage. Other markets will reportedly get the device with 6GB RAM. The Weibo post even claims that the Galaxy S9 would pack 10GB RAM and Galaxy Note 9 would feature 12GB RAM. Chinese smartphone maker ZTE already offer Nubia Z17 with 8GB RAM.
Galaxy Note 8 code named ‘Gr3at’
Just a few days ago, the Galaxy Note 8 front panel leaked in a video. The leak confirmed that the phone would feature an edge-to-edge Infinity display. The Note 8 screen is said to be at 6.3-inch, slightly bigger than the Galaxy S8 Plus. However, it would have the same 18.5:9 aspect ratio as the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Samsung is rumored to add a “textured Bixby button” to the Note 8 to let users differentiate it from the volume buttons.
According to reputed tipster Evan Blass, the Note 8 is code-named “Gr3at.” Previously, the phone was said to be internally known as “Great.” Blass said the device carries the model number SM-N950F rather than N940. Samsung skipped N940 because the number “4” is often associated with bad luck in the Korean culture. The code name indicates that Samsung has something truly impressive to offer with the Galaxy Note 8.
Galaxy Note 8 dual camera: A new sensor supplier
The Note 8 will be Samsung’s first smartphone to feature a dual camera system on the back. Leaked images suggest that the cameras will be arranged vertically. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has told his clients that the Note 8 dual camera would be much better than the iPhone 7 Plus. Kuo says, in terms of camera capabilities, it will be on par with the 10th anniversary iPhone 8.
According to a Weibo post, Samsung will use in-house camera sensors for the Galaxy Note 8. The Galaxy S8 uses Sony’s IMX333 sensor. For Note 8, Samsung will be sourcing two 13MP sensors from its sister firm Samsung Electro-Mechanics. Over the last few years, the Korean electronics behemoth has been giving preference to components from the group companies.
Among other things, Samsung’s upcoming flagship would feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, an S Pen stylus, and a 3200mAh battery. It would have an upgraded version of Samsung’s Bixby AI assistant, which the company rolled out with the Galaxy S8 line. Benchmark leaks have confirmed that the device would run Android 7.1.1 Nougat instead of Android O.
Galaxy Note 8 to be unveiled in the third week of August
The rumor mill expects the Galaxy Note 8 to be unveiled at a pre-IFA event in Berlin in late August. IFA executive director Jens Heithecker has also told media that the IFA show would be an ideal place for Samsung to show off its new phablet. However, Korean site The Bell claims that Samsung would hold an Unpacked event in mid-August to unveil the Note 8.
Chinese leaker Ice Universe said in a Weibo post that Samsung was planning to hold an Unpacked event in the third week of August, which means sometime between August 14 and August 20. The Note 8 would compete against the 10th anniversary iPhone, which is expected to hit the store shelves sometime in September or October.


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Gwyneth gets high in Berlin
GWYNETH PALTROW is one well-heeled star.
Yesterday the actress showed off 7-inch designer heels made especially for her by shoe king Giuseppe Zanotti.
So what if they were so high that she had to cling on to a minder for support?
The sky-high footwear had fashionistas drooling with jealousy, and there is already a waiting list at the Zanotti flagship store in London.
The bespoke shoe-boots are the latest freaky footwear to be added to Mrs Coldplay's collection.
Blonde Gwyneth is a big fan of the new 'fierce' footwear trend, sporting platform Louboutins, buckled Balenciagas and Gucci stilletoes.
Check out her collection here.


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Google’s Cardboard has inspired a whole wave of manufacturers to make VR headsets that rely on your phone, and someone local is getting in on that.
You might have heard that virtual reality is on the return, and given how much we write about the field, it shouldn’t surprise you that this is likely to be the next big area where entertainment changes things.
It’s not just about video games, because VR will change movies and education, and while it’s still basically in its infancy and hardware is being ironed out, you can actually turn your phone into a makeshift virtual reality headset.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to find a Google Cardboard headset, which is Google’s answer to easy VR that takes a strip of cardboard, a few lenses, and brings some magnets together to let you control your phone while it’s strapped to your head and showing two screens side by side to trick you into seeing stereo.
Your phone uses the accelerometer inside it to let you move about, picking up on your head movements to move about the 3D space.
But Google’s Cardboard isn’t always easy to find, with the web the best place to find the cheap literally cardboard headsets.
However, there’s good news if you’re trying to get a Cardboard headset locally and prefer something made from something a little more solid, like plastic.
Kaiser Baas has announced that it is releasing the “VR-X”, which is quite literally a plastic Google Cardboard headset designed for both the iPhone and Android devices with screens sized between 4 and 6 inches.
Borrowing the template of the Cardboard headset from Google, Kaiser Baas’ VR-X allows you to slide in your phone in the headset bracket and then put the headset on, using an adjustable head strap (which is something Google Cardboard actually lacks).
Worth noting is that no apps come with the Kaiser Baas VR-X, as the headset is made to just handle all VR apps that run from the Apple App Store (iOS) Google Play Store (Android), as well as any VR movies that work in apps made for devices.
We also feel obligated to note that at 340 grams, the Kaiser Baas headset isn’t light, especially when you need to factor in the weight of a phone, but it’s not much heavier than the headset Samsung makes for its own S6 and S7 phones, and given that the Kaiser Baas option is $49 across Australia, it’s cheap enough for anyone to get into.


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The deal will allow the online store to offer 16 Lennon solo albums which were distributed through EMI Music.
"John Lennon is one of the greatest artists of our time," said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.
"We are thrilled to have his solo catalogue available on the iTunes Store for the first time."
The albums are distributed through EMI, and will therefore be available to users as iTunes Plus tracks without DRM software and at a higher bitrate. Individual songs will cost 99c, while iTunes Plus songs will cost $1.29.
The deal marks the second time since May that Apple has secured the rights to sell music from a former Beatle. Earlier this year the company cut a deal to sell solo works by Sir Paul McCartney.
McCartney and Lennon's estate control portions of Apple Corporation, the record label which controls The Beatles catalogue.
When Apple Inc launched its iTunes store in 2003, Apple Corporation kicked off a trademark infringement campaign that ran until February 2007.
Rumours of a deal to bring The Beatles catalogue to iTunes have persisted since that time, although no formal deal has been announced.
Some parts of Atacama have not received rainfall for 500 years - but a sudden deluge of water upset the Desert's delicate biological balance
Spitzer Space Telescope could not spot Oumuamua, suggesting that it is actually pretty small
Greenland crater one of the 25 largest impact craters on Earth
This long-sought progenitor star was identified in an image captured by Hubble in 2007


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We often joke that Dyson only makes products that suck or blow, but jokes aside the British company has always developed high-tech, revolutionary devices that have transformed the product segment they’ve entered – from the cyclonic seperation technology in their handheld vacuum cleaners to the compact digital motor in their Supersonic hair dryers.
Dyson CEO Sir James Dyson has now set his sights back on an old dream of his and has officially announced that Dyson will design and produce an electric vehicle by 2020, and while many may scoff at his ambition to go from hairdryers to electric vehicles, the he’s serious enough to put USD$2.7 billon of his own money on a research and development project.
Now this isn’t a big leap as you might think. Dyson has over the years spent hundreds of millions in research and development – in fact he was in Singapore in February 2017 to open a USD450 million Global Technology Centre of Excellence.
Had an interesting meeting with Sir James Dyson, inventor and founder of UK technology company Dyson, today. He is in…
The two key ‘ingredients’ to electric vehicles are batteries and electric motors, and Dyson are well known for their high efficiency lightweight motors electric motors – the digital motor in their V8 handheld vacuum cleaner spins at an amazing 110,000 RPM. Over the last few years Dyson has also invested in solid state battery research.
In fact, according to James Dyson’s internal email to all Dyson employees the company was already working on an all-electric vehicle for more than two years with a team now numbering over 400 strong at Dyson’s UK headquarters in Malmesbury. The company recently acquired a disused airbase to create a massive technology campus.


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World Travel Awards 2023.
We are excited to announce that Dubrovnik has received two prestigious awards at this year's World Travel Awards. Dubrovnik has been named "Europe's Leading Cruise Destination 2023" and "Europe's Leading Seaside Metropolitan Destination 2023."
In a tough competition that included cities like Lisbon, Venice, Oslo and Copenhagen, Dubrovnik emerged as top choice for cruise enthusiasts. Also, Dubrovnik was recognized as the leading seaside metropolitan destination in Europe, competing with renowned cities like Barcelona, Istanbul and Porto.
These awards highlight Dubrovnik's enduring appeal, its rich cultural heritage, and breathtaking natural beauty. Dubrovnik continues to be a must-visit destination on the European tourist map.
More information https://www.worldtravelawards.com/press-444


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Audi says its vehicle lineup will shed its current homogeneous look in the coming years as the company rolls out more electric cars and crossovers.
The brand's design boss, Mark Lichte, told the UK's Autocar that we'll begin to see Audi's designers branch out following the 2019 launch of a production version of the e-tron quattro crossover, because an EV's more compact powertrain means more flexibility where a vehicle's proportions are concerned.
“Design will go in a very different way,” Lichte continued. “[Designers] will have more material space to play with, so we’ll be able to produce [vehicles with] shorter overhangs and lower bonnets. It makes for a more attractive design overall.”
MORE RELATED ARTICLES
Audi's downmarket corporate cousins at VW are already pondering the possibilities electric vehicles will present in mulling making the next-generation Beetle a rear-driver, just like the original was.
As far as the look of the company's present lineup is concerned, if you're annoyed that you can't tell a 2018 Audi A6 apart from a 2018 Audi A8, blame China: Audi CEO Rupert Stadler says the cookie-cutter styling approach was conceived to help the brand establish a presence in that emerging market. But with that task complete, he says it's time to "give each car its own look."Amping up design freedom 1/2/2018 3:53:44 PM 1/2/2018 3:53:44 PM


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One of Britain's prettiest butterflies is helped into the world by ants who act as "midwives" – guarding the freshly emerged insect while it inflates and dries its wings, new research has shown.
The remarkable story of the silver-studded blue and its ant-guarded emergence, pictured right, is told in the new edition of Britain's best-loved butterfly book – so sought-after that copies change hands for more than £100 – which is being republished next month, nearly 20 years after it first appeared.
The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, by Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington, quickly sold out after its publication in 1991 and, because it was so popular but never reprinted, soon became valued at many times its original cover price of £16.99. Butterfly lovers scoured charity shops for copies but sometimes had to bid for it on eBay.
It was widely regarded as the best book about British lepidoptera ever produced, largely because the authors were the leaders in their fields. Jeremy Thomas, now the Professor of ecology at Oxford University, is acknowledged as Britain's top butterfly expert and his text is not only scientific but full of anecdotes about the butterflies and the people who collected them in the past. Richard Lewington is Britain's most celebrated painter of butterflies and moths and his exquisite, detailed illustrations are regarded as setting the standard by which other illustrators are judged.
The new edition of the book, which comes out next month, takes in the voluminous butterfly research which has appeared in the interim. It features two species wholly new to Britain – Real's wood white, and the geranium bronze – and many new discoveries, such as the account of the silver-studded blue and its ant midwives, shown here in Richard Lewington's illustration. The caterpillar depends for much of its life on black ants, spending the day, and finally pupating, inside ants' nests, where the ants care for it constantly – probably because the caterpillar gives off sugary substances which the ants consume.
'The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland' is being published by British Wildlife Publishing (www.britishwildlife.com), price £24.95, or £22 before 31 May.


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- 16,184 Posts
Apple releases 2014 annual report
Apple sales released their annual report, where they confirmed that iTunes music sales had declined this year. While they didn't specify the amount of the decline, a recent report puts it between 13 and 14 percent. Overall, however, sales in the iTunes Store grew thanks to app sales and in-app purchases, according to the report:
Full story from the iMore Blog...
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London’s Critical Music is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month with the release of a new compilation, ‘20 Years Of Underground Sonics’. Ahead of its release tomorrow, 28th April, you can hear Ivy Lab’s contribution ‘Domo’ below.
Spanning 22 tracks, the compilation showcases numerous artists that have graced Kasra’s cutting edge underground d&b label over the past two decades. Tracks come from the likes of Calibre, Hyroglifics, Coco Bryce, En:vy, Emz & Sam Binga, Foreign Concept and more, including Kasra himself. Check the full tracklist below.
Speaking about the compilation, Kasra said: “It feels good to look back and be proud but the future is even more exciting and I hope you get a view of that through this album and the amazing music it contains.”
‘20 Years Of Underground Sonics’ will be released in a super-limited, 6-piece vinyl edition with artwork designed by Steiner Grafik. Box sets are available via Critical’s online shop.
Ivy Lab’s ‘Domo’ perfectly encapsulates the snarling d&b sound so often found on the Critical catalogue, while still leaving a familiar sense of space for atmosphere and experimentation. You’d expect no less from the duo, or from the label. It’s a belter.
Grab your physical or digital copy of ‘20 Years Of Underground Sonics’ here.


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Failure to encrypt portable devices inexcusable, say analysts
Following the report earlier this week that a laptop containing 13,000 BP claimants’ personal data was missing, Jaikumar Vijayan reports that data breaches involving unencrypted laptops and portable drives continues at inexcusably high rates:
The company is only the latest in a long list of organizations that have made similar announcements over the past several years. In fact, data compromises involving lost or stolen laptops, unencrypted storage disks, and other mobile devices account for a substantial portion of breaches these days…. a distressingly large number of companies have continued to ignore the advice — some because they are unwilling to spend the money and others because of the perceived complexity involved with encryption.
“There really is no excuse for not encrypting laptops,” said Avivah Litan, an analyst with Gartner.
Read more on Network World.
Clearly, as my occasionally snarky comments on this blog and phiprivacy.net suggest, I agree with the analysts quoted in the news story. For how many years will we continue to read that entities were “in the process of encrypting” at the time of a breach, or now that they’ve had a breach, the entity is “speeding up” its efforts to harden their security and to use encryption. Encryption meeting NIST standards offers safe harbor for HIPAA-covered entities and can save time and money in terms of the costs of a breach. Would entities really rather spend $10-$15 per person offering free credit monitoring after a breach, or should they invest much less in preventing the breach? And how much is brand harm or bad press worth? Isn’t it worth the cost of encrypting your laptops and thumb drives?
Entities that collect information need to protect it. Anything else is just playing fast and loose with our information and our privacy and should incur fines or penalties. The “grace period” should be over.