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For how many years now have federal CIOs and IT managers heard the bromide “security must be baked in, not bolted on?” It is one of those phrases that gets repeated so often that it’s lost its meaning, but the fact that it’s still considered wisdom today is itself meaningful.
The uncomfortable reality of cybersecurity is that it remains our nation’s biggest technology challenge. Despite high-profile security breaches that have embarrassed agencies and corporations, keeping up with vulnerabilities and staying ahead of hackers from both a technology and user education standpoint isn’t easy. This task is further complicated by the prevalence of siloed legacy technology, which drains agency budgets and limits their ability to make the most of mobile technologies. On average, agencies spend about 75 percent of their IT budgets operating and maintaining existing systems, leaving little opportunity to modernize, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Source: Security for the exploding Internet of Things ecosystem | FCW
Connected devices such as smart light bulbs, refrigerators and TVs are all bound by Wi-Fi networks. But that might not be the case for much longer.
Arm, a processor design company, is unveiling a new software stack, called Kigen, that would allow SIM cards to be integrated into internet-of-things devices. That is, your smart objects could connect to the internet more like a phone, rather than being dependent on Wi-Fi. And that could be big business: The company is looking ahead to a trillion connected devices by 2035, though the cellular IoT market would be only a portion of that.
Source: Arm’s Kigen design points to SIM cards for smart devices | CNET
Google on Thursday announced it will acquire LogMeIn’s Xively IoT platform for $50 million.
Google said the deal will “complement” its Google Cloud efforts for a fully managed IoT service.
“With the addition of Xively’s robust, enterprise-ready IoT platform, we can accelerate our customers’ timeline from IoT vision to product, as they look to build their connected business,” Google wrote in a blog post announcing the acquisition.
Source: Google acquires LogMeIn’s Xively IoT platform for $50 million | ZDNet
After years of worry, the long-anticipated backlash to the changes wrought by the Internet of Things may finally be arriving. That could be a good thing.
As pretty much everyone knows, the Internet of Things (IoT) hype has been going strong for a few years now. I’ve done my part, no doubt, covering the technology extensively for the past 9 months. As vendors and users all scramble to cash in, it often seems like nothing can stop the rise IoT.
Maybe not, but there have been rumblings of a backlash to the rise of IoT for several years. Consumer and experts worry that the IoT may not easily fulfill its heavily hyped promise, or that it will turn out to be more cumbersome than anticipated, allow serious security issues, and compromise our privacy.
Source: Is the IoT backlash finally here? | Network World
It was a peaceful day in the international company’s computer operations centre until, at 13.07, the monitoring services detected that there were several simultaneous attempts to probe a non-existent workstation. Four minutes later, a VHDL server attempted to access a Google search. And, four minutes after that, external friends confirmed that they were seeing potential broadcasts from the company to known bad sites. (External friends are other companies who mutually monitor sites.) At 13.20 – 13 minutes after the first recorded incident – instructions were issued that all the company’s sites should close down their IT activities. By 13.25 all external connections, including landline telephones, were closed down and all named machines were locked down. By 13.40 all on-site networks and machines were shut down – including printers and other intelligent peripherals – and remote users were being instructed to shut down. At 13.45 all the named representatives of a pre-defined Incident Response Team (IRT) left their remote sites for the central location and by 15.50 it was clear that all remote users were shut down.
Source: A Tale to Make Your Blood Run Cold | EEJournal
Internet of Things product manufacturers must get their act together and secure their devices or they risk creating new ways for wrongdoers to commit crimes, a senior police officer has warned.
“All new technologies, all changes in the way that society is ordered — particularly if it is technology — always has a crime harvest. So, when cars were invented, people started drink-driving and stealing cars and it’s exactly the same with the Internet of Things,” said chief constable Michael Barton, head of the Durham Constabulary.
Source: An Internet of Things ‘crime harvest’ is coming unless security problems are fixed | ZDNet
Everyone’s heard of the IoT – smart thermostats, Internet-connected refrigerators, connected lightbulbs – but there’s a subset called industrial IoT that has a much more significant day-to-day impact on businesses, safety and even lives.
The term IIoT refers to the Industrial Internet of Things. In broad strokes, it’s the application of instrumentation and connected sensors and other devices to machinery and vehicles in the transport, energy and industrial sectors.
Source: What is the Industrial IoT? And why the stakes are so high | Network World
With the growth of connected devices and the internet of things, consumers must adopt simple steps to help keep themselves cyber secure.
By the end of this year, there will be more than eight billion internet of things (IoT) devices connected worldwide, according to analysts Gartner – from electricity meters to smart fridges.
Many families buy such gadgets without imagining they might pose a security risk, but they still tend to be less well-secured than devices such as PCs. This means that families should be careful both when choosing and setting up their IoT devices, according to Det Insp Mick Dodge, National Cyber PROTECT coordinator with the City of London Police.
Source: Is cybersecurity keeping up with the internet of things? | The Telegraph
Internet of Things products are notorious for their cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and data protection protocol is struggling to keep pace with innovation demand. With the best will in the world, IoT networks cannot be secured without the tools for the job – yet Forrester has found half of tech security leaders do not have sufficient tools for enforcing policies.
Data privacy is undoubtedly top of the agenda for IT security professionals and recent research findings confirmed this, with 92% of respondents confirming they have security policies in place for managing IoT devices.
Source: How do you solve a problem like Internet of Things platform security? | Computer Business Review
The Internet of Things (IoT) has started to move to the mainstream in enterprises across all industries. With IoT spending set to increase by 15 percent to reach $772.5 billion by the end of 2018, the coming year will undoubtedly bring further growth in the number of connected devices and enterprise IoT projects. More importantly, I believe that in 2018 enterprise IoT projects will finally move beyond merely automating existing business processes, to truly transforming industries by creating entirely new revenue streams and business models. This will be due in part to the concurrent rise of synergistic technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and fog computing, as well as an industry-wide move toward greater interoperability, standards and collaboration.
Source: 5 predictions for the Internet of Things in 2018 and beyond | Network World


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There’s nothing like the holidays to strike a final death blow to overworked appliances. More than a few families have discovered that it’s that five-thousandth batch of Christmas cookies that causes the oven to go on the fritz, or the 24/7 cycle of holiday party plates and forks that sends the dishwasher to its demise.
This week, a source at Sears told NativeMobile that the department store giant is well aware of this reality. And, as a result, the company may kick off 2015 with an aggressive marketing push for new appliances that relies heavily on visual storytelling.
After the holidays — instead of before or during — could be a time ripe for such marketing ploys.
According to our contact, a new year is good for sales at Sears, a seller of name brand appliances par excellence. It’s not just the meltdown of aging appliances, but also the “nesting” urge that follows the holidays. People want to stay home more, cook more food at home, and hunker down for the post-holiday recovery season. They want to “get their homes in order” and spend quality time in them.
So while January and February may bring ice and snow, we could also see a flurry of discount-priced appliances campaigns, promoted with native advertising.
While nothing is set in concrete yet, we understand a big push for Instagram and Facebook ads is being considered (by Sears, and maybe others).
We’ll be keeping an eye on this. From the warm and cozy confines of our homes, of course.

domain: news


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The Charlotte Hornets are going back to their roots with their latest uniform design. The team announced its Classic uniform look on Wednesday, part of the updated uniform scheme the NBA is taking on this season. The Classic look is meant to be a celebration of a franchise’s earlier iterations, and Jordan Brand went with Charlotte’s roots with the look.
Back is the pinstriped teal design that the team wore from is inception in 1988 until 1997. It comes with a heavy dose of teal, which you’re now old enough to remember as a throwback and not the debut colors of a new NBA franchise.
“Since we brought the Hornets name back in 2014, our fans have practically been begging for us to wear a version of the original Hornets uniform,” Hornets president Fred Whitfield said in a release. “We could not be more excited to give them what they want and to see the historic pinstriped, teal Charlotte uniform back on an NBA court.”
Charlotte announced the look with a post on the team’s website, but seeing is believing when it comes to uniform design.
The Hornets will wear their Classic uniforms three times at home this season: Hornets will wear the Classic edition uniforms for three home games during the 2017-18 season: November 15 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, December 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks and January 13 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s a crisp look, all in all. Team still works on a basketball jersey, and Jordan Brand did good work here to bring a classic piping up to modern style elements. It also is a respectful homage to the original work.
Designed by Alexander Julian, the original Hornets uniforms were an immediate success and remain popular today, more than 20 years since they were last worn on the court. The teal uniform became one of the favorite jerseys for basketball fans around the world and began a color trend that resonated throughout professional sports.
The Hornets were part of a teal revolution in sports that saw the color permeate plenty of franchises in the 1990s. The San Jose Sharks and Jacksonville Jaguars also embraced the look they’re celebrating here. I’m sure it will be a popular jersey choice when the look hits retail stores in November.


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Why does Elon Musk share billions of Tesla stock?
Elon Musk just sold his Tesla stake for $6.9 billion, or about Rs. 51,289 crores. On November 7, 2021, the world’s richest man parted with Tesla stocks after conducting a Twitter vote. Musk polled his audience to see if they supported him selling a 10% interest in Tesla. Furthermore, Tesla’s CEO stated that he will … Read more


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Google is about to adjust the video quality captured through Nest Security Camera. Google has taken the initiative to reduce the strain on the shoulders of broadband networks. The company has proclaimed about subsequent changes through a blog in which they stated that the on-going circumstances in the world lead everyone to dwell at their homes. This increases the growth in the usage of the Internet, thus the strain on broadband networks is too heavy nowadays. Similar to other entertainment providers, they are also reducing the Nest Security Camera’s video quality which will definitely going to favor in less internet usage.
They also added that the following changes will be implemented in couple of days. We do believe that our initiative will help broadband networks to provide Internet to everybody without taking a load. However, before Google, one of the users of the Nest has proclaimed about the subsequent news through his Twitter handle. In his statement, he said that yesterday he received a message from Google regarding his Nest account in which Google announced that they are reducing the video quality of Nest security cameras to overcome the excessive usage of the Internet nowadays.
The changes will be going to affect mainly the clients of Nest in the USA. As most of the clients of Nest are from the USA, and the broadband network issues are also coming from significant parts of the USA. So, the customers of Nest who are living in the USA and enjoying a high-quality video experience on Nest will soon face a reduction in the quality of the video as it will be adjusted automatically to default by Google.
Although Google also said that the customers who are facing a lot of quality reduction could fix the issue through settings. It will fix the problem, but still, the quality of the video will set up to default. In their statement, Google added in the last that the video quality of the Nest would soon get back to normal once the broadband networks issue resolved. They are incredibly apologetic for the inconvenience; thus, the video quality will quickly be adjusted back to high from default.
Besides, the adjust in video quality, there are various other features also included and altered by Google in the Nest. The major one is Chromecast, Ambient Mode that is sort of slideshows through Nest displays and Cast devices.
However, this is the second time when Google is helping the broadband networks to overcome the strain on their shoulders. As previously, they have set the video quality of Youtube to default, and later, their initiative induced other ventures such as Netflix, Apple, and Amazon to reduce the video quality of their services. Sony has also come forward towards the subsequent cause and, thus, reduced downloading speed on the networks of PlayStation.
The current situation of the world is getting worst day by day due to amid pandemic. Thus, the initiative of Google, along with other prominent marketers to reduce the internet strain through their services, is outstanding. The customers who are not happy with the subsequent initiative should understand the reason behind it, and for instance, they should also support this cause.
Aida Martin has diverse interests that range from writing to video games. She has always had a strong passion for writing. She likes to write about games, tech events, security, and whitepapers. Her vast and varied knowledge aided by her supreme writing skills, have made her a powerful writer at office.com/setup.


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Paradox Interactive just announced Surviving the Aftermath, the next entry in the Surviving series, will launch in 2020 on Epic Games Store, Steam, PS4, and Xbox One. Players eager to try the game out sooner will be able to purchase it on Epic Games Store Early Access and Xbox Game Preview later this year. Paradox promises to give us more details at PDXCON 19 in Berlin later this month, but they did post this new teaser video. Please take a look at the first look at Surviving the Aftermath.
“With the staggering growth of Surviving Mars this year we knew we had something special and we wanted to find new ways to utilize survival management gameplay,” Nikhat Ali, Lead Producer on Surviving the Aftermath and Surviving Mars at Paradox Interactive, said. “Surviving the Aftermath gives us the opportunity to experiment with these mechanics in new and interesting ways that we think our players will love.”
Paradox announced that Surviving Mars' latest Green Planet expansion has lead the game to record growth since its launch in May of 2019. Monthly active players are up 19% from the launch month peak. That wasn't all of the Surviving Mars news, either. Paradox announced that they are bringing the game and all its DLC to the Epic Games Store. "Kicking off as part of Epic’s Free Games Program, the Surviving Mars base game and Space Race DLC will be free to download from Thursday, October 10-17. After the free period, the game will be available to purchase for $29.99."
To keep the community engaged, Paradox also has a mod contest going on for Surviving Mars. Modders can create new animals for the Project Laika expansion and win prizes, so head over to the Paradox forum to find out more information.
We'll be keeping everyone posted on all the latest news from PDXCON 2019, so keep it locked on Shacknews for more Surviving the Aftermath news as it breaks.
Asif Khan posted a new article, Paradox Interactive's Surviving the Aftermath to release in 2020
That could be really interesting. I would wish list it if epic had a wish list.


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Move For Hunger has created a new award to showcase our hunger fighting heroes in a new light!
The Hunger Fighting Champion Award is a quarterly award that is given to a partner that has gone above and beyond in the fight against hunger. This includes anything likefundraising, hosting a food drive with a large impact, participating in a campaign or event, etc.
For the first quarter of 2022, AVE, a brand of Korman Commuinities that owns a multitude of luxury apartments, was awarded the FIRST Hunger Fighting Champion Award for their collaboration with Little Words Project. Throughout the month of February, AVE and Little Words Project teamed up to create a special bracelet inspired by its mission to deliver flexible, carefree living. Little Words Project then donated 25% of its profits from bracelet purchases to Move For Hunger.
From this unique campaign and collaboration, more than 2,500 meals were provided to food insecure communities!
AVE was one of the first multi-family partners of Move For Hunger back in 2015. Since then, their properties have regularly participated in themed food drives and our ‘Donate Your Food When You Move’ program, which encourages residents of multifamily properties to donate their food to food insecure communities when they move out. AVE has helped provide more than 138,000 meals to those in need.
Interested in joining the fight to end hunger? Sign up to join our multi-family program!


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Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants, including cancer-linked chemicals three times higher than California's health standard, according to a study released by an environmental advocacy group.
The findings challenge the popular impression—and marketing pitch—that bottled water is purer than tap water, the researchers say. However, all the brands met federal health standards for drinking water. And most of the detected contaminants are common in tap water, too.
Lab tests detected 38 chemicals in 10 brands, with an average of eight contaminants found in each kind of bottled water. Tests showed coliform bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium.
The two-year study was done by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, an organization founded by scientists that advocates stricter regulation. It bought bottled water in California, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
Researchers tested one batch for each of 10 brands. Eight of those did not have troubling levels of contaminants. But two brands did, so more tests were done and those revealed chlorine byproducts above California's standard. The researchers identified those two brands as Sam's Choice sold by Wal-Mart and Acadia of Giant Food supermarkets.
The other eight, which researchers didn't identify, carried legal levels of many contaminants. Some of those chemicals, like arsenic and the solvent toluene, have been tied to health risks. Some of the contaminants apparently came from pollutants often found in tap water, and others probably leached from plastic bottles, the researchers said.
In the Wal-Mart and Giant Food bottled water, the highest concentration of chlorine byproducts, known as trihalomethanes, was over 35 parts per billion. California requires 10 parts per billion or less, and the industry's International Bottled Water Association makes 10 its voluntary guideline. The federal limit is 80.
Water researcher Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment of the University at Albany, who had no role in the study, singled out trihalomethanes as the biggest concern because of strong research links to cancer. "These are levels that should not be in bottled water," he said.
Giant Food officials declined to comment. Instead, company officials released a brief statement asserting that Acadia meets all regulatory standards. Acadia is sold in the mid-Atlantic states, so it isn't held to California's standard. In most places, bottled water must meet roughly the same federal standards as tap water.
The researchers also said the Wal-Mart brand exceeded California's limit by five times for a second chlorine byproduct, bromodichloromethane. The Environmental Working Group said it notified California's attorney general of its intent to sue Wal-Mart. The group wants the company to label its bottles in California with a warning of cancer-causing chemicals. Wal-Mart did not respond to a request for comment.
Joe Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association, said he would not defend any company that is exceeding the standard in California. "If they have exceeded it, they should meet it," he said.
The chlorine byproducts, which studies have also linked to birth defects, presumably come from chlorine used as a disinfectant, which ends up in public water systems. Tap water is often repackaged and sold as bottled water, and the researchers say that was true of these two brands. "In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and, at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better," said Jane Houlihan, an environmental engineer who co-authored the study.
The researchers recommend that people who are worried use a carbon filter for their tap water.
Associated Press, October 15, 2008


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(CHARLOTTE, NC – OCTOBER 5, 2018) Direct Racing Industry Virtual Expo officials are pleased to welcome RacingJunk Classifieds as a Marketing Partner of the 2018 DRIVE Expo on November 8th – 10th. Founded in 1999, RacingJunk has been the place for performance enthusiasts to find new & used vehicles and parts from race cars to hot rods, engines, power sports & off-road vehicles, trailers & more.
In addition to hosting classifieds, RJ partners with tracks, series, racers, manufacturers & experts to support all levels of the community from grassroots to professionals, connecting users with the best products, services & experiences in the industry.
“Our partnership with RacingJunk Classifieds will help us expand our audience for The DRIVE” stated Jason Atkins. “We feel the performance enthusiasts who support RacingJunk will be excited about what the DRIVE has to offer. RacingJunk and The DRIVE share the same vision of connecting racers with products.
Uniting the motorsports world like never before, the DRIVE offers companies within the racing industry the opportunity to exhibit their products and services on a virtual platform. By eliminating travel costs and opening the doors to a worldwide audience, we are poised for a trade show experience unlike any other. Companies looking to exhibit and attendees wishing to register can visit http://thedriveexpo.com
For more information about Racingjunk Classifieds, please visit them online (www.RacingJunk.com), find them on Facebook (@Racingjunkfan), follow them on Twitter (@Racingjunk), or contact them at 866-326-9227


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Google has released its new Podcasts app globally to the Play Store, giving Android users another option for listening to audio content.
Recent Android Stories
Microsoft is testing a new content blocking feature for Edge on Android with AdBlock Plus.
It seems simple enough: Install a new launcher on your Android phone, make a few configuration changes, and away you go.
There's no official announcement yet, but Google Podcasts is now available. You just need to know where to look.
Google's new Android Messages gets a web client, ability to send GIFs, Smart Reply, more.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 family of tablets provides the iPad with the Android-based competition it needs.
Google's Datally app now gives users more control over their data limits with new guest mode and daily limits.
The ability to completely customize the entire experience is one of the key strengths of the Android platform.
The OnePlus 6 is already the firm's fastest-selling handset. It has sold one million units in just three weeks.
With little fanfare, Google has bumped the number of simultaneous queries and actions its Home smart speakers can handle at once.
OnePlus 6 owners are getting a free update this week that adds Portrait Mode to the front-facing camera and several other improvements.
Huawei announced today that it is selling three MediaPad M5 tablets in the U.S. Fortuitously, I've been testing them for weeks.
Google has released Chrome OS 67, adding improved support for PWAs, new form factors, and more.
Google's Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL announcement is still four months away. But the handsets are already disappointing tech enthusiasts.


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In the past 10 years, some of America's biggest food chains have lost more than 50 percent of their sales as they closed hundreds of locations nationwide.
These restaurants, which include former American staples such as Big Boy, Ponderosa and Bennigan's have not been able to maintain a steady crowd. They have failed to update their brand or menu options. As a result, locations have been closed in favor of a new generation of eateries. Based on data provided by food industry consulting and research firm Technomic Inc., 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the large restaurant chains with the biggest decline in locations and sales between 2001 and 2011.
Restaurant brands are facing new challenges, Darren Tristano, Executive Vice President of Technomic, told 24/7 Wall St. in an interview. "What's happening today is that the contemporization of restaurants is creating a new breed, a new generation of restaurant in a competitive environment." The struggling brands, which "tend to be older in nature," Tristano said "have not kept up with current generations, or have been dominated by new competition within the segment."
The type of cuisine these restaurants offer has also played a major role in their decline. In the case of barbecue establishments such as Damon's and Tony Roma's, competition isn't the problem. Rather, the barbecue segment as a whole is performing poorly because it's a necessarily limited cuisine. Tristano explained that this is in large part due to the fact that barbecue typically tends to attract male customers more than women. It also isn't a meal diners tend to eat every day. Tony Roma's sales declined by more than 70 percent between 2001 and 2011, while Damon's sales fell by more than 75 percent.
Other chains are in segments that are doing fine, but the restaurant is losing out to newer chains with exciting brands and new offerings. TCBY, the frozen yogurt chain that experienced meteoric growth starting in the 1980s, has been cooling off for years. Traditional ice cream chains such as Coldstone Creamery have eaten into its sales, as have new frozen yogurt establishments such as Pinkberry. In 2001, there were 1,777 TCBY locations across the country. By 2011, there were just 405.
Many of the restaurants with the biggest declines in sales saw their heyday come and go several decades ago. Of the 10 chains with the biggest declines, eight have filed for bankruptcy in the past decade. In some cases, hundreds of locations were closed overnight. The chains were either then purchased or resumed operations only once the company emerged from bankruptcy. The remaining franchises continued to operate. But reinvigorating these brands will be an uphill battle.
The recent economic recession has further made the recovery of these brands challenging. While it is clear that actively pressing into new markets is necessary to keep these restaurants growing, these chains have been forced to devote most of their resources just to remaining afloat. Tristano explained, "The economy's been a big negative for these restaurants trying to gain traction or even grow, and so in many cases they've actually just continued to struggle and close units that were underperforming."
Based on sales data provided by Technomic, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the restaurant chains that had 60 percent or greater declines in the number of actual store locations operating from 2001 to 2011. In order to identify the chains that were once the biggest, restaurants had to have sales of at least $225 million in 2001 and experience 50 percent or greater declines in sales over the same period.
Percent of stores closed: 88.2 percent
Total stores: 33
Stores closed: 247
2011 sales: $62 million
Percent decline in sales: -89.0 percent
In the past 10 years, no major restaurant has lost as much of its business as Bennigan's. The Irish-themed restaurant and bar's parent company, Metromedia Restaurant Group, filed for bankruptcy in 2008. After declaring bankruptcy, Bennigan's abruptly shut almost all of its franchises. As of last year, there were just 33 Bennigan's restaurants and the chain's sales for the year totaled just $62 million -- more than half a billion dollars less than the chain's 2001 sales. Despite these events, there is some hope for Bennigan's -- and perhaps some of the other chains on this list: a group of investors purchased the company and plans to open new locations. Technomic described one of the group's new locations in Appleton, Wisc., as taking "all the best features of the casual dining restaurant today."
2. Ground Round Grill & Bar
Percent of stores closed: 80.9 percent
Total stores: 25
Stores closed: 106
2011 sales: $37.5 million
Percent decline in sales: -83.4 percent
Ground Round is a family style dining chain, founded in 1969 to provide a "'neighborhood pub' experience where everyone, including couples and families, felt comfortable." Like a number of other chains on this list, Ground Round declared bankruptcy relatively recently. However, unlike other disappearing restaurants, after its bankruptcy in 2004, the chain was bought by its former franchisees. Despite the change in ownership, the chain has struggled to survive in recent years, maintaining just 25 restaurants in 2011.
3. Country Kitchen
Percent of stores closed: 79.1 percent
Total stores: 52
Stores closed: 197
2011 sales: $44 million
Percent decline in sales: -82.4 percent
Country Kitchen was started in 1939 as a hamburger stand in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has been a national chain since 1958. Currently, however, it is concentrated in the Midwest and Plains states. In recent years, the chain has struggled to continue attracting customers. According to Technomic's Tristano, the restaurant exists in the highly competitive mid-scale family style market, which has been crowded out by fast-casual dining. Between 2001 and 2011, Country Kitchen closed almost 200 locations, with the total number of restaurants falling from 249 to 52, as sales declined by more than 80 percent during the same period.
4. Damon's Grill & Sports Bar
Percent of stores closed: 78.1 percent
Total stores: 30
Stores closed: 107
2011 sales: $70 million
Percent decline in sales: -75.4 percent
Damon's was founded in 1979 and is currently based in Columbus, Ohio. It "is a leading full-service, casual dining restaurant concept" with locations in the Midwest and Southeast United States, as well as in the United Kingdom. The chain, which is part of the struggling full-service barbecue restaurant segment, filed for bankruptcy in 2009. According to Tristano, other restaurants have increasingly offered much of the food found on a Damon's
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Trade School founder Genna Franconi on the influencer content business and future of AI
It all started with The Home Depot about nine years ago.
Genna Franconi, founder and president of Trade School, ran the social and strategy team at Guided By Good agency 22squared back then — when the home improvement retailer experienced a spike in content demands. Suddenly, 22squared needed to go from shooting digital and social assets for a Father’s Day campaign to producing 40,000 pins in three weeks to fulfill the retailer’s Pinterest inventory.
“The volume and the complexity, and the timelines and everything — there [was] just sort of like a sudden explosion of content needs,” Franconi told Digiday.
Franconi described it as a time when “digital and social investment was flooding in,” as the retailer dug deep into its trove of first-party data to generate fresh insights. This inspired 22squared to spin off a content shop that could meet these new demands — and Trade School was born in 2020.
“They had far more information about their customers — which is like something like 80% of U.S. households than they ever had before — which unlocked a personalization strategy,” she added.
Focused on helping clients create and scale effective content, Trade School aims to move more nimbly than traditional agencies in a constantly changing industry. In the last three years, the agency has maintained The Home Depot as its flagship account, while adding new clients (from FedEx to MailChimp) and tripling in size to more than 120 employees.
In this interview, Franconi discusses changes in the content business and how the agency is prioritizing influencer analytics.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
How did Trade School get started?
After a sudden explosion of content needs, that was a moment in time in which several of us at 22squared sort of circled the wagons and said, “We have to do this differently.” We cannot continue to operate in a traditional integrated agency structure to meet the demands of how our industry was changing. We started to use different processes, we hybridized roles — just changed the way that we produce the work.
What makes your model different?
We’re not just a content machine. Sometimes we are an extension of in-house agencies. We’ve found that to be a very real struggle, especially in the last like 18 months — these big organizations have spun up these awesome in-house groups, but just either through skill set or bandwidth, they cannot handle everything that comes their way. We have a modular sort of service model to be able to service modern problems.
How do you differ from the traditional agency?
We have strategy: everything from brand comms channel, influencer strategy, all sort of in the strategy and communications group, but our creative and production offering is extremely integrated into the process and sits upstream. When you’re producing everything in-house, it allows you to pull off all of that operational complexity, because you’re in control of timelines [and] budgets, and you have far more flexibility and nimbleness to be able to pull it all off.
One of our positioning statements is that we’re built for what’s next. You have to figure out, for example, digital and social input and create a business model that’s really viable for each of those. But you also have to be ready to change again, and meet the industry where it’s going. So I would say we’re going to go wherever the industry goes. We’ve only been around for three years now, and we already look very different than when we launched Trade School.
How do you measure and analyze creative and influencer results?
This part of our business is very much in flux right now. We are investing in measurement and trying to understand what parts of building out a more sophisticated analytics practice makes sense for us. Our clients, like The Home Depot and some of the bigger organizations, they have massive in-house teams that are handling most of the measurement and analytics. And we get enough information about that in our briefs, and our projects are informed by it — but we aren’t 100% closing that loop ourselves. What we’re looking at more is investing in that creative measurement piece, and we have some proprietary models that we’re using right now in the affiliate area as it relates to influencers.
What sort of tech are you excited about in the industry?
AI is obviously the buzzword of the moment… and we are definitely experimenting and playing with and being really thoughtful about that technology [in] our creative offering. But I think I’m most interested in how quickly creative is changing and how you balance all of those things: automation versioning technology [and] proprietary code, with the craftsmanship and art of creative. There’s so many players in that space right now from a third-party standpoint, trying to understand which tech stack makes the most sense for us, and for our clients. The art and the science have blended so tremendously in the last 12 months, that I think it’s just a really exciting time in our industry for that type of innovation.
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Independent agency group Meet The People intends to acquire marketing and advertising group True Independent Holdings, Digiday has learned.
Casale outlined some of the main challenges to solving the problems of fraud in the programmatic world — the latest boogeyman being MFAs
VaynerMedia CEO Vaynerchuk: Media, creative agencies must reunite to create ‘common sense’ marketing solutions
Vanyerchuck said media and marketing needs to have a better understanding of consumer attention and pivot to create creative that consumers will consider vs. industy creative.


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At a Government coronavirus press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges the public to behave responsibly as pubs prepare to open as 6am on saturday. A spike in cases would result in lockdown being reintroduced and businesses being forced to close again.
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Honda CEO Takeo Fukui today confirmed Honda’s plans to build an expanded range of hybrid petrol-electric cars, including a new affordable model and a sports coupe based on the CR-Z concept. It’s a signal that Honda won’t let Toyota rule the hybrid market with its Prius and planned spin-offs; Fukui said he planned to build a half a million petrol-electric hybrid cars every year.
The important new model announced today is an affordable model to slot beneath the existing Civic Hybrid. Clearly, ‘affordable’ means different things to different people, but CAR Online understands the five-door, five-seater should cost around £14,000. As such it’s a cheaper rival to the Prius and will go on sale in Europe in spring 2009. Honda aims to build 200,000 every year.
Honda’s ‘Prius’: the lowdown
Fukui didn’t reveal the full tech breakdown of the new model, but said the new affordable hybrid would major on ‘fuel efficiency, manoeuvrability, comfort and styling’.
While much of the car remains shrouded in secrecy, we do know it will have a revised hybrid petrol-electric powertrain with a new control unit and lighter, more compact battery. The electric motor (made in Honda’s Suzuka plant) is also thinner.
Sounds like it’ll be a hybrid Civic!
Nope. Honda has revealed the affordable car will be a standalone product, not based on an existing model. Our sources suggest it will be smaller than today’s Civic Hybrid saloon – closer to a Golf or Astra hatchback.
Fukui also said it will use a completely new platform, housing the hybrid gubbins and battery under the boot for better packaging.
Click ‘Next’ to find out about the successor to the Honda InsightAh yes, the Honda CR-Z!
That’s right. The CR-Z concept car shown at the 2007 Tokyo motor show will – as predicted by CAR Online – be put into production. Think of the popular, stubby CR-X rewired for the 21st century.
The CR-Z follows in the tyre tracks of the Insight, the two-seat coupe that arrived in the late Nineties. The two cars will share a few styling and aero cues, especially at the wind tunnel-honed rear end. Expect the CR-Z in early 2010.
So a whole family of hybrids… will there be any more?
You bet. Two further petrol-electric models were confirmed today by Fukui. He revealed there would be a successor to the Civic Hybrid and a part-electric version of the next-gen Jazz.
We’ll see the new Jazz supermini in July 2008 before UK sales commence in spring 2009, but a hybrid version will be a bit further down the line.
Who is king of the hybrids? Honda or Toyota? Click ‘Add your comment’ and let us know


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The top Yahoo in the 1990s now lives only in our memories, but its name and branding continues to be zombie-miscellaneous against other products from its owner Verizon. this time ZTE Blade A3Y, The company’s familiar shade of purple, named after the Yahoo Mobile Phone.
In addition to the explosive colors, ZTE’s 5.4-inch 720p phone displays Yahoo legacy on the home screen with most of its crowded collections.
Bloatware Ad-free Yahoo Mail Pro (yes, Yahoo Mail usually serves ads), useful pre-installed Yahoo apps such as Yahoo Weather, and Yahoo News. The phone’s purple back has a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device, an 8MP camera, and a removable back plate for access to the phone battery. There is a USB-C port on the bottom of the phone so you can charge the battery.
The blade comes with an Android 10 powered by a low-cost MediaTek quad-core 2.0GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. This phone is not surprising to anyone in terms of speed, and the storage capacity can also start at a minimum of 32GB and expand up to 2TB with a microSD card. With low-cost, less interesting parts, the Blade reaches a budget-friendly price of $49.99.
Yahoo Mobile has joined Visible as another MVNO from Verizon. We offer an unlimited (name) plan for $40 per month. As the carrier’s first dedicated phone since its launch earlier this year, it perfectly captures Yahoo’s shrinking state in 2020.
The branded low-budget phone is the latest in Yahoo’s long journey, named after Verizon on the web service Titan. The communication giant bought the company’s brand, email service and advertising technology. In 2016, the rest of the search engines, forums and blogs portion of the business Alta Bar. Verizon later joined Yahoo and AOL vow, After a few times data violation and Privacy issues It led to a record of the carrier’s acquisition of both companies and a rebranding to Verizon Media.
All these movements are faint compared to Yahoo. It was one of the first places many people visited on the web and the dominant search engine before Google. ZTE’s Blade A3Y isn’t old Yahoo, it really only features color, but it’s fun to remember what it is. This phone is available today at a starting price. $49 at Yahoo Mobile.


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Wolfenstein 3D developers remember how Nintendo’s strict censors made their lives “miserable”.
The Super Nintendo port of Wolfenstein 3D is notorious among retro fans for being the worst version of the seminal shooter. Adding to the console’s technical limitations and lousy controls, it was heavily censored, resulting in some bizarre artistic choices.
A new clip from FPS: First Person Shooter, an upcoming documentary about the rise of the genre featuring words from more than 45 well-known developers, reveals the origins of Wolfenstein 3D. Towards the end of the clip, he dives into the Super Nintendo port and what a nightmare it was dealing with Nintendo’s censorship.”
“We knew we had to get rid of some of the Nazi paraphernalia because they wanted to sell the game in Germany,” recalls programmer Becky Heineman. “But the most notable thing was that in the original version of Wolfenstein 3D, there were German shepherds biting you, and Nintendo’s censors totally said, ‘You can’t shoot dogs.’ So we had to turn them into rats.”
Watch the NEW TRAILER for our FPS: First Person Shooter Documentary and celebrate the launch of our Indiegogo campaign! Join us in our 3+ hour documentary on the best games of all time for a look at over 45 gaming legends. #FPS #to play #retroplay pic.twitter.com/BjNYiCMEVY
— FPS: First Person Shooter Documentary (@FPSDOC) April 28, 2022
Id Software dutifully turned the dogs into giant rats, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy Nintendo’s censorship team. They pointed out that when the rats attacked hero BJ Blazkowicz, their mouths seemed to bleed. Id Software argued that the red spot was actually the rat’s tongue, but to no avail.
“So we had to remove the tongues from the rats because they reminded Nintendo of blood,” says Heineman. “Censorship made life difficult for us. So we had to do multiple versions before Nintendo said, ‘Okay, you can ship this.'”
Ultimately, getting Wolfenstein 3D on SNES was a frustrating experience for the team at id Software, who had to take on the project themselves in part because the outside programmer they hired just seemed to forget about the project. The SNES port was finally released in February 1994 and has since been panned by fans and critics alike.
FPS has stories like this and more over the course of its 3+ hour runtime, with appearances by genre luminaries like John Romero, Warren Spector, Cliff Bleszinski and many more. The project was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2021 and is currently in the midst of another round of funding on Indiegogo to help fund post-production costs.
For more stories from PC gaming’s misty past, check out this story about how Sierra On-Line almost bought id software while the studio was in the midst of developing Wolfenstein 3D – a moment that became one of the biggest “was- would-if moments remain in gaming. You can also check out our list of the top 25 best PC games to play right now, including DOOM (2016) and more.
The Best Modern PC Games (Summer 2020 Update)


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Karl Lagerfeld on the set at Chanel Couture Fall 2016
SILVER STREAK: Why would the dish run away with the spoon? Because she was wearing Chanel couture, perhaps?
Karl Lagerfeld conceived of a spoon-shaped silhouette for Chanel’s spring 2017 couture collection, which is to be paraded in Paris today.
The designer sketched the shape for WWD, saying he was inspired by a sculpture from the Twenties by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti titled “Spoon Woman.”
Karl Lagerfeld conceived of a spoon-shaped silhouette for Chanel’s spring 2017 couture collection, which is to be paraded in Paris today. The designer sketched the shape for WWD, saying he was inspired by a sculpture from the Twenties by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti titled “Spoon Woman.”
The look is hinged on a raised waist that doesn’t go quite as high as the Empire. “More mid rib-cage,” the designer said with sly grin, noting that the proportion visually lengthens the legs.
A grooming moment between @tanfrance and @antoni last night at the The LGBT Community Center Trailblazer Awards honoring Anna Wintour, Ricky Martin and more. See more photos at WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
“It was a very surreal feeling. It wasn’t like we were in the studio together coming up with it — it’s more like he discovered it and loved it. I didn’t let myself get my hopes up, but then it happened it was very exciting,” said singer-songwriter @nombe on discovering that @pharrell would be using his song, “Cant Catch Me” on his HBO documentary series “Outpost.” The German-born singer — named Noah MacBeth — talked to WWD about feminism, using art as a platform for political expression and personal style. Read more on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
This season, denim is going west – in influence. Brands like @fathersdaughterla (pictured here), @tommyhilfiger Jeans, @levis and more are opting for raw, top-stitching styles. (Styled by @thealexbadia; 📷: @ryanplett)
20-year-old British singer @jorjasmith_ made her debut at Coachella last weekend. We caught up with her and talked about her love for Amy Winehouse, working with Kendrick Lamar on the “Black Panther” album and her fashion philosophy. Read the interview on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @katiedaisyla)
Supermodel @helenachristensen teamed up with longtime friend and designer @camillastaerk on a joint @paredeyewear collaboration. The lineup features three styles and 11 offerings, all of which embody a vintage feel. Get all the details on how they celebrated the collab on WWD.com. #wwdaccessories #wwdeye (📷: @slovekinpics)
“It’s a hard industry to keep motivated, as well, so finding different subjects and people is what makes it worth it – when you’re like, oh, I’ve met great people, I feel like I’ve done something good, and I feel proud of having done this,” said French actress Stacy Martin on being grateful for the variety of roles she’s take on. Read @ktauer’s full interview with Martin on her her latest film “Godard Mon Amour.” #wwdeye (📷: @danieldorsa)


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The new CIM figures show that in 2022, around 4.2 million Belgians will consume a news brand every day, of which about half will opt for a Mediahuis brand. With just over 1.9 million newspaper readers, Mediahuis remains the largest newspaper publisher in Flanders with De Standaard, Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg. The paper newspapers and their digital display reach one out of three Flemings every day.
De Standaard remains the largest quality newspaper
With a loyal readership, De Standaard remains the market leader and can once again call itself the largest news brand among quality newspapers. Every day, De Standaard reaches around 457,200 readers via the newspaper and digitally.
Het Belang van Limburg is read daily by around 370,700 consumers, reaching more than one out two Limburgers every week.
Gazet van Antwerpen remains the largest newspaper title in the province of Antwerp with a daily reach of 370,900.
Together with Nieuwsblad, both regional news brands account for a reach of 1,595,000 readers or 69% within the broad audience segment.
Billie, De Standaard Magazine and DS Weekblad are also rising
Billie appears every Saturday at Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg, and with its 729,200 readers it is by far the largest lifestyle newspaper magazine in Flanders. De Standaard Magazine and DS Weekblad remain the most popular quality supplements and can count on 410,600 and 423,800 readers respectively every week.
“At Ads & Data, we are very proud to commercialize these strong brands. These figures confirm consumer confidence in the quality and independent journalism offered by our brands.” Bart Decoster, CEO Ads & Data
The above figures always relate to the range of the newspaper, both in print and digital representation. The reach figures of the news sites and apps were not taken into account.


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The family who has owned Peninsula breakfast institution Hobee's Restaurant for 43 years sold the business to two longtime employees, the company announced Tuesday.
Hobee's, which Paul Taber first opened in Mountain View in 1974, will now be run by Camille and Daniel Chijate, a couple who have each worked at Hobee's for 28 years. Camille Chijate currently works as vice president and area manager and Daniel Chijate as kitchen manager at Hobee's in Palo Alto.
There are now five Hobee's locations, including at 4224 El Camino Real in Palo Alto.
The Taber family described the new owners as hard-working, dedicated and passionate about service.
"Though it's a bittersweet decision, we are heartened to leave the company in familiar, very capable hands," Paul Taber's children, son Peter Taber, daughter Connie Taber Durant and Edward Fike (Peter's husband) wrote in an announcement. "There is no better choice to carry on the Hobee's legacy."
They said their late father founded Hobee's at a small site in Mountain View — a former Dairy Belle franchise — with one goal in mind: "to make friends."
"With his sly sense of humor, Paul Taber indeed made many friends," the family wrote. "In the process, he also created one of Silicon Valley's earliest and most enduring success stories."
Paul Taber initially served sandwiches and fast-food items from the Mountain View location, according to a history posted on Hobee's website. He soon expanded to an insurance office next door and built a "modest" dining room with only nine tables.
The original restaurant "consistently lost money, severely testing the Tabers' resolve," the website states. The family sold their van at one point to make payroll. But a healthy eating craze in the mid-1970s and Hobee's community-minded service soon led to widespread success, according to the company. Hobee's now serves sandwiches, salads, tacos, pasta, burgers, smoothies and has a separate gluten-free menu.
The announcement notes the awards Hobee's has garnered over the years, including "best breakfast" in the Palo Alto Weekly's Best Of competition.
Hobee's, known for its ample breakfasts and signature hunks of blueberry coffee cake with a dollop of melting butter on top, can today be found in Belmont, San Jose and Sunnyvale in addition to Palo Alto. A location at the Town & Country Village in Palo Alto closed in 2013. A Los Gatos Hobee's also closed that year and a Campbell location followed in 2014. (A remaining outpost in Cupertino is an independently owned franchise.)
In an email to the Weekly, Camille Chijate said she is planning some changes for Hobee's, including continuing a trend toward purchasing locally by featuring local produce, dairy and craft beers. She and her husband will keep "tried and true" menu favorites but also add customer "'wish list' items" like grain bowls, cold brew coffee and organic and natural products when possible.
The Chijates also plan to update the restaurants' dining rooms while still "maintaining our homey, funky vibe," Camille said.
Camille, who is personally interested in the environment, said she also aims "to go more green in our operations, with resources, packaging and day to day habits."
Hobee's has always been a "family affair," the Tabers wrote in their Tuesday announcement. Matriarch Mary Taber "cheerfully" processed Hobee's payroll until she was 82 years old, when she retired and moved to Honolulu -- where she had met Paul Taber -- before her death in 2014. Paul Taber died at the age of 72 in 1998.
Connie Taber Durant focused on customer service and developed a training program for employees while Peter served as the company's "chief architect for expansion" and also developed many Hobee's recipes, including the coffee cake, the family said. Fike, an attorney, took over as CEO from Peter Taber in 2005 and "skillfully navigated the company through the economic ups and downs of the new millennium."
As Hobee's enters a new era of ownership, the Tabers are "thrilled to be keeping Hobee's in the family!" Fike wrote in an email announcing the sale.


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Enlarge / Replacements for outdated master/slave terminology tend to be considerably more accurate, as well as less offensive. On.
Google removed 2.7 billion bad ads, nearly 1 million ad accounts in 2019 - Marketing Land Your.
Harmful malvertising Google Chrome Extensions were active over at least eight months. The extensions redirected millions of users to.
Facebook published its biannual community standards enforcement report on Wednesday. It shows an ... [+] increase in child exploitation.
Apple has removed the Quartz news app from the Chinese App Store at the request of the Chinese government
What you need to knowThe Quartz news app has been taken down from the Chinese App Store. China's government.
Ben Kothe / BuzzFeed News A BuzzFeed News investigation uncovered a network of websites and accounts using Facebook, Twitter,.
Most of the fake reviews that are submitted (91%) are “biased positive reviews.” Please visit Search Engine Land for.
The show organisers, yesterday. DEJA VU, ANYONE? Earlier this year, CES stripped a sex toy maker of an award.


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The NikeLab Spring/Summer 2021 Collection has just released and it's full of seasonal staples. From mint green hoodies to stealthy black sweatshirts, there's something for everyone here! You'll even find a pair of hazy grey joggers as well for most premium lounging experience you can ever imagine!
With sizes already beginning to sell out and more items set to drop soon, make sure you secure the NikeLab Spring/Summer 2021 Collection before it's too late! Let us know which piece you managed to grab, and make sure you keep it locked at The Sole Supplier for the latest sneaker and streetwear news and releases!


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Apple’s annual developers conference, or WWDC, usually creates high levels of anticipation over the next big iProduct to be unveiled.
This year, as San Francisco’s Moscone Center prepares for the event, the Cupertino company is in a different posture. Apple Inc. faces questions in a federal hearing about its alleged e-book price fixing. It’s also waging a long patent war with Samsung. Then there’s the congressional scrutiny of Apple’s tax practices.
Beyond those distractions, though, what Apple really needs is a iHit.
To change the conversation, Apple must dazzle at its developers conference. Yet the pipeline is a question mark.
Despite rumors swirling of an updated iPhone or of a wearable device like an iWatch, no products are expected to be officially announced until fall.
Apple could storm in with a new service, dubbed iRadio, that would fit nicely with its iTunes store, already a cash cow for the company.
Apple reportedly has signed licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group that may help it launch a streaming music service to compete with Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody and others.
Unless Apple produces another game changer and the shares climb, it looks like the company’s heyday came and went last September when the stock peaked at $700 per share.
Since then, the Apple story hasn’t been about innovation. It’s been about litigation.
In the e-book price-fixing case, Apple faces mounds of evidence that may paint an ugly portrait of its actions.
Then there’s the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. saga. The U.S. International Trade Commission this week granted Samsung’s request for an import ban against some iPhone and iPad models.
As seen in past cases like Microsoft Corp.’s antitrust battle, winning may not matter. Because distraction is disastrous.


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An update to the Netflix app on Android might not have an exhaustive changelog but it finally brings in a much awaited feature. Now users will be able to use the individual streaming profiles announced by Netflix a few months ago.
It is no secret by now that Samsung dreams of becoming more than just a passive Android device manufacturer and wants to entice developers to target its devices instead of just the mobile operating system. As part of its crusade, the company is releasing a bunch of Software Development Kits (SDKs), one of which is meant to rival Chromecast and Airplay but also offer more.
Hulu has set up a new landing page on its website that may or may not be the feature you are looking for. Users who will be navigating to hulu.com via their smartphone or tablet web browser will now be able to view clips of some of their favorite TV shows for free.
You know that YouTube, primarily a video viewing and sharing service, has become bigger than itself when people start using it listen to music more than just to watch. It seems that YouTube plans to capitalize on this latest user trend by launching a subscription-based music service soon.
Don't get your hopes up yet, but people outside of the US might be getting a real treat soon. If the Chromecast app is taken as an indicator, Google's streaming dongle might be available in the UK and Canada in the near future.
Dropcam has dropped a new version of its streaming camera device that is promised to be brighter, better, and more capable than ever before. The new Dropcam Pro sports newer hardware that significantly boosts image quality and the companion app brings in better support and control for the monitoring system.
It's been quite a while since we've seen any stirrings from the Chromecast nest, but now that we do, it's all good news. Google's media streaming dongle, which has gone back in stock recently, is now adding Hulu Plus to its list of officially supported services.
Back in January Netflix launched a test program for their new "Super HD" video streaming for many regions, which is a new low-compression 1080p stream, and this week they've officially launched it for all subscribers. With less compression we get better quality streams. It's still 1080p, but it should look better. Now we're hoping for something similar for Android.
If you're a fan of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or The Voice, a brand new app from NBC for Android might let you catch up on your favorite episodes with ease. This week NBC announced their new app for Android with free streaming of their TV episodes. It's actually pretty decent too, so read on for more details.
Even with the almost omnipresent of mobile devices with decent cameras, sharing and showing your shots anywhere and everywhere is still not as easy as it should be, especially when videos are concerned. RealPlayer, a popular name in digital media circles, thinks it has the solution with its RealPlayer Cloud service and accompanying mobile and web apps.


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There's more from yesterday's
Activision post-earnings conference call on PC Gamer
, where they relay CEO Eric Hirshberg's comments about Call of Duty sales figures. Word is: "Pre-orders for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
outpaced pre-orders for Call of Duty: Black Ops
by a wide margin, setting a new industry record in making it the most pre-ordered game of all time." This lead to the military shooter sequel driving "the largest day one shipments in our history and in the industry’s history." Activision also reveals that they've sold 20 million expansion packs for Black Ops, leading Hirshberg to state: "The revenues generated from map packs alone would make it the third largest console title of the year."


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Nemo is set to kick off next year with its launch event, Roadmap.
The event is held at the Park Royal Hotel in Warrington on 10 January, and will guide vendor partners and members through the groups plans for the year ahead.
It will also unveil the new 2019 version of the award-winning workplace solutions catalogue.
Attendees will hear from two top industry speakers: Adrian Butler, MD of VOW, will give an industry update to members, offering them an insight into the plans for the year ahead.
Rob Vale, who held many senior roles within the industry, will focus his energies on training members and vendors in developing businesses and enhancing their leadership skills.
MD Tim Beaumont commented: “A good test for any event is, if I didn’t have to, would I attend this event? Well, I can honestly say, I can’t wait!
“As one of our closest partners, VOW is vitally important to our members and we look forward to hearing from Adrian.
“Rob is a fountain of knowledge and experience when it comes to developing teams. He’s already made a big impact with those members that have attended some of our training sessions.”
After listening to the speakers, delegates will make their way through to the vendor expo, where many new and existing suppliers showcase products and services to the Nemo membership.
To finish the day, Nemo hosts a Chinese meal on the Thursday night; its way of thanking vendors. Resident comedian and finance director Derek Bamford will once again deliver his unique stand-up routine.
Don’t forget to follow Dealer Support on Twitter!


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JCB digs in to Brazilian market with £40m contract
JCB has further entrenched itself in the South American construction market, announcing an order from the Brazilian government for a thousand of its backhoe loaders as part of a contract worth £40million.
The machines will be built at the British digger-maker’s new £100million factory in Sao Paolo, which was opened by David Cameron in September.
It follows an order of similar size last year.
Dig in: JCB's machines will improve access to Brazil's 400,000 small farms
A spokesman for JCB – set up by Joseph Cyril Bamford in 1945 – attributed its success in securing the repeat contract to ‘brand recognition’, as well as its vehicles’ fuel efficiency. Brazil’s construction machine market grew 10 per cent in 2012.
The yellow tractors will be used to transform the Brazilian rural economy by improving access to the country’s 400,000 small farms. However, the order does not herald an increase in British jobs – the axles and hydraulics, built at the company’s UK plants, will be produced within ‘existing capacity’.
The news comes in a milestone year for JCB, as it celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first backhoe loader. Now sold in 120 countries, the machine was first made in 1953 in Rocester, Staffordshire, and recently achieved a 500,000-production milestone.
At current production rates, one rolls off one of the company’s manufacturing lines every three minutes.
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Caring Senior Service, announced today that it has tapped Jeff Bevis as its new chief operating officer, tasked with expanding the company’s franchising opportunities, accelerating its revenue growth and showcasing its proprietary technology.
“I’m excited to return fulltime to the home care industry because I still see it as an evolving industry with so many unsolved challenges,” Bevis said. “The industry needs clear, data-driven leaders and I’m convinced my experiences will help Caring Senior Service solve many of the challenges clients, caregivers, team members and business owners face today.”
Bevis has more than 30 years of operational experience and more than 20 years’ experience building successful brands in the home care industry.
Bevis said he has known Caring Senior Service CEO and founder Jeff Salter and others on the Caring Senior Service’s leadership team for many years and connected with them in 2021 as a consultant before taking on the COO role this year.
“Jeff has a wealth of leadership and operational experience in the non-medical home care industry that is valuable to Caring Senior Service,” Salter said. “His familiarity in growing home care companies like ours is unparalleled. The skillset Jeff brings to our table is certain to result in our expedited success.”
Bevis will head the operations team from Caring Senior Service’s national headquarters in San Antonio, Texas.


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Research Boosts Branding Results; Here's Proof
DeTora says she shared some of the quotes from consumers to convince leadership that the branding needed to be on point with what patients wanted. Without having that kind of insight, Mercy Health might have been on a completely different brand trajectory that would have no chance of resonating with their audience.
Consumer focus groups are not totally uncommon in rebranding research, but they are also not used as much as they could be, particularly when it comes to test marketing the campaign an organization is launching.
DeTora says Mercy Health took the extra step and test marketed four ideas developed by ad agency Swanson Russell, and tested on a group that mirrored the demographic and geographic make up of the previous focus groups. It was above and beyond the marketing budget she was given, but fighting for the extra resources was important to the success or failure of the brand messaging.
"In the past, they launched campaigns, funded them, and then after the fact, we reported that it didn't work," says DeTora. "We now have the opportunity to see evidence that a campaign will or will not work before we even go to launch. It was not in the budget, and I did sell it as the opportunity cost of not doing this research."
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Education IT solutions have disrupted the learning industry by revolutionizing the way teachers and students connect with each other. Let’s know the impact of AR and AI technologies in education industry.
Smart warehouse help in improving the operational efficiency by introducing automation. Let’s know how people can take advantage by switching from traditional silos to smart warehouse management.
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Top Enterprise mobile app trends that change with the advancements in technology should be considered to stay ahead of your competitors. Implement these enterprise app trends and experience the difference.


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The appeal, DeJulio said, comes down to a simple bargain.
Take the Speed Stick commercial. It was a straightforward, 30-second spot that showed an attractive woman at a Laundromat catching a man taking her clothes out of the dryer. She confronts him and the man nimbly explains that he only removed her clothes to fold them. Quick cut to Speed Stick’s tagline and Twitter hashtag “HandleIt.”
It wasn’t one of the biggest hits from the crop of this year’s Super Bowl ads, Actually, it didn’t even place first in the original competition sponsored by Speed Stick’s parent, Colgate-Palmolive Co. But an annual review by the business school at Northwestern University ranked it among the more effective spots. And costing $17,000, it was cheap.
“Some commercials had budgets that were literally 100 times bigger,” DeJulio said. “If an advertiser needs stuff for social and digital, it’s hard to get it done faster than we can. And at scale.”
To some career ad agency professionals, this latest creative model feels misguided. The industry has already fallen from the glory days of 60-second ads to 30-second spots and now to quick-hit online videos. Purists argue that it’s one thing to make a hit video, but a scattershot approach will ultimately hurt a brand.
“That’s short-term thinking,” said Howie Cohen, chief creative executive at Santa Monica’s Phelps agency, which has done spots for Panasonic and Whole Foods, among others. “This piecemeal thing is what we have to be most concerned about; it’s important all messages are consistent with the brand’s tone.”
DeJulio said he’s heard all the complaints and countered that it’s not a mutually exclusive proposition. He’s been happy to work alongside ad agencies in the past.
“You either love us or you hate us,” he said. “The smart agencies will see it as a tool.”
The Tongal co-founders have a deep background in Hollywood, which informs much of the company’s strategy. DeJulio worked for a time as a creative executive for filmmaker Robert Evans, and started Tongal in 2008 with Mark Burrell and Rob Salvatore with the idea of crowdsourcing screenplays to pitch to studios.
The turn came when DeJulio and his partners realized that so much of content nowadays is underwritten by brands. An online community of professional creators could be repurposed to produce content for someone who’s guaranteed to fund it.
Tongal has ramped up its output in the past few years, and in January raised a $15 million A round from private equity firm Insight Venture Partners. It now has 40 employees, most working from a Santa Monica office off Main Street. Though the company isn’t profitable yet, DeJulio puts this years’ revenue in the tens of millions.


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September 15, 2016 3:42:44 am
AHEAD of the first meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on September 22-23, the Government is of the view that the basic tenet of the GST regime would be that it is “pro-poor” with 50 per cent of essential goods and services exempted from any tax.
The tax exclusion to nearly half the goods and services, an official said, would be “optically and politically correct” for the NDA government as already 300 items in the Centre and nearly 80 items in the states have this exemption.
At a review meeting Wednesday that discussed the run-up to the rollout, the consensus seemed to be that the new tax regime should not put fresh inflationary pressure and backed Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia’s proposal of a tax band of 8 to 26 per cent with four rate slabs.
Sources said it was suggested that proposed slab rates of 8, 10, 18 and 26 per cent be tweaked to 10, 12, 16 and 25 per cent so that it did not affect revenue earnings and kept states on board as the final call has to be taken by the GST Council comprising state Finance Ministers and headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
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Adhia was asked to rework the rates and their revenue implications for both Centre and the states and present the data at the next review meeting likely this week.
There is a widespread demand for keeping the GST rate low with the Congress calling for a cap of 18 per cent. The Arvind Subramanian panel had recommended a three-rate structure with essential goods at 13 per cent, demerit goods at 40 per cent and the remainder at a standard rate of 17-18 per cent. It had estimated the revenue-neutral rate at 15-15.5 per cent.
Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa made a presentation on the state of readiness for the creation of a national sales tax and the next steps, including the timetable, to get the supporting legislation approved.
📣 Join our Telegram channel (The Indian Express) for the latest news and updates


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Mass Effect: Andromeda fans won't have to wait much longer for their next look at the game.
Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata has a message for fans.
Marc gives his thoughts on the year in gaming that was 2016
Which systems have the brightest futures ahead, and which are headed for a natural disaster?
Did the Xbox One do everything it needed to this year to come from behind?
We're counting down our choices for the top 25 games of 2016, and today we look at positions #05 through #01.
Everything we know, and everything we don’t know, about the biggest Nintendo game of 2017.


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"Nice to finally meet you."Kendall later said to camera, "I think Kylie should date Cody Simpson because they'd be so cute together."Kylie even went so far as to proclaim, "I'd marry an Australian."After the premiere Simpson tweeted to the Jenner girls, "had a real good time on the red carpet with you last night. Kylie Jenner rocked a creamsicle-colored wig and massive sunglasses for the grand opening of her Manhattan pop-up shop on Monday.
Kylie Jenner is a famous American socialite, reality television star, model and fashion designer.
Kylie Jenner may only be 17 years old, but she has quite the resume when it comes to her past relationships!
Errr, well at least her RUMORED past relationships…
Kylie Jenner has taken Manhattan by storm this week, having been spotted out at numerous Fashion Week runway shows, after parties and several sexy date nights with her beau Tyga.
And yesterday she stepped out to greet her legions of fans who has queued for hours to catch a glimpse of her and check out her new range at her NYC pop-up shop in Soho.
According to Us, during the date the Surfers Paradise singer 'held on to the rail while wearing jeans, a black t-shirt and matching coat.


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KING CITY — Alliance on Aging’s South County Trashion Show returned to the runway last week after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, featuring the latest fashions crafted from recycled and repurposed materials.
The Sept. 13 fundraiser and luncheon was once again held inside the Orradre Building at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City.
Under this year’s theme, “American Bandstand,” 25 models — including Jack, a rescue dog — wore unique designs while strutting down the runway in front of 250 guests.
“It was thrilling to see so many of our friends from South County and share this fun event after two long years,” said Teresa Sullivan, executive director of Alliance on Aging.
Participating organizations included King City Rural 4-H, 1st Capital Bank, Ausonio, Community Food Pantry, Mee Memorial Healthcare System, Monterey County Dance Foundation, Salinas Valley Recycles’ Resource and Recovery Team, ITN Monterey County, King City Cinemas and Cattlewomen of Monterey County.
Butch Lindley took on the role of emcee, with Audra Vaccarezza returning as fashion commentator. Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal started off the show with a medley of songs, while Susan Gill — this year’s presenting sponsor along with her husband David — gave a testimonial.
Also making an appearance was King City Mayor Mike LeBarre, as a model escort, and Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez, who was one of the show’s models.
Proceeds from the event help support Alliance on Aging’s services for seniors in South Monterey County.
King City historian Karen Jernigan shows off a dress made with copies of historic photos. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Vournee Nolte raises her glass while wearing reusable bags. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
A pair of dancers wear Day of the Dead-inspired fashion on behalf of Monterey County Dance Foundation. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Anne Rianda models a gown crafted with burlap and other materials. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Consuelo Hernandez hits the runway in her creation featuring a train lifted up by balloons celebrating Mee Memorial Healthcare System’s 60th anniversary. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Audra Vaccarezza returns as fashion commentator at the 2022 South County Trashion Show. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez models an outfit for ITN Monterey County. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Julia Booker struts down the runway wearing a dress made from PPE, bottle caps and other recycled items for Salinas Valley Recycles. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Salinas Valley Fair Interim CEO Lauren Hamilton waves to the crowd while showing off a look made from book pages. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
As the presenting sponsor, Susan Gill gives a testimonial during the 2022 South County Trashion Show on Sept. 13. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Linda Grier wears an outfit sponsored by Ausonio. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Mikel Ann Miller models a See’s Candies themed outfit. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Katie Hestand wears a dress crafted from recycled materials. (Miguel Serrano Photography)
Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal starts off the show with a medley of songs. (Miguel Serrano Photography)


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China’s online banking transaction values reached 510 trillion yuan (US$78.24 trillion) with an increase of 17.6% QoQ in Q4 2015 according to Analysys. The increase was mainly due to the improvement of online banking services and promotion of online shopping business.
Chinese online banking transaction saw rapid growth in the fourth quarter of 2015. The online financing service, online loan service, comprehensive financial services, enterprise online banking services, and others intensified the business of online banking market in China in Q4 2015. And, the busy online shopping transactions driven by Double 11, Christmas Day, Double 11, New Year’s Day and so on greatly increased the online banking payment.
China Industrial & Commercial Bank (28.4%), China Construction Bank (12.7%), Bank of Communication (10.9%), Agricultural Bank of China (10.3%), and Bank of China (7.4%) led China’s online banking market in Q4 2015.
Enterprise online banking service was regarded as the focus for banks to generate more transactions. Many online banks have concentrated on the enterprise demands from the increase of transaction values in the third and fourth quarter of 2015.
Also read: China E-Payment Insights 2015


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Coronation Street is known for it’s gritty but believable storylines but it seems eagle-eyed fans are not willing to overlook one tiny detail noticed on Monday’s episode.
During a scene in the soap’s famous The Rovers Return when Aidan Connor was told to pay £4.80 for a double shot, raising eye brows from fans who described the price as ''unrealistic''.
Quick to compare the cost to what a ''normal'' person would pay viewers took to Twitter in droves to mock the discovery.
One wrote: ''I’d totes give the Rovers full marks on @TripAdvisor. #Corrie.''
''£4.80 for a double?! The Rovers needs to put its prices up!!'' another joked.
A third quipped: ''£4.80 for a double? That's pretty cheap right.''
In a summary of the theme one noted: ''That’s just SO unrealistic, bad for the brand #rovers #Corrie.''
The gaffe isn’t the first time viewers claimed their was something wrong with the prices of drinks in the famous TV pub.
Earlier this year a fan tweeted: ''A single whisky in the Rovers is £4.80 but a full bottle is less than £20.''
''How big are the measures!!? #Corrie'', they added.
Picking up on the reacurring ''flaw'' another joined in: ‘’£9.70 for a beer & a short?! Bloody hell would cost £4.80 in my work for the exact same thing!’’
Coronation Street continues tomorrow.


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Ford to bring smaller engine to US in 2014 Fiesta
By comparison, the Smart ForTwo gets just 70 horsepower and 36 mpg out of its 1-liter three-cylinder. And unlike the Fiesta, it uses premium gas.
Dave Sullivan, an analyst with auto consulting firm AutoPacific, said he was pleasantly surprised by the three-cylinder he tested in the European Focus. He doesn't think customers will care if the engine has fewer cylinders as long as it performs well and saves fuel.
"Other European automakers like VW and Fiat have these, but none of them are as quiet as this one," Sullivan said.
The 1-liter is the fourth member of Ford's EcoBoost engine family. The first engine was a 3.5-liter V6 that gave the Taurus SHO performance sedan the power of a V8. Ford also has 1.6-liter and 2-liter versions.
EcoBoost engines cost around $1,000 more than conventional ones, but they've been a popular option anyway. Ford says 80 percent of Ford Escape SUV buyers and 42 percent of F-150 pickup buyers are springing for EcoBoost engines. In Europe, about 30 percent of Focus buyers are getting the 1-liter EcoBoost
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My US publisher, Orbit Books, is currently running a huge Vengeance giveaway on Goodreads.com. 100 copies of the trade paperback are being given away to coincide with the release of Book 2 of The Tainted Realm, Rebellion in the US. The closing date is March 10 and, with so many copies available, your chances of winning are excellent.
Enter from here.
If you’re not from the US, stay in touch. There are other promotions coming up in the UK and Australia shortly.


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How will India’s new loan rules affect PVC imports in next fiscal year?
Following a $2 billion fraud at the country’s second-biggest loan lender, Punjab National Bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barred all Indian banks from issuing letters of undertaking (LoUs) and letters of comfort (LoCs), which are instruments used by importers to raise short-term loans and fund their overseas purchases.
According to several traders, the bank’s move is likely to raise the cost of imports as importers will have to use foreign currency, namely US dollars, instead of rupee in their payments to overseas suppliers.
“Following this move, liquidity in the market will reduce and imports for all kinds of goods will also show a decrease as buyers’ credit for import trade mostly depends on these LoUs and TT payments,” a trader opined.
In the country’s PVC market, demand towards imported materials traditionally revives in April in line with the start of the new fiscal year. “However, we may not see a notable pickup in demand this time since small and middle sized buyers are already worried about their next purchases due to the new regulation which will affect them most,” some players argued.
A trader operating in China commented, “The bank’s decision has already weighed on India’s appetite for import PVC as buyers are now facing liquidity problems. This may exert downward pressure on PVC prices over the near term.”
As the largest importer of PVC in the world, India meets around 50% of its PVC demand through imports, largely from Taiwan, South Korea and China.
An Indian trader said, “Demand for import PVC is likely to be slow in the next couple of months due to the bank’s move while it may not recover after that as the monsoon season will start by around mid-May.”
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- Import PVC demand dampened in Europe, Turkey; will it improve in H2?
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A total of 147 entries were received for the inaugural year of The Look Awards, supported by Defecto Salons, City of Glasgow College, Colours Agency, Habia and Salon Geek.
The judges were on the lookout for the top hair and makeup artists, salons, spas and clinics and selected finalists across 18 categories. The quality of entries was outstanding and the judges were overwhelmed with the number of entries displaying innovative work and creative business models.
For the Defacto Salon of the year category for both the hair and beauty section, Marcus Macleod, director of Defacto said: “We would like to thank all entrants and wish luck to all the finalists in their quest to become Salon of the Year 2015.”
The Best Start up category pays tribute to all the new businesses in their first two years or less, and is sponsored by City of Glasgow College. Shona Martin, curriculum head-hairdressing said: “It is great to see hard work and dedication within the professions being encouraged and recognised. Good luck to all the finalists.”
The winners of each category will be announced on Sunday May 17. Tickets for the event are priced at £80 which includes a champagne drinks reception, goody bag, two course dinner, entertainment and the highly anticipated awards ceremony.
Hosted by Clyde 1’s Knoxy, the event will take place at Radisson Blu, Glasgow and promises to be as stylish as the guests attending.
For more information on attending the event and to book tickets, please contact Lynn Kelly on 0141 302 7410 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
You can follow all news on this event using #lookawards15


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Uptake and use of digital assistants is rising fast. The installed base of native digital assistants will reach 7.5 billion active devices come 2021, according to a digital assistant forecast from Ovum Research. That exceeds the number of people in the world.
Google Assistant will dominate the voice-enabled, AI-driven digital assistant market, gaining a 23.3 percent market share over the forecast period.
Following right behind Google Assistant, Samsung’s Bixby will earn a 14.5 percent share of the global market for digital assistants. Apple’s Siri will place third, with a 13.1 percent market share, with Amazon’s Alexa (3.9%) and Microsoft’s Cortana (2.3%) rounding out the top five, according to Ovum’s “Digital Assistant and Voice AI-Capable Device Forecast: 2016-2021.”
Digital Assistant Forecast Highlights
North America is home to the largest number of active Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices by far, and while uptake and usage will continue to exhibit strong growth regionally, much of the anticipated growth will occur outside North America. Over 95 percent of Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant’s user bases resided in North America as of 2016. That compares to just 24 percent for Apple’s Siri, however, according to Ovum.
Looking ahead, the market research provider expects 47.6 percent of all active voice, AI-capable devices will be found in Asia and Oceania, where the installed base will reach 1.2 billion devices by 2021.
In addition, digital assistants manufactured by Chinese vendors will give those of market leaders, such as Apple’s Siri and Samsung’s Bixby, a run for their money in terms of performance. As of 2016, Chinese AI-capable digital assistants already accounted for nearly 43 million devices, with Baidu and iFlytek leading the charge.
In terms of devices that incorporate digital assistants, smartphones and tablets will be clear leaders. There were 3.5 billion active smartphones and tablets equipped with digital assistants globally in 2016. Most make use of Google Now and Apple Siri, according to Ovum.
Numerous, myriad other opportunities to apply AI in conjunction with other devices will, and already are emerging, however. That, in turn, opens up new business opportunities for existing and new competitors. One big one is the smart home device market. Ovum also foresees “exponential uptake” of voice-controlled AI in wearable tech and connected TV devices, the global installed base for which, when combined with smart home devices, will increase to total 1.63 billion active devices in 2021, a rise of 1,000 percent from 2016, Ovum says.
Ovum notes that the prospective market for voice and AI-enabled smart TVs and associated devices – set-top boxes and streaming media players) is much larger than that for AI-capable speakers, which have garnered much attention of late.
Most AI capabilities will be embedded in the network, not in devices, the Ovum report points out. That being the case, implementations led by “native” vendors will be key in order for organizations to gather the personal and contextual data AI software algorithms require to do their thing. Ovum points to newly launched devices from Google and Samsung as examples.
Commenting on its latest digital assistant market research report, author Ronan de Renesse, practice leader for Ovum’s Consumer Technology group, said in a press release: “Ultimately, a digital assistant is just another user interface. It will only be as good as the ecosystem of devices and services that it is compatible with. Partnerships between tech giants and local service providers will therefore be key differentiators.
“There is a disconnect between the ‘know-it-all, do-it-all’ approach that current digital assistants are aiming toward and the highly personalized virtual assistance experience that consumers have dreams/nightmares about. Whoever can bring personal consumer data in a secure, non-creepy way to digital assistance will be able to bridge that gap and capture most of the opportunity.”
In recent, related market research Parks Associates highlights that uptake of voice and AI-enabled digital assistant software is rising faster than had been the case for new consumer electronics devices generally. Penetration of voice assistants rose from 5 percent of U.S. broadband households in 4Q 2015 to 12 percent in 4Q 2016, according to Parks.
Furthermore, fast growing consumer uptake and use of digital smart home voice assistants, such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, is fueling a rush to app development and market introductions on the part of vendors, Parks reports.


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