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After mistakenly leaving his wallet at a checkout counter in a local grocery store, a Texas man became a victim of one of the most detrimental non-violent crimes today: Identity Theft. A man identified only as R.E. could not imagine the time, effort, energy, emotion, and money he would soon have to devote towards proving to the world that he was indeed a victim. R.E’s attacker, the employee operating the register, began by charging close to $500 in groceries—at the same store! The attacker continued the spree by opening accounts with various department stores and credit card companies. (R.E., 2001) According to R.E’s testimonial on privacyrights.org, most of the accounts were opened online, which can be done with ease as there is no additional verification required other than a social security number and other general information.
In his attempt to regain control of his credit and remove the thousands of dollars in debt created by his attacker, R.E. found himself surrounded by disbelief and inattentiveness toward his issue. In his case, the lack of interest on the part of law enforcement and company theft divisions gave his attacker more time to commit larger offenses and open larger accounts under his identity. Even after R.E contacted hisDistrict Attorney’s office; the Department of Public Safety; the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); the Social Security Administration (SSA); the Postal Inspector; the Secret Service; the Department of Justice; the Dallas Police Department’s Financial Crimes division; the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; and the Texas Attorney General’s office, the attacker was able to continue opening accounts with R.E’s identity. (R.E., 2001)
Like the millions of other identity theft cases, R.E was forced to undergo hardships and financial despair for years without sufficient help from authorities. On November 1, 1999 the FTC established the Identity Theft Hotline to track consumer complaints. In 2001 a report of calls to the hotline showed 97,000 entries. The report also shows that of the 64% of victims that contacted law enforcement prior to contacting the hotline, only 72% had police reports generated. (Matejkovic & Lahey, 2001) It might be safe to say that the government, corporations, and consumers treat identity theft differently.
The US Department of Justice defines identity theft as,
Knowingly transferring or using without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit or to aid or abet any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law. (Justice, 2006)
Victims of identity theft have an extremely difficult time fixing the damage caused by identity theft. Since the only thing a thief needs to accomplish the crime is a Social Security Number (SSN), which is widely used as a method of identification, it can take months and even years to detect. So how does a victim begin restoring his or her identity? This question can prove more difficult for victims than government officials can understand, and more complicated than small companies can handle. Since smaller banks such as community banks with assets under $500 million do not have a large enough expense accounts to properly handle fraud cases, crimes committed with accounts under these companies often stay unresolved. (Slosrik, 2002) Since the amounts stolen in these cases are usually low, these banks tend to write them off as loses. Even though these banks may be able to write off these amounts as losses, the account holders are not often able to be so lenient.
Once a person realizes his or her account has been tampered with, he or she must then begin the agonizing struggle of getting his or her money back and in some cases, regaining control of the account. Bank of America’s website provides just a few steps for handling identity theft. The website lists that victims must first contact the fraud departments at the three major credit bureaus: Experian; TransUnion; and Equifax, close accounts that have been tampered with, file a police report, and file a complaint with the FTC. These steps do not even come close to the amount of work that is required to resolve an identity theft case, which is depicted in R.E’s testimonial on privacyrights.org. It is also important to note that every step of the process to regaining one’s identity must be completed solely by the victim. (Slosrik, 2002)
More than a decade ago stealing another person’s identity was not a crime. In 1998 President Clinton signed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (ITADA) making identity theft a federal offense. If caught, criminals would face up to 20 years in prison, or a fine of up to $250,000. (Slosrik, 2002) Consumers however, believed that the penalties were not strong enough, so in 2004 President Bush signed into law the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act. This immediately created a higher level of identity theft called aggravated identity theft, which involves identity theft linked with terrorism, and increased penalties for such crimes. The Act increased the maximum sentence for identity theft from 3 to 5 years, and the maximum sentence for aggravated identity theft increased by five years to a total of 25 years imprisonment. (Punishment for identity theft, 2006)
Even with actions taken toward offenders, victims cannot help but feel as though that little effort has been made in preventing the crimes, and law enforcement is not motivated or equipped enough to investigate them. Many victims say they feel neglected by law enforcement when reporting identity theft crimes. In his testimonial R. E. writes, “pessimism by the detectives that anyone will be caught” is the reason law enforcement has not taken action on her claim. He also describes this as “the only crime where the suspect is presumed innocent before proven guilty and the victim is guilty until proven innocent.” (R.E., 2001)
Though companies take losses from crimes such as these, the losses do not compare to the turmoil unleashed upon victims directly affected by the crimes. Because there are so many ways to steal a person’s identity, it is nearly impossible to prevent such crimes. Criminals search through trash, steal or reroute mail, intercept personal information over the internet, or peek over shoulders at checkout counters and ATMs. The outcomes of the crime can leave victims feeling depressed, isolated, helpless, and/or frustrated. Some effects of identity theft are difficulty obtaining loans, denied credit, bankruptcy, false arrests, denied employment, and evictions. (Slosrik, 2002) The use of a victim’s information varies. A 2004 survey of identity theft victims by the Javelin Strategy and Research organization breaks categorizes the uses of such sensitive information. Illustration 1 shows this breakdown.
(Morris, Johnson, & Kercher, 2005) Illustration 1
Preventing and resolving identity theft is not only an issue between companies and consumers, but also employers and employees. Employees that hold positions that deal with sensitive information are easily capable of committing identity theft. Jamie Lynn Roush is an example of one such case. While employed at Pizza Hut in 2008, Roush bought $6,700 worth of merchandise via the internet using customer bank card numbers. (Benamati, 2008) Another incident took place when a CEO of a computer company, Terrence D. Clark, used client and employee information to apply for loans and credit cards in 2006. (Mehta, 2006) Cases such as these show how easily employees are able to use sensitive information for their own personal gain. Since the responsibility of protecting consumer and employee information falls heavy on the shoulders of the companies, it is safe to conclude that businesses are not doing enough to protect such sensitive information.
In a study of Fortune 500 companies David Linowe found that 70 percent of the companies surveyed disclosed personal information to nongovernment credit grantors, 47 percent gave information to landlords, and 19 percent gave information to charitable organizations. Illustration 2 shows the breakdown of the release of information.
(Lynn, 1996) Illustration 2
As another example of the lack of efforts on the part of businesses, Bernie, a member of a 401K plan at a bank complains of having to input his social security number into the telephone when calling the bank’s automated service. The bank also lists social security numbers above the mailing address on the website. Bernie suggests that these practices have good potential for fraud. (Cases From the PRC Hotline, 1996) A large contributor to the problem is that employers are putting social security numbers on unnecessary documents. Not all documents need social security numbers printed on them. Using ‘x’ for the first five numbers, revealing only the last four is a better way to secure confidential information.
The time, money and emotion spent trying to fix one’s credit after an identity theft is priceless. Victims must go through a rigorous process in attempt to prove they are innocent. According to Experian.com, a website for one of the three major credit bureaus, negative changes made to a credit report can take between 7 and 15 years to be removed. (Improve Your Credit Score, 2010) Over the past year, identity theft rates have increased due to the poor economy. When the economy is bad, consumers are more negligent with their information, which in turn makes them easier targets. When facing hardships, consumers often gamble with business ventures or fall into online scams claiming to have the best deals. During economic struggles, consumers open more credit card accounts with higher interest rates and more fees.
Additionally, when the economy is bad criminals are more determined to commit the offense. According to the 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report, in the year 2009 identity theft rates increased 22%. When an economy struggles, people are forced to find new ways to make money. Businesses also suffer during economic hardships, so finding a job can be much more difficult. Criminals may feel more driven to steal money knowing it is not easily earned during economic hardships.
The lack of effort from businesses in protecting consumer and employee information has aided in the increase in identity theft rates. Responsibility for preventing and fixing such crimes should not fall entirely on the victims. Both the government and the companies should be held responsible for protecting consumer and employee information. More programs should be implemented within companies to ensure that employees are not able to gain sensitive information about clients, customers, and/or co-workers.
Although there is no way to protect yourself against identity theft, there are numerous actions you can take to lower your chances of becoming a victim. Credit card companies and banks sometimes provide identity theft protection, or reimbursement for fraud cases. You should check your credit report more frequently to make sure there are no unauthorized changes or credit checks. Also, shred any and all documents that contain confidential information. Look for and verify security on websites when making purchases online. Never allow your credit card to be taken out of your sight when shopping or eating out. It is estimated that 1 in 4 people will become victims of identity theft. Understanding the risks as well as knowing how to fix the damage caused is most important when dealing with this crime. Following these simple guidelines and taking action as quickly as possible will not only make the process easier, but could prevent you from additional attacks. Anyone can become a victim of identity theft, so it is important to monitor your credit report regularly. So i ask you, how often will you check your credit report?
Benamati, J. (2008). Former Pizza Hut Employee Arrested in Identity Theft of Customers. The Tribune Democrat . Retrieved January 22, 2010 from http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_022230152.html
Cases From the PRC Hotline. (1996). Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: http://www.privacyrights.org/cases/cases2.htm
Improve Your Credit Score. (2010). Retrieved January 2, 2010, from Experian: http://www.experian.com/credit-education/improve-credit-score.html
Justice, U. D. (2006). A National Strategy to Combat Identity Theft. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from US Department of Justice: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/Publications/e03062303.pdf
Lynn, A. (1996). Retrieved December 4, 2009, from Electronic Privacy Information Center: http://epic.org/privacy/workplace/linowesPR.html
Matejkovic, J. E., & Lahey, K. E. (2001). Identity Theft: No Help for Consumers. Retrieved January 5, 2010, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=7139800&site=ehost-live
Mehta, S. (2006). Fortune. Retrieved January 2, 2010, from CNNMoney: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/12/11/8395384/index.htm
Monahan, M., & Kim, R. (2009). Retrieved December 11, 2009, from 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report: http://www.javelinstrategy.com/uploads/901.R_IdentityFraudSurveyBrochure.pdf
Morris, R., Johnson, M., & Kercher, G. (2005). Identity Theft: A Research Report. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/id_theft_report.pdf
Punishment for identity theft. (2006). Retrieved January 2, 2010, from Identity Theft Awarness: http://www.identity-theft-awareness.com/punishment-for-identity-theft.html
R.E. (2001, October 1). Cases. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: http://www.privacyrights.org/cases/victim15.htm
Slosrik, K. (2002). Identity Theft: An Overview of the Problem. Justice Professional, 15 (4), 329.Retrieved January 22, 2010 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=9360871&site=ehost-live


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Today the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 all allow you to purchase and download games via their online stores, now we can confirm that despite the success of WiiWare Nintendo will continue using physical media with their future products.
The next major Nintendo console we expect to see unveiled is the Nintendo Wii successor, which may be called the Wii 2, this recent announcement from Nintendo pretty much confirms that the Wii 2 will feature some sort of optical drive to play its games.
Nintendo’s European MD of marketing told Edge “the packaged software or retail market is the one that’s going to drive the mass market” and also added “We have never seen any link between growth in the mobile gaming market and decrease in the normal software market”.
Throughout the last couple of years we have seen digital downloads take off in many different ways, the App Store has seen millions of game downloads and a lot of people now stream movies rather than buy the physical media, therefore many thought that future game consoles may do away with physical media, however it seems as if Nintendo are worried that this could cause a drop in sales.
It will be interesting to see if Microsoft and Sony do the same with their next consoles, personally I think that physical media will be around for a long-while yet, if not it will have a huge effect on a lot of online retailers and highstreet stores, what do you think?
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The Council of Fashion Designers America and Fashion Trust USA have recognized five designers of color with exceptional talent and promise with a $40,000 award each to support their business needs. The designers are Aisling Camps, a mechanical engineer turned fashion designer; Charles Harbison, founder and creative director of Harbison, a luxury lifestyle studio; Sergio Hudson, designer of his eponymous luxury women’s wear label; Sami Miro, founder, designer and creative director of Sami Miro Vintage, and Omar Salam, founder and creative director of global fashion house Sukeina.“The Council of Fashion Designers of America is pleased to work with the Fashion Trust USA to recognize the noteworthy talent of these designers, and provide financial awards to support their vision and short-term goals,” said Lisa Smilor, executive vice president of the CFDA. The CFDA Fashion Trust was founded as a charitable initiative that provided business support to U.S.-based designers through financial grants and strategic mentoring. The idea of a Fashion Trust originated in the U.K., where Fares founded the program in partnership with the British Fashion Council, and helped such designers as JW Anderson, Erdem and Emilia Wickstead. The CFDA decided to end its partnership with Fashion Trust amid COVID-19 and recent social justice movements, as it decided to pivot its focus to helping designers navigate this time, working on diversity, equity and inclusion programming and focusing their support on internal programs rather than an outside organization. The CFDA remains supportive of Fashion Trust and it was part of the decision to support the selected designers.
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After a few days of rumors, Square Enix has officially delayed the release of Final Fantasy XV. The title, which has undergone an extensive development cycle at this point, will be the next installment in the popular Final Fantasy game series. In a statement released today, Square Enix did confirm the new release date, which will be November 29, 2016. The company also stated that the new release date will allow the development teams more time to “further polish and conduct quality testing,”
“From the moment we joined this project, our vision was to create a level of freedom and realism previously unseen in the series. Regrettably, we need a little bit more time to deliver on this vision and are confident that this new release date will help us achieve this,” said Hajime Tabata the game director. “As the director and lead of this project, I wish to personally apologize for the additional wait. As a team, we want FINAL FANTASY XV to achieve a level of perfection that our fans deserve. We kindly ask for your understanding.”
As of right now, the release dates for the disc version of both KINGSGLAIVE: FINAL FANTASY XV (shown above) and BROTHERHOOD FINAL FANTASY XV have not been changed, but they could be pushed back as well to coincide with the new Final Fantasy XV launch. Square Enix has not confirmed the release date for that material, but will be releasing a statement on a release window at a later date.
FINAL FANTASY XV is the highly anticipated action roleplaying game (RPG) and 15th mainline entry in the iconic FINAL FANTASY franchise. Set in an enthralling world where fantasy meets reality, players will join Crown Prince Noctis and his comrades on an epic journey of brotherhood, love and despair as they unravel Noctis’s destiny and take up arms against the warmongering empire, Niflheim. With a new cast of characters, breathtaking visuals, open world exploration and action-packed real time combat, FINAL FANTASY XV is the ultimate FINAL FANTASY experience for fans and newcomers to the series.
The game will launch for PS4 and Xbox One this November, but the delay will give fans more time to save up for those special editions when the game launches.


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Some of the tuna served in Chicago's top sushi restaurants contains so much mercury that it shouldn't be eaten by anyone, according to a study released Thursday by the group Environment Illinois.
"Mercury contamination is a toxic threat to food safety in Illinois," said Max Muller, an advocate for the non-partisan environmental advocacy group, in a news release announcing the study called "Toxic Tuna."
The organization teamed up with gotmercury.org, a Web site that offers an online mercury calculator, to test 20 samples of tuna sushi from 10 restaurants selected from the Zagat Survey dining guide.
They found the samples contained an average mercury concentration of 0.446 parts per million--about 15 percent higher than the mercury content of fresh and frozen tuna reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the release. In addition, they found that more than 10 percent of the tuna samples contained mercury levels above 1.0 ppm, which is the legal limit set by the FDA for fish sold in the U.S. Mercury is a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities and neurological problems.
The findings come after several recent revelations about the danger posed by mercury in fish, suggesting tuna served in any restaurant could be harmful if consumed often.
Late last year, a Chicago Tribune investigation found that supermarkets throughout the Chicago area are routinely selling seafood highly contaminated with mercury.
In July, the Consumer Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, recommended that pregnant women avoid eating all tuna.
But Anne Forristall Luke, president of the U.S. Tuna Foundation, which represents canned tuna producers, said the health benefits of eating fish far outweigh the risks.
"American consumers are getting a lot of mixed messages about seafood consumption," she said.
Luke said Americans should actually be eating more fish than they currently do.
"Americans eat less than 50 percent of the amount of fish that the USDA recommends Americans get in their diet," she said.


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Quibi’s shutdown underscores economic challenge for big-budget, bite-sized shows
Quibi’s demise is not the death knell for premium short-form video. But it does show the challenge of building a business around TV-quality, YouTube-length shows.
Leading up to Quibi’s April 2020 launch, some media executives had hoped the mobile video platform’s debut would herald a resurgent appetite for short-form programming with high production values (and budgets). That hasn’t happened. Instead, Quibi — which said on Oct. 21 that it is shutting down — marks the latest example of the market limitations for short-form video.
In a statement announcing Quibi’s shutdown, the company’s founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said, “Our standalone business model is no longer viable.” However, it’s unclear when it was ever viable to pay large sums for bite-sized shows and expect the investment to be directly paid off.
The issue with the short-form video market is an economic one. Is there sufficient revenue to support series designed for people to watch in the crevices of their lives, which can just as easily be filled by Instagram and TikTok? That’s not to say that premium short-form programming is not financially viable. It can be, so long as the costs are kept in check and/or direct revenue is not the end-goal. Quibi’s demise may not spur a recession of the premium short-form video market, but rather a correction.
“Right now, traditional companies need to think how to be best-in-class creatives, but produce far more inexpensively. It doesn’t seem like there’s a need for big production budgets to produce on mobile or social,” said one media executive.
Having raised $1.75 billion in funding, Quibi was paying out $10,000 to $125,000 per minute for a programming format that had historically been constrained to per-minute budgets closer to $1,000. To make back that money, it was counting on people paying $8 a month to watch its shows without ads or $5 a month to watch with ads. However, mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower estimated that iPhone and Android users who had installed Quibi’s app had only spent $7.7 million on Quibi subscriptions since its launch. Meanwhile, advertisers like General Mills and Taco Bell that had committed to spend $150 million on Quibi in its first year had reportedly asked to defer their payments because of the platform’s low viewership.
Quibi isn’t the only example of how hard it is to make the economics of premium short-form video work. In February 2016, YouTube debuted its first slate of original shows and movies but made them only available to people paying $10 per month for YouTube Red subscriptions. Three years later, in 2019 YouTube announced that it would begin premiering original shows on its free, ad-supported tier. Since then, both YouTube and Facebook have dialed back their original programming ambitions by stepping away from scripted fare that is more expensive to produce than reality and documentary shows. “The budgets have definitely gotten considerably smaller,” said a second media executive who was unable to cite specific figures.
There is room for high-end short-form programming, however. But it’s just that: a room within a bigger house. “The interesting thing with premium short-form [programming] is does there need to be a platform just for that?” said a third media executive.
The answer appears to be no. The place for premium short-form shows, at least for now, is tucked within platforms alongside other types of programming. YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat carry premium short-form shows, but user-generated content remains their bread and butter. Free, ad-supported streaming TV services like Pluto TV are stocked with short-form shows stitched into long-form programming blocks but increasingly feature old TV shows and movies.
The business model for premium short-form programming is similarly entwined. As the streaming market for original shows grows, media companies are increasingly using the short-form shows they post to YouTube and Snapchat as effectively pilots to develop into series to sell to Netflix and Hulu.
But they are also finding other opportunities to make money from them. A+E Networks, for example, is inserting its Facebook and YouTube videos between long-form TV episodes on its ad-supported 24/7 streaming channels. Some media companies are licensing their short-form programming to other companies, such as international publishers an and generating single-digit millions of dollars in annual revenue, according to two media executives. “As long as you’re not specifically building content for that licensing effort, it’s a really lovely, very margin-favorable business,” said a fourth media executive.
There remains the option to simply produce premium short-form shows to distribute on platforms like YouTube and Snapchat. But then the production costs need to be managed to be in line with the expected advertising revenue, which can have the effect of making a program less premium.
“If you’re doing a show for a low-budget venue like YouTube or Facebook, you’re producing for that lower budget. So the level of production you put in is more limited,” said a fifth media executive.
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So far, Satya Nadella’s moves as head of Microsoft echo the teachings of Jim Collins’ 2001 best seller, Good to Great. It’s a book about how and why some companies wallow in mediocrity and others operate at several levels of magnitude higher than their peers — think Apple for one and Salesforce for another.
Nadella has done a good job of articulating a vision for Microsoft — a Collins fundamental — and now he’s on to getting the right people on the bus and getting the wrong ones off. By wrong we should be clear that wrong isn’t bad, it’s just not in the direction of the future.
A clear example would be hardware. Microsoft added 25,000 people when it acquired Nokia and about 12,500 of the announced layoffs are scheduled to come from that workforce. These are good people, mostly, who make things that under, Nadella, Microsoft would prefer not to make though Steve Ballmer thought otherwise. To be fair to both people, there are a lot of things that Nokia had to do as an independent company that can now be rolled into Microsoft’s operations. Acquisitions always find these kinds of economies.
In this process, Nadella is articulating his vision more deeply because his actions are telling everyone this is what we do well and what we need to do more of. This is our future. At the same time, Nadella is, perhaps confronting some brutal truths, for instance, that Microsoft will not unseat either Apple or Google in the device and probably tablet arenas. Google’s Android OS is ubiquitous and free — not simply cheap — so it’s hard to compete. Also, vendors of devices that use Android are selling at cost (of the hardware that is) so it’s easy to see that if you want to make a lot of money in devices, you should stay out of the way and count the money you didn’t waste.
Next steps in this rolling reorg should be hiring and expansion in the areas where Microsoft can compete strongly. That should mean cloud computing in all its forms and possibly some really focused vertical market strategy for the Surface. Microsoft has some great technology and patents in Surface as well as in patents for sensor technologies. You don’t play three dimensionally exacting games like golf on XBox without some dandy sensing technology and that same stuff should find its way into myriad small devices that compete in the IoT bubble that’s rapidly ramping up.
If I had to guess, I’d say that Microsoft’s biggest next opportunity would be IoT and supporting the new business processes that it will spawn and Nadella has already made reference to processes several times.
At the same time, there is work to be done in Microsoft’s more traditional products. Things like Windows are unacceptably hard to install and use and that beast needs to be tamed once and for all. The company has a proud tradition of engineering and technical excellence around the OS but, let’s face it, today the OS is meant to be seen and not heard. Also, Apple announced almost a year ago that OSX would henceforth be free. It’s a simple download and at a cost of zero, there are shades of Android all over the place.
So Microsoft’s sweet spot seems to be in its server software, database, and Office, which should be all over Android, iOS and the Web as it is on OSX, and future IoT strategies. If you put that together there’s more than enough to occupy the company and to boost its revenues. That includes CRM and back office ERP systems. But while Microsoft prides itself on offering an integrated suite of front to back office solutions it’s going to need to decouple them and make all its solutions better able to work with other products like NetSuite, Salesforce, Oracle, SAP, and other apps that exist in other ecosystems.
In that vein, consider that last week, Apple and IBM announced a partnership that bypasses the things that made these companies competitors and focuses more on what they can do together. It’s a sign to me that we are changing paradigms again. Platforms used to mean operating systems, compilers and databases and while they’re all still vitally important, they’ve been commoditized to the point that they are increasingly homogeneous.
The new platform battleground will be in apps, their development and maintenance. A great example of all this is Salesforce which, I believe, uses the Oracle database, along with some lesser known products as well as Linux. What’s behind the Salesforce screen is largely taken for granted these days and the emphasis there is on apps and business processes, as it should be.
If that’s true, and I think it is, then that’s what Nadella is pushing his company towards. It might still require more cutting and reforming but that’s business and for Microsoft this change was overdue, but at least the company is now on the move.


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Of several very early adopters spent more and more bitcoins plenty times just before they truly became beneficial or ordered simply smaller amounts and you may failed to make grand progress. This is extremely the same as investing an early business that can either get worthy of with regards to flexibility and you will prominence, or maybe just never ever come through. New Bitcoin method alone can’t be changed without any venture from nearly all its users, just who choose exactly what app they use. Attempting to assign unique legal rights so you can a region power on the regulations of the internationally Bitcoin network isn’t an useful possibility. One rich organization could desire spend money on exploration knowledge to help you control 50 % of the latest computing strength of your own circle and become in a position to cut-off otherwise reverse present transactions. Brand new Bitcoin system normally currently techniques a much higher level of deals for each 2nd than just it does today.
Bitcoin’s 21 million have cap is meant to control rising prices one to might, otherwise, result from an endless likewise have. Nevertheless enjoys excessive this new cryptocurrency’s costs through it a scarce item. The fresh new cryptocurrency are used for people transaction in which the team is accept it as true. This new U.S. buck is still El Salvador’s top money. In such a scenario, it’s likely that Covering dos technologies, like the Super Network, will become accountable for guaranteeing a lot of transactions toward the network. For this reason, the fresh new cryptocurrency’s genuine system by itself was used only to settle high batches out-of purchases. In the event the Bitcoin gets preferred once the a media away from change on the future, its transaction number have a tendency to increase. Earlier precedent indicates that there is a serious options that the fresh community have a tendency to reduce.
not, there is no make certain they might hold it energy while the this involves to invest normally than some other miners in the nation
Good government’s ability to printing an unlimited number of currency possess brought about symptoms away from hyperinflation having determined the value of of numerous fiat currencies, such as the Italian language Draw and you may Zimbabwean money, down seriously to zero. Unlike having fiat money, there’s a limited way to obtain bitcoin. The fresh new bitcoin are created on a predetermined rate one to reduces overtime, that causes consult to help you outpace supply. This is not you are able to to alter the newest Bitcoin process one effortlessly. Any Bitcoin customer that will not adhere to a similar laws usually do not demand her regulations on the most other profiles. As per the most recent specs, twice expenses isn’t feasible on the same block strings, and neither is expenses bitcoins versus a valid signature. For this reason, this isn’t you are able to to create uncontrolled amounts of bitcoins away out of nothing, invest almost every other users’ funds, corrupt the fresh new circle, otherwise things similar.
The newest 2014 documentary An upswing and you may Increase out of Bitcoin illustrates new variety regarding motives behind making use of bitcoin because of the interviewing people exactly who put it to use. The new 2016 documentary Banking to the Bitcoin is an introduction to brand new roots away from bitcoin and ideas at the rear of cryptocurrency now. Multiple information retailers features asserted that the fresh new popularity of bitcoins hinges toward capability to make use of them to invest in illegal merchandise. Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz claims you to bitcoin’s anonymity prompts money laundering or any other criminal activities http://besthookupwebsites.org/tr/chatfriends-inceleme. At the time of 2015, estimated shared stamina consumption related to exploration is actually 166.7 megawatts by 2017, was projected to-be between you to definitely and you may five gigawatts regarding energy. Inside the 2018, bitcoin is projected to make use of dos.55 to 3.572 GW, or about 6% of your overall energy consumed by the international banking field. For the BBC reported bitcoin consumes on the eight gigawatts, 0.2% of your own globally complete, otherwise comparable to compared to Switzerland. An effective 2021 imagine regarding College or university out-of Cambridge suggests bitcoin consumes over 178 a-year, ranks it on the better 30 time consumers in the event it was a nation. nine mil and you will 5.8 million unique pages put an effective cryptocurrency purse in 2017, a lot of them to own bitcoin.


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© British Fashion Council
London Fashion Week Men's
Read GQ editor Dylan Jones' welcome speech introducing the tenth season of what is now London Fashion Week Men's
Welcome to the tenth season of what is now London Fashion Week Men's. In 2012 we set out to create a global platform for British and international menswear designers, and as we all know, it has been successful beyond our wildest dreams. This showcase was intended to show the breadth of UK menswear, from iconic British designers, heritage brands and Savile Row tailors to the most cutting-edge, emerging talent.
Since then we have achieved all of this and more – growing from three days to four to accommodate a growing schedule, and attracting global brands. This season we are delighted to announce that Vivienne Westwood has returned to show in London, while we are all excited by Tinie Tempah’s first collection. Also, this season our menswear ambassadors - Tinie, Hu Bing, Lewis Hamilton, Nick Grimshaw, David Gandy and Dermot O’Leary - have been joined by David Furnish, one of the keenest supporters of the British fashion industry.
Read more: GQ's 50 best-dressed men 2017
London has always prided itself on showcasing creativity, particularly when it comes to fashion, and as the city has always been a keen exponent of the traditional and the rebellious, it’s no surprise that in the last six months, our capital has become even more renowned as a centre of excellence. Regardless of the fluctuating fortunes of the financial markets, and the fall-out from Brexit, not a day goes by when someone somewhere doesn’t say that London is the home of menswear. Other fashion capitals can lay claim to their own menswear heritage, but no city is so closely associated with menswear as London is.
Finally, it pleases me enormously to be able to say that our wonderful new mayor Sadiq Khan has been unrelenting in his support for London Fashion Week Men’s. Not only has he been a huge supporter behind the scenes, but he is here today to officially open our tenth season, so please will you join me in giving a huge round of applause to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan!


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Canadian airline WestJet is to test contactless and NFC payments for in-flight purchases, American Banker reports. Technology from GuestLogix and MasterCard will boost transaction security in the air, where online authorisations are impractical. “Airlines have come to recognize there is a wide array of merchandise they can sell onboard, including items like wine and apparel they can have delivered to passengers’ homes when they land,” says GuestLogix.
- Google discusses Wallet plans
- Johnny Rockets puts tablets in 200 restaurants
- Acer Pay is on the way
- Beep’nGo hits 5m downloads
- Newspaper tests BLE beacons


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Subaru has confirmed that its rather handsome new Subaru Levorg GT estate will go on sale in the UK in September.
The Levorg – not to be confused with La Forge, the engineer in Star Trek: The Next Generation – effectively replaces the Legacy estate which was dropped from the UK line-up in 2008.
Though it is related to the current, sixth-generation Legacy, the Levorg isn’t simply the latest Legacy estate by another name. There is a wagon-bodied Legacy, but it’s only available as the Outback crossover. Clear as mud, then.
Essentially, the Levorg is a posh-ish, left-field alternative to the Ford Mondeo. Power comes from a 1.6-litre, ‘boxer’ four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, sending its 168bhp to trademark four-wheel-drive via a Lineartronic CVT gearbox. Not the liveliest of powertrains, but it should be very refined.
According to Subaru, the Levorg comes loaded with safety kit, including blind spot assist and rear vehicle alert. It will also have Subaru’s latest infotainment system along with “bespoke sports seats and premium materials.”
Full pricing and specs will be announced before the Subaru Levorg GT goes on sale. Expect the range to expand to include a diesel option and we rather hope there’s a successor to the old Legacy R Spec B, which teamed a 250bhp engine, WRX STi suspension and nondescript styling for one of the great Q-cars of recent years.
For more information click here
By Only Motors


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Dentsu Group reported today that it achieved 9.1% organic revenue growth in the first quarter of 2022.
The company’s Japan operation achieved 10% organic growth (which strips out the impact of M&A and currency fluctuations.)
Dentsu International, which manages operations outside of Japan achieved 8.4% organic growth for the period.
“Dentsu Group has seen a strong start to the year with organic growth ahead of expectations as clients continue to invest in brand experiences informed by data and analytics,” said Hiroshi Igarashi, President and CEO, Dentsu Group.
Wendy Clark, Global CEO, Dentsu International, added, “Our Q1 2022 financial results showed growth across all regions and service Lines.” She asserted that “There continues to be growth opportunity for the year ahead and we are in a strong position to capitalize on that further.”
With the solid start to the year, Igarashi said the firm was upgrading full-year organic growth guidance to between 4% and 5% from the previously stated outlook of 4%. The outlook for domestic operations remains 2 to 3% and while Dentsu International is upgraded to 5% to 6% from the 4 to 5% announced in February.
The company said it took an approximately $110 million write-down related to exiting its operations in Russia as a result of that country’s invasion of Ukraine. The firm is still in the process of transferring its assets in the country to local entities.
“The situation in Ukraine remains at the forefront of our minds and we continue to support our colleagues in the region with accommodation arrangements, border transfers and legal assistance,” Igarashi said.
Clark added that "The humanitarian impact of the past quarter has been unspeakable. We stand unequivocally with Ukraine and the global community calling for the restoration of peace." She noted that network staffers had made thousands of dollars in personal contributions and that Dentsu Group has donated "more than $2 million to critical humanitarian aid and refugee relief efforts. These actions are reflective of who we are and what we stand for at Dentsu.”
The write-down was mostly off set by the sale of real estate assets which Dentsu said added about $90 million to Q1 operating profits.
Net revenue for the period was just over $2 billion, up 16.4%. Net profit was about $185 million, up severalfold compared to the roughly $38 million in Q1 2021 profit.
The Americas was the company’s fastest growing region with organic growth of 13.4%. That region accounts for about a quarter of Dentsu’s total net revenue.
Both the US market and Canada reported 14% organic growth boosted by strong media spend. Dentsu said CXM (consumer experience management), led by Merkle, outperformed expectations in the first quarter and creative delivered mid-single digit organic growth.
EMEA posted 5.3% growth (excluding Russia) and APAC (excluding Japan) had 5.2% growth.


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ANKARA (Turkey), March 22 (SeeNews) - Turkey's specialty polymers and chemicals manufacturer Sasa Polyester Sanayi AS [IST:SASA] said on Monday that it decided to invest an estimated $330 million (276.7 million euro) in the construction of a new fiber production plant.
The investment is planned to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2023 and its annual contribution to the company's turnover is forecast at around $550 million, Sasa said in a bourse filing.
The plant is expected to produce 367,500 tonnes of fiber per year, the company added.
Sasa's consolidated net profit dropped to 312.2 million lira ($39.4 million/33.1 million euro) in 2020, compared with 1.1 billion lira in 2019, mainly due to higher cost of sales, the company's most recent financial statement showed.
Sasa has been operating in the polyester sector since 1966. The company produces polyester staple fibers, filament yarns, polyester-based and specialty polymers and intermediates (DMT).
($ = 0.838766 euro)


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By Dustin Volz and David Shepardson
WASHINGTON U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Silicon Valley executives have a chance to smooth over frictions when they meet at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday for talks, after both sides made no secret of their disdain for each other during the presidential campaign.Sources said the meeting may skirt the numerous disagreements with Trump — who has accused tech companies of being overvalued — in favor of a focus on shared priorities.”If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever,” Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz, who will attend the meeting, said in a statement.The tech luminaries, including Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) Tim Cook, Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Inc’s (TSLA.O) Elon Musk, will get a chance to promote their priorities like strong encryption and liability protections from content shared by their users.The meeting is billed as an introductory session, said four sources briefed on the talks, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting.Other expected participants include Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O) Satya Nadella, and Ginni Rometty from IBM (IBM.N), sources said.The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber were invited but are not attending. Uber’s Travis Kalanick will instead be traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans.
Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges. He has said that many tech companies are overvalued by investors.”You look at some of these tech stocks that are so, so weak as a concept and a company and they’re selling for so much money,” he told Reuters in an interview in May.Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China, a key market for U.S. tech companies, and appoint officials who favor expanded surveillance programs.
“For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend” because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.Nearly 600 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump’s administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign. Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump’s character reflected poorly on the United States.
Despite those tensions, Trump named Musk to a business advisory council that will give private-sector input to Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20. Uber’s Kalanick was also appointed to the council.From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found. Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company’s refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year’s San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration’s net neutrality rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC. Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality’s “days are numbered.” (Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan, Grant Smith, Heather Somerville, Steve Holland and Jim Finkle; Editing by Peter Cooney and Alistair Bell)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
First Published On : Dec 14, 2016 21:26 IST


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2021 Ford Bronco is Rolling Off the Line at Long Last
Eleven months after its big debut, the all-new 2021 Ford Bronco—both in two-door and four-door configurations—is finally rolling off the line at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.
The first production units are now on the way to Ford dealerships across North America. And it was about damn time as more than 125,000 of the 190,000 reservation holders in the U.S. and Canada have placed an order to date.
- Also: 2021 Ford Bronco Official Specs Reveal Higher Power, Torque Figures
- Also: 2021 Ford Bronco Gets Over 125,000 Orders
“We know the fans have been waiting for the Bronco, and we’re so excited to bring it back,” said Suzy Deering, Ford chief marketing officer. “And this Bronco is better than ever. We’re staying authentic to Bronco’s goes-over-any-terrain heritage and have leveraged the brand’s Built Wild innovative design, durability and advanced off-road capability to get the most out of every adventure in the wild.”
Production of the new 2021 Bronco started earlier this spring but suffered delays caused by pandemic-related supply issues, particularly with the maker of the removable roof.
Right next door to the Michigan Assembly Plant is the Modification Center where Bronco customers can have all sorts of accessories, exterior graphic packages and performance parts fitted to their Bronco. They can also choose from an extensive lineup of more than 200 factory-backed accessories added at the dealership for maximum personalization.
In addition to two different body styles (two doors or four doors), the 2021 Ford Bronco offers a choice of two turbocharged engines: a 2.3-litre four-cylinder rated at 275 horsepower and 315 pound-feet, and a 2.7-litre V6 producing 315 horsepower and 410 pound-feet. Both deliver even more power with premium gasoline.
There are six trim levels available including base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outerbanks, Badlands and Wildtrack. Any of them can be had with the Sasquatch Package, which adds an advanced 4x4 system and 17-inch wheels on 35-inch tires. In Canada, pricing starts at $40,499.


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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Shell Point Retirement Community invites the public to join its 14th annual Artists and Artisans Holiday Bazaar, taking place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2 at The Village Church on The Island at Shell Point.
Hosted by creative Shell Point residents, the annual event will feature one-of-a-kind items created or enhanced by more than 60 talented Shell Point residents. The Artists and Artisans Holiday Bazaar provides guests with an array of unique, hand-designed items and novelty gifts in time for the holiday season, including specialty Christmas décor, Christmas novelties, stylish totes, jewelry, intricate wood sculptures, three-dimensional paper crafts, homemade tasty goodies, children’s clothing, stained glass, books, scarves and more.
“Shell Point residents put an incredible amount of effort, originality and care into the creation of quality products to be sold at our annual event,” said Karen Hubbard, Shell Point resident and chairperson of the craft show. “Spread holiday cheer by purchasing these one-of-a-kind treasures for someone special.”
Admission to the Artists and Artisans Holiday Bazaar is free and open to the public, although crafts may be purchased by cash or check only. After shopping, guests can enjoy a meal at one of Shell Point’s on-site public restaurants. For more information on the upcoming event, visit www.ShellPoint.org.


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Hasbro, the company behind blockbuster IPs such as Monopoly and Dungeons & Dragons may be looking at integrating artificial intelligence into its board games before long. Hasbro recently announced a partnership with an Italian AI company, Xplored, which the publisher confirms is intended to allow it to develop a new tabletop platform that mixes elements of digital and physical play.
Introducing Seamless Digital Integration with the Physical World
The floated idea is to build board games that feature smart-sensing technology and dynamic multimedia content, possibly shaping the future of board games as we know it. Of course, rushed efforts to litter board games with bells and whistles of malfunctioning tech is not going to cut it so Hasbro needs to tread lightly.
However, the company is confident that its partnership with Xplored can be a firm first step in the right direction. Xplored describes itself as a company that connects physical and digital worlds, helping players to remain focused on the game and derive better satisfaction from their gameplay.
Among the discussed benefits from this potential integration is to make learning games far more entertaining without the need for a rulebook, the opportunity to save games and continue later, and more. There is connected dice and immersive contextual sound that seem to be within Xplored’s technological remit to accomplish and deploy.
Commenting on this exciting opportunity, Hasbro Gaming senior vice president and general manager Adam Biehl confirmed that it’s his company’s intention to seamlessly onboard powerful AI-driven game mechanics into physical games:
As the global leader in tabletop games, we envision a future where technology seamlessly integrates into analog gaming experiences and working with Xplored enables us to deliver innovative gameplay to our players and fans.
The exact parameters of this partnership have not yet been fully defined, nor have there been any titles suggested as testing ground just yet. Xplored founder and chief executive officer Davide Garofalo said that his company was excited to be collaborating with Hasbro, as the company has a bulky portfolio of iconic games and titles that are well-established in the industry.
A Tested System That Works
These games have been bringing joy and entertainment to fans and families for generations, and we look forward to continuing that tradition by empowering Hasbro’s brands with our smart Teburu technology to enhance the user experience,” Garofalo said.
Xplored boldly calls Teburu the future of board gaming and is already working with publishers and developers. The system will be integrated in Vampire: The Masquerade: Milan Uprising, which is launching its Gamefound campaign in just hours from now.
Among the games powered by Teburu are Sword & Sorcery and The Bad Karmas. The system is bound to become even more popular and familiar to the average board gamer now that Hasbro is involved.


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“Can Argentina-based Cool Brands Supply S.A., a well-known brand among skateboarders, prevail in its recently filed trademark infringement lawsuit against LIV Golf and Hy Flyers GC (one of LIV Golf’s 12 teams, captained by Phil Mickelson)?”
So asks Harness IP partner Joe Walsh in an informative look at a high-stakes trademark dispute among international sporting goods brands.
The article, published recently in Law360, analyzes a recent suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, overseen by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In the suit, Cool Brands alleges that LIV Golf and Hy Flyers have impinged on a logo it owns for its Fallen line of apparel. LIV counters that the logo marks are not similar enough to confuse consumers.
Walsh’s detailed analysis of the case includes a breakdown of the key points the Third Circuit is likely to consider. “At least legally, the answer to this question will be decided based on an application of 10 factors identified by the Third Circuit in the trademark infringement matter of Interpace Corp. v. Lapp,” he writes.
Walsh offers readers his take on the arguments likely to be presented by both sides, with noted mention of recent news surrounding the formation of LIV Golf and the apparent strength of the plaintiff’s complaint in this seemingly David versus Goliath matter.
Based in the firm’s St. Louis Metro office, Walsh negotiates and drafts a full array of IP agreements including sophisticated research, joint-development, technology-transfer, and licensing agreements. He delivers legal and business solutions to complex patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and related litigation and licensing matters.


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FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 1, 2020) - To accommodate local business owners and assist with compliance under the Governor’s Executive Order 20-112 issued on April 29, the City of Fort Myers has created a Temporary Outdoor Dining Area permit to allow for additional outdoor seating for restaurants. The temporary permit will help businesses maintain social distancing within restaurant capacity limits under the executive order.
The temporary permit will offer restaurants the ability to expand outdoor seating areas not previously allowed, such as open outdoor spaces and parking lots. There will be no application fees for the permit. All temporary outdoor dining areas must allow for fire department access and comply with all Americans with Disability Act provisions. In addition, applicants shall comply with the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco rules and regulations.
Applications can be submitted online at https://www.cityftmyers.com/DocumentCenter/View/14723/Temporary-Outdoor-Dining-Area-Application or in person at the City of Fort Myers Community Development Department, 1825 Hendry Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901. For more information, contact Nicole DeVaughn at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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At least 1,000 small and medium-size enterprises and small entrepreneurs islandwide will gifted a free e-commerce website with free hosting on Sunday, May 16, courtesy of WiPay Jamaica.
This will be facilitated via an online session for which businesses will need an email address to sign up using the registration portal on WiPay Jamaica’s website, wipay.jamaica.com, on Facebook, on Twitter @wipayjamaica, and Instagram, @wipayjamaica.
At the end of the session, all websites will be fully operational.
The multimillion-dollar Project 1,000 initiative will be documented in the Guinness Book of World Records, organisers said.
WiPay Jamaica, a subsidiary of WiPay Holdings Group, a leading Caribbean fintech and payment solutions company, said it saw the need to foster digitalisation through the launch of the Government’s E-commerce National Delivery Solution (ENDS) platform. The company was among the private-sector partners involved in the platform’s development.


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After experiencing ferrous scrap prices with consistently upward momentum in 2021, the first buying period of 2022 proved stressful and not especially profitable for processors and sellers of ferrous scrap.
Metals pricing services showed export prices from the United States dropping up to $45 per ton and mill buying prices in the U.S. falling by an even greater amount in the buying period that typically concludes the 10th of each month.
A price drop was not completely unanticipated by processors and traders, but several indicated dissatisfaction with the steepness of the January curve. These market sources also indicate a belief that a February rebound is likely.
“Export markets dropped but have come up since with the rise in Turkey, and seem poised to increase further if the Kanto offer [bid by a Japanese buyer] has higher values,” a processor on the West Coast tells Recycling Today in mid-January.
The Kanto offer, reported by Argus Media, is among several export deals being reported on by trade publications including Argus, Fastmarkets AMM and Davis Index. Davis Index reports point to increased interest in U.S. ferrous scrap supplies by buyers in Bangladesh and Pakistan. That news service also reports increased import activity in South Korea and Vietnam, though the U.S. is not reported as the supplier of choice.
Nathan Fruchter of New York-based Idoru Trading Corp. tells Recycling Today the export demand is substantial and widespread, and scrap prices were already rebounding in active port regions of the U.S.
“The demand from the export market is there,” Fruchter says, though he makes a distinction between the bulk cargo market and the containerized sector. “Demand is there serving the bulk markets in Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Vietnam and Bangladesh,” he comments. “Business is there to be done and cargoes have moved.”
As has been documented by Recycling Today and well beyond, making bookings and following through on container shipping arrangements remains problematic, with Fruchter finding few reasons for optimism.
“On the container shipping side, containers remain in short supply,” Fruchter says. “It’s not a good situation for containers.” While container shippers continue to chase a future where the situation improves, Fruchter notes, “If one or more ports in China close down for another virus-related lockdown, that could screw up container shipping even more.”
The domestic ferrous market in January had problematic aspects of its own, with one source pointing to the behavior of large mill companies and their internal scrap processing networks as a factor.
A processor in the Great Lakes region says one mill-related company came in early in the buying period making bids around $70 per ton lower than December prices. Typically, the processor says, “I sell them a pretty good slug of heavy melting steel (HMS), plate and structural and magnetic steel turnings monthly.”
After receiving what he considered low offers, the processor says he “pulled it all off the table and moved it in other directions,” although still down some $60 per ton from December. The mill-related company later came back seeking HMS and plate and structural scrap, but by then it had been committed to other buyers.
Both the West Coast and the Great Lakes processor say scrap flows stayed healthy in December and early January, although supply issues (along with the container bottlenecks) may yet rear their heads before February negotiations begin.
In the East Coast export market, a large shredder operated in the Boston area by Schnitzer Steel Industries has been down after a fire in early December. Also in December, operators of other shredding plants voluntarily kept their shredders on low idle, whether to perform maintenance, give personnel holiday time off, or to maintain minimal inventory in the 14 states with a year-end inventory tax.
If buyers and sellers can reach an amicable price in February, however, supplies likely can be found. “It was our busiest December in the several years I’ve been here, taking in 30 percent more scrap in December than any of the previous six years,” says the Great Lakes processor.
The West Coast processor characterizes scrap flows in his region by saying, “Flows haven’t changed the last few months even though we’ve had some harsh winter weather.” Adds the Great Lakes region recycler, “The week between Christmas and New Year’s was very slow; things still are on the quiet side, but the pace is picking up and we are starting to get busier.”


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U.S. stocks edged higher in early trading as the market sentiment, which was already riding high after last session’s rally when Dow Jones hit its all-time-high, received further boost from unexpectedly strong ADP job report.
At last check, the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index gained 0.42%; the NASDAQ Composite Index added 0.13% while the S&P 500 Index edged up 0.32%.
On the U.S. economic data front, a data provided by Moody’s Analytics/ Automatic Data Processing (ADP) showed that the private sector added more jobs than expected in February. The data showed that 198,000 jobs were created in February against economists’ expectation for 169,000.
Shares of Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) fell about 3.25% during early trade after the office supplies chain reported that profits plunged 74% in the fiscal fourth quarter. Although adjusted earnings barely beat Street’s forecast, revenue fell short of analysts’ expectation. The Company also provided a downbeat outlook on the current fiscal, citing weakness in consumer discretionary spending in the North American region and macroeconomic fragility in the euro zone.
Shares of gun maker, Smith & Wesson Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SWHC) slumped nearly 5.50% despite the company posting better than expected fiscal third-quarter results. Both earnings and revenue topped Street’s estimates thanks to higher margins and solid demand for its products as Americans fearing stricter gun-control laws stocked up firearms. The Company also provided optimistic guidance on full-year earnings.
Shares of Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) gained about 5% after the retailer’s quarterly earnings and revenue edged past Street’s forecast.
At 2:00 p.m. EST, the Federal Reserve is scheduled to release its monthly Beige Book, a barometer on the U.S. economy’s health.
Elsewhere in Europe, all leading benchmark indexes edged higher with Pan European Stoxx 600 Index gaining 0.19%, FTSE 100 edging up 0.38% while DAX was climbing 0.98%, at last check.
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Post Written By: Ed Liston
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing in his yacht.


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During the last week in March, 597 Tesla Model S were registered in Norway, giving it a market share of 12.9 percent. Number two on the list was the Volkswagen Golf with 169 vehicles.
For the entire month of March there were 1493 Model S registered which is an all time high for any car model in Norway in a single month, beating a previous record 1454 Ford Sierra in May 1986.
So far this year 2056 Tesla Model S were registered, surpassing the 1983 sold all of last year.
To put this figure into perspective, the Model S has out sold Ford's entire model range (1825) so far this year.
Tesla has a market share of 5.6 percent in 2014 and 10.8 percent in March. The U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer is the nation's sixth most registered mark in 2014!


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City Council OKs tax breaks for Atmel
Mar 27, 2012 (The Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The Colorado Springs City Council on Tuesday approved a series of retroactive tax breaks for California-based semiconductor manufacturer Atmel Corp. that will cut its tax bill by $339,070 on $25 million in equipment and other capital spending it plans in the Springs from 2011-15.
The tax breaks are retroactive for Atmel, which employs 1,330 at a chip plant at 1150 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd. An earlier agreement expired in 2009 and the company wanted the breaks to apply to $10.4 million it spent last year on the equipment, Bob Cope, a specialist in the mayor's Economic Vitality Office, said Tuesday. The city's economic development agreement with Atmel extends the breaks for 10 years beginning Jan. 1, 2011, and covers both the $10.4 million spent last year and another $14.6 million planned over the next four years, he said.
Under the new agreement, the city will rebate half of the personal property tax Atmel pays on equipment purchases during the 10-year period totaling between $1 million and $5 million and 90 percent of any amount higher than $5 million. Use taxes on machinery and equipment purchases would be reduced on any such spending totaling between $5 million and $20 million and waived above that level. The estimated tax reduction is 1.4 percent of what Atmel is spending and 1.1 percent of the revenue the city expects to receive from the company.
City officials estimate that Atmel's impact on the Colorado Springs economy during the 10-year term of the agreement at $1.9 billion, almost entirely from wages paid to its employees and wages from 2,056 jobs at retailers and other businesses Atmel employees support by spending their pay on cars, televisions, groceries and other items. The city also estimates Atmel would generate $31.6 million in revenue to the city from surplus payments from Colorado Springs Utilities to the city general fund as well as sales, property and other taxes.
"Atmel is one of our most important primary employers. It is exciting that they continue to invest in this community," said David White, executive vice president of marketing for the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC.
The agreement specifies the rebates can only be paid after the city has collected tax and other payments from the company and requires the company to make the $25 million investment in its local plant and "retain an estimated 1,300 existing local jobs assigned to its facilities" here. The agreement is similar to others the city has made with retail giant Wal-Mart to build a data center on the city's far north side and with test equipment manufacturer Agilent Technologies to expand its data center in northwest Colorado Springs.
The new agreement with Atmel comes just months after the company ended the contracts of an undisclosed number of temporary workers at the plant as the company responded to slowing sales and a weakening world economy. The plant had employed 1,700 as recently as December 2010, when an Atmel executive said the company had spent another $25 million to upgrade equipment in the facility and had recalled hundreds of workers let go in earlier layoffs to meet surging demand for chips used in smartphones and tablet computers.
"We've enjoyed our relationship with the city of Colorado Springs," Tom Roff, Atmel's vice president of worldwide manufacturing, said Tuesday in a statement. "We are happy City Council has approved the renewal of this incentive agreement."
Semiconductor sales are slowing for Atmel. The company reported last month that revenue for the fourth quarter declined 16.2 percent from a year earlier to $383.6 million,. Profits for the same period were off 85.3 percent to $32.9 million, although all but $90 million of Atmel's earnings during the fourth quarter of 2010 came from a tax refund. Revenue for the year was up 9.7 percent to $1.8 billion.
Contact Wayne Heilman: 636-0234 Twitter @wayneheilman
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New Zealand's largest online restaurant table booking website is launching a new service to help businesses and consumers alike amid the coronavirus outbreak.
There are now 66 people in New Zealand who had been confirmed Covid-19 positive, with 14 extra cases announced this afternoon.
Up and down the country, people are practising social distancing in a bid to avoid the virus and the hospitality industry is feeling the heat.
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New Zealand is currently sitting at alert level 2, meaning Covid-19 was contained but a risk of community transmission was growing.
Therefore, human contact had to be further reduced with those aged 70 or older asked to remain indoors, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday.
Restaurant Hub managing director Mark Gregory told the Herald a number of places throughout Auckland had already been forced to close.
To help combat the impact of the virus, the organisation was launching "Click & Collect".
The low-cost online ordering and marketing service was designed for restaurants to grow through digital ordering.
By setting restaurants up with the software, customers would be able to go online and search for meals they were wanting to eat and order them online.
"In many countries, the only way for people to get food is to get groceries or get it delivered to you or collect it yourself," Gregory said.
"We're doing two things: Try and get through the here and now to offset loss in trade but if we do go to level three, then the industry would be better prepared.
"If you go to Restaurant Hub you'll be able to order online and go and collect but we've got to get the technology into restaurants first."
The upcoming week would see restaurants who signed up for the "Click & Collect" service be provided with the software to do so.
Restaurant Hub staff would also be able to provide them with tips and other information about online digital ordering, Gregory said.
The service was being run in partnership with RANZ, Mobi2Go and NZME - the owner and publisher of the Herald.
Overnight there had been a great deal of interest, with nearly 140 restaurants and cafes opting in between Saturday and Sunday.
Restauranters who wanted to find out more about the service were advised by Gregory to contact Restaurant Hub.


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Singleton ‘can deliver’ on Diageo’s 1m case ambition
The Singleton “has all the elements” to become the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch whisky following “phenomenal” growth, according to Diageo’s category head.
The Singleton is aiming to become the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch whisky
Speaking to The Spirits Business, Cristina Diezhandino, global category director for Scotch and managing director of Reserve, said The Singleton has the best potential to become the group’s first high volume single malt.
In 2015, Diageo announced the global launch of The Singleton’s three expressions – Glen Ord, Dufftown and Glendullan – and at the same time expressed an ambition to see the brand become the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch.
Diageo is the world’s largest Scotch whisky producer and owns the world’s best-selling Scotch brand – Johnnie Walker.
However, its does not have a foothold in the ranks of million-case-selling single malts, which includes William Grant & Sons’ Glenfiddich and Pernod Ricard’s The Glenlivet. The Macallan has also suggested it is nearing the milestone sales mark.
“[The Singleton] has performed very well, and its growth rate has been phenomenal,” said Diezhandino. “It’s more attainable than other single malts and allows you to graduate through the category. The Singleton has all the elements to deliver on our ambition.”
The Glen Ord distillery was one of the first areas of Diageo’s business to benefit from the group’s £1 billion investment in Scotch whisky, first announced in 2012. The site subsequently doubled production to meet growing demand for The Singleton.
The investment was also used to expand the Teaninich and Clynelish distilleries, and also refurbish Diageo’s Leven bottling hall. According to Diezhandino, the programmes are now “really delivering on this investment”.
Diezhandino, who has led Diageo’s Reserve team since 2016, took on the additional title of global category director for Scotch last year.
Integral to her approach of managing both sides of the business will be to bring the divisions closer together in terms of how they operate.
She said: “More and more I am trying to think about the businesses in a holistic way, asking how we can make the divisions stronger by playing them together, while being careful to nurture the specificities that are pertinent to one part of the portfolio or the other.”
Diezhandino’s full interview is available to view in the June 2018 edition of The Spirits Business magazine, out now.


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The statistics surrounding the flotation of Halifax make impressive reading. It was the biggest expansion of share ownership, 50 million letters were mailed out during the conversion process, and it has the largest single-company PEP with 283,000 customers.
Against that backdrop, a 9 per cent rise in first-half profits to pounds 802m and no interim dividend might be seen as a bit of an anti-climax.
As Jon Foulds, the chairman, points out however, the first half was a truly exceptional period and the headline figures are a bit of an irrelevance. Not only did the period include the conversion and flotation, it also closely followed the acquisition of Clerical & Medical, the first of probably several attempts to diversify away from Halifax's traditional building society borrowing and lending business.
For the record, earnings per share rose 8.2 per cent to 21.2p and total assets increased by 6.8 per cent to pounds 123bn. The shares, which have done precious little since flotation in June, closed 8.5p lower at 727.5p.
The small print makes interesting reading, though, especially the details of Halifax's return on equity. On the face of it, the new bank made 14.6 per cent on its capital in the first half; strip out the pounds 3.5bn of surplus capital looking for a home and the underlying return was a more exciting 27 per cent.
That puts Halifax in the same league as Lloyds TSB, its most obvious rival, but still way shy of the 40 per cent that bank achieved in the first six months of the year. Halifax's aim of becoming Britain's leading supplier of personal financial services will hinge on how well it spends its idle capital and whether it can narrow the gap with the industry's benchmark company.
Mike Blackburn, its chief executive, spelled out a 10-year plan to bring its non-mortgage and savings business up to 50 per cent of the total. As it contributes only 25 per cent currently, that will involve some large acquisitions by its life assurance, pensions and general insurance businesses. Unfortunately it's hard to hide a pounds 3.5bn war chest and everyone has seen Halifax coming, driving prices in the sector sky-high.
The other restraint on the share price will be a sense of wait and see about the management ability of its senior executives, which was apparently justified by a spate of lax lending last year in the unsecured loans book.
That said, long-term investors can hardly go wrong with Halifax. It is a leading player, with an enormously strong brand name, in a fast-growing industry and it has the balance sheet strength to take advantage of the sector's consolidation.
On the basis of forecast pre-tax profits of pounds 1.62bn for the full year, the shares currently trade on a prospective price/earnings ratio of 17. One to tuck away and forget.
A profit warning worth re-reading
On the surface, Quarto's profits warning yesterday looks forgivable - yet another sad case of currency-itis. With more than 80 per cent of the book publisher's revenues in non-sterling currencies, the rising US dollar against the German mark and strength of sterling knocked around pounds 400,000 from interim profits and will affect full-year numbers.
And even yesterday's profits crash - pounds 1.6m to pounds 500,000 in the six months to June - was, in itself, less alarming than it appeared. Of the 3 per cent decline in margin, around half was blamed on currency, and the rest to higher sales and marketing costs and unfortunate timing which resulted in fewer new titles in the period. In any case, Quarto makes the bulk of its profits in the last quarter of the year.
But a closer look suggests there are more fundamental problems. Even excluding yesterday's 28.5p fall to 155p, Quarto's shares have underperformed the market by 58 per cent over the past year.
Quarto makes its money by producing and selling books to publishers, pre-selling at fixed prices. While Quarto makes tiny margins on the first round of publishing - print and production costs wipe out profit - where it has done well is the reprint market - half the group's revenues.
Reprints are cheap to produce and if Quarto can raise the original cover price, it can make a decent margin, typically 30 per cent gross.
The trick, though, is getting new book titles on to the shelves in the first place. In the US, over half of Quarto's total market, that has been the problem. There, the most important outlet for Quarto's books - how to paint, how to cook and gardening glossies - are discount book retailers. Fierce competition in that market has meant an oversupply of titles, with many being returned to publishers.
On the Continent prices of books in depressed economies such as France and Germany have slumped, squeezing Quarto's margins. Add the pressure of currency, which has made books 30 per cent more expensive, and things look tough for Quarto. On top, some of Quarto's big hope titles, like its children's fiction series, have bombed.
Tim Steer at house broker Merrill Lynch has sharply downgraded full-year forecasts from pounds 7.8m to pounds 5.5m. Though the shares are on a forward p/e ratio of 9 times, don't touch.
Maid's grandiose plan may pay off
Since floating his online information company three years ago, Dan Wagner, the colourful chief executive of Maid, has given investors a roller-coaster ride.
Unfortunately, the spills have far outweighed the thrills along the way. Shares in Maid have underperformed the stock market by 36 per cent over the past 12 months. In February, Mr Wagner was forced to issue a reassuring statement to try to arrest the decline in the company's share price.
Press speculation forced Maid into releasing a statement of an altogether different sort yesterday - that it is in discussions about a bid for Knight- Ridder Information, an online information provider.
The news is in keeping with Mr Wagner's partiality for the grandiose. Part of the US newspaper publishing giant Knight-Ridder, KR Information is four times the size of Maid in sales terms, reporting revenues of $285m last year.
So would this be a good deal? Maid could stretch to a price tag of between pounds 250m and pounds 350m, around 1.5 to two times sales. Mr Wagner is keen to reassure shareholders that he will not overpay, but the company will probably have to pay for the deal with a combination of debt and shares.
If it comes off though, the acquisition could improve Maid's prospects. KR Information would give the company access to a large amount of content, which at the moment it has to buy in at a high price. There are also substantial synergies between the two businesses, and acquiring KR Information would give Maid a greater global presence than it has achieved alone.
Though the market was jittery about the size of this potential deal, marking Maid's shares 2p lower to 235p, analysts are already muttering about upgrading profit forecasts.
House broker ABN Amro Hoare Govett puts the company on a p/e multiple of 14.4 times for 1998. That compares with around 26 times for the media sector generally. If this deal comes off and the price is right, investors could see Maid's rating improve. A buy for the brave.


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Prieto Battery, a Colorado State University spinoff company, has announced a business collaboration with Intel’s New Business Group, and an initial investment from Intel Capital.
The announcement came during the Intel Global Summit in San Diego, Nov. 3.
Prieto Battery was co-founded in 2009 by Associate Professor of Chemistry Amy Prieto to commercialize her lab’s 3-D lithium-ion battery technology.
The collaboration with Intel is aimed at accelerating the introduction of Prieto’s full, 3-D solid-state battery cell into the marketplace.
Prieto has agreed to complete a series of milestones to demonstrate the company’s battery performance and readiness, with a focus on improving the performance of the battery against size, energy density and complexity vectors. Intel will stage their investment to each milestone; in exchange, Prieto will grant Intel the ability to implement the technology first in computing devices.
“This commitment from Intel, one of the global leaders in computing devices, is important for us at this stage of our company,” said Prieto, who is CEO, CSO and co-founder of Prieto Battery. “We’ve been deliberate about trying to build relationships with companies like Intel that can help shape our commercialization roadmap and deliver strategic value for all stakeholders – most importantly, the end user of the technology.”
Today’s growing need for energy storage is driving the requirement for a radical change in battery design and production. Since its incorporation in 2009, Prieto has made significant strides in achieving its goal of producing a disruptive, transformational battery technology through its patented 3-D battery architecture.
Prieto has also patented an electroplating manufacturing process for its battery that uses non-toxic materials and will be price competitive.
Having demonstrated the fabrication of key battery materials and components in 2014, Prieto is now working to optimize battery prototypes and ready them for commercialization.
“Prieto’s thoughtful and creative approach to battery innovation is attractive to Intel as we focus on designing and building essential technologies that serve to advance the world’s computing devices. This is particularly true for wearable devices, where a conformal battery with high energy density is highly attractive,” said Jerry Bautista, vice president in the New Technology Group and general manager of the New Business Group at Intel. “Our goal is to help incubate and accelerate Prieto’s technology into early product implementation that will provide significant market advantage to several of our business units.”
Prieto plans to commercialize two products that focus on a series of applications requiring a combination of high power and energy storage.
More specifically, Prieto is initially focused on introducing a novel 3-D anode in late 2016 to replace a segment of the market served by conventional graphitic anodes. Prieto will incorporate that anode, which features higher energy density and safety, into its patented 3D Lithiumion, solid-state battery cell. Prieto will rely on work with companies like Intel to guide and accelerate marketplace introductions.


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Commercial cards can be a point of disagreement between buyer and supplier. For a vendor, the cost of the interchange associated with accepting a card payment may outweigh its client’s desire to pay with a card, often preferred by payers to gain rewards points.
Adoption of cards for supplier payments has been limited, but analysts predict a bright outlook for the tool. B2B payments company Viewpost is putting its own confidence in commercial cards through a new partnership with Comdata, a top issuer of virtual cards.
The collaboration, announced Tuesday (Dec. 13), aims to support buyers’ demand for card payments. According to a Viewpost survey, 16 percent of companies said credit cards are their preferred payment method. But the benefits of using commercial cards — and virtual cards — are vast and go beyond an ability for buyers to rack up rewards and points.
“From a consumer perspective, they’re maybe focused on rewards or points coming back through card programs,” said Pat McMonagle, EVP and director of payment operations at Viewpost. “Larger organizations may not be focused on that. A virtual card program allows them to have an opportunity to turn a cost center into an opportunity to generate rebates that they can bring into their organization.”
Proponents of commercial card use have pointed out that cards allow suppliers to get paid quickly but support payers’ cash management needs by still providing a float. Viewpost’s own survey found that 65 percent of companies agree that using a card is a cash management tool “critical to running their business.”
Indeed, cards can support buyers’ cash flow management needs. A recent report published by American Express highlighted commercial cards’ ability to make payments, while enabling them to keep cash-on-hand for more strategic investments.
All of this, however, doesn’t address the hesitancy suppliers face when deciding whether to accept cards. Viewpost’s McMonagle said that there is a tradeoff to be made.
“It’s a question we’ve discussed many times: Why would a vendor opt into this program?” he said. “It’s about simplification of their processing on their sides and the costs that they have for the interchange rates in comparison to the cost of processing the paper check.”
Cards can allow vendors to access a dependable cash management structure, too, with the acquiring bank landing money in a vendor’s account at predictable times. Further, McMonagle said, cards don’t have the same types of exceptions paper checks face, like stop payment.
For Viewpost and Comdata, a key differentiator in their offering, McMonagle added, is that their partnership targets another key source of friction for B2B payments made via card. The task to ensure that a buyer that wants to pay with a card can actually do so and validating that a supplier will accept that payment rail can be a challenge. Viewpost and Comdata are automating that for their clients.
“Viewpost will take care of that burden of mapping which one of their partners is eligible and have agreed to accept virtual cards,” McMonagle said. “That removal of that friction associated with management of vendor relationships is a tremendous simplification.”
For both sides, commercial cards — especially virtual card solutions — can heighten companies’ grasp of payments data. It can be key for the reconciliation process, McMonagle pointed out, but proponents of the technology have also highlighted virtual cards’ ability to provide data and insight into cash flow management, forecasting and other key metrics of business performance.
According to the Viewpost executive, supporting an array of B2B payment rails for both buyers and suppliers is part of strengthening their strategic relationships.
And while interchange fees and other points of friction associated with accepting cards may deter suppliers from getting on board, research shows that vendors are demanding to be paid electronically. Research from Receivable Savvy earlier this year found that 63 percent of suppliers prefer to be paid electronically. However, the same report found that only 9 percent said they’d like to be paid via commercial card, instead preferring ACH payments.
That’s the hurdle that Viewpost and Comdata — and the entire commercial and virtual card space — will need to overcome. McMonagle told PYMNTS, though, that there is space for the payment tool in B2B payments, and it’s a technology that can support both sides of the transaction.
“Virtual cards benefit the trading partner relationship,” he said. “Buyers can deliver payments in the preferred mechanism of their vendor, which helps strengthen those bonds between the customer and the vendor.”
“They want to be a good payer and a good customer and to deliver electronic payments as opposed to check payments,” he continued, “which is the desire of many of their vendors.”


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Samsung accidentally published the video and it was quickly taken down, but it has since been re-uploaded by SlashLeaks
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Ahead of the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 next week, a full-length product promo video accidentally got published on YouTube, the media reported. We have seen far more of the phone in an extensive set of leaks up to this point, and have a good idea of many of its specs, Android Central reported on Saturday. As always, the real test will be when we can get our hands on the phone(s) and see what they are really like to use, the report added.
The promo video was taken down promptly. Earlier, XDA Developers, an online software development community, said a Reddit user decompiled "Unpacked 2018" app that Samsung has developed for the MCW 2018, and found images of the Galaxy S9 in the programme's hidden AR feature. Industry watchers estimate that the factory price of the 64-gigabyte version of Galaxy S9 smartphone could be 9,57,000 won (or $890).
Samsung has hinted at a greatly improved camera on the new phone and challenged people to "imagine a camera that can see more than your eyes."
The video was reposted by SlashLeaks and you can see the enture video below.
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We are about leadership-the 9.9 kind! Building a leading media company out of India.And,grooming new leaders for this promising industry.


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Over the last decade, U.S. airport in-terminal dining and retail programs have begun a transformation. As passengers’ time spent within terminals has increased, the demand for enhanced airport in-terminal experiences has equally increased.
American Apparel has appointed Scott Brubaker as interim CEO and Hassan Natha as EVP and CFO, effective immediately, following John Luttrell’s resignation from the company. Luttrell had been serving as interim CEO and CFO.
A week after Gordon Brothers Group — a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the retail, consumer products, industrial and real estate sectors — tapped a new CEO, the company promoted Frank Grimaldi to national sales manager of the firm’s valuation and advisory services division.
Coach has announced that executive chairman Lew Frankfort plans to retire upon his term’s expiration. He will not stand for re-election to the board at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders in November.
The Wet Seal is welcoming back Jon Kubo, this time as EVP and chief digital officer, a newly created position. Kubo will oversee e-commerce, digital marketing and the information technology organization to integrate digital consumer experiences across all business touch points.


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Think With Google presents a new infographic on food trends in Canada.
Our relationship with food is ever-changing. Lots of us in Canada probably grew up on fish fingers and PB&J. Today, natural and organic is all the rage. And more than ever, technology—especially our smartphones—is influencing the way we interact with food. Here’s a look at the latest trends.