text:
Sydney, March 12 : A new survey has found that there are more single women than married women in Australia, thus giving rise to the trend of the SPUD or single person urban dwelling.
After trends such as DINKs i.e. dual income, no kids, and SINKs i.e. single income, no kids, the latest fad Down Under is SPUD, which signifies the increase of single, unmarried women.
In a wide-ranging new geo-demographic survey of the country, researchers have discovered that unmarried women now outnumber married women for the first time since World War I.
The Mosaic 2008 analysis showed that 51.4 per cent of women are going for the singles lifestyle in a new phenomenon dubbed "Bridget Jones meets Sex and the City".
The survey also approximates that up to a quarter of women will never have children.
The researchers also revealed that SPUDs form more than 25 per cent of all dwellings in Australia, a figure that is expected to climb over the next 30 years.
"Mosaic 2008 offers us new levels of insight into where Australians live and work, how much they earn and spend, what their family situation is and what they do with their spare time," News.com.au quoted Graham Plant, of research firm Pacific Micromarketing, as saying.
"It draws on richer data sources and drills down further to the household level than any other similar analysis.
"Many of the new trends identified, ask serious questions of businesses and government: for example, what does the rise of the SPUD mean for transport and utility service providers and grocery retailers, not to mention the energy-efficiency of our cities?" Plant added.
Other findings in Mosaic 2008 showed that 50 per cent of all Australians have one parent born overseas, of whom only 14 per cent were born in the UK; Africa, India, Indonesia, Singapore and China are the fastest-growing sources of immigrants; and the proportion of baby boomers aged 65+ is expected to double to 25 per cent of the total Australian population by 2038.
Plant said the Mosaic findings provided governments, private and other sectors with priceless data to better plan for the future.
"In a shifting and fragmenting consumer landscape, all enterprises need to work harder to understand their customers better. Companies should be planning products and services that their customers will want over the next decade, not what they wanted five years ago," he said.


text:
Canterbury BID is back!
The Canterbury Business Improvement District (BID) has been re-elected to represent and promote the huge range of businesses in Canterbury for another five years.
With a 52.4% turnout, businesses in the city voted for the BID with a 69.42% majority by number and a 74.85% majority by rateable value. Within a fluctuating retail and economic landscape, the BID recognise that each organisation faces individual challenges and has taken on board all feedback that has been received during the ballot process. The new BID term will start from 13th October 2019. In the meantime, to find out more about the projects and activities planned for the second BID term, visit canterburybid.co.uk/business-plan-2/

domain: news


text:
From raising capital to developing marketing and promotions strategies, starting and running a successful small business is never easy. Factor in the occasional fraud scheme, and things get especially dicey.
According to the latest report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, U.S. small businesses (those with fewer than 100 employees) are disproportionately affected by scams and fraud, accounting for the greatest percentage of victim organizations and suffering the greatest median losses.
Getting scammed can be a devastating -- or even fatal -- blow to a burgeoning company.
The following small business owners, however, were able to survive fraud and tell the tale.
Diann Cattani's embezzlement of a small business started off as an innocent mistake and then quickly got out of control.
|Microsoft introduces Windows 10|
|People are now bending iPhones in Apple Stores|
|California first U.S. state to ban plastic bags|
|U.S. has already spent nearly $1 billion fighting ISIS|
|'Crouching Tiger' sequel to hit Netflix and theaters simultaneously|


text:
Cincinnati’s largest landlord feels pretty good about the road ahead, now that it’s driving away from the train wreck that was the recession.
“We couldn’t be positioned any better,” said Jon Burger, senior vice president of Duke Realty Corp.’s Cincinnati operations, with 18.5 million square feet of office and industrial assets. “The amount of capital we’ve been able to generate in the last year has put us in a very strong position.”
Burger said the Indianapolis-based real estate company raised more than $1.6 billion from equity, debt and other financing transactions. That has enabled Duke to be more selective in evaluating lease transactions and purchase offers on its local properties.
“Some of the other guys out there are struggling. We can do transactions that others can’t,” he said. “We’re not chasing the stupid deals. But if a deal makes sense, we’re going to chase it.”
In the first four months of 2010, Duke has signed leases totaling 1.2 million square feet. The largest is a five-year, 598,000-square-foot lease at the Hebron Industrial Park. The tenant, HK Systems, a provider of material handing and logistics solutions, did not return calls seeking comment.
Other new leases include Sunny Delight’s new headquarters at Pfeiffer Place in Blue Ash and a 7,300-square-foot lease signed by Carepoint Partners LLC at 8280 Kenwood Commons.
“The net rents have compressed a little bit, but tenants are still paying a bit of a premium to be in better assets and in some of the better submarkets,” Burger said.
Duke sold three Governor’s Pointe retail properties for $27.5 million in February. It sold a 400,000-square-foot industrial building in the Monroe Business Center in April. Data provided by CoStar Group indicates Duke fetched a price of $17.52 per square foot for the industrial property and $75.12 for the retail space.
“We’re doing just fine,” Burger said of the deals. “We’re selling them for more than what our basis is.”
Duke Realty has dropped plans to sell three downtown office buildings. It had a deal to sell them in February, only to find that the buyer was unable to obtain financing. Duke has two office buildings totaling 130,000 square feet for sale at the moment. The properties – Kenwood Executive Center and 8800 Governors Hill – already have attracted purchase offers, said listing agent Tom Powers.
“We’re seeing a lot better activity than we saw nine months ago,” said Powers, executive vice president at Cassidy Turley Commercial Real Estate Services. “There’s a lot of money that’s looking to invest in the right kind of real estate.”
Apart from being Cincinnati’s largest property owner, Duke’s local office is among the largest in its national network. It ranks in the top three among 22 cities in total square footage, net asset value and net operating income. The local head count of 80 is down about a dozen from its peak.


text:
Accelerator Update for November 26, 2007 - November 28, 2007
Monday November 26
The day shift began with Operations monitoring the Tevatron (TeV) store 5750 (100.56E30) and the Recycler stash (62.1E10), with the Antiproton Source (Pbar) stacking (44.2E10), with the Main Injector (MI), Booster, and Linac operating normally, with the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) and D-Zero (D0) using the colliding beams, and with the NuMI and SciBooNE / MiniBooNE experiments taking beam.
At 8:17 AM, the NuMI beam permit tripped off due to a power supply trip (E:V118). It reset.
At 8:27 AM, a Linac RF station (LRF3) tripped off for the first of four times in 1.5 hours. It reset.
Booster RF experts brought BRF5 online and put BRF19 in standby at 9:50 AM.
An expert replaced a control card for E:V118 at 1:06 PM.
Operations reported at 3:52 PM that the Recycler had stashed antiprotons three times during the day shift.
Operations terminated store 5750 at 9:58 PM.
Operations put the TeV into shot setup at 10:16 PM.
Operations established store 5751 at 11:56 PM with an initial luminosity of 151.52E30.
Operations reported at midnight that the Recycler had stashed twice during the evening shift.
Tuesday November 27
The midnight shift began with Operations monitoring store 5751 (134.54E30) and the stash (88.7E10), with Pbar stacking (9.4E10), and with Sci /MiniBooNE taking beam.
At 5:36 AM, CDF reported that the Tevatron Electron Lens (TEL1) was off. It reset.
Operations reported at 8:05 AM that the Recycler had stashed four times during the midnight shift.
Operations reported at 10:13 AM that Pbar set a new stacking record with a one-hour rate of 23.22E10.
At 10:45 AM, Linac experts began replacing a timing circuit for their low level RF system. This job will hold off beam for a while. During this downtime, MI experts began replacing a power supply control card and instrumentation experts removed the notch filter from a MI DCCT and then began a calibration.
Linac experts completed their RF work at 11:15 AM. Operations resumed sending beam to Sci/MiniBooNE.
Pbar resumed stacking and NuMI resumed taking beam at 11:30 AM.
Instrumentation experts completed their MI DCCT calibration at 11:33 AM.
At 2:21 PM, store 5751 aborted. There was no quench. The abort was due to an RF anode power supply at TeV sector F0. Later, experts reported that they had found clock errors for F1 and F2. They continued to track the problem.
Operations prepared D0 for access at 4 PM.
Operations reported at 4:03 PM that the Recycler had stashed once during the day shift.
Controls experts reported at 4:37 PM that they had replaced a receiver and transmitter at TeV sectors F2 and F3.
D0 came out of access at 6:20 PM.
At 7:15 PM, operators discovered that the C4 wet engine was getting worse. Operators talked with the Cryo Coordinator and turned the engine off. Experts were being called in to begin repairs. Per instruction, operations closed various beam valves at C4 to protect the vacuum for the separators.
Cryo experts arrived at 8:50 PM to begin their work at C4. At 9:56 PM, the Cryo Coordinator reported that all they needed to replace was the flywheel.
At 11:02 PM, the TeV suffered a sector C4 quench. When the C4 wet engine was turned on, it pushed a slug of warm gas through the system and caused the quench.
Cryo experts reported at 11:31 PM that all cryo work had been completed. Operations waited for the cryo systems to recover.
Wednesday November 28
The midnight shift began with Operations monitoring a stash (244.4E10), with Pbar stacking (142.7E10), and with NuMI and Sci/MiniBooNE taking beam.
Operations ramped the TeV at 1:30 AM. At 1:36 AM, the TeV suffered an F11 quench. Operators investigated, but could find no cause for the quench. Operations contacted experts.
Operations reported at 3:45 AM that they still don’t know what caused the quench, but that a number of vacuum problems appeared in TeV sector F1. More experts were called in to help with the investigations.
Operations began preparing the TeV for an access at 5:46 AM to search for vacuum problems. This access would halt beam to Sci/MiniBooNE.
Experts reported that they had found a pulse of beam directed toward the AP0 target, which passed through F11, that didn’t arrive. Investigations continued.
The Plans for Wednesday
The plans for today are to determine what caused this quench and repair any vacuum problems in F sector. The Run Coordinator will allow certain maintenance jobs during these TeV investigations.
Comments and Suggestions
|last modified 11/28/2007 --> email Fermilab|


text:
As major economies continue to expand moderately, it’s not surprising that commodity use is increasing and many prices are rising. The Bloomberg Commodity Index is up 20 percent since early 2016. Crude oil prices have more than doubled since bottoming in February 2016. The MSCI World Metals & Mining Index of equities has risen about 90 percent since the start of 2016, topping the 30 percent gain for the MSCI All Country World Index.
Yet the rosy outlook presented by financial markets masks challenges for commodity producers from a broader transition in the economy: A greater share of economic spending is on services and a declining portion of outlays is for goods. In 1947, 61.6 percent of U.S. personal consumption expenditures was devoted to goods and 38.4 percent to services. In 2017, those shares were 32.3 percent and 67.7 percent, respectively. The same dynamic is at work in emerging economies such as China. In the services sector, consultants use some commodities via computers, but the vast majority of the output is in analysis and experience. Among goods, in contrast, vehicles are largely composed of commodities such as steel, aluminum and rubber.
Slower economic growth in China is a concern to commodity producers and exporters worldwide, especially since that country uses 40 percent to 50 percent of global production of many mineral and agricultural products, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. In fact, the ups and downs of the commodities market since 2001 can be tied to China’s decision to join the World Trade Organization at the end of that year. Although big miners of copper, coal and other raw materials collectively undertook new projects that cost $1 trillion in total to take advantage of demand from China, many producers failed to realize that China was not adding much to net global demand for commodities but rather absorbing more of the global total as manufacturing shifted there and to other developing countries from North America and Europe.
That became apparent during the recession that followed the financial crisis, when commodity prices collapsed. That left many commodity producers in sore shape with threatened bankruptcies. Capital spending budgets were axed, dividends were slashed or eliminated, and mines were mothballed. Prices have recovered from their lows, but the Thomson Reuters/Core Commodity CRB Index remains below its October 2000 level. Adjusted for producer price inflation, that index is down 31 percent over the 17-plus intervening years.
You might think that major commodity producers would use their profits to rebuild balance sheets while restraining capital spending. Instead, they are back to their old ways, apparently believing that the rebound in commodity demand and prices will last indefinitely.
Mining companies show confidence in further rises in commodity prices and their profits and growth in China by returning to capital spending. Outlays by major companies in the first half of 2017 were about one-quarter of the 2011-2012 boom levels, but could rise 30 percent in the second half of the year, the sharpest increase since 2012.
The cost of developing a major new copper mine can be $5 billion to $10 billion. But once those expenses are completed, the variable costs of mining and processing another ton of copper ore are small. Such economics encourage investment and expansion when profits are lush, often resulting in excess capacity and a drop in prices.
My analysis of commodity markets and their economics suggests seven strategies:
1. Take advantage of current robust commodity markets.
2. Don’t count on long-term real commodity price rises. Since 1850, the inflation-adjusted CRB commodity price index has fallen 83.9 percent thanks to technological advances and substitutes that overcame perceived shortages.
3. Watch the ultimate buyer of commodity-using products, especially North America and Europe, and put less emphasis on China and other commodity processors.
4. Remember that shortages are temporary and overcome by human ingenuity and substitutes.
5. Don’t increase financial leverage to levels that will be embarrassing during the next commodity decline.
6. Restrain costs.
7. Keep plenty of cash and borrowing power in order to buy assets cheap in the next downturn.
Source: BloombergPrevious Next
Huge Opportunities For Investment in Maritime Sector: Nitin Gadkari
India Tanker Shipping & Trade Summit 2019


text:
Comcast's NBCUniversal has had internal discussions over whether to stop licensing "The Office" — one of its most popular library titles — to Netflix, The Wall Street Journal reported.
As legacy media giants like NBCUniversal, Disney, and WarnerMedia bring more content to in-house streaming services, they will have to consider whether to forsake the lucrative licensing revenue they've come to rely on from platforms like Netflix.
Disney and Fox generated about $10.5 billion, and WarnerMedia brought in $8.5 billion.
The US version of "The Office" ended nearly six years ago.
But rights owner NBCUniversal is still making millions off of it.
Netflix reportedly paid around $100 million to stream the workplace comedy exclusively for several years, in a deal that expires in 2021.


text:
On May 5, 2018, Trinity Protocol officially announced partnerships with HyperDragons, Etheremon, and Decentraland, all of which develop interactive blockchain-based games. These partnerships incorporate Trinity’s state channels as scaling solutions.
Over the past few months, Trinity has released its open beta cross-chain asset converter, which allows users to convert TNC tokens between NEP-5 and ERC-20 token standards. Trinity aim to operate not only on the NEO blockchain, but other public blockchain platforms as well.
HyperDragons is a competitive fighting game, where users can collect, breed, and trade digital dragons. The game platform will generate smart contracts, where Trinity’s state channels will keep a record of game data. By using state channels, HyperDragons will be able to reduce transactional costs compared to those of on-chain transaction fees.
The two entities will also coordinate for brand promotion, operations and marketing, and technology improvements. The two aim to promote the blockchain gaming industry, advance technical progress, and lead the construction of the blockchain ecosystem.
Etheremon is a monster character collecting game where users can capture, train, transform and trade their characters. Trinity and Etheremon have partnered to increase awareness of token-based economics and to develop a virtual reality (VR) platform for blockchain games. Etheremon is the among the first games to unveil a blockchain-based game that integrates VR.
The partnership will allow for the two teams to collaborate on scalability through an off-chain data network, improving the game ecosystem security and transaction cost reductions.
Decentraland is a public VR platform where users can create an environment and distribute content in exchange for tokens. Users will also be able to “claim virtual land” on the blockchain ledger.
Trinity envisions the partnership will also further the development of non fungible token (NFT) assets, as improvements are made upon the value transfer in global blockchain games.
Additionally, Etheremon and Decentraland have partnered to develop their VR platforms.
“NFT and Blockchain Gaming” Event
Trinity recently co-organized a non fungible token (NFT) asset and blockchain game meetup in Singapore along with Decentraland and Etheremon. Other projects included Zeppelin and InWeCrypto. NFT’s are indivisible and each represents an individual underlying asset, such as a character in a game or a deed to a car.
Event participants shared their experiences with game development on blockchain, and their vision of the types of problems NFT assets might solve in the future.
For more information about Trinity, visit one of the links below.


text:
If you’ve managed to convince yourself that only large enterprises have the money to take advantage of Business Intelligence (BI), then think again. In the past, companies needed to hire expensive experts to really delve into BI. But these days, there is a range of affordable self-service tools that will allow small- and medium-sized businesses […]
Any business owner worth their salt knows the value of data to business. This is why it’s bizarre that many business owners don’t have a proper data backup strategy in place. Organizations of all sizes need to take a proactive approach to backing up their data, and there are several solutions they can implement to […]
Sony got hacked again
This larger companies have very sophisticated security systems in place. They are NOT easy to hack.
Therefore, if THEY are getting hacked, getting into small business’ network is not that challenging ... one in every five small business get hacked every year.
Spectrum Technology Solutions is honored to Accept 2016 MSPmentor501 Award
Thank you to our Staff, Clients, and Vendors for all their support.
The next major cyber threat? Your phone’s personal assistant
When it comes to protecting your mobile data, things aren’t so certain anymore. From phishing and fake hotspots to malicious apps and corrupt websites, your phone is vulnerable to a variety of far-off threats.
Spear phishing, or malicious emails targeted at specific industries, businesses, or individuals, is a top security concern amongst many American business owners.The average cost for a US business when they are successfully attacked by a spear phishing campaign is $1.8 million, and many security firms and solutions providers say these highly targeted email pushes are responsible for a great majority of security incidents.


text:
As med tech companies set their sails toward China, a new trade agreement between the U.S. and Chinese governments looks to ease restrictions for imports, paving the way for greater expansion by U.S. devicemakers.
China agreed to allow U.S. medical devices and medicines into local markets more quickly and to loosen up its antitrust procedures after bilateral trade talks between the two countries, saying it would "cut red tape for imports of new and innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices and to deal with the backlog," U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said, as quoted by Reuters.
Chinese officials also agreed to publish the results of administrative proceedings conducted under its antimonopoly laws and to allow U.S. firms to consult with legal counsel, Pritzker noted, a boon for devicemakers who have long criticized the country's trade laws for lacking transparency and unfairly targeting foreign companies.
The news follows on the heels of another China win for med tech companies, as in November, the country's regulatory authority shortened its review process for imported medical devices and in vitro diagnostics under new regulators. Companies that fail to follow the guidelines will not have a second chance at submitting documentation if their application contains mistakes, but the new CFDA standards still bode well for devicemakers looking to expand in China.
Less restriction on device imports comes at a critical moment for companies such as Medtronic ($MDT), Boston Scientific ($BSX) and Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) as they target China's rapidly growing device market. Last year, Boston Scientific announced its plans to expand in the country despite regulatory and bureaucratic obstacles, setting its sights on new acquisitions and eyeing 30% annual sales increases in China over the next 5 years. In July, Medtronic teamed up with LifeTech Scientific to manufacture and distribute cardiac devices for China's growing cardiovascular market, grabbing a bigger piece of the country's device sector and bolstering its goal of roping in 20% of its revenue from emerging markets by 2016.
But devicemakers could still face some stumbling blocks in China, as the country encourages the development of homegrown products. In August, the Chinese health ministry said it would lay out new incentives for local hospitals to use Chinese-made medical devices, a move that counters "unreasonable increases" in healthcare costs and reduces the burden on patients, the ministry said at the time. Local companies have already cashed in on the trend, charting gains across the board. Shanghai's Kinetic Medical boasts a nearly 50% share in China two years after filing its IPO. Medical device maker Mindray collected $152.5 million in net revenues during the second quarter, a 3.4% gain year over year. The company said it plans to turn to private hospital sales in the coming year to boost profits and chart growth.
- read the Reuters story


text:
See you again in Shanghai on May 8-11, 2024!
01 MAY SUMMER SOLSTICE HONOR APPEARS
With the continuous development of China's economy,infrastructure construction and building use are changing with each passing day, and the number of elevators in use in China has exceeded 10 million units, an increase of 9.6%. The market size is about 508.9 billion yuan. It is expected that the elevator industry will maintain double-digit growth in the next five years, and the replacement demand for the stock market will develop rapidly. It is expected that by 2027, the market size of China's elevator industry is expected to reach 709 billion yuan, with an annual compound growth rate of about6.7 percent.
Against this backdrop, the 16th World Elevator & Escalator EXPO will be held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai) from May 8-11, 2024.This exhibition will be a new presentation, multi-dimensional, high quality to lead the industry to improve the quality and upgrade, promote the deep interconnection of the industry, give play to the advantages of platform, resource and policy advantages, promote the new development of the elevator market, for the industry to bring a high standard event!
02 READY TO LAUNCH AND CREATE A FUTURE TOGETHER
Sponsored by China Elevator Association and China Center for International Economic and Technological Exchange the 15th China International Elevator Exhibition hosted by Langfang Convention & Exhibition Co., Ltd. has been successfully held in the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai) from July 5-8, 2023, with an exhibition area of 103,500 square meters, 1,015 exhibitors and 105,000 professional visitors With the strong support of the party, the exhibition has achieved a complete success.
The 16th World Elevator & Escalator EXPO will continue to strengthen the attention to technological innovation, application and elevator safety, gathered major well-known enterprises at home and abroad, gathered the latest technology trends, cutting-edge products, cooperation opportunities, industry views, the scale of the exhibition planning area of 110,000 square meters, is expected to more than 1,100 enterprises exhibitors, professional visitors will reach 120,000 people.
Now the preparatory work for the exhibition has been fully launched, and the major elevator enterprises and industry related people at home and abroad have attached great importance to it. The elevator machine and parts enterprises actively participate, up to now there have been 350 enterprises registered. We invite you to join us in planning your future!
03 EXHIBITION RANGE
Elevators, Escalators, Moving Walks And Related Equlpmen
Elevator Related Parts
Smart building equipment and products
Parking Equlpment And Related Equlpment


text:
Gone are those days when we saw numerous phone designs where flip phones were a popular lot. After, Apple launched the iPhone back in 2007, it’s all about touchscreen phones with same candybar form factor. But Samsung is trying something different with the new Samsung SM-G9198 packing a Snapdragon 808 SoC in a flip form factor.
The Samsung flip phone was seen at TENAA in China and it packs in high-end specifications. Lets check them out.
Samsung SM-G9198 Specifications
The Samsung SM-G9198 features two displays – one on the outside and on inside, both of which are 3.91-inches and has a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels. It is powered by a 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 64-bit processor, which is also found on the recently launched LG G4. It has 2 GB of RAM and comes with 16 GB of internal memory which can also be expanded via microSD card. It runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box.
The SM-G9198 rocks a 16 megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5 megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video calling. It is 16.7 mm thick which is a lot considering how slim the smartphones are these days. It has 4G LTE connectivity as well.
The new flip phone with top of the line specs from Samsung might launch soon but may not come out of China, like the SM-G9808.


text:
CellTrust is in the business of providing secure and trusted exchange of information on mobile devices, and announced yesterday that they’ve been granted certification by Microsoft of compatibility with Windows Mobile 6.0. This extends their secure mobile-platform to even more devices. What’s possible with their secure platform is the true future of mobile commerce and other content exchange.
Their platform allows for secure transmission of SMS messages and really opens up the next generation of secure mobile marketing. CellTrust lists three obstacles sometimes preventing the use of SMS for commercial messaging:
- No one, not even carriers, guarantee delivery of text messages so you can never truly know if messages have arrived or been read by the recipient.
- As of today, there are ways to read message content as it is being transmitted through the networks and Internet before it arrives on the end user’s mobile phone.
- Once a message has arrived on the cell phone, anyone who happens to pick up the mobile phone has the ability to read it.
These are steep hurdles for things like the financial and health care industries as well as emergency alerts since they all rely on secure communication with the end-user, as well as the need for receipt verification and tracking.
CellTrust has made this possible by introducing a micro-client that will be automatically downloaded to the user’s phone. This allows for messages to be sent and received, as well as brand new tracking and other data which is the backbone to this new secure mobile technology.
Mobile commerce is finally coming around, and secure communication and tracking was obviously an important piece of the puzzle. You can imagine what kind of mobile services and apps will spring up utilizing this new found secure mobile environment. CellTrust lists a few things that are possible with their new platform. Among them are…
- Confirm that the mobile device is able to receive secure SMS messages;
- Easily market and push the SecureSMS micro-client to their customers’ mobile phones so they can receive and send secure text messages instantly;
- Confirm text message recipients have received their SMS messages;
- Notify the sender when the recipient has opened to read the message;
- Definitively measure ROI of mobile programs and their effectiveness;
- Increase market intelligence and strengthen the customer relationship through a trusted exchange.


text:
The Israel-Palestine conflict began in the late 19th century when Jewish Zionists sought a homeland. Recently, the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched a war against Israel in the most serious escalation. The repercussions were felt all over the world.
The Middle East turmoil has immediately impacted the oil market, which has surged nearly 5% since the war declaration. As a result, transportation and production costs will increase, which can lead to higher prices for goods and services across the economy, which may drive inflation.
Paint companies rely on crude oil as key ingredients in their paint production, and soaring input prices could negatively impact their profitability. Due to this war, the paint sector is directly impacted as their cost of production increases.
The Israel-Hamas conflict could raise insurance costs and shipping expenses. India’s Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) may charge higher risk fees for shipments to Israel. If Israeli ports like Haifa, Ashdod, and Eilat face operational issues, short-term disruptions may occur.
Gold is often considered a safe-haven asset during geopolitical turmoil, economic uncertainty, or financial market instability. The Israel-Hamas conflict might raise gold prices if interest rates remain low, as lower rates make storing gold more affordable to investors.


text:
Saints Row IV
We already know that Volition is putting players in the Oval Office in Saints Row IV. Now the developer is pushing presidential role-playing a step or four further.
If you pre-order Saints Row IV at GameStop and grab your copy within two days of release, you’ll receive the Presidential Pack DLC, which includes the terrifying Point Break-like faces of Presidents George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush.
This pack is in addition to another free costume bundle that includes superhero-styled costumes called “The Iron Rogue” and “Queen Amazonia.”
Saints Row IV releases August 20 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Disclaimer: Game Informer is owned by GameStop.


text:
Support for Aldi, despite highways concerns
PUBLISHED: 12:05 08 October 2008 | UPDATED: 22:26 15 June 2010
AN Aldi food store on the site of Slades Countrywise would be good for Honiton and good for competition – that s the view of town councillors.
AN Aldi food store on the site of Slades Countrywise would be good for Honiton and good for competition - that's the view of town councillors.
At a meeting last night (Tuesday), members of Honiton Town Council's planning committee said they supported Aldi's revised application for the development but expressed strong reservations about the Highways Agency's ability to deliver road improvements.
If Aldi's plan is given the green light by East Devon District Council, cash will be made available through Section 106 planning gain conditions for a mini roundabout and other road improvements.
Although Devon County Council and the Highways Agency have agreed in principle to measures suggested by Aldi, town councillors feel there is no guarantee the improvements will be implemented - and certainly not before the proposed store is built.
"I am concerned about when this will be delivered, bearing in mind the issues we have been having in Kings Road with the Highways Agency," said former mayor Councillor Vernon Whitlock.
Councillor Dianne Morgan referred to Windmill Court, in Kings Road, pointing out charity SeeAbility had paid £10,000 towards the cost of a pedestrian crossing that has not been provided.
She asked if road improvements could go ahead before an Aldi store is built.
Committee chairman Councillor Michael Teare replied: "Aldi doesn't have to wait to have the highways issues resolved."
Councillor Roy Coombs said: "I think this development will be very good for Honiton. My concern is pedestrians.
"It is absolutely essential to have light controlled crossings or refuges.
"There are a lot of people who will be able to easily walk there. We want the store to be a success and for there to be competition"
The committee agreed it was essential that road improvements are delivered quickly, including pedestrian crossings, a bus stop and a bus shelter.
Councillor Whitlock praised Aldi's commitment to take on board local views.
"This is a good example of a developer taking note of our concerns," he said. "They have gone away and acted upon them.
"My concerns are over the credibility of the Highways Agency but, from the application and development point of view, I think we should support Aldi."
Councillors agreed to support the development, but to raise concerns about the Highways Agency - using SeeAbility's £10,000 as an example.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Midweek Herald. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


text:
Mark Lee, star of NCT and SuperM, has officially made his solo debut with the release of his new single, “Child.”
On February 4, Mark dropped a brand new music video for his somber, melancholic song “Child,” complete with gloomy visuals and eclectic style to pair with his flowing transitions between vocal performances and his signature rap verses. “Child” marks the first release for NCT Lab, a music archiving project for the K-Pop supergroup NCT. It’s also the latest release for the series of digital singles from SM Entertainment, called SM Station, that feature self-composed solo releases along with new collaborations between various idols in the SM lineup. The leadup to the drop included a series of video and photo teasers that built excitement among fans, and it’s now clear that the highly anticipated self-written and composed “Child” is showing us a side of Mark that we haven’t actually seen before.
The music video begins with Mark lying asleep in the middle of what looks like an abandoned factory, wearing a workwear-inspired layered look pulled together by a Carhartt knit beanie and a pair of Converse sneakers. The colors on screen stay analogous as he paces an empty, yellow sun-tinged room in the same outfit ruminating on the track’s opening lyric – “who do you think you are?”


text:
Dating ivanka perfume purse
Menu section: Chemistry dating search
- carrot dating app
- love chemistry dating site
- dating online ratings lookup
- radiometric dating lab exercise
Shwartz has since emerged as on of Donald's key critics. For instance, adding ExxonMobil to the list when Tillerson was a part of the cabinet would not have been strategic, because Tillerson resigned from the company to take the position. If placed on the list, there wouldn't have been anything ExxonMobil could do to get off it.
Dating seventh major difference is CC provides video games and CM does not. CC is the only Accurate dating site currently providing this service. Dating Name Painting Forget your password or screen name. Click here to have it emailed best you.
Instead, we added infor to the "Other Companies on Our Radar" part of the list. That Trump surrogate Peter Thiel is on the board of Facebook doesn't help matters much. That said, we're watching this one closely and we certainly understand those who have already said goodbye forever to this platform.
We feel certain that the current leadership of Home Depot hates it when Marcus is given the spotlight by the dating ivanka perfume purse, because it constantly makes people think he's still involved with the company. All Trump Home products on the Home Depot site were marked "discontinued" in the early days of the Grab Your Wallet boycott and are now simply gone.
The Rise and Fall of Ivanka Trump’s Fashion Line
In JuneWashington Post employees released an open letter to Jeff Bezos in video form, saying that Bezos had ignored their unions' pleas for pay equity and fair raises, despite the fact that they had doubled digital subscription rates and raised page views by over half in a one year period.
HSN and ShopStyle confirmed in statements this was a deliberate choice.
HSN made a statement that it is still selling at least one Trump brand product commemorative currencyso it's remaining on the list. Belk has stated publicly it will continue to sell Ivanka in brick and mortar locations, so it remains on the list. Burlington Coat Factory has removed all Trump brand goods from its site but has made no public statement about brick and mortar locations, so it remains on the list.
Jet has been removed from the boycott list as well as Gilt and ShopStyle.


text:
Cover Story: The 100 Fastest Growing Retailers 2010-2011
Who says direct response television (DRTV) is dead? Despite rumors of its demise, QVC, a cross-channel retail and DRTV leader, is doing just fine, thank you.
The West Chester, Pa.-based company, owned by Liberty Media, produces live programming that showcases more than 1,000 products each week; employs more than 17,000 people worldwide; and, to date, approximately 60 million people have shopped with QVC worldwide. The company's online component, QVC.com, was founded in 1996 and attracts more than 6 million unique visitors each month. QVC experienced a number of mileseones in 2010, according to its website, including the following:
- QVC had its largest Christmas in July sale in the company's 24-year history. With more than $46.5 million in orders, the company enjoyed a 14 percent increase over last year's event.
- QVC had its most successful Black Friday to date, with more than $42 million in sales.
- QVC.com achieved its highest traffic volume in its 14-year history this past Cyber Monday, attracting 2 million sessions from more than 1.4 million unique visitors. On average, the website generates approximately one-third of QVC's orders. On Cyber Monday, it accounted for nearly half of the company's total U.S. sales for the day. — Melissa Campanelli
#77 eBay Inc.
Boasting more than 94 million active users globally and a total worth of goods sold on the site of $62 billion in 2010, eBay's impact on e-commerce is profound. eBay increased its sales 4.91 percent in 2010, and it's not planning on slowing down any time soon. In fact, its 2011 first-quarter results show a 16 percent increase to $2.5 billion.
So far in 2011 (and December of 2010), eBay has acquired interactive marketing services provider GSI Commerce, local shopping startup Milo, charity site MissionFish, mobile app service WHERE, online shopping club brands4friends and Turkey's premier online marketplace GittiGidiyor. Courtney Love, Tommy Hilfiger and FAO Schwarz have recently launched eBay stores, just to name a few. The company has also launched a number of different social media initiatives.
On top of all that, eBay's main focus in 2011 appears to be the mobile space. The company is forecasting that it will double its mobile sales to $4 billion this year. eBay's iPhone app has been downloaded more than 15 million times (as of press time). The retailer also plans on launching more apps based on consumers' interests, including fashion, electronics, motors, and home and garden.
According to eBay's website, other notable 2010 achievements include the following:
- mobile holiday shopping on eBay peaked on "Mobile Sunday," bringing in $5 million in revenue;
- Cyber Monday saw online and mobile sales increases of 146 percent year-over year; and
- Black Friday showed a rise in online and mobile sales of 27 percent. — Meredith Cunningham
#91 Dover Saddlery
Founded in 1975 by U.S. equestrian team members Jim and David Powers, Dover Saddlery is a cross-channel retailer of English horse tack, horse supplies and riding apparel for horses and riders. Dover Saddlery sells its products via catalog, an e-commerce website and company-owned brick-and-mortar stores. To call it a niche brand is almost an understatement, but that hasn't impeded its growth.
Littleton, Mass.-based Dover Saddlery prides itself on having a knowledgeable staff that knows equestrian sports, in large part because they're riders themselves. Combine that with the fact that Dover Saddlery is engrossed in the equestrian community — it frequently works with world-class competitive riders to develop its products — and it's easy to see why the brand has become a go-to source for equestrians across the country.
Here's a look at some of the numbers to back up that claim:
- net income for fiscal 2010 increased 126 percent to $2.0 million from $0.9 million for fiscal year 2009;
- retail store revenues increased 4.8 percent to $26.0 million;
- same-store sales increased 2.9 percent;
- Dover Saddlery plans to open two to four new stores this year and four to six more new stores in 2012;
- direct marketing sales increased 1.6 percent to $52.1 million; and
- adjusted EBITDA for the 2010 fiscal year increased 25.3 percent to $5.1 million from $4.1 million in 2009. — Joe Keenan


text:
Spektacom, a sports tech company founded by former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble, unveiled Power Bat – a lightweight sticker that can show four parameters of data in real time. The Power Bat is powered by Microsoft Azure Sphere and its unique feature is that it can provide four parameters of data about any shot a batsman plays in real-time. The Power Bat has to be stuck to the shoulder of the bat and it weighs less than five grams.
The parameters captured by the Power Bat are speed off the bat, twist of the bat after the shot is played, quality of the shot (measured via how much of the ball hits the sweet spot of the bat), and the power of the shots. For the last one, Spektacom has introduced a new unit called Speks. The greater the number of Speks, the more powerful the shot, Spektacom says.
Microsoft’s Azure Sphere is the tech powering the Power Bat. Via a sensor in the stump, the data is relayed in real-time to the broadcaster. After every shot is played, the broadcaster will be able to show the four parameters mentioned that Power Bat measures. According to Spektacom, during training sessions this data can be obtained via an app that is yet to be launched.
Charging the device takes 90 minutes. At the event Anil Kumble said it has wireless charging support and it lasts two days on a single charge. “We haven’t come to the amateur level yet I am someone who wants to reach out to every body. It will be affordable. We still haven’t figured out the price yet,” Kumble said.
The Power Bat sticker has a communication device on the bat that talks to the device on the stump. Azure Sphere is powering this tech, which has a Linux-based Azure OS, Azure IoT tech on the stump box and Azure cloud online.
We’ve seen similar products in sports tech before, especially Speculur BatSense, which can be affixed to the top of the bat’s handle. However, Spektacom is betting big on the fact that its product can offer real-time data. The company has its sights set on other sports as well. Even though the Power Bat is targeted at cricket, the small size of the chip could allow people to track data in sports such as football, kabaddi, among others.
Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Everything we know so far
Google Pixel 6 is hot in the rumor mill with multiple leaks presenting a deeper peek into the upcoming Google smartphone. It is also speculated that the Pixel 6 will be accompanied by the bigger Pixel 6 Pro phone. It is highly likely, the Pixel Fold and even an XL model may debut alongside the Pixel 6 series smartphones. The … Continue reading
Watch woodpecker destroy hidden camera one obnoxious peck at a time
You’ve probably seen or heard a woodpecker in action at some point; they’re the small birds that can spend hours driving everyone in the vicinity to madness with incessant taps against trees or wood buildings. What you probably haven’t seen is what it looks like to be the object subjected to the woodpecker’s wrath — until now, that is. A … Continue reading
MacBook Pro M1X and Mac mini may release Intel from service in 2021
The release date for a new M1X version of the MacBook Pro from Apple, along with a new Mac mini appear to be headed for a special event. It’s been rumored that the most powerful and updated Mac mini with M1X chip inside will be revealed at an event in the forth quarter of this year, 2021. It’s also tipped … Continue reading
Archaeologists recreated three common kinds of Paleolithic cave lighting
Enlarge / Spanish archaeologists recreated three common types of Paleolithic lighting systems. Medina-Alcaide et al, 2021, PLOS ONE In 1993,...
Toyota foils leakers by offering an official image of the 2022 Tundra
Earlier this week, leaked images were going around claiming to show the next generation 2022 Toyota Tundra. Automakers never like...
Ford to purchase Electriphi for integration with Ford Pro services for EV fleets
Ford has announced it will purchase Electriphi, a California-based provider of charging management and fleet monitoring software for electric vehicles....
Two Viking burials, separated by an ocean, contain close kin
Ida Marie Odgaard AFP Roughly a thousand years ago, a young man in his early 20s met a violent end...
The efforts to make text-based AI less racist and terrible
Getty Images In July 2020, OpenAI launched GPT-3, an artificial intelligence language model that quickly stoked excitement about computers writing...
Social1 year ago
CrashPlan for Small Business Review
Gadgets3 years ago
A fictional Facebook Portal videochat with Mark Zuckerberg – TechCrunch
Mobile3 years ago
Memory raises $5M to bring AI to time tracking – TechCrunch
Social3 years ago
iPhone XS priciest yet in South Korea
Cars3 years ago
What’s the best cloud storage for you?
Security3 years ago
Google latest cloud to be Australian government certified
Cars3 years ago
SK Telecom and Samsung to collaborate on 5G for enterprise
Social3 years ago
Apple’s new iPad Pro aims to keep enterprise momentum


text:
Tipping rules when you travel internationally
Whether you find yourself at a café in Paris or in a cab in Morocco, a resort in Anguilla or a tour in Reykjavik, you’re going to come across opportunities to tip service workers when you travel.
But tipping etiquette can be tricky when you leave the States. What’s commonplace on this side of the pond isn’t the norm in other destinations.
“Very few places tip the way we do here,” says Kristin Addis, the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse. “Culturally, tipping is such a big part of our culture, but it is not a thing in many other places.”
Anne and Mike Howard, authors of two travel books and founders of HoneyTrek.com, along with Addis, offer a few tips and tricks for how to tip abroad.
Where tips are expected
There are a few places around the world that have similar tipping practices to the States.
For instance, Canada and the Middle East have some of the most generous tipping cultures, according to the Howards.
Service professionals in destinations that see a lot of American tourists, such as certain places in Mexico — Cabo San Lucas or Cancun, for instance — might also appreciate or even expect tips.
“Anywhere they’ve started to get a lot of American tourists, they’re getting used to tips,” Addis says.
Where tips aren’t expected
If the U.S., Canada, and the Middle East have some of the most generous tipping cultures, Europe, Asia and Oceania have some of the least, according to the Howards.
In Australia, for instance, servers at restaurants make somewhere in the range of $20 per hour, so they’re not reliant on tips like American servers are, according to Addis.
So, while they might not refuse your generous tip, they might not expect it either.
When not to tip
There are some places where tipping is not advised.
“In Asia, generally you don’t tip at all,” Addis says. “It’s even something I would advise against in China specifically because it’s almost taken as a rude gesture.”
The Howards would also recommend not tipping in Japan.
“Japan is one of the few places that might refuse a tip because they believe good service is duty,” Howard says.
Countries like Spain, Sweden, France, Hungary and Czech Republic add a service charge to the bill, so tipping more than 5% is not expected, the Howards explain.
What percentage to tip
There’s no easy answer to what percentage to tip when you’re abroad.
Abroad, professionals in the service industry are typically tipped 5% to 10% — with the lower end of that range given to professionals who receive higher hourly wages or a portion of the service charge included on the bill.
However, the Howards suggest taking a generous stance when it’s appropriate.
“It’s hard to know if that person is being fairly compensated, how much they personally depend on tips or how many other employees they have to share them with,” Anne Howard says. “To combat this, at minimum, round up your bill, give a little something to a porter or valet, and give extra when the service is exceptional, no matter the vocation.”
What to tip travel guides
When it comes to tipping travel guides wherever you are in the world, it’s best to ask ahead of time about the tipping practices.
For instance, Addis says that one of the only times that you would tip in China is with tour guides since they rely heavily on tips for their income.
“Guides are in their own category and depend on how the company is structured, so it’s good to ask the boss (or someone other than the guide) before you go on your tour if it’s customary to tip and to what degree,” Mike Howard says.
How to tip in Europe
Europe (in addition to Asia and Oceania) probably has some of the world’s least generous tipping cultures, according to the Howards.
“At a restaurant, you’d round up,” Addis says. “You’d leave your change.”
When it comes to tipping at bars, it’s up to your discretion.
“Bartenders in Europe aren’t as used to getting tips,” Addis says. “However, sometimes if you do tip, it ensures good service.”
How to tip when you’re on the spot
It happens. Sometimes you’re on the spot without a clue on how to tip. What to do then? When in doubt, take a hint, say the Howards.
“Take a tipping cue from the change you’re given,” Anne Howard says. “If a person wants a tip, they’ll likely give you smaller change to make that easier to do. If you get back a larger denomination without them saying a word, a tip probably isn’t expected.”
More from U.S. News


text:
TPG readers select the top cruise lines of the year at the 2021 TPG Awards
Cruising is back after a 15-month hiatus due to the pandemic, and for a second straight year, we're giving away a number of awards to worthy cruise lines — as voted on by TPG readers. With the restart gaining steam and a lot of exciting developments on tap for next year, which brands are taking home hardware in 2021?
Read on for more details on this year's cruise line winners.
Best Big-Ship Cruise Line
While some cruisers want nothing to do with big ships, they nevertheless hold wide appeal for many travelers thanks to the array of options on board. And it's only fitting that this year's award recipient just happens to operate the largest vessels on the planet.
Winner: Royal Caribbean
After taking home the inaugural award as the best big-ship cruise line in 2020, Royal Caribbean is retaining its crown. The line officially restarted North American sailings — with a number of changes — in June 2021, and the sheer scale of Royal Caribbean's fleet dwarfs many others. The line has nine of the 20 largest ships in the world, including its amenity-packed Oasis class vessels. The Wonder of the Seas is the newest of the line's megaships, slated to launch in March 2022 and capable of housing nearly 7,000 passengers.
Royal Caribbean also made waves (pun intended) with its recent announcement of the Ultimate World Cruise — a nine-month odyssey that will take guests to all seven continents, 65 countries and 150 different destinations. Of course, voting was already completed by then, but TPG readers clearly felt that the line was doing things right — hence its repeat victory in this category.
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Royal Caribbean cruise
Best MidSize-Ship Cruise Line
Massive vessels may appeal to some, but enjoying a cruise on a midsize ship (one that still boasts an array of amenities) is a very viable alternative. And here again, the winner is a familiar one.
Winner: Disney Cruise Line
Disney has defended its title as the best cruise line operating midsize ships. Despite a fleet of just four vessels, the line has a lot to offer customers. From Broadway-caliber shows to first-run movies and an array of character interactions, boarding a Disney cruise can be a dream come true for families and other fans of the company's films and attractions.
But the line isn't resting on its laurels. Its newest ship — the Disney Wish — is slated to set sail on June 9, 2022, the first of three new ships that will join the fleet in the coming years. And based on what TPG has seen, it's going to take the Disney cruising experience to an entirely new level.
Read more: 3 things we learned while previewing food from Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, Disney Wish
Best Small-Ship Cruise Line
And then there are the small ships, those lines that typically cater to luxury travelers and can visit smaller ports of call. And since the first two awards were repeats, why not keep the trend going?
Viking won the award as the best small-ship cruise line for the second-straight year based on votes from TPG readers — and it's not hard to see why. The perennial favorite is best known as a river line, but it began adding upscale oceangoing ships in 2015. These vessels operate with a "no nickel-and-diming" philosophy; all fares include onboard Wi-Fi, a shore excursion in every port and beer and wine with lunch and dinner.
It's easy to understand why travelers would enjoy their time on a Viking ship — and why readers voted for it in for 2021.
Best River Cruise Line
This was a new cruise award for 2021. With some river cruise lines able to start sailing earlier than larger ocean ships, it made sense to recognize the best (according to readers).
While Viking won the award for the best small ships at sea, the candidates it beat out were oceangoing companies. Viking actually got its start on the river, and it now boasts more than 60 river cruise vessels, making it the leader in the English-speaking market. It currently offers voyages in Europe, Asia and Egypt — though it will soon set sail on the Mississippi River.
As a result, readers felt that it deserved this honor, too.
Related: The 10 most exciting new river cruise ships of 2021
Best Cruise Loyalty Program
As The Points Guy, we can't give out a handful of cruise awards without mentioning loyalty, so our final readers' choice category for 2021 is for the line with the best loyalty program. And if the previous repeat winners hint at a trend, you won't be disappointed.
Winner: Royal Caribbean (Crown & Anchor Society)
The line with the megaships kept its title as offering the best loyalty program in the cruise world. The Crown & Anchor Society features six distinct levels, each of which confers an array of benefits for frequent guests. This includes discounts on cruises, onboard specials and even access to special events on the ship.
It's not in the same ballpark as an airline or hotel loyalty program (there's no option to earn points and then redeem them), but it can nevertheless make cruising a lot more comfortable for those who regularly sail with Royal Caribbean — so readers voted it as the best.
Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruise ships and itineraries
The cruise line winners at the 2021 TPG Awards are a familiar bunch — as all of last year's recipients defended their titles. But that doesn't mean the readers got them right. Do you agree with these selections? Be sure to tune in to Thursday's Facebook Live panel discussion at noon Eastern Time as we discuss that very question.


text:
Blackbird Labs, a crypto-powered app and loyalty program, has successfully raised $24 million in a series A funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The company aims to bridge the gap between restaurants and customers by utilizing its innovative blockchain-based app.
The Blackbird app, built on Coinbase’s Layer-2 Base blockchain, allows customers to tap their phones on a near field communication (NFC) reader at participating restaurants. This action creates a non-fungible token (NFT) membership, which is minted when users “tap in” to the venue. These NFT memberships unlock exclusive rewards and insider perks such as off-menu items and SMS concierge services.
The project has gained significant attention, and not solely because of its unique crypto approach. The CEO of Blackbird Labs, Ben Leventhal, is a co-founder of the dining network Resy. A recent feature in the New York Times highlighted Blackbird’s innovative approach without explicitly mentioning its crypto foundations.
While Blackbird operates using blockchain technology and embraces decentralization, it also allows diners to earn fungible $FLY tokens. The company’s website provides further information on the mechanics of its operation through a document titled “Flypaper.”
The document states that Blackbird aims to be the first decentralized platform designed specifically for the hospitality industry. Unlike traditional rewards marketplaces that restrict the use of earned points, Blackbird’s protocol intends to enable users to transfer their points across public blockchains.
To simplify the onboarding process, Blackbird has partnered with Privy. Users are not required to have a crypto wallet before joining; instead, they can sign in with their phone number, which grants them access to a self-custodial wallet.
Although it has only been a few months since its launch, Blackbird has already partnered with around 80 restaurants in New York City.
Arianna Simpson, a general partner at a16z crypto, expressed excitement about the potential of Web3 technologies in revolutionizing the relationship between restaurants and customers. She believes that Web3 enables a new and more meaningful way for them to connect, thereby enhancing the dining experience.
Blackbird’s success comes at a time when other companies have attempted to implement rewards-based systems using NFTs but have struggled to maintain consistent usage. Blackbird’s innovative approach, coupled with its strategic partnerships, positions it as a promising leader in this space.
As the app continues to gain traction and expand its reach, it has the potential to reshape the loyalty and rewards landscape for the hospitality industry and beyond.


text:
Croatia will get 5 fast chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) along the country’s key transport corridors, the A1 and A6 motorways, by the end of May as part of the NEXT-E project, co-financed by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). These are the first ever fast EV chargers along Croatia’s motorways connecting the Zagreb – Rijeka route, and the first of many fast chargers that will connect the Zagreb – Split route just before the start of the tourist season.
Fuel retailer Tifon, a member of MOL Group, put a fast EV charger into operation, with the MOL Plugee brand, at its Draganić Sjever service station, the NEXT-E project said on its website.
The company also handed over two other fast chargers at the service stations of Draganić Jug and Ravna Gora, while by the end of May, Tifon will deploy fast chargers at its service stations at Dobra and Jasenice.
The MOL Plugee branded fast chargers at the Tifon service stations support all relevant charging standards (AC and DC), allowing various types of vehicles to charge, taking up to an hour and a half for AC charging and 25 to 35 minutes for DC charging.
Using the EV chargers will be free of charge for the first month after the launch, after which time a normal (AC) charge will cost HRK 54.90 (EUR 7.40), and a fast (DC) charge will cost HRK 74.90 (EUR 10.10) per session.
Tifon is going to be one of the first participants in the Croatian energy market to enter the upcoming tourist season offering unrestricted, much simpler travel via EVs for all tourists, completely fueled by electricity.
“Since the beginning of this year, we have been getting inquiries from customers across Europe about connecting the coast and the mainland with electric vehicle chargers, so we are very proud to be able to offer just that as of today,” said Tifon CEO Siniša Komnenović during the inauguration of the first fast charger at the Draganić Sjever service station.
In July 2017, the European Commission approved co-funding of the NEXT-E project to set up 252 charging stations in six EU Member States in Central Europe, including Croatia, Slovenia, and Romania.


text:
- Subscribe TodayGet a Free Book of Lists
Sign Up for the Washington Business Journal Morning Edition Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Upstart news talker WNEW goes after the ears — and advertising dollars — of radio giant WTOP
Since CBS Radio Inc. launched WNEW-FM on Jan. 22, Washington listeners have had a choice between two all-news radio stations: the new guys, or tried-and-true WTOP-FM. Whether that choice survives, thrives or dies depends on how people like Jay Rosenberg spend their clients’ money.
Rosenberg, CEO of Rosenberg Media, handles media sales for some of WTOP’s most reliable advertisers: Hadeed Carpet and Rug, Thompson Creek Windows and MyEyeDr, for starters. Their prodigious buys have helped make WTOP the top revenue-earning radio station in the U.S., and CBS Radio thinks it can grab a piece of the action with its costly, ambitious new startup.
So far, so good: Impressed with CBS’s local team and track record, Rosenberg bought a year’s worth of ads for his clients on WNEW, which airs on 99.1 FM. He won’t disclose the cost of the buys, but notes his clients added to their advertising budgets rather than shift money away from WTOP, on 103.5 FM.
But in a matter of weeks, Rosenberg’s clients will no longer have to rely on his confidence. They’ll have hard ratings numbers to go on, and WNEW’s success is not foreordained. Led by former WTOP executive Steve Swenson, the startup will have to get noticed in a crowded media marketplace, keep advertisers coming back after sharp startup discounts and persuade at least some of WTOP’s longtime listeners to embrace a new product.
As for WTOP, it finds itself in the position of many market leaders in other industries: Success begets competition, and newcomers look to replicate — or perhaps imitate — the veterans to get a piece of the pie.
Ben Fischer covers health care and law.
- Most popular
- 18 gentrifying D.C. neighborhoods identified
- Arlington bracing for loss of Fish and Wildlife headquarters
- Union Market to host summer drive-in movie series
- Georgetown Park lands Pinstripes bowling alley venue
- National Science Foundation workers react to relocation
- More residential, possibly no retail for proposed Bloomingdale project
- Dean Foods shuttering Shenandoah's Pride Springfield milk plant
- Six D.C. food trucks make nation's best list
- Landmark Mall remake primed for spring 2014 start
- Howrey's art collection: Not so valuable after all
- Senior NERC Consultant Corporate Risk Solutions, Inc. | Relocation not required, Company HQ in Lenexa, KS
- Careers at Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless | Local Opportunities
- MANAGER CONSULTING SERVICES Corporate Risk Solutions, Inc. | Relocation not required, Company HQ in Lenexa, KS
- Configuration Manager TEKsystems, Inc | Reston, VA
- Controller Greylocke & Company | Washington, DC


text:
As demand for high performance electric motors continues to proliferate, the world’s leading maker of precision motors is bullish that it can dominate the market through the mass production of cheaper and better automotive parts than its rivals.
In 2010, Shigenobu Nagamori gazed into the future and witnessed the pivot that was about to shake up the auto industry in the coming decades. It was clear that traditional gasoline-powered models would eventually be phased out and replaced by those characterised by connectivity, automation, sharing and electrification, or CASE vehicles. This marked the manifestation of Vision 2015 that set out to grow Nidec into a global enterprise group with annual sales of ¥2 trillion (US$23.4 billion) by the fiscal year 2015.
Six years later, the manufacturing juggernaut with a market capitalisation of more than $80bil is staking a claim for 35% of the global EV motor market by 2030 that is forecasted to be worth US$20 – 30 billion annually.
With European countries and several US states mandating that all new car sales be electric over the next two decades, Nidec is optimistic that the commodification of electric vehicles will follow the same route as electronic devices where key components are streamlined and supplied by a few dominant tech firms.
Under the auspices of Nagamori, Nidec has embarked on a growth offensive locally and abroad. Riding on the wave of electrification, it has acquired 39 companies spanning across four continents since the last decade in an attempt to expand its production capacity for a wider market reach. Nidec has also poached its rivals for talent, with Jun Seki, the former vice chief operating officer of Nissan, becoming the latest high-profile name to be roped in.
However, reducing the cost of supply parts remains the most significant challenge yet within the EV industry. As such, Nidec has pitched to automakers its “E-Axle” system that infuses motors, gears and inverters into a single package at a rate between $1,200 to $1,300, well below the industry’s estimated average of $1,800.
Nagamori sees Europe and China as relatively quick adopters of EVs and is ready to invest some $1.9 billion to build a factory in Serbia which will become one of the company’s largest production hubs in Europe. In tandem with that new facility, Nidec will start producing EV drive motors in France and Poland in 2022.
Amid concerns that Sino-American tensions are unlikely to thaw anytime soon, the Kyoto-based company plans to invest ¥100 billion (US$951 million) in a new motor factory in Dalian to cater to demand in the world’s two biggest economies. It already has sites in the U.S. for vehicle motors and industrial and appliance motors. All in all, the company’s global production capacity is expected to reach five million by 2025.
Jefferies’ analyst Yoshihiro Azuma observed that Nidec is determined to make its traction motors the de facto standard for EVs, similar to that of Intel’s positioning for PCs. With the global EV market sales projected to exceed 30 million by the end of this decade, Nidec is in pole position to garner the lion’s share of the demand.


text:
Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
GameStop shares are trading sharply lower this morning on a report that the next generation of Microsoft Xbox game consoles - which are expected to debut later this year - will prevent player from installing used games. That would be a blow to the game retailer, which does a bristling business in used game software.
The gaming site Edge reports in a blog post that the next gen Xbox will require an Internet connection to function. While games will still be sold on physical Blu-ray disks, according to the report, they will require activation codes, "and will have no value beyond the initial user."
The story provides some other specs on the new console: Edge reports that there will be new version of the Xbox Live online service, and that the box will ship with an updated version of the Kinect gesture control device. The box reportedly will run on an AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8GB of DDR3 RAM.
In the company's October quarter, GameStop reported that sales of used products accounted for 28% of overall sales - and more than 48% of gross profits.
GME this morning is down $1.81, or 6.8%, to $25.


text:
Netflix will soon hit customers with yet another price hike, after increasing prices for all of its plans last year. By itself, this news should not necessarily be surprising. It’s par for the course for the industry. But Netflix’s rumored price hike comes on the heels of several controversial moves from the streaming giant, including the still-contested password-sharing ban that Netflix implemented earlier this year.
Then there’s the plethora of Netflix competitors out there that have also raised the price for their streaming offerings recently. And, starting with Disney Plus, they’re also looking at preventing free password sharing.
Add to that the economic downturn and the strikes in Hollywood, for which streaming service providers share the blame, and you have the perfect storm brewing. Netflix and the other streamers might make illegal downloads popular again, not that the phenomenon ever truly died down.
There have been ways to download copyrighted content illegally for decades. The copyright content owners kept trying to block and reduce the phenomenon, but they never won. Sites that offer access to illegal content found ways to keep the lights on. And users continued to get their movies and TV shows without paying for access.
Netflix started a streaming revolution that has impacted illegal downloads. Suddenly, you can access thousands of titles, including some of the newest TV shows and movies, as well as Netflix originals that are actually good. Add the Netflix competitors to the mix, and you don’t need illegal downloads. Why bother looking for anything when you’re just a few clicks from adding a new subscription to your list?
But in recent years, there have been plenty of moves from streamers that might make some people consider cancelling. Not only that, but also going back to stealing the content readily available online the day it hits streaming sites.
I’ll briefly remind you of all the updates in the streaming industry that might push some consumers to the free alternative, illegal downloads.
I’ve defended Netflix price hikes nearly every time the streamer raised the prices of its monthly subscriptions. I argued that, as long as the service brings you value, the cost increase is worth it. You’ll pay a few dollars extra per month, but Netflix will have more money to make more of the shows you like and produce new titles. I innocently thought the money would be spread between the company and the content makers.
The same argument goes for any other streaming service you might like. Disney Plus, Hulu, Max, Prime Video, Peacock, and Paramount Plus have all been raising prices. And since a regular user subscribes to several services, those hikes add up. Needless to say, that’s a good reason to start cancelling the services you don’t use as often.
Then, streamers all introduced ad-based tiers. We’re essentially returning to a cable experience where you’re forced to watch commercials during shows. But that’s not what we’ve been ditching cable for. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want ads in my streaming experience.
This is another way streamers are pushing more expensive subscriptions. Amazon recently announced that the Prime Video tier that comes with your Amazon Prime subscription will get ads. You’ll have to pay an additional monthly fee to get rid of them.
Back to Netflix, the leader of the pack, the streamer also decided to remove one of the more affordable ad-free tiers from its selection of plans. That’s another way to push Netflix customers to more expensive monthly fees to avoid ads.
The password-sharing ban(s)
Sharing the Netflix login is another way to save money on streaming. But we’ve all been abusing the feature, and it’s no wonder Netflix acted on it.
I explained time and again why Netflix’s stance is normal. And I also told you that Netflix won’t be the only service banning password sharing. Disney just announced a similar move for Disney Plus. Expect others to follow.
The show cancelations
What’s great about streaming services is that anyone can find something they want to watch, no matter how long it takes. And plenty of customers have favorite shows, including originals that are only available on streaming services. But then Netflix (and others) go and cancel some of those originals while also releasing other projects of questionable quality. All of that will be enraging some customers.
The Hollywood strikes
All these price hikes were not as beneficial to content creators as I thought. That’s why the writers and actors went on strike earlier this year. The studios and streamers are to blame for that.
Compensating content creators fairly is a key to success whether you’re Netflix, Disney, Amazon, or any other streamer/studio. But the strikes taught us that’s hardly the case.
The studios finally inked a deal with the writers. The actors might be next. Only then will Netflix raise prices, according to this week’s report. Hopefully, that money will go towards paying creatives better salaries.
But when you factor in everything, Netflix’s purported decision to raise prices after the strikes are over might be the final drop in the bucket for some subscribers. They might cut and run. Or they’ll consider canceling some of the other streaming subscriptions they own just to keep Netflix on.
Remember the economy
All of this has been happening against the backdrop of imminent economic doom. It’s not that we’re in a recession. It’s the fears of impending doom that might dictate what you spend your money on, whether it’s worth paying $50+ for a bunch of monthly subscriptions that keep getting more expensive.
Cutting costs in this economy might be a top priority for many people, regardless of the market. Ditiching entertainment subscriptions, like Netflix and its rivals, is one thing many buyers might consider.
Illegal download sites are still up and running
As I said before, Netflix and other streamers have helped curtail the illegal download phenomenon in recent years. There’s no doubt about that. But, ironically enough, it might be Netflix and its rivals that help convert more people to illegal downloads.
All the measures the streamers implemented during this particular economy will anger plenty of users. And they won’t stop watching content from Netflix and others just because they’ve canceled the service.
There’s no real way to block internet users from downloading illegal content online. Especially those users who know what they’re doing and can protect themselves against being tracked. In fact, it’s easier than ever to do it.
That said, I’m only speculating here. It’ll be a few years until we’ll have studies detailing the streaming habits of users during 2022 and 2023, including illegal downloads. But if we get there and illegal downloads start picking up again, it’ll be interesting to see what Netflix and all the other streaming giants do about it.


text:
HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. — Hampton County will soon be home to a high tech farming facility as three companies come together to invest $314 million in a project that plans to grow, process, package and ship fruits and vegetables using an approach called 'Controlled Environment Agriculture.'
The joint venture includes:
The companies will create a 1,000-acre agribusiness cluster in Hampton County that will employ 1,547 people in growing, packing and shipping tomatoes, leafy greens, blueberries and other fresh produce. These will be produces on an Agriculture Technology Campus made up of multiple greenhouses and hoop-houses, a 150,000-square-foot distribution center, and a large co-packer centrally located within the cluster. The project will be situated near I-95.
Controlled Environment Agriculture is a technology-based approach to indoor farming that allows growers to minimize space and conserve water while controlling for factors like weather.
According to the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA), over the past three years, the department has been exploring the potential for Controlled Environment Agriculture to boost the state’s agricultural economy. This project will provide new jobs and offer opportunities for existing South Carolina farmers as agribusiness operations build a local supply chain, according to the release. Growing and sourcing locally grown foods helps ensure food supply chain security, a need amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and minimizes operating expenses through co-location.
SC Governor Henry McMaster tweeted about the campus, writing, "This is a monumental announcement that will have an impact that reverberates across our state for generations; it's a big win for Hampton County and the future of agriculture in South Carolina. Thank you to everyone who worked together to make it possible."
“The Agriculture Technology Campus investment in South Carolina agriculture is transformative, creating jobs in the Hampton County region and future opportunities for South Carolina farmers,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. “A Controlled Environment Agriculture project of this scale will conserve land and water and offer South Carolinians more chances to buy local produce.”
“This is a historic day for a region steeped in agricultural history,” said GEM Opportunity Zone Fund CEO Zeb Portanova. “I am thrilled to be part of this innovative group looking to grow high quality agriculture across the region. We will deploy sustainable practices such as using recycled rainwater to irrigate our greenhouses while also providing all Carolina farmers access to our state-of-the-art co-packing facility. This will help pave the way for citizens to visit their local grocery stores, where they will be able to purchase pesticide-free, locally grown produce.”
The Agriculture Technology Campus cluster is projected to increase total economic output in Hampton County by $551.7 million a year, or $7.4 billion over 15 years, according to an economic impact study commissioned by the SCDA. The campus is expected to be operational in 2022.


text:
Survey: Networked homes prepare for the sound of music
Howard Baldwin |
March 14, 2012
First iPods, now tablets. The numbers of consumers using their tablets to listen to music--more than 60 percent, according to Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates--is reportedly going to trigger a widespread increase in the embedded network technologies in home audio products.
Apple has set the bar high with Airplay technology, giving users an onscreen menu that simply asks which connected device should play the music, he adds. "If DLNA-based devices are going to be as successful, that's the model they need to emulate."


text:
Paranoid Android is no longer the force it used to be. But that isn’t stopping the dev team from launching its Android 12-based ROM known as Sapphire 12. This is currently an Alpha release and would be limited to a handful of devices.
The Paranoid Android team started working on this new release after the Android 12 source code made its way to AOSP recently. The team continues the tradition of naming its releases after minerals, a practice that began with the Paranoid Android Quartz release (Android 10).
“These last years we have seen quite a confusion when it comes to our Alpha builds, and we want to give a better and proper information about it. Alpha builds are specifically worked by each of our supported devices maintainer,” the team said in a blog post (via).
“This means the number of alphas each device can get might not match what other devices will have, as Alphas are builds that might have bugs that we want you to help us find and fix, and with that we might have to push more builds for some specific devices.”
Simply put, the frequency of Alpha releases may differ from device to device. This also means that some features from a particular build of Sapphire 12 could be missing on other builds. The developer team also points out that some new features included with the Alpha release may not see the light of the day with the stable update.
Paranoid Android’s previous release was “Ruby” based on Android 11
The Paranoid Android Sapphire Alpha is only available for the OnePlus 8 Pro right now. More devices, including the OnePlus 5T/7T, OnePlus 9R/Pro, OnePlus 8T, Poco M2 Pro, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Poco F3/X3, would gain support soon. Thankfully, the team is providing a full list of compatible devices on Twitter.
The Paranoid Android team released alphas of the “Ruby” build based on Android 11 last year. Alphas usually launch shortly after the source code reaches AOSP. However, the stable build won’t arrive for at least a few months. This is because the team has to test out all the new features while ironing out the glitches.
If you’re a fan of Paranoid Android ROMs, be sure to check out Sapphire 12. But remember that since this is an Alpha build, not all features may work as smoothly as expected. You can download the Paranoid Android Sapphire Alpha release through the Telegram channel here.


text:
“…we see less risk of high-end consumers moving away. This is because currently enterprise is not a price-sensitive market; instead value, reliability and experience play a pivotal role,” the brokerage said.
Airtel's enterprise arm, Airtel Business clocked $1.7 billion in revenues for the Fiscal year 2018-19.
BoAML, however, believes RIL’s entry in the enterprise market (in partnership with Microsoft’s Azure) could disrupt this pricing and increase affordability. “We could see quite a substantial adoption of data growth as SMEs could now start using enterprise services – in turn expanding the market and benefiting all companies,” it added.
The cloud market size in India to be $1 billion, growing at 30%+ CAGR for the next few years.
Reliance Industries Ltd. chairman Mukesh Ambani said recently that its telecom arm would offer SMEs a combination of Microsoft cloud solutions with connectivity at Rs 1,500 a month – effectively a tenth of the current cost of similar services. It plans to do so by leveraging its upcoming maze of data centres across the country that will run Microsoft’s Azure platform.
“We maintain our Buy rating on RIL and Bharti (both on favorable risk-reward) and Underperform on VIL (risk of market share loss),” Bank of America Merril Lynch said.


text:
Kim Jones celebrated the 75th anniversary of the New Look with a sensational menswear collection, and a beautifully staged show for the house of Dior, winning him a standing ovation Friday afternoon in Paris.
Shortly after Adidas and Prada launched their first clothing collab, the two brands have taken their relationship further with the Adidas for Prada re-source NFT project in a link with digital artist Zach Lieberman.
India’s gems and jewellery exports during the nine-month period from April to December 2021 grew by 6 percent to $29 billion, on the back of strong demand from major countries including the U.S., Hong Kong and Thailand.
The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, which recently launched its India Jewellery Park Mumbai, has signed a 95-year lease on the land and expects the project to bring significant investment to the region.
Paris menswear season – showing clothes for winter 2022 - opened Tuesday with an impressive trio of collections from three very disparate young designers, underlining the city's ability to attract dynamic, new talent.
Burberry’s full-price sales continued to grow in double-digits compared with two years ago in the 13 weeks to December 25, underlining the ongoing recovery both at the company and in the luxury sector as a whole.
The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council announced it believes the Indian gem and jewellery industry can reach its export targets if the government favours the industry in its upcoming Union budget.


text:
Oh no! It seems bell-bottoms are back in style.
They're in the news again because Target started selling a women's version recently. Except for this time, instead of bell-bottoms, they're calling them "Extreme Flare Jeans."
Google Trends even says the phrase "Are bell-bottoms back in style?" is trending right now. Now we're really in trouble! It's the #1 "back in style" search this week . . . followed by "Are fanny packs back in style?" The rest of the top five are banana clips, Uggs, and Members-Only jackets.
And just in case you were wondering, yes fanny packs and banana clips are back in style.


text:
Nintendo has announced the latest addition to the Personal Trainer software series called Personal Trainer: Walking. Most of us can just look out the windows on any given day and find people walking around the neighborhood for exercise. The new Personal Trainer: Walking software for the Nintendo DS and DSi allows those who walk for exercise or fun to keep track of their walking.
Don't Miss: Sam's Club Black Friday 2016 Details
The game allows users to count and measure steps like a basic pedometer with much more detailed information available. The application charts walking activities and reveals so-called "life rhythm" patterns that show when the user is most active and which meals are typically followed by sedentary periods.
Two activity meter accessories are included with each copy of the software, they record steps during a period of time and can be synched to wirelessly send data to the DS or DSi console. The activity meters can store up to seven days of information and the DS game card can track up to five years of walking data. Four people can track and share their results on a single copy of the software.
Don't Miss: Incredible Pokemon Gifts


text:
Five New Samyang lenses are coming! According to the latest rumors from Samyang Facebook page, Samyang will announce 5 lenses, One every Monday for the Next Five Weeks!
In this Summer, the five Samyang Blockbuster series will blow your mind away …5 NEW Samyang Lenses will be released on every Monday for the next five weeks….
Stay tuned for more info.
Read more Samyang Lens Rumors


text:
YourWay Cannabis Brands Inc. (CSE: YOUR) (OTC: YOURF) (FSE: HOB) (the “Company” or “YourWay”), a consumer-centric House of Brands committed to redefining the way consumers and cannabis brands interact, is proud to announce the launch of two new cannabis products under the VenomX brand in Arizona. The new products include Diamond-Infused Pre-Rolls and a Live Resin All-in-One Vape. The products will be available for shipment to retailers in the first week of April 2023.
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of two exciting new VenomX branded products into the Arizona market,” said Jacob Cohen, YourWay’s President of Arizona Operations. “With the launch of our Diamond-Infused Pre-Roll, we are broadening the reach of the VenomX brand and our 1.0g Live Resin All-in-One Vape expands our current portfolio to meet the demands of consumers in these key categories.”
The Diamond-Infused Pre-Rolls mark the first-ever launch of VenomX flower products. It combines pure THCa diamonds with premium cannabis to provide an enhanced smoking experience for customers. Mr. Cohen emphasized, “Our hope is that the Diamond-Infused Pre-Rolls will continue delivering on what VenomX customers love, a potent cannabis brand they know and trust at an affordable price.”
In addition, the Live Resin All-in-One Vape offers an all-cannabis-derived 1.0g all-in-one device that heats the live resin high terpene extract and distilled cannabis oil to the optimal temperature for enjoying the unique terpene profiles. “When we made the decision to expand the VenomX vaporizer portfolio, we were focused on meeting consumer demand for a live resin all-in-one device,” said Mr. Cohen.
The VenomX brand is available in over sixty locations across Arizona. YourWay is committed to providing consumers with high-quality cannabis products that meet their needs, and these new products are an excellent addition to the portfolio.


text:
Qualcomm and ON Semi see dramatic growth
April 06, 2012 // Nick Flaherty
Although the global semiconductor industry saw only 2% growth last year, several companies posted results that were far different, says the latest reserch from Bill McClean at IC insights.
Boosted by its acquisition of Sanyo’s semiconductor business, ON Semiconductor registered a 49% sales increase last year and moved into the top 25 ranking for the first time. Qualcomm, spurred by a 73% increase in smartphone unit shipments last year, logged a strong 38% increase in semiconductor sales in 2011. At the other end of the spectrum was Elpida, which registered a steep sales drop of 40%, or 45% when expressed in yen.
Although 15 of the top 25 semiconductor sales leaders posted negative results last year, in total, the top 10 and top 25 semiconductor suppliers grew 7% and 4%, respectively, in 2011 as compared to 2010. These growth rates were much better than the 2% increase shown in the worldwide 2011/2010 semiconductor market.
Intel remained firmly in control of the number one spot in the ranking last year. Helped by its acquisition of Infineon’s wireless IC business, Intel extended its lead over second-ranked Samsung by registering 48% more in semiconductor sales than Samsung in 2011 as compared to a 24% margin in 2010.
Healthy growth in its graphics and communications processor business helped Nvidia jump five positions and move the company to 18th place in the top 25 ranking. In contrast, Elpida fell six spots in the ranking last year (from 13th to 19th) as the collapse in the DRAM market had a disastrous effect on the company. In fact, Elpida lost almost $1.2 billion in the second half of calendar 2011 and filed for bankruptcy in 1Q12.
In contrast to 2010, memory companies did not secure the top growth rate positions in the ranking in 2011. Non-memory suppliers logged the top six growth rate increases last year. For ON, Qualcomm, and Intel 2011 semiconductor sales growth rates were significantly boosted by company and/or business segment acquisitions.
Of the big five memory suppliers in the top 25 ranking (Samsung, Toshiba, Hynix, Micron, and Elpida), only Samsung saw growth last year and only 9 of the top 25 suppliers (including Infineon’s 29% sales growth from continuing operations) outperformed the total worldwide semiconductor industry 2011/2010 growth rate of 2%.
Delayed roadmap set for debut at TSensors Summit
November 27, 2015
The MEMS and Sensors Industry Group has announced that it will release the outline of the TSensors (Trillion Sensors) Roadmap ...
Tower buys Maxim's Texas wafer fab
Deterministic motor control with FPGAs
Smart buildings, smartphones will drive IR detector market
Private ID as a service leverages smartphone-enabled biometrics
Like Micron, SK Hynix rejects Chinese advances
November 26, 2015
Korean memory chip company SK Hynix has rejected an investment offer from China's state-backed Tsinghua Unigroup, according ...
NXP, Freescale merger clears FTC hurdle
Thin film micro-lenses stretch to focus
German battery maker puts squeeze on Tesla's solar storage plans
- Battery Size Matters
- Software-Defined Radio Handbook - 11th edition
- Multichemistry Buck Battery Charger Controller
- Automotive Circuit Protection using Littelfuse Automotive TVS Diodes
InterviewCEO interview: InvenSense's Abdi on expanding MEMS horizons
InvenSense Inc. is a MEMS company that has epitomized a fabless approach to a sector that is still highly reliant on a thorough grasp of the manufacturing and packaging processes. We interviewed CEO Behrooz ...
Filter WizardCheck out the Filter Wizard Series of articles by Filter Guru Kendall Castor-Perry which provide invaluable practical Analog Design guidelines.
Linear video channel
READER OFFERRead more
This month, FTDI Chip is giving away six MCU development board packages complete with a dedicated compiler (including a full integrated development environment).
Worth Euro 315 each, the packages include a credit card sized Clicker 2 board for the FT90X 32-bit MCU supplied alongside a powerful dedicated compiler from MikroElektronika.
MORE INFO AND LAST MONTH' WINNERS...
December 15, 2011 | Texas instruments | 222901974
Unique Ser/Des technology supports encrypted video and audio content with full duplex bi-directional control channel over a single wire interface.


text:
PARIS -- Registrations in France fell by 72 percent in March, as dealerships closed their doors by government order in the middle of the month to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
There were 62,688 registrations in March, industry group CCFA said on Wednesday, with 22 selling days, compared to 21 in March 2019.
The French government put in place strict limits on movement and commerce across the country on March 16, including on dealerships, effectively ending auto sales. Even before that, residents had been advised to work from home and avoid unnecessary travel and contacts.
Other countries with coronavirus limitations are likely to see similar declines. Sales in China in February fell by 80 percent, for example. The lockdown in France has been extended until April 15.
For the year, sales are down by 34 percent. Analysts are predicting that sales in Europe will drop up to 20 percent for 2020, depending on how long lockdowns last and whether governments put scrapping incentive plans in place to drive demand.


text:
Starfield fans praise an immersive boost that they consider game-changing for Starfield.
Starfield already makes for an immersive RPG experience, yet thanks to one simple mod, its exploration can become all the more satisfying.
Bethesda’s latest RPG Starfield hasn’t exactly enjoyed an easy start. From being overlooked at The Game Awards nominations to receiving only “mixed” ratings on Steam, fans were expecting an experience comparable to previous Bethesda titles like Fallout and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, perhaps this wasn’t too surprising given player expectations for Bethesda titles like Fallout and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Bethesda remains committed to making Starfield an enjoyable experience for players despite current difficulties, so recently released a huge free update that added highly requested features.
Not only are developers working hard on Starfield; modders are doing all they can too to improve it further. One such modder recently published Shadowy Shadows on Nexus Mods which seeks “to reduce fake lighting on both Flora and Ground, make ground and Flora Shadows more shadowy, as well as soften volumetrics more deliciously”
Though seemingly minor, screenshots demonstrate its dramatic improvement to Starfield environments and it should come as no surprise that its creator took inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077 and real life for this project.
“IT IS A LOVELY GAME,” declares its creator, but questions whether some aspects may appear “off.” Is Jemison an ugly planet with overly bright plants and grass that seems out-of-place with everything else happening on its planet surface? Don’t answer this – because you already know the answer!”
Shadowy Shadows was developed with the goal of decreasing brightness levels while adding realistic lighting effects, and players have shown immense appreciation, even going so far as to say it has altered their gameplay experiences and is “game-changing”.


text:
Pinterest Offers Prom Inspiration
Pinterest has recently announced a new program that focuses entirely on prom fashion. Starring actress Peyton List, Prom Week has been characterized as a highly immersive in-product experience that’s all about the latest trends in prom fashion and beauty. Notable collaborations besides Peyton include publishers such as Teen Vogue and a number of big names in beauty and fashion who will work together to bring you inspiration for this year’s prom season. The platform has been able to engage fashion experts as well, which means you should expect tips on clothing as well as hairstyle and nail trends.
If you take a closer look at Pinterest’s offerings for the Prom Week, you’ll notice immediately there are several very pronounced trends. The U.S. TV show “Euphoria” has not only won the hearts of a huge audience but also become a major inspiration for school leavers due to its highly inclusive stylistics. Much more traditional in terms of style, “The Great Gatsby” is snother important influence. You’ll see a lot of glitter and sparkle to remind you of the roaring 20s as well as daring patterns that do a great job of showing off one’s unique personality.
Search statistics suggest that black, lilac, and light blue will be seen a lot when prom time comes. An increasing number of users have been looking for neon-colored inspiration, too, which promises a lot of exciting combinations. Given the fact that the pandemic has so far been disrupting prom ceremonies across the U.S., there’s little wonder everyone’s hungry for something catchy. As fashion becomes more inclusive, more non-binary outfits will like appear as well. What’s your favorite theme for a prom outfit? Share your inspirations in the comments section below this post.