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In 2024, Smart Technology and Automation will continue their meteoric rise, reshaping industries and our daily lives. This year, from AI-driven assistants to interconnected IoT devices, will see unprecedented integration and innovation. Yet, challenges like cybersecurity and ethical considerations loom large. Smart Home World, explores the transformative trends.
New Year brings a wave of optimism across various sectors, and it is no different when it comes to technology and automation, where the pace of innovation is unmatched. Technology has seamlessly woven itself into the fabric of daily life, no longer confined to the elite class. Smart technology, home automation, and smart lighting are now tailored and priced for widespread adoption.
The recently concluded CES 2024 and ISE 2024 introduced new technologically advanced products in various segment that indicates this industry at large is poised for significant transformation driven by key technological trends. Right from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) that are set to revolutionize processes to the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) that are here to facilitate real-time monitoring and control.
It is foreseen that Edge Computing will minimize latency, while cybersecurity measures will be strengthened to safeguard critical infrastructure. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies will enhance training and maintenance, and sustainability initiatives will drive the adoption of green technologies. While Digital Twin technology will enable predictive maintenance and scenario planning. This convergence of trends promises progressive leaps and transformations in the coming years.
Smart Home World, broadly identifies trends for home automation, smart technology, smart lighting, and more…
Increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The increasing use of home artificial intelligence systems is a major smart home technology trend. The machine learning component of artificial intelligence will enable it to analyze data collected by sensors and predict required actions even before the homeowner activates the command. Artificial intelligence, for example, can turn on the heating and order groceries from the nearest store, taking AI home automation to the next level.
The computer vision could allow a Samsung Family Hub to identify products in the fridge and create a shopping list or voice-controlled smart devices to understand speech using NLP engines. AI is used in such systems to improve the user experience for smart home residents. Residents of smart homes can use AI to play music, update their to-do lists, turn lights on and off, and much more.
Growing Adoption of IoT (Internet of Things)
A recent report by Expert Market Research (EMR) reveals the Internet of Things (IoT) market may witness major growth from 2024 to 2032. Currently, the segment is growing at 15.9% every year and it is mainly because more people are using connected devices. Moreover, the Wi-Fi technology is getting better gradually.
The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technology services is accelerating. IoT devices will become even more advanced, and we will see many more examples of their use. One possible implementation is doors with smart locks that unlock automatically when they recognize the homeowner’s face. IoT is the most exciting smart home trend that significantly innovates our daily routines.
IoT devices have become ubiquitous across various domains, with popular applications spanning smart homes, wearables, and smart cities. In smart homes, devices like Amazon’s Alexa, smart thermostats, lighting systems, locks, and security systems offer convenience and security. Wearables, including smartwatches and fitness trackers, monitor daily activities and fitness goals.
Robots in Smart Homes
Robots made their way into homes through simple innovations such as robotic vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers. However, advances in artificial intelligence have enabled far more advanced features, such as cooking, cleaning, and performing simple household tasks by robots. Smart home robots, in particular, can be household helpers for the elderly and people with disabilities. Recently at ISE 2024 LG Electronics (LG) unveiled a smart home AI agent that boasts robotic, AI and multi-modal technologies that enable it to move, learn, comprehend and engage in complex conversations. With its advanced ‘two-legged’ wheel design, LG’s smart home AI agent can navigate the home independently. Speaking at the Press Conference Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company is quoted saying, “Our groundbreaking smart home AI agent combines cutting-edge autonomous mobility and AI technologies with advanced communication capabilities and services to help free customers from household chores’ will continue to help customers experience a smarter, more enjoyable life at home.”
Integration with Voice Assistants
There is a huge demand for products that can be integrated with voice assistants. This is another effective way to solve the connectivity issue and add voice control to any smart home device. Enabling Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant has been happening at an unprecedented rate in recent years. Smart lightings such as Philips’ Hue family, thermostats such as Ecobee, furniture such as coffee tables by 37°C Smart Home, kitchen appliances such as ChefSteps Joule, security systems such as Logitech cameras and Yale locks, and even vehicles such as Audi and Lexus models are among the adapters.
Adding his insight Parag Gupta, Director and Country Manager, Amazon Devices, India says, “Since we launched Alexa and Echo smart speakers in India, the smart home sector has evolved significantly, and voice technology has played a massive role in this. Customers can easily set up a smart home by getting a compatible smart bulb and instantly control with Alexa, or get a smart plug to automate existing appliances. More people are seeing how setting up a smart home is not as complex as they had imagined. We’re encouraged by this growing trend and are excited to continue innovating on behalf of our customers. With the rising selection of smart home devices that work with Alexa, I am excited to see more Indians adopt the smart way of living.”
Trends in Intelligent Lighting Systems
The future of lighting systems lies in wireless lighting controls. Their benefits are numerous, from easy installation to centralized control and monitoring, and flexibility. Retrofitting existing buildings with wireless controls is preferred by many architects and interior designers. As more buildings become smart and connected, these innovative solutions are gaining popularity for their convenience, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. Indeed, wireless controls are revolutionizing the way we manage lighting.
It is foreseen that the lighting controls industry will see a significant increase in the use of data analytics and AI technologies. These tools will enable lighting systems to be optimized, reduce energy consumption, and provide valuable insights into occupant behavior. The process of retrofitting these solutions will be simple and cost-effective. The future of lighting systems lies in leveraging data analytics and AI to deliver maximum efficiency and sustainability.
Shift Towards Automate Lighting
With the emergence of smart and automated lighting management solutions, the lighting controls industry is set to undergo substantial growth. These advanced controls offer features like scheduling, occupancy sensing, plug load controls, demand response, and daylight harvesting, resulting in enhanced efficiency and reduced energy costs for buildings. The integration of sensors, wireless communication, and digital controls enables remote monitoring and management of lighting systems, providing added convenience and control. As the trend towards intelligent lighting controls gains momentum, we can expect further innovation and adoption in the industry over the next few years.
Increasing Popularity of Human-centric Lighting
Over the years, it has been seen there is a growing demand for the use of human-centric lighting solutions within the lighting controls industry. The trend towards creating lighting systems that align with the natural 24-hour cycle of daylight is driving the development of advanced lighting control solutions, which offer colour tuning capabilities. The numerous benefits of colour tuning on human well-being, productivity, and mood are widely recognized, making it an increasingly popular feature in lighting control systems. Therefore, we can expect to see more buildings incorporating colour-tuning technology in their lighting systems, enhancing the overall well-being and productivity of occupants.
Lighting Controls Integration with BMS
The integration of lighting controls with Building Management Systems (BMS) is rapidly gaining popularity. This approach offers a centralized management system for all building systems, including lighting, HVAC, and security, through a single platform. With this integration, building managers can remotely monitor and control lighting systems, optimize energy consumption, and enhance occupant comfort and productivity. The growing adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies is driving this trend, enabling seamless communication and integration between building systems.
Growing popularity of Personalized Health Management
Within the healthcare industry, there is a growing development of products focused on individual human health. To this end, personalized health management incorporates a range of innovative technologies to deliver care at home. Some of these technologies include health monitoring, sleep tech, smart pet care, and smart health appliances. Smart health monitoring enables emergency detection, illness diagnosis, and fall detection, applications that particularly help senior or chronic disease patients. Another technology that boosts personalized health management is sleep tech. Focusing on improving the sleep experience, smart appliances were developed for health condition tracking and improving sleeping habits. Touchless technologies provide an ability to operate without physical contact and have innovations like touchless floor cleaning, touchless hand sanitizing, and touchless doorbells.
Next Generation Entertainment
Many smart home technologies are customizable to fit the homeowners’ needs. Next-generation entertainment, including smart home customization and intelligent entertainment systems, is another major smart home trend. To provide the ability for customized living spaces, AI and AR-based furniture reconfigurable materials. Reconfigurable furniture materials based on artificial intelligence and augmented reality have been developed to enable the individual design of living spaces. Smart cushions and furniture change colour, fabric, and texture using augmented reality. The next-generation gaming is providing another level of in-house entertainment experience. IoT video streaming, mood-sensing music, and virtual interactive displays are a part of the entertainment ecosystem that strives to help homeowners relax and have fun in their free time.
Intelligent Energy Management
The use of multiple connected home devices and other appliances often results in high energy consumption. To avoid this, smart energy management ecosystems control and automate energy usage. Energy management appliances improve energy consumption and storage efficiency. For example, load monitors, smart energy meters, energy portals, and decision support tools improve intelligent energy management. These appliances process collected information and provide an overview of the current consumption, share insights, and make predictions, suggesting the optimal energy distribution at homes.
Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance elaborating on the WBA Annual Industry Report 2024, reveals the “New IoT technology will help unify connectivity across multiple home devices, transforming home users’ experience with IoT devices. Matter— a new industry standard launched in 2023 provides reliable, secure connectivity across multiple device manufacturers. Given the weight of players involved (e.g., Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung SmartThings), we expect the adoption of Matter-certified products will be exponential in the next three years, validating Wi-Fi’s central role in the smart connected home and buildings.”
The abundance of smart home products available today offers options to suit every homeowner and renter seeking to enhance their living space. Whether it’s simple IoT devices or comprehensive setups, there’s a smart home solution for everyone. These innovations simplify the way we interact with technology in our homes, making tasks more efficient and living spaces more comfortable. As the smart home market expands, the possibilities for customization and integration will only grow, empowering individuals to create homes that reflect their unique needs and preferences. Embracing smart home technology opens doors to a more convenient and connected living experience, transforming homes into truly intelligent/Smart Homes.
Click here to read full February issue – https://www.smarthomeworld.in/magazine-february2024/


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Bitcoin cash could dethrone bitcoin as the dominant cryptocurrency, just as long as it can actually start trading on one of the most popular exchanges. Coinbase announced support for the token on Tuesday, but while customers can hold the cryptocurrency in their wallet, it’s still not possible to buy and sell.
“My information from sources is they are still evaluating, but they are looking to list it as soon as possible,” Karthik Iyer, India’s ambassador to the P2P Foundation that hosted the first Bitcoin white paper, tells Inverse.
Bitcoin cash tries to solve the issue of slow transaction times, with the bitcoin network processing just seven transactions per second (major credit cards can process over 50,000 per second). Bitcoin cash, which split off from bitcoin in August, aims to speed things up by expanding the block size from one megabyte to eight, which means miners process more transaction data with each block. The new player in town will have to act fast if it wants to capitalize on users’ frustration, as the bitcoin community is working on changes like the Lightning network that could solve the problem.
Coinbase will want to avoid a repeat of its initial launch of bitcoin cash. When it first launched on both its consumer-facing Coinbase platforms and the GDAX professional platform, the price jumped immediately from the $3,500 range to around $8,500. GDAX halted trades just two minutes after going live, at 5:22 p.m. Pacific time, citing “significant volatility.”
Coinbase’s most recent update on the situation, posted at 8:15 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, says:
Bitcoin Cash sends and receives are functional. Buys and sells on the Coinbase website and in our mobile apps will be available to all customers once there is sufficient liquidity on GDAX. We anticipate that this will happen tomorrow.
“Tomorrow” came and went, and bitcoin cash buys and sells are still unavailable.
When Coinbase says it’s looking for “sufficient liquidity,” it’s looking to ensure that an asset like bitcoin cash can be easily be transferred into fiat currencies like the dollar. At the time of writing, GDAX is operating in post-only mode for bitcoin cash trades into bitcoin and euro, meaning trades won’t go through immediately. Bitcoin cash trades into dollars are live, but GDAX will pause if the price gets too volatile.
The race is on to get bitcoin cash trading on Coinbase. Its proponents will want to see the cryptocurrency start trading on a major exchange, in the hope that it will encourage adoption and dethrone bitcoin as the number one token.
“The battle between bitcoin and bitcoin cash is on,” Iyer says.
Inverse has reached out to Coinbase for an update on the situation.
If you liked this article, check out this video about Finland’s new basic income experiment.

domain: news


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William James Adams Jr., better known as Will.i.am of the popular music group Black Eyed Peas, was named Intel's new director of creative innovation, the chip maker said Tuesday.
Large numbers of Indians are acquiring new mobile connections, which rose to 23 million in November, up from 19 million in the previous month.
New York City is harnessing the power of employee-based collaborative filtering to solicit new ways to save money and improve city government.
The European Commission will launch a consultation Thursday to get feedback on modernizing the European Union's public procurement policy.
Google is debuting on Tuesday a special category for education-related software in its Apps Marketplace, prompted by what it considers the success of its Apps for Education collaboration and communication suite.
Oracle is hoping to make new inroads against the likes of Microsoft SharePoint with WebCenter Suite 11g, which was announced Tuesday.
Operator TeliaSonera has joined forces with Samsung Electronics to launch an LTE-equipped laptop, which will go on sale Friday in Sweden, they said on Tuesday.
MicroStrategy will announce a series of new BI (business intelligence) products for Apple mobile devices, transactional data systems and on-demand deployments at its annual user conference on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Verizon Communications reported revenue of US$26.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2010, down from $27.1 billion a year earlier, although net income nearly doubled because of gains from one-time items.
Orange is negotiating to buy almost half of French online video site Dailymotion, a competitor to YouTube. The French network operator hopes to improve the content it offers its mobile and fixed broadband customers, it said on Tuesday.
Germany is stopping short of legal action against Facebook after reaching a 14-point agreement on Monday over how the site handles data from non-Facebook users.
Government-backed researchers in Taiwan have developed the island's fastest supercomputer to be used from July for a range of scientific and academic projects including climate studies and biotechnology, a developer said on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s largest computer memory chipmaker on Tuesday forecast a jump in demand for its components in the second quarter of the year as orders from contract computer manufacturers pick up, heralding an all-but-certain DRAM price hikes.
Rounding out its portfolio of cloud-related offerings, Hewlett-Packard will launch a cloud compute service next month aimed at enterprises.
IT professionals enjoyed a dramatically improved hiring landscape in 2010, marked in particular by the fewest job cuts in a year since 2000.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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As the Christmas season approaches, both retailers and their customers are getting a little nervous about the ability of retail distribution systems and package carriers to handle the holiday volume. Many of us will remember that last year, approximately 2 million packages did not make it to their destinations by Christmas morning, resulting in disappointed spouses and tearful children. Both UPS and FedEx were a little overwhelmed by the holiday shipments of retailers such as Amazon, Wal Mart, Target, and others. The conventional wisdom was that the carriers simply did not perform well.
To be fair however, much of the blame should have been placed on the retailers whose last minute deals, offers of free shipping, etc. contributed to the problem. The pipeline can only handle so much.
Predictions are that volume will be up 14% this holiday season, so what is going to prevent a repeat of 2013? FedEx and UPS are trying to do their part. UPS is spending $500 million on facility expansion and improvement and hiring 95,000 temporary workers, 10,000 more than last year. FedEx also is making significant capital investments in facilities, and is hiring 50,000 seasonal workers. Both carriers are working with the large retailers in an attempt to anticipate and plan for the expected huge number of shipments. But will that be enough? We will find the answer under the Christmas tree.
Amazon just posted its biggest quarterly loss since 2003, $437 million, which puts them on track to lose about $40 million this year. No doubt they will be pulling out all the stops to minimize 2014 losses.
There is another development that is of concern to a number of retailers – the logjams at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The congestion at these ports has been going on for over two months, and there doesn’t seem to be an immediate solution on the horizon. Cargo ships are standing off shore waiting to tie up at gridlocked docks. It is taking as long as three weeks to get a container off the docks after it is unloaded. While larger vessels are offloading an increasing number of containers, the main issue seems to be the shortage of trucking equipment, primarily chassis.
Some ships are being diverted to the East Coast but at best, that is a limited, inadequate solution. And, as if that were not enough, 13,000 longshoremen are working without a contract. While no one has threatened a strike and negotiations continue, a breakdown in the negotiations could be disastrous. Although most Christmas merchandise is already in place, a wave of last minute shoppers such as that experienced in 2013, or heavy sales of unusually popular products could create some problems.
Certainly, I do not want to come across as the Grinch. Supply chain managers are survivors and often maneuver themselves and their companies out of difficult situations. I do think however, this will be a critical holiday shipping season; and those retailers who can influence a smoother holiday distribution should try to do so. Ironically though, if there is a problem in moving all the packages, the carriers probably will shoulder the blame.


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A decade ago, Fisker and Tesla were two electric-vehicle hopefuls, and it was looking like Fisker might have the better chances of success.
While history certainly didn’t play out that way, it’s an odd twist that Henrik Fisker’s new venture, Fisker Inc., has dropped a teaser for its first product—a fully electric SUV—into the afterglow of last week’s Tesla Model Y electric SUV introduction.
In an announcement of the yet-unnamed vehicle released this morning, Fisker notes that in the new model, “emotion-stirring design is combined with a technologically advanced, intuitive user experience and a target range of close to 300 miles.”
Fisker says that the model will be priced under $40,000, and it plans to launch the vehicle (and start deliveries) in the second half of 2021.
The upcoming SUV will be dramatically sculpted, according to Fisker, and have a “futuristic, elegant muscular look.” A teaser image shows a vehicle with tall, chiseled corners, complemented by a some flowing sheetmetal, distinctive hood creasing, and a patterned fascia/airdam. Headlights, as in a number of recent concept and prototype designs—the upcoming Rivian R1T and R1S, for example—are high and narrow.
Also of note is that the model appears to bear the familiar round Fisker brand logo, mostly unchanged from what appeared on the Karma (now the Revero, from Karma, a separate company.)
Inside, the SUV will offer a roomy interior and modern design aesthetic—something we can trust that Fisker will get right from the start—plus a large head-up display and “unique, intuitive user interface.” Fisker also hinted about a panoramic-style roof that opens “without compromising the rugged and safe structural integrity of an SUV.”
The SUV will be available in rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive (dual motor) versions, and will come with an “enhanced” lithium-ion battery pack offering about 80 kwh. Fisker has previously expressed a preference toward the cylindrical 2170 cell format that Tesla uses in the Model 3, and for the supplier LG Chem. And expect that careful use of the word “enhanced” could correspond to the supplemental use of the solid-state battery tech Fisker has been cheerleading (and co-developing)—or ultracapacitors, perhaps.
Pushing the SUV out first is an adjustment to the cadence Fisker previously outlined. In its announcement of the vehicle, Fisker said that the low-volume $129,900 EMotion flagship sedan, which it had originally planned to launch in 2019, will arrive “as patented Fisker Solid-State Battery technology becomes ready for vehicle application and commercialization.”
Sales and service remain a massive hurdle for an upstart such as Fisker, especially if it now intends to start with a higher-volume vehicle. In 2017, Fisker announced that it would partner with The Hybrid Shop, a national network of service centers, to provide service and support for the EMotion. At that time, he said the company was formulating a direct sales plan.
Fisker Inc could not yet comment to Green Car Reports on whether all or any of this applies to the higher-volume SUV. However Henrik Fisker tweeted that it will have direct sales and franchised service.
As Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated last week in his Model Y introduction, setting up a completely new mass-production model to be built, even if it’s already designed and developed, is massively time-consuming.
Fisker says in a press release that it’s “currently finalizing the selection of a facility, located in the United States, to produce the all-electric SUV.” Coincidentally, so is Tesla for the Model Y.


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The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has launched its once-a-year Small business Assurance Study. It highlights the importance of China’s big marketplace and its distinctive producing clusters. But it also reflects concerns of some organizations about the effect of the COVID pandemic. Xu Hua stories.
Higher hazards and substantial rewards ideal define the European business expertise in China in 2021. In accordance to the 2022 organization assurance study introduced by the EU Chamber of Commerce, profits and revenue have been superior, but carrying out organization in China turned extra tricky.
KLAUS ZENKEL Vice President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China “It is quite a lot affected now by the COVID problem since no one can truly vacation and no person can seriously exchange with the head quarter that potential customers to people today type of not content with the scenario and some individuals are leaving.”
Two thirds of European companies observed profits increases in 2021, but 60% of respondents claimed they had downgraded income projections for this 12 months.
XU HUA CGTN Reporter “We recognize that the survey was concluded at the finish of April, when Shanghai was even now shut off. Would you think the benefits could be distinctive now with the Chinese financial system regaining momentum?”
KLAUS ZENKEL Vice President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China “When they respond to that a dilemma and give the revenue outlook for this year, this by now absent. Because that time, it’s possible two months output for several organizations, in particular the SMEs is not you can not get well.”
Chinese gurus say the effects is a brief-term discomfort, and won’t transform the extended-term fundamentals of China’s industry.
WU HAIFENG Government Director, Shenzhen Institute of Details Economic system “Imagine if all the customer most of purchaser has been experienced by the virus, it will sacrifice their obtained powers. In extensive terms, also sacrifice the foundation of about China economies. So shorter phrase is unpleasant, but extended expression is very good, is vibrant and also will carry 8 prosperity for the prolonged time period rewards, both China, Chinese and foreign traders and businessman.”
So, is China’s market place however eye-catching for European corporations? The answer is a definite certainly.
KLAUS ZENKEL Vice President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China “The client industry is enormous in China and a lot of businesses undertaking decoupling their business enterprise, they aim on China internal and the outside the house China planet. So that indicates they want to be right here. They know everyone is aware of that how big is the marketplace sizing in China.”
WU HAIFENG Govt Director, Shenzhen Institute of Information Overall economy “China commit the carbon neutrality, the sort of concentrate on by China’s central governing administration. So there will be additional and additional investments into the inexperienced and atmosphere-helpful industries and then there is also added benefits, positive aspects for the most of the European organizations. So in those fields like the bio-prescription drugs, like the ecosystem helpful firms, like the e-car or truck corporations, electrical energy vehicles, we can do plenty of issue together.”
Most respondents are constructive about small business in the Larger Bay Spot, and are contacting for much more talks with the govt and a much better method to retain global talents.
The study also states China has been considered as a thriving Investigation & Advancement hub by a lot of European businesses, and bundles of financial investment are ready in the wings if they are granted better current market accessibility. Xu Hua, CGTN, Shenzhen.


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Check out the ticket sale dates for League of Legends World Championship 2022 – According to the latest announcement from Riot Games, the tickets for League of Legends World Championship 2022 will go on sale from Sept. 8. The Worlds 2022 will be held from Sept. 29 till Nov. 5. 24 qualified teams will participate in this tournament from around the world. As the event will be held in two stages, the ticket sales for each event will also roll out in two phases. Worlds 2022 Ticket
Worlds 2022: Ticket sale dates
- Play-In Stage Tickets: The tickets for Play-In matches will go on sale at 9am PT on Sept. 8. The Play-In Stage of Worlds 2022 will take place from Sept. 29 till Oct. 4 in the Arena Esports Stadium at Artz Pedregal in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Group Stage Tickets: The tickets for the Group Stage matches will go on sale at 9am PT on Sept. 8. The Group Stage of Worlds 2022 will be held from Oct. 7 till 16 in Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Tickets for #Worlds2022 will go on sale beginning September 8!
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) August 17, 2022
- Quarterfinals and Semifinals Tickets: The tickets for the Quarterfinals and Semifinals matches will go on sale at 9am PT on Sept. 8. The Quarterfinals will be held from Oct. 20 till 23 in Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. On the other hand, the Semifinals will be held on Oct. 29 and 30 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Grand Finals Tickets: The tickets for the Grand Finals will go on sale at 9 am PT on Sept. 29. The Grand Finals of the League of Legends World Championship 2022 will be held on Nov. 5 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Mastercard holders will also be eligible for presale tickets for the Group Stage, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Grand Finals. The offer does not apply to Play-In Stage tickets.
Stay tuned to find the latest updates and news from League of Legends.


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Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon appeared to criticize Twitter’s lack of moderation of hate speech, extremism and anti-Semitism on the platform, under the new leadership of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and said it was in danger of becoming “a very unpleasant place.”
Nahshon, who is deputy director general for public diplomacy in Israel’s foreign ministry, posted a screenshot on Monday of a hateful comment he received on one of his tweets in which the writer claimed that the Holocaust had never happened.
“For many extremists, freedom of expression is simply the freedom to spit venom. A Twittersphere [Twittersphere] without clear rules of conduct and ethics will quickly become a very unpleasant place for most of us,” Nahshon wrote.
Musk, a self-proclaimed ‘free speech absolutist’, spent $44 billion to buy Twitter last month, then fired more than half the staff, pressured the rest to quit and scared advertisers into tweeting theories of the conspiracy, reinstating previously banned accounts, including that of former US President Donald Trump, and speaks regularly with trolls and right-wing figures. Musk also unleashed an unknown number of contractors around the world responsible for moderating content.
On Oct. 28, the day after his takeover, Musk tweeted that there would be no “major content decisions or account reinstatement” until Twitter forms a “content moderation board ” with various points of view that would examine the cases. No such council has been formed.
Civil rights groups have said that since Musk’s takeover, hate speech and anti-Semitic speech have increased on the platform as online networks have seized on his property as an opportunity to launch a press full of hateful content on the site.
This is the kind of disturbing messages I’ve been getting on Twitter lately. For many extremists, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to spit venom. A Twittersphere without clear rules of conduct and ethics will quickly become a very unpleasant place for most of us… pic.twitter.com/2lVEGSmQrJ
—Emmanuel Nahshon (@EmmanuelNahshon) November 28, 2022
It raised concerns among rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, which called for an advertising boycott and for Musk to tweet that ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt was “defamating” him.
Musk has since said he reneged on his promise to form a moderation council because he accepted it at the insistence of a “broad coalition of political-social activist groups” which later “split the deal” urging advertisers to at least temporarily stop giving Twitter their business.
On Monday, even more frustrated with advertisers pulling or suspending campaigns, Musk attacked Apple for its tight control of what’s allowed on the App Store, saying the iPhone maker had threatened to oust its platform. recently acquired social media. Musk also joined the chorus in crying foul over the 30% fee Apple collects on transactions through its App Store – the only gateway for apps to access its billion mobile devices.
A series of tweets started by Musk included a meme of a car with his first name on it veering off a freeway exit ramp labeled “Go to War”, instead of continuing to “Pay 30%”.
The billionaire CEO also tweeted that Apple had “threatened to remove Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why.”
Apple and Google both require social media services on their app stores to have effective systems in place to moderate harmful or abusive content.
Yoel Roth, the former head of trust and safety at Twitter who left after Musk took over, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that “failure to follow guidelines from Apple and Google would be catastrophic” and would risk “being expelled from their application”. stores.”
Musk believes all legally permitted content should be allowed on Twitter and described his actions on Monday as a “revolution against online censorship in America.”
He also tweeted that he planned to post “Twitter Files on free speech suppression,” but didn’t specify what data he had in mind to share with the public.
Although Musk says Twitter is seeing record engagement with him at the helm, his approach has surprised the company’s biggest moneymaker, advertisers.
In recent weeks, half of Twitter’s top 100 advertisers have announced they are suspending or “apparently stopped advertising on Twitter”, according to analysis by nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters.
Musk on Monday accused Apple of also “virtually quitting advertising on Twitter.”
“Do they hate free speech in America?” he asked, before responding with a tweet tagging Apple CEO Tim Cook.
In the first three months of 2022, Apple was the top advertiser on Twitter, spending some $48 million on ads that accounted for more than 4% of the social media platform’s revenue, according to a Washington Post report citing an internal document. from Twitter.
#Israeli #Foreign #Ministry #slams #Twitter #lax #stance #hate #speech


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By Nathan Lomax, co-founder of Quickfire Digital
As more retail business moves online, the stark reality is that it’s costing more for brands to attract new customers.
Whether it’s Google Ads, social media or Amazon, prices are rising. These platforms are benefiting from the continuing increase in digital activity and the competition that brings.
Google Ads costs are predicted to increase 20-40 per cent by the end of the year, Facebook’s cost-per-click is up 13 per cent from 2020 and the cost-per-click on Amazon sponsored products has increased by 14 percent year-on-year.
New privacy and ad tracking settings have also resulted in advertisers having significantly reduced visibility of users’ history, making accurate targeting increasingly challenging. Following the release of iOS 14 in 2021 and the large increase in the number of people opting to enhance their privacy settings, the cost of e-commerce conversions rose by 200 per cent in six months.
It’s a tough economy for everyone right now – the good news is there is a way for online businesses to keep costs down – working harder on delighting existing customers.
Adapting primary focus to existing customers
As business owners or marketers, we’ve all likely read the stats about the cost of winning a new customer compared to retaining and growing one. Depending on which report has caught your eye, the cost can be five, six or even ten times more.
And, of course, attracting new customers is important for growth – particularly when a business is still finding its feet – but why does it continue to trump the retention tactic, thus defying evidence?
Well, maybe science has a part to play. We can all admit to getting a bit of a buzz when we bring in a new customer – and there is a good reason why. Scientists have discovered that novelty is associated with the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical released by the brain.
So, something new brings a (short-term) high. But growing what you have brings (longer-term) success.
Not convinced? Let’s look at some basic figures.
Let’s say you have 1,000 customers whose average spend is £50 every month. That gives you a monthly revenue of £50,000.
Raise that average customer spend through retention and loyalty tactics to £75 and your revenue goes up to £75,000 per month – an increase of £25,000.
Focus on customer acquisition and to hit that same increase you’re going to need to find 500 new customers spending £50 every month. And that’s going to mean upping your advertising budget.
Biology might point to why we crave something new, but maths points to why we need to reconsider our approach.
The apps to bolster your customer retention
Customer loyalty is gained through many means – the values a business holds, the way customers are dealt with, enticing product development and membership programmes.
And then there’s the ecommerce tech – the apps which have been developed for customer retention and loyalty. On our list, when helping clients, are:
- LoyaltyLion – which builds members’ programmes through a range of tactics: points schemes, gamification and personalised offers, to name but a few
- Gorgias – which provides multi-channel customer service to make it easy to respond to, and deal with, queries from a customer’s chosen source
- Sendcloud – which speeds up ecommerce fulfilment to allow for quicker delivery times and a better customer experience
- Yotpo – which encourages a range of reviews and UGC, SMS marketing, and a level of loyalty and subscriptions, keeping customers involved with brands and products.
Many other technical solutions exist to increase loyalty and customer lifetime value: Recharge is a platform for driving subscriptions – one of the fastest-growing areas of e-commerce right now – while Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms can enhance business-to-customer relationships. The good news is the UK Government is providing financial support to businesses looking for a CRM through its Help to Grow digital programme.
‘Make customers your priority’ is an easy statement to make – but it’s so often missed in the hunt for new revenue and profit. Yet shifting the focus onto customer retention will, as highlighted, provide bigger gains.
From working on a first email campaign to developing a membership rewards scheme and automating fulfilment to avoid shipping delays, every business should be investing in customer retention strategies.
Digital advertising costs are on the rise – and with more competition entering the online business world, that trend is only going to continue.
It might feel good to get a new customer – but logic dictates a business should nurture what they have, particularly when they reach a certain growth point.
The technology is out there to support a more developed and sustained customer retention strategy – and the business numbers speak for themselves.


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In the past Africa and South Africa have lagged behind Europe and the US in terms of network speeds. Fast forward to now, and a better picture is emerging, showing that we are fast closing the gap when it comes to 3G and 4G connectivity.
A slew of research papers in recent years from Europe and the United States (US) have shown that Africa, including South Africa (SA), have lagged behind in network quality and data speeds when compared to networks in developed economies. But a better picture is emerging where SA is fast narrowing the gap and is doing much better against the best in the world when it comes to 3G and 4G mobile networks coverage.
For instance, a comparison of the results of recent tests done by PC Magazine, a leading global technology magazine, testing data speeds of the top four cellphone network providers in 30 cities in the US, shows that SA has better upload and download speeds on 3G than the US and is almost on par in terms of 4G download speeds.
This is a clear demonstration that the hundreds of billions of rands that have been invested by the local cellphone network providers in broadband infrastructure over the last 20 years are yielding positive results.
The latest results also show that Vodacom SA’s 35 million customers benefit from superior 3G and 4G download speeds than their counterparts in the US.
Andries Delport, Vodacom’s Chief Technology Officer at Vodacom commented:
“This is testament to the fact that our network investment efforts are paying off. We have always maintained that our networks are our key point of differentiation, and as such, it is in our interest to invest in them to increase data speeds, reduce dropped-called rates and deliver the best service to our customers. This year alone we invested R12.9 billion in our networks in South Africa, targeted primarily at expanding our 2G, 3G and 4G coverage, enhancing our network performance and improving customer experience.”
“If we factor in inflation, we have invested R142 billion in our network infrastructure in SA since our inception. By enhancing access to voice and data, our network and service offerings are helping to transform lives and stimulate economic growth in these emerging markets.”
A 2009 World Bank study found that low-income and middle-income countries experienced a 1.38 percentage point increase in GDP for each 10 percent increase in broadband penetration.
In South Africa, Vodacom’s 2G network now covers 99% of the country’s population, wider than any other service provider. Vodacom’s 3G network covers around 98.9% and 4G close to 70% of the population, well ahead of its competitors.
“Vodacom is committed to ensuring that we continue to extend our network coverage in South Africa. In particular our strategy includes doing a lot more to extend coverage in the remotest parts of SA but in order to do this, we need additional spectrum. There is no doubt that greater access to spectrum will give South Africans faster speeds, wider access to LTE coverage and, inevitably, lower data pricing,” Delport says.
CES: So long, and thanks for all the beer!
Last week, the Las Vegas expo showed off its fun side with state-of-the-art technologies for enjoying beer, writes BRYAN TURNER
From craft beer-making machines to robots that pour beer, CES had more beer than usual in Las Vegas last week. And even free beer if you found the right stand. Stampede’s saloon-style booth offered beer to visitors who tried out its latest drones, virtual reality, and other gaming products. No beer tech, though.
Here are some of the beer technologies that stood out:
LG HomeBrew – Craft beer made at home
LG’s HomeBrew craft beer-making machine, debuted at CES 2019, brings the brewing process home thanks to single-use capsules, a self-cleaning feature, and an algorithm optimised for fermentation.
Like a Nespresso coffee machine, the beer maker uses capsules, which contain malt, yeast, hop oil and flavouring. At the press of a button, LG HomeBrew automates the whole procedure from fermentation and carbonation to ageing. A companion app lets users check HomeBrew’s status at any time during the process, from their handsets.
The beer machine not only offers a simple way to make craft
Designed with discerning beer lovers in mind, HomeBrew allows for in-home production of batches of more than 4 litres of beer in a variety of styles. The following five distinctive, flavoured beers are available now:
- Hoppy American IPA
- Golden American Pale Ale
- Full-bodied English Stout
- Zesty Belgian-style Witbier
- Dry Czech Pilsner
The only catch? It takes about two weeks to make, depending on the beer type.
“LG HomeBrew is the culmination of years of home appliance and water purification technologies that we’ve developed over the decades,” said Dan Song, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solutions Company. “Homebrewing has grown at an explosive pace, but there are still many beer lovers who haven’t taken the jump because of the barriers to entry, like complexity, and these are the consumers we think will be attracted to LG HomeBrew.”
Click here to read about the party speaker that holds beer and robots that pour beer.
CES: Alienware gets Legend-ary
At CES in Las Vegas last week, Dell’s Alienware released a family of high-end, thin, light, and affordable machines for both amateur and professional gamers – and a new identity.
Alienware marked CES 2019 as a brand milestone with the debut of a new design identity, Alienware Legend. It aims to set a new bar of excellence for what gamers want most – performance and function. Alienware says it evaluated multiple concepts and chose one that was the biggest and boldest departure from its current look.
Alienware Legend, says the company, stays true to the brand’s core design tenets, taking cues from its deep roots in sci-fi culture and its early industrial designs, to distinguish the brand from the rest of the industry. The new Legend design is optimised with cutting-edge thermal cooling technology to achieve and sustain overclocking power, improved AlienFX lighting, and ultra-thin screen borders. It also unveiled a new “three-knuckle hinge” design that reduces the overall dimension while creating a stronger assembly, all combining to yield a better gaming experience.
“We’re excited to come to this year’s CES with some truly groundbreaking products, next-gen software and strategic partnerships that will bring more people to experience PC gaming and advance the industry,” said Frank Azor, vice president and general manager of Alienware. “The legend design answers the call for more and better from our gaming community, and the new G Series laptops will make PC gaming even more accessible to those looking for high-performance gaming at a cost they can appreciate.”
Click here to read about Alienware Legend in action with the Area-51m and m-series laptops


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Game Servers and Cross-Platform Play: Connecting Players Worldwide
Wed Jan 11. 2023
In the world of online gaming, the ability to connect with players from around the globe has become a reality thanks to game servers and the rise of cross-platform play. Game servers serve as the backbone of online gaming, facilitating multiplayer interactions and creating a platform for players to engage in thrilling gameplay experiences. When combined with cross-platform play, game servers have the power to connect players across different devices and operating systems, bridging the gaps between platforms and fostering a truly global gaming community.
Game servers are the infrastructure that enables players to connect and interact in multiplayer games. These servers host game sessions, handle player data, and facilitate communication between players. By connecting to a game server, players gain access to a shared environment where they can engage in cooperative or competitive gameplay with others. Whether it's teaming up with friends in a raid, battling against opponents in a first-person shooter, or exploring vast virtual worlds together, game servers provide the space for these immersive experiences.
One of the recent advancements in online gaming is cross-platform play, which allows players to connect and play together across different platforms and devices. Traditionally, gaming communities were segmented based on the devices players used, such as consoles, PCs, or mobile devices. However, cross-platform play has shattered these barriers, enabling players on different platforms to compete or cooperate in the same game world. This breakthrough has created a more inclusive and interconnected gaming experience, fostering a global community of players.
Game servers play a crucial role in enabling cross-platform play. These servers act as the central hub where players from different platforms converge, allowing them to connect and engage in multiplayer activities. Whether it's a player on a PC teaming up with someone on a console or a mobile player joining forces with a player on a different mobile platform, game servers provide the infrastructure that makes cross-platform play possible. This seamless integration encourages collaboration, competition, and the exchange of gaming experiences between players worldwide.
The benefits of game servers and cross-platform play extend beyond simply connecting players. They also promote diversity and inclusivity in the gaming community. By breaking down platform barriers, gamers can connect with a more extensive player base, allowing for a richer and more diverse community. Cross-platform play fosters a sense of unity and shared experiences among players, regardless of the devices they use. This interconnectedness creates opportunities for friendships, collaborations, and the exchange of gaming strategies and knowledge on a global scale.
Additionally, game servers and cross-platform play have a positive impact on game developers and publishers. By embracing cross-platform play and hosting robust game servers, developers can expand their player base and attract a larger audience. This broader reach increases the longevity and sustainability of games, as more players are able to join and engage in the multiplayer experience. It also promotes ongoing development and support for games, as developers can invest in updates, new content, and community-driven features, knowing that a diverse and active player base awaits.
Game servers and cross-platform play have revolutionized the gaming landscape, connecting players worldwide and fostering a global gaming community. Game servers provide the infrastructure that enables multiplayer interactions, while cross-platform play bridges the gaps between different devices and platforms. Together, they create an inclusive and interconnected gaming experience, where players can collaborate, compete, and share their gaming journeys on a global scale. As game developers continue to embrace cross-platform play and invest in robust server infrastructures, the future of gaming promises even more connectivity and opportunities for players to come together and enjoy immersive multiplayer experiences.


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Does it take a five-figure budget to launch a successful app, service or product at the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival? No, it definitely does not. While big budgets can buy lots of hype (plus a swanky venue, a great band, a long line out the door and lots of free drinks), smart SXSW attendees are always looking for usability, simplicity and innovation. Said another way, quality and creativity tend to rise to the top in Austin in March (with or without the support of a well-funded Marketing Department).
Watch demos from some of the coolest new tech releases via the first-ever ReleaseIt at SXSW programming on Friday, March 7 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in Salon A at Startup Village. Emceed by Trey Bowles of the Dallas Entrepreneur Center, this event showcases 10 innovative companies from the United States and Canada. Each company will present a short pitch on their new launch and a panel of all-star judges will determine the three companies they think will most likely achieve success.
Click here to read complete details on the 2014 ReleaseIt at SXSW event -- and to review the 10 companies who will be presenting on Friday, March 7.


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The total sector was down by 6.3 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2018 to $469.7 million, but metro and national newspapers saw a 1.5 per cent increase in display ad revenue in the same period.
The metro display advertising growth was particularly strong in NSW with ad spend up 6.8 per cent. In Victoria metro was up 6.6 per cent and Queensland it increased by 4.5 per cent in Q3.
For digital ad revenue, news media is growing at a faster rate than the SMI agency-only market. The News Media Index, which includes revenue for advertising booked directly with publishers, shows digital revenues up by 8.1 per cent in Q3, while SMI’s data shows digital ad spend grew a lesser 4.1 per cent¹.
Australia’s news media sector remains the third largest media sector by ad revenue, reporting $2 billion for the full 2018 financial year.
NewsMediaWorks chief executive Peter Miller said the industry body continued to be encouraged by the reappraisal of the news media sector by both agencies and marketers.
“The fact that the bedrock of print advertising is metro newspapers demonstrates that our core business is strong,” he said. “Digital ad revenues are also growing and outperforming the total market, which is supported by our emma data showing that 13.1 million Australians read digital news media²
“After a strong four months of revenue growth, the decline in September was expected due to reduced federal government spending. The strength of reader trust in news media in the fake news era can not be underestimated, and we continue to provide advertisers with the most trusted media environment³ for their brands.”
SMI AU/NZ managing director Jane Ractliffe confirmed that the Q3 decline was impacted by falls in September total media market spending. In the second quarter, however, news media ad spend declined by just 3.7 per cent, the lowest since the NMI records began in 2014.
“The NMI data highlights the ongoing improvements in advertising onto news media generally, and especially the higher print spending from the media agency market,” she said.
“But it’s also notable that direct advertisers are a large contributor to the growth of general news websites with the total ad spend from those advertisers soaring 42.4 per cent in the quarter, ensuring those websites collectively grew ad spend by 5.2 per cent over the same three months last year.”
Direct ad spend now accounts for 55 per cent of all news media advertising, again highlighting the difference between the agency and direct ad revenue, although the media agency sector continues to improve.
Unlike the monthly SMI data which reports agency only revenue, the quarterly News Media Index reports all print and digital ad revenue to Australia’s largest news media publishers from both agencies and direct advertisers and is independently verified by SMI.
1. The revenue data is taken from NewsMediaWorks’ members, News Corp Australia, Fairfax Media, West Australian Newspapers and Community Newspaper Group, WA, who represent around 90 per cent of the news media sector.
2. emmaTM, 12 months to July 2018. Readership based on last four weeks. Trends compared with 12 months to July 2017. Survey conducted by Ipsos Connect, people 14+, Nielsen Digital Ratings (Monthly), now Nielsen Digital Panel, NDP July 2018, People 14+
3. ADTRUST; Galaxy Research online questionnaire, June 2017 (n=2,863 : 2 legs of n=1400 per media) and April 2018 (n=1400 : 1 leg of n=1400 per media) was conducted among a nationally representative sample of Australians aged 18 years and older. View full results at https://newsmediaworks.com.au/research_type/major-reports/


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The Renfrew OPP has reported that they have charged a 27-year-old man from Horton Township with twelve counts of fraud under $5000.
They say they’ve spent multiple months investigating the case, which started in January of this year. They say they started working on the case when an officer got information of the accused who was posting items for sale on the internet. Once the items were paid for, the man would not give the buyer the purchased goods. The man was held for a bail hearing, at the Ontario court of Justice in Pembroke on March 20, 2019.
Police are saying to be vigilant when buying online. Using a secure way of payment is a must or else they suggest you provide the money once you are in possession of the item. For in-person transactions, they say that you should meet in a public place.


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The unveiling of the new brand identity coincides with an important milestone as PIC Solutions enters its 10th anniversary of service on 1st October 2008. This step further highlights PIC Solutions evolution, signalling a new era for the company.
The new brand identity involves changes to the PIC Solutions logo, corporate tagline, website and marketing literature. The new corporate tagline, âProfitable decisionsâ, reflects PIC Solutions dedication to delivering products and services which provide customers with the ability to achieve new and improved business benefits. Already, the leading provider of integrated customer management solutions in emerging markets, the new brand identity embodies the PIC Solutions commitment to continue providing unsurpassed client satisfaction, international best practice solutions and optimising the credit life cycle.
Stephen J. Leonard, Chief Executive Officer of PIC Solutions, comments, âWe have grown substantially in recent years, expanding both the area of our operations and range of products and services. We are also proud to announce the launch of our new website as an integral part of our re-branding, which will provide easy access to invaluable industry information. This re-branding expresses our unique understanding of the credit risk industry.â


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In their annual report, Twitter executives set lofty targets for their firm, including the aim of acquiring more than 100 million new users and more than tripling revenue by 2023. In contrast, the final three months of 2021 demonstrated the difficulties the corporation would have to face in order to achieve its goals.
In a statement released on Thursday, Twitter said that its revenue increased more slowly than analysts had anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2021, and the business forecasted that it will post a loss in the current quarter. However, it gained new users, which may allay fears that it was having difficulty attracting attention in an increasingly varied social media industry.
Twitter announced revenue of $1.56 billion in the last three months of 2021, a 22 percent rise over the same period the previous year, but a smaller figure than analysts had predicted. Twitter reported earnings of $176 million, a 34 percent decrease from the same period the previous year. This is a 13 percent increase in the number of daily active users who view advertisements, according to the business.
Twitter also announced that its board of directors has approved a $4 billion stock buyback programme. According to the corporation, it expects to buy $2 billion of its shares on a “accelerated timeframe,” with the other $2 billion to be repurchased over a period of time. The idea comes on the heels of a $2 billion repurchase scheme that was approved in 2020, albeit just $819 million of that money has been spent so far.
When asked about the share repurchase plan, Twitter’s chief financial officer, Ned Segal, stated, “It demonstrates confidence in our vision and performance.” Twitter has a market capitalization of $16 billion.
By the end of 2023, Twitter expects to have 315 million daily active users and generate $7.5 billion in annual revenue, according to its own projections.
It gained one million daily active users in the United States and five million members worldwide during the fourth quarter of 2018. The company’s overall revenue in 2021 was $5.08 billion, representing a 37 percent rise over the previous year’s figure.
Following the announcement by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, that privacy rules enforced by Apple have affected its advertising revenue, Twitter’s stock price fluctuated significantly last week. Despite the fact that investors saw Meta’s earnings announcement as a harbinger for the social media sector, Twitter said that Apple’s privacy adjustments had only a modest influence on its advertising business.
Tweeter’s new CEO, Parag Agrawal, stated in a statement that the company’s “excellent 2021 performance allows us to increase execution and execute on our 2023 ambitions.” “We have narrowed our emphasis and altered our organisational structure in order to provide superior personalisation and selection for our audience, partners, and advertising.”


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“I was just always naturally drawn to the consumer goods sector,” Mandy Fields, CFO at e.l.f. Beauty told me. “I love finance. I like to go shopping. I love clothing. I love makeup. I love food and wine and all of these things. So why not find a career that allows me to participate across all of these categories?”
For Fields, CFO at Oakland, Calif.-based mass beauty company e.l.f. (NYSE: ELF) since 2019, her makeup knowledge and finance skills go hand-in-hand. The company has experienced 16 consecutive quarters of net sales growth. e.l.f. Beauty (eyes, lips, and face) announced Feb. 1 that net sales increased 49% to $146.5 million for the three months ending Dec. 31, driven by retailer and e-commerce channels. For the eighth quarter in a row, e.l.f. Beauty beat earnings estimates. It’s also the darling brand of Gen Zers.
Value proposition, innovation, and community engagement are “the drivers of our business that have been very consistent,” Fields said. “e.l.f. products are $6 AUR [average unit retail], versus others, in mass market, at $9 or more, or prestige, where the cost of entry is about $22 or more,” she explains.
But due to increasing inflation last year, “We took pricing on about two-thirds of our items, but we left the one-third, our entry-level price points unchanged,” Fields said. “We have an eyebrow pencil that everybody raves about, and it’s $3.”
E.l.f., founded in 2004, has only raised prices two times in its history, she said. Once in 2019 when tariffs were put on the company’s products due to importing from China, Fields said. And then again last March. “There are others out there that can do value makeup, but it’s the innovation engine that we put behind it that really is special,” she said.
The Gen Z connection
Regarding community engagement, e.l.f. has the attention of Gen Z. According to investment banking company Piper Sandler’s annual Generation Z survey of 14,500 U.S. teens released this past fall, e.l.f. maintained its position as the No. 1 cosmetics brand.
“I’m super involved in marketing,” Fields said. “I’m the BFF to our CMO. “Over the past four years, we’ve taken our marketing investment from 7% of net sales up to the high end of our target range of 19%.” And marketing to Gen Z is a high priority.
Some examples? “We were the first beauty company to be on BeReal [a photo-sharing app],” she said. “We were one of the first beauty brands to really see success on TikTok, all the way back in 2019. We partnered with the Weather Channel and Meghan Trainor to do a holiday campaign and had almost 6 billion impressions.”
Fields said Gen Z also appreciates transparency about products. “We were the first beauty company to be fair trade certified, for example,” she said.
Finding your niche
Fields started her career on Wall Street in investment banking focused on oil and gas, but not for long. “I learned that I loved finance, but I did not like oil and gas; it just was not my thing,” she said. Before joining e.l.f. Beauty, Fields was a CFO at BevMo!, a specialty beverage retailer on the West Coast. She was also president of finance and analytics for Albertsons Companies, managing the P&L of the company’s $13 billion-dollar multibrand private label portfolio.
Fields said she’s had mentors and sponsors along the way in her career. And she’s also an advocate for increasing diversity in financial leadership. “I can count the number of Black female CFOs that I know on one hand,” Fields said. “There’s more that needs to be done on that front. So, I try to be a voice to encourage people of color and young people to get into finance.”
Before working at e.l.f., Fields was always one of the few women at the company, but that’s certainly not the case now. “Our employee base is 75% women,” she said. And two-thirds of e.l.f.’s board are women, she said.
Her go-to e.l.f. product? “My favorite new innovation is our O Face lipstick that I’m wearing today,” she said. “This color is called ‘Spicy.’”
See you tomorrow.
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A new EY global study of 1,200 CEOs finds that almost half of the respondents foresee a moderate slowdown in the global economy, and more than half fear a recession worse than the global financial crisis for the period 2008-10. In preparation of emerging from a potential economic downturn, CEOs plan to boost operations such as finance, accounting, and supply chain and logistics, and focus on marketing, including the customer experience, according to the report. However, there are also clear long-term shifts. This includes increasing investment in sustainability, environmental, and broader societal issues to focus on innovation and research. "CEOs are looking at a longer horizon," EY found.
“BP vowed to help set the oil and gas industry on a greener path. Many who bought in now feel betrayed,” a new Fortune report, delves into the company’s latest decision. Bernard Looney, chief executive officer of BP, announced on Feb. 7 that the oil giant would be lowering its near-term carbon-emissions reduction targets.
Christopher Neczypor was named EVP and CFO at Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE: LNC), effective Feb. 17. Neczypor, who currently serves as EVP, chief strategy officer, will succeed Randal Freitag, who is leaving the company. Freitag will remain with Lincoln Financial through the end of the first quarter of 2023. Neczypor has more than 20 years of industry experience. He joined Lincoln Financial in 2018 as head of investment risk and strategy. He was named chief strategy officer in 2021. Before joining Lincoln Financial, Neczypor held portfolio management and investment roles at both Kingdon Capital Management and Emrys Partners.
Brett Hale was named chief administrative officer and CFO at Hyperfine, Inc. (Nasdaq: HYPR), a medical device company, effective Feb. 13. Alok Gupta, who currently serves as CFO, will step down on or about March 31 after a transition period. Hale has over 25 years of experience as a financial professional. Before Hyperfine, Inc., he served as CFO of Bigfoot Biomedical, Inc. Before that, he served as CFO of CardioKinetix Inc. and Concentric Medical, Inc. He began his career at Guidant Corporation (acquired by Boston Scientific Corporation) in strategic planning, sales finance, financial planning, and internal audit, as well as serving as an assurance manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“We think we’ll get another couple of hikes that take you to the low-5s rather than the high-4s.”
—Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs chief economist told CNBC in reference to the inflation rate, which is currently at 6.5% compared to the Federal Reserve's 2% target.
This is the web version of CFO Daily, a newsletter on the trends and individuals shaping corporate finance. Sign up to get CFO Daily delivered free to your inbox.


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Steady-state monthly sales of the Li L9 are expected to be in the 8,000 to 10,000 range, and both the Li L7 and Li L8 are expected to be in the 10,000 to 15,000 range, a Li Auto executive said.
(Image credit: Li Auto)
Some of the previous concerns about Li Auto's (NASDAQ: LI) different models cannibalizing each other seem overdue, at least judging by what the company's management has recently revealed.
Steady-state monthly sales of Li Auto's flagship SUV, the Li L9, are expected to be in the 8,000 to 10,000-unit range, while the Li L7 and Li L8 are both expected to be in the 10,000 to 15,000-unit range, local media outlet Jiemian said in a report today, citing the company's vice president of sales, Liu Jie, in a group interview with the media at the recent Guangzhou auto show.
This means that Li Auto could reach perhaps up to 40,000 units of deliveries per month in 2023, the report noted.
Li Auto delivered a record 21,233 vehicles in December, with deliveries of the Li L9 and Li L8 both exceeding 10,000 units, according to figures released earlier this month.
For the full year 2022, Li Auto delivered 133,246 vehicles, up 47.25 percent from 90,491 in 2021.
That achievement is staggering, considering the high selling prices of the Li Auto models. But at the same time, it is also something to be expected, considering that all of the company's models are extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), or plug-in hybrids that have a larger total addressable market than pure electric vehicles.
It is worth noting that China's current policies are more inclined to support pure electric vehicles, such as Shanghai not continuing to offer free new energy vehicle licenses for PHEV models starting in 2023.
Li Auto launched the Li L9 on June 21, 2022, with the same flat pricing as the Li ONE, starting at RMB 459,800 ($66,760), up RMB 110,000 from the Li ONE's RMB 349,800.
On September 30, 2022, Li Auto launched the Li L8, available in two versions, Pro and Max, with starting prices of RMB 359,800 and RMB 399,800 respectively.
Li Auto's first model, the Li ONE, was discontinued in August 2022, and the Li L9, Li L8 and Li ONE are all six-seat models.
The company began accepting reservations for its first five-seat SUV, the Li L7, at the same time it launched the Li L8 in September, also available in Pro and Max variants, with starting prices of RMB 339,800 and 379,800, respectively. The model will be officially launched on February 8.
The Li L8 is performing as expected and the market for family users is large enough, Liu said in the interview, adding that the Li L7, Li L8 and Li L9 will meet the needs of different consumers.
The Li L8 and Li L9 are aimed at families with two children and consumers who want a six-seater, Liu said.
Li L9 consumers have a purchase budget of RMB 400,000 or more, while for the Li L8 it is RMB 300,000 to 400,000, he said, adding that most of the consumers who reserved the Li L7 are young families of three.
Overall, the market for five-seater models is currently larger than the market for six-seater models, but they both have their own target groups, Liu said.
Li Auto's sales network currently covers about 120 cities, with 50 more cities expected to be added in 2023, resulting in full coverage of tier 3 cities and entry into some tier 4 cities, according to Liu.
Over 80 percent of Li Auto's sales currently come from China's tier 1, new tier 1 and tier 2 cities, which the company has largely covered with its sales network, according to Liu.
Li Auto's sales network currently covers only a portion of tier 3 cities, while for tier 4 cities it has basically not started covering them yet, Liu said.
The company currently has about 290 retail stores and expects to add 150 next year, Liu said.


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Shandong bolsters cooperation with South Korea
(chinadaily.com.cn)| Updated : 2020-10-22Print Print
The South Korean session of the "Connecting Shandong with Fortune Global 500" event opened on Oct 22 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.
The event is meant to strengthen Shandong's ties with transnational corporations from South Korea and fuel Shandong's high-quality development.
The event, which was jointly hosted by the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, the Shandong Provincial People's Government, and the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, set up main venues in both Jinan and Seoul.
It also had sub-venues in 16 Shandong cities. The venues were connected through a video livestream.
Liu Jiayi (L), Party secretary of Shandong, makes an online dialogue with Kim Sungjoo, president of the Korea International Trade Association at the conference on Oct 22. [Photo/sdchina.com]
At Jinan's main venue, Liu Jiayi, Party secretary of Shandong, made online dialogues with Kim Sungjoo, president of the Korea International Trade Association, Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the South Korean CJ Group, and Chey Tae-won, executive vice-chairman of the South Korean SK Group.
Liu said that Shandong in recent years has been making efforts to deepen reform and opening up and optimize its business environment to create a more favorable environment for Fortune Global 500 companies.
When talking with Kim, Liu expressed a desire to further strengthen cooperation with South Korea in new infrastructure, healthcare, and online business and encouraged more companies to invest in Shandong.
Sohn said at the conference that CJ Group has always been committed to cooperation with Shandong. The company is currently strengthening strategic cooperation with the province and looking for new investment opportunities.
"In the future, we will continue to expand our investment in Shandong, and we are now actively exploring new business in biology, logistics, and other fields," Sohn said.
CJ Group is a global lifestyle and culture company that ranked 437th on the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020.
Agreements for 23 projects with a total of $820 million in investment and $397 million in contractual foreign investment were signed via online channels.
Projects focusing on high-end equipment manufacturing industry, high-end chemical industry, new materials, and food processing will be carried out in 11 cities in Shandong, namely Jinan, Qingdao, Zibo, Zaozhuang, Yantai, Weifang, Jining, Weihai, Rizhao, Liaocheng, and Binzhou.
According to the Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce, South Korea is Shandong's third largest trading partner.
In 2019, imports and exports between Shandong and South Korea were valued at $28.32 billion. In the first eight months of this year, trade between the two was valued at $18.11 billion.


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If you’re anything like us, have developed that fear of working out at the gym due to the pandemic. No fret, this mask could be our solution.
American sportswear manufacturer Under Armour is launching a mask that complies with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards to enable athletes to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 while training. The new product will go on sale in mid-July.
On public transport, in shops, in doctors’ offices. In the space of a few months, face masks to protect against COVID-19 have become part of our daily lives. But what about gyms, which should be reopening shortly, and team sports? It’s not easy to train while wearing a mask, and it will be even more difficult in the hot summer weather.
To enable athletes to train with face protection, but without risking hypoxia (lack of oxygen), American sportswear brand Under Armour has designed a reusable, water-resistant mask, which is equipped with a moldable nose-bridge to hold it firmly in place and reduce airflow to the eyes that may cause glasses to fog up. Christened the UA SPORTSMASK, the model is built from lightweight fabric with an underlying structure to keep it off the nose and mouth, which facilitates breathing. A thicker intermediate layer has been added, which lets air through, but blocks humidity and perspiration.
“The fabric used is treated with PROTX2, a non-metal antimicrobial technology that has been shown in laboratory tests to destroy COVID-19,” point out the founders of Under Armour in a press release. This technology has already been through laboratory tests and is currently being evaluated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to confirm its efficacy against COVID-19.
From mid-July, the UA SPORTSMASK will be available in several sizes and colours from the brand’s website. Price: US$30.
This article is published via AFP Relaxnews.


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This morning, employees at the millennial-focused digital news site Mic were called into a meeting where its CEO, Chris Altchek, informed them that most of the staff was being laid off, according to Recode. The company had about 100 employees; reports say between 60 and 70 were let go.
This comes after news broke yesterday that Mic was trying to sell itself to the Bustle Media Group. Bustle reportedly said it would only consider taking maybe half of the company. The New York Post reports that the deal is set to be finalized today, with a price of less than $5 million–which is significantly less than the “mid hundreds of millions” of dollars valuation the company was reported to have in 2017.
I reached out to both Altchek and Bustle for comment and will update if I hear back.
This turn of events could very well be considered the climax to the “pivot to video” media strategy we’ve been witnessing for almost two years. Mic was once one of the buzziest and fastest-growing digital media brands out there. It had a voice that catered to the younger generation, and it purported to be focused on the social platforms that attracted these millennial eyeballs.
Mic’s strategy was especially dependent on Facebook and video. It produced its own shows, did live programming, and reallocated resources so that most of its content would exist with social platforms in mind. For a short time, this seemed like a way for media companies to stay alive: Facebook was wooing these publishers with big dollar amounts to create native content. Companies like Mic, meanwhile, began laying off editorial staff in the name of bulking up video content. The idea was that this would give rise to new media consumption patterns; people preferred videos! Not long, boring articles!
But that’s not what happened. Facebook soon began pressing the brake pedal, no longer willing to finance these operations. And the companies that put all their resources into this media began to see a decline in their engagement numbers. Mic isn’t the only one to fall at the wayside because it took Facebook at its word. Others like Vocativ, Upworthy, Little Things, and even bigger operations like Vice Media have all been hit hard.
Mic‘s ultimate sin was its platform reliance. Facebook presented itself as the place where Mic could meet its audience. But the publisher never bargained for what would happen if it lost the platform’s support.
We’re now entering into another era of digital publishing: the post-pivot world. Publishers are still struggling, and they’re always looking for new ways to bring in a quick buck. But as Mic proves, submitting to the whim of another entity, one whose interests don’t align with yours, will only lead to ultimate catastrophe down the line.
Of course, the people most hurt by today’s news aren’t the founders. Instead, it’s the dozens of workers who were laid off. Altchek and his cofounder, Jake Horowitz, made the choice today to fire the entire team while they stay on and try to rebuild what’s left. (Reports say both will continue working for the company after the sale.) Many media pundits will surely focus on the business’s demise, but the real tragedy is the people who lost their steady paychecks.


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In her column, “Get Gorgeous with Grace Gold,” our intrepid beauty reporter Grace Gold investigates products and treatments that really work to keep you looking young, sexy and fabulous.
By Grace Gold of StyleList Magazine, May 2010
The thought of swapping the fat from your love handles or thighs for a fuller, firmer bust line sounds like a woman’s ultimate fantasy.
Except plastic surgeons are now making it a reality.
At the recent American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting in Washington DC, breast augmentation fat transfer was one of the most controversial topics discussed by the gathering of the country’s top plastic surgeons.
The procedure – which liposuctions fat from jiggly areas like the stomach or thighs and then reinjects it into breast tissue – has been experimented with for years, but has seen as a recent resurgence due to public interest in more natural breast enlargement options.
“Fat injection is like trying to squeeze toothpaste into something. If that something is very tight, you can only squeeze so much in. A woman who is young, thin and has never had children won’t have skin that will stretch enough to allow for fat. But a mom who has had breast size fluctuations will have a better result because her skin has room for it,” says Wayne, NJ plastic surgeon Dr. Parham Ganchi.
Unlike breast implants, fat transfer only promises a modest enlargement at most; possibly one cup size or so. Yet the procedure is far less invasive than a breast augmentation, which involves general anesthesia and a hospital or surgical suite admission. Fat transfer requires a light liposuction followed by an injection, and patients can always return for follow-up treatments to add more volume if they like the initial results.
The space age-like Brava bra was also presented at the conference, which creator and Florida plastic surgeon Dr. Roger Khouri claims can be used in conjunction with a breast fat transfer to maximize size results. The bra houses dome-like vacuum pads that provide suction pressure on the breasts while patients wear it – or should we say endure it – for ten hours a night for a period of about ten weeks. The computer-controlled pressure and vibrating movements stimulates natural tissue growth, which translates into a breast that grows in size.
The idea is that the Brava bra in conjunction with a fat transfer will be able to produce fuller results than either option could manage alone.
But don’t make your appointment for a foxier figure just yet; breast fat transfer is yet to be deemed completely safe.
“Much needed clinical trials are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of fat transfer to the breast, as our worries with this procedure have rested in the fact that the injected fat can sometimes obscure mammography, or even mimic breast cancer lesions,” says New York plastic surgeon Dr. Jennifer Walden.
The procedure isn’t unique to America’s breast-obsessed society; it has a history of international experimentation.
“The bottom line is that it works, but the safety of the technique is still being debated. Many plastic surgeons around the world have been performing this procedure for years. However, plastic surgeons in the United States have been much more hesitant about using this technique due to concerns about effects on mammograms and breast cancer screening. Ultimately, I think it will be proven safe and effective, but that data may take several years to collect,” says Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. Michael K. Newman.
Even though the public may have a heightened interest in breast fat transfer, the majority of plastic surgeons still prefer working with traditional breast implants.
“Breast implants are safe, tested and you know what the outcome will be. It’s a reliable option for breast enlargement, so it makes me less inclined to want to do fat transfer when there are so many different variables and safety concerns to consider,” says Dr. Ganchi.
And unlike breast implants, which can give bustlines of any age a perpetually firm and perky look, fat transfers age and sag with time just like the rest of what Mother Nature gave you.
Sorry, ladies – looks like we’ll have to hit the gym tomorrow after all.


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From a pair of turtle doves to five gold rings, buying all 364 items repeated in the carol would set you back a huge £67,000 this Christmas thats 61 per cent more than it cost just last year.
So whats caused the massive increase in price? A drought in the US has been blamed on the soaring costs of some birds, as a shortage of corn and other feeds makes feeding more expensive. But prices are higher than experts had predicted.
The rise is larger than expected considering the modest economic growth weve had, explained Jim Dunigan of PNC financial services, which created the Christmas Price Index.
While no items had reduced in cost, six items had stayed at the same price: maids, ladies dancing, lords a leaping, calling birds, turtle doves and the partridge.
Need a little hand with your cooking this year? Check out our best Christmas recipes.


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Tesla is looking to resume production in Shanghai on April 18, sources say. The move would come as the Chinese government looks to ease restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Tesla has been hit hard by the virus, with production at its factory in China coming to a halt in February. The company has since been working to get production back up and running, but has faced challenges.
Tesla’s plans to resume production in China have been met with criticism, given the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. However, Tesla has stated that it is taking numerous precautions to protect its workers, including providing face masks and gloves, increasing cleaning and disinfection efforts, and temperature checks. Tesla has also said that it will be staggering shifts to minimize contact between workers. Given these measures, Tesla appears to be taking the outbreak seriously and doing what it can to protect its workers.
While Tesla has not yet provided an exact time for the resumption of production, the company said in a statement that it is working to bring production back online as soon as possible. Tesla also said it will be reviewing its safety protocols to ensure they are in line with international standards. In a recent interview with the Shanghai Daily, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said
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Sideshow To distribute Tonner Figures!
As one of the premiere manufacturers of large scale, articulated figures, the team at Sideshow Collectibles has always held the work of Tonner Doll Corporation in the utmost regard. Now they are incredibly thrilled to announce that these impressive designs will soon be available directly to our collectors, distributors, and retailers! They hope to create even more fans of the incredible costuming and superb detail of the Tonner figures through this exciting new distribution partnership. Stay tuned for more details to come.
MORE DC Comics NEWS & UPDATES


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When Erik Cardenas was little, he constantly had ear infections. But his family often couldn’t get time off to take him to the doctor.
“I remember my parents, they lived paycheck to paycheck. So I remember having my mom and dad kind of think about who could afford to stay home with me,” he told Business Insider.
At 10, Cardenas, newly insured through his mom’s commercial health plan after she got a job on the assembly line at Alcon Laboratories, took his first trip to a pediatrician’s office. While he stared at the aquarium and toys, his mom took out her purse to buy coffee from the lobby setup, not knowing it was free.
Now 38, Cardenas is one of two technology leaders at Amazon Care, Amazon’s health service that provides online and in-person visits for Amazon employees. There, he’s


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Nintendo is ending production on Wii U consoles Friday, Nov. 4, several sources have told Eurogamer. That would mark the end of the oft-troubled console’s lifespan, which saw dramatically slowed sales over the course of its four years on the market.
Eurogamer reports that the deadline for retailers to place orders for the console was Oct. 31; “a small number” were placed, sources say. Those will be the final new shipments sent to stores.
Nintendo said it had shipped just under 13.5 million consoles by Sept. 30, the end of its most recent financial quarter. The company repeatedly cut its sales forecast for the console due to unimpressive numbers throughout its lifespan, especially in the last two years. In its latest earnings report, Wii U sales posted a 53 percent year-over-year decrease. Anticipation for the Wii U’s successor, now known as Nintendo Switch, has run high since March 2015, which likely did nothing to help Wii U sales.
Comparisons to the Wii, which has sold 101 million consoles since 2006, don’t flatter the Wii U. Company president Tatsumi Kimishima said this summer that confusion around the Wii U’s connection to the older, wildly popular console contributed to its disappointing returns and failure to grasp that same audience.
We’ve reached out to Nintendo about the reported final Wii U shipments. In April, Nintendo responded to similar rumors about Wii U production ending, telling investors that the company could continue shipping the console even through 2018.
Report: Wii U Is Going Out Of Production This Week
Woah. This week, Nintendo is officially ceasing production of the Wii U. I guess they’re fully switching (ha!) their focus to its successor.


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With more fatalities than any other sector within the UK, construction firms across the UK need to make sure that they are doing all they can to make their sites safe.
The law regarding such health and safety on site requires that construction firms (whether small or large) manage hazards and risk, and train their workforce to comply with regulation.
Plan, manage and monitor
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We are in the midst of a thickening skills-crisis. Unless more is done to entice the other 50% of the population to these sectors – such engineering industries might find themselves in an unsustainable conundrum.
Organisations such as the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), WISE and the Royal Academy of Engineering have invested time and resources into encouraging women to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers.
Is there a female deficiency …Read more
Where will the future of construction be if we are failing to adequately equip the next generation of tradespeople with the right skills?
The skill-crisis is one that has been well documented in recent years; unfortunately there seems to be no signs of any relieving tension.
constructaquote.com has recently conducted a survey that found that 47% of tradespeople don’t have confidence in the future of the construction sector.
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Business should be a synonym of expense. Even ideas cost money these days – and they’re not cheap at that!
There are copious amounts of fantastic stories of how entrepreneurs started their business with their last pound coin, but there’s no denying that, for many businesses, their success was down to necessary financial investment (that probably generated a 1st-year loss).
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Having an online presence should be considered just as effective as the tools in your tool box. Are you making the most of your virtual opportunities?
Global access to the internet has revolutionised the way businesses do business. From digital marketing, emails and social media to web pages and content …Read more