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The iTunes Store has changed a lot in the last 12 years. Let's take a Mac Classic time machine back to 2003 and travel through the Store's ups, downs, and revolutionary moves.
In the beginning
In 2003, the latest-and-greatest OS X version was 10.2 Jaguar, Apple had sold only 700,000 iPods to date, and getting music on to the iPod required buying a CD and ripping it into iTunes. Apple had a whole ad campaign around the process:
(Don't look directly at the Flower Power iMac!)
Of course, users buying and ripping a CD to their computer was the best-case scenario: In reality, more and more savvy consumers were turning to the Internet to source their music without paying for it. As music piracy grew, record labels scrambled to find ways to combat it.
A few music download services sprung up, but on April 28, 2003, Apple CEO Steve Jobs got on stage and changed the game.
At this point, iTunes had been around for a little over two years. The jukebox app—as Apple labeled it at the time—was still Mac-only, but could already burn CDs, create smart playlists, and (of course) sync flawlessly with the iPod. And before revealing his biggest announcement, Jobs unveiled iTunes 4, which added AAC playback support, Rendezvous (now Bonjour) library sharing and album art support.
Jobs's big news of the day, however, wasn't the third-generation iPod. It was the iTunes Music Store.
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"The Internet was made for music delivery," said Jobs, but he went to on explain that the current situation was littered with problems. Things like unreliable downloads, poor encoding, and busted metadata made for a poor experience. Furthermore, he said, "It's stealing. It's bad karma."
image credit: Guidebook Gallery
Apple's solution was legal and flexible. At 99 cents a pop, users could purchase from iTunes's initial offering of 200,000 tracks, each encoded at 128 kbps in the AAC format. With 30-second previews and one-click purchasing, the iTunes Music Store was designed to be a quick, easy, and affordable alternative to pirating MP3s from the Internet. Apple could deliver fast, consistent downloads of clean, accurate tracks all while—as Jobs chuckled—avoiding messing with karma.
Basic unalienable rights
Like in most of his compelling keynotes, Jobs went on to describe the competition: PressPlay & Rhapsody had users, he said, but there were issues only Apple could solve. Jobs insisted that people wanted a broad set of rights when it came to what they could do with their purchased files.
Apple's initial rights demands shaped features that iTunes users would be familiar with for the next decade: Music could be synced to an unlimited number of iPods and played on up to three licensed computers. (This would later be improved to 5 machines before the DRM-free era.) You could burn your playlists for personal use, and purchased tracks could be used to enhance iMovie and iDVD projects.
And to ensure these rights—and to round out its growing collection of tracks—Apple had cut deals with all five major record labels.
The subscription myth
Beyond the personal rights issues, Jobs insisted that the business models used elsewhere were wrong: Besides companies charging fees to unlock basic features, his core issue was with the subscription model.
"Subscriptions are the wrong path," Jobs said, arguing that people had always bought music on media. From the days of flipping through LPs at the record store to scanning CDs at the mall, when you bought music, it was yours. Users, Jobs said, didn't want to rent their music.
This turned out to be true for nearly a decade: The iTunes Music Store exploded over the next ten years. It came to Windows just a few months after being announced, and quickly became the online retailer of music for millions of people. Apple added TV shows and movies to the store, and with iOS devices, the company's ever-growing catalog was available on the go for the first time. By February 2013, Apple had sold 25 billion songs worldwide.
But as impressive as that number was, it wasn't to last. Subscription services based on the very premise Jobs dismissed in 2003 began to make serious ground, in part because of growing song catalogs and smart song collections. Music sales slipped, and in the eyes of many users, iTunes was a thing they once used. Instead of paying for a single track off an album, consumer tastes shifted, with many preferring an all-you-can-eat approach to music.
Apple had a decision to make: Was it time to take on the streaming business?
The Apple Music years
In May 2014, Apple announced it was purchasing Beats, bringing the company's hardware business and streaming service in-house.
At this point, Beats was ahead of Apple in some key areas. While Cupertino's white earbuds were once iconic, the brand had lost ground in recent years. Here's a quote from Apple's announcement:
While the Beats acquisition did buy Apple influence in certain markets, the company could have clearly built a streaming service without spending $3 billion. However, the talent and curation chops behind Beats Audio were huge assets — more valuable, I'd argue — than the technology itself. Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre are geniuses in the music industry, and armed with Apple's cash, technology and influence, are unstoppable.
With Apple Music, the company has fully embraced the music subscription business. The iTunes Music Store is a fall-back. "Like this album?" Apple Music asks. "Stream away! And, oh yes, we have it for sale over here behind the curtain."
That's not to say purchasing music is going away, but clearly the market has shifted. For most users, services like Apple Music are more attractive when it comes to price and discovery. While it remains to be seen which model is more profitable for Apple, my feeling is that people will pay $10/month for streaming far quicker than they would for a single album on iTunes.
Looking to the future
In hindsight, the iTunes Music Store was an incredible move by Apple. It added great value to the iPod and put the company squarely in the music business. Now, 12 years after revolutionizing music purchases, Apple's in place to take the reins of the music consumption business back. I bet it's going to do just that.
In almost every iPod and iTunes event over the last 15 years, the company's executives has said how much they care about music. That statement has felt weaker in recent years as iTunes and the iPod have faded, but now, the company's back on top. While there are growing pains, Apple Music is clearly the superior streaming service on the market, and it's backed by a huge purchasable library, excellent hardware in the iPhone and iPad and is being built by a group of people who care deeply about music. If that's not a winning recipe, I'm not sure what is.
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Refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 smartwatches have started their international Apple Store rollout with 15% savings
iPad Air 6 to get the iPad Pro's mini-LED display in shock late leak — OLED iPad Pro won't be the only display boost in May


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By the end of the first quarter, the yen had appreciated by 14% against the rupee, thereby increasing Maruti's import bill. Also, the domestic currency had depreciated by 5% against the dollar which in turn resulted in higher export realisation for Maruti.
Consequently, its net adverse impact on profitability was Rs 74.3 crore for the first quarter ended June 30.
Different models of Maruti have 85-90% localisation while the rest is imported from Japan. Appreciation of the yuan has hit bottom lines, said a company official.
Same is the case with Hero Electric. The company, which has recently forayed into electric two-wheelers, largely imports motors and batteries and, to a small extent, even plastics from China. As such appreciation of the yuan has inflated the company's import bill.
The Chinese currency has gone up by 10% since last year, resulting in over 10% increase in overall cost of import and a squeeze in our profitability margins, said Naveen Munjal, managing director, Hero electric. He added that the company is working on developing its own motors and batteries so that the import content can be brought down from 60% now to less than 20% by 2009-10.

domain: news


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(Bloomberg) -- Forever 21 Inc. has added investment bank Lazard Ltd. and law firm Kirkland & Ellis to its roster of advisers as the fashion chain tries to turn itself around, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
The retailer is looking for ways to avoid becoming another victim of an industry slump that has seen a series of chains shutter stores or go out of business. A spokeswoman for Forever 21 declined to comment. Representatives for Lazard and Kirkland & Ellis didn’t provide comment.
Forever 21 operates more than 800 stores in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America, mainly in the U.S. It rents mall space from Macerich Co., Taubman Centers Inc., Simon Property Group Inc. and the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, among others, according to filings.
To contact the reporters on this story: Eliza Ronalds-Hannon in New York at firstname.lastname@example.org;Lauren Coleman-Lochner in New York at email@example.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rick Green at firstname.lastname@example.org, Dan Wilchins, Kelsey Butler
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


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Commission issues White Paper on container competition
THE European Commission published a White Paper on liner shipping conferences in the hopes of stimulating competition in the maritime sector on Wednesday (13 October). As a result, the exemption the shipping industry has been benefiting from may come to an end in the near future.
Since 1986, the sector has been transporting goods between the European Union and other regions at fixed rates. Liner shipping conferences, in which companies agree on a uniform freight rate, have exempted companies from competition rules, since it is believed that fixed freight rates bring stability assuring shippers of reliable freight services. But the paper suggests annulling this immunity.
Commission Competition spokeswoman Amelia Torres suggested it was time to repeal the exemption.
Meanwhile, the Commission issued an updated draft directive on ports. It said the law would offer clearer rules on access to the provision of port services and would also create a level playing field in competition between ports.


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Wineries recovering after harsh winter
Posted: Apr 7, 2015 9:37 PM EST | Updated: Apr 7, 2015 9:47 PM EST
The release from Governor Snyder's office said 2 million people visit wineries in Michigan every year.
Debbie Van Pelt said, “We are one of the top wineries in the state, really known for our Reds, but Michigan does white wines like nobody's business.”
The product specialist at the White Pine Winery in St. Joseph Michigan said despite weather woes, tourism and interest in Michigan wine is thriving.
Van Pelt said, “Farming meets science, that is wine making. So as a farmer you get used to these fluctuations so I think right now all the vineyards are in a wait and see mode and seeing how the vines are growing, and doing everything they can right now to help that vine reach maturity.”
Van Pelt was hosting a private tasting on Tuesday and she said their grapes are harvested at 'Sophie's Vineyard' in Lawton, Michigan.
Van Pelt said, “Our wine maker is Dr. Dave Miller, he has a PhD in viticulture and I was actually in the shop when he came in that winter and just threw his hands up and said at least I don't have to worry about it. There's an equation of snow, length of cold, and temperature that is like the perfect storm.”
From 2010 to 2012, Van Pelt said they had excellent harvests so they still have a lot of wine to serve customers in their tasting room.
Governor Snyder said the sale of wine in Michigan has doubled in the past 10 years.


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How does the idea of a Taco Bell vegetarian menu sound to you?
The taco chain, which is owned by Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM), announced that it will test a vegetarian menu sometime later this year. The goal is to bring in more consumers who may have been avoiding going to the company’s restaurants due to their limited non-meat options.
The idea of a Taco Bell vegetarian menu makes sense considering the fact that most fast food places make most of their income on meat-based products, yet the number of vegetarians in the U.S. has been rising, reaching 5% in a Gallup poll conducted on July 2018.
The chain has been historically helpful in accommodating its vegetarian customers, offering to replace meat for beans for free in its tacos and burritos for years. Such a move even garnered Taco Bell a positive reputation in the vegetarian community, with the American Vegetarian Association certifying some of the restaurant’s vegetarian alternatives in 2015.
The company said that the new menu will include a combination of existing vegetarian offerings and alterations, as well as some entirely new options. The decision could go a long way towards bolstering the restaurant’s relationship with younger generations as vegetarianism is especially popular among Americans who are younger than 50 years old.
YUM stock is down about 0.9% on Friday on the news, sliding a fraction of a percentage after hours as well.


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Man’s body found in lot near North Carolina shopping center
GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say a man’s body has been found in a lot adjacent to a shopping center.
Goldsboro police tell news outlets that the unidentified body was found in a metal trash bin in a lot near Berkeley Plaza on Monday.
Investigators don’t know how the many died.
The man’s body has been sent to the Office of the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy.


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Daredevil, the Marvel Netflix shows, and Agents of SHIELD are making their way to the Disney Plus streaming service on March 16.
“On March 16, Disney+ will add more Marvel live-action series titles to its expansive content offering in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand with the addition of Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Marvel’s Luke Cage, Marvel’s Iron Fist, Marvel’s The Defenders, and Marvel’s The Punisher, plus Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the U.S., giving fans access to more from the Marvel collection, all in one place,” announced Marvel.com on Tuesday.
Disney Plus Parent Controls will be updated for Marvel shows
As the shows are on more of the mature side, it’s also been announced there will be an update to the Parental Controls on Disney Plus.
“With the addition of these titles, Disney+ will concurrently release an update to its Parental Controls in the U.S. that will prompt all subscribers to update their settings,” states the announcement.
Regarding the Parental Controls, when opening Disney+ for the first time on or after March 16, all subscribers in the U.S. will be prompted to update their Parental Controls. This includes the option to select content ratings restrictions for each profile as well as to add a PIN to lock profiles. Those that choose to keep their settings the same will continue to enjoy Disney+ as they always have within a TV-14 content rating environment, with the option to make changes at any time under Profile settings.
“Disney+ has served as the home for some of the most beloved brands in the industry, and the addition of these live-action shows brings more from the Marvel brand together, all in one place,” said Michael Paull, President of Disney Streaming. “We have experienced great success with an expanded content offering on Disney+ across our global markets and are excited to continue that here in the U.S. as well by offering our consumers not only great content with the new Marvel additions, but also a set of features that help ensure a viewing experience most suitable for them and their family.”
Available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Updated parental controls available in the U.S. on March 16.
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) March 1, 2022


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Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry and Playbook reported sales in the last quarter in the year 2011. From these reports, shipment of RIM's smartphones and tablets experienced a decrease in the number of quarter end of the year.
Over the last three months of the BlackBerry sold over 14.1 million units, this result has increased 33 percent from the previous quarter. While shipments Playbook, only able to send as many as 150 thousand units.
Although up from the previous quarter, in truth what is obtained by the RIM is not too good compared to the same quarter in previous year. In the same quarter last year, RIM's successful BlackBerry shipped 14.2 million units, or a decline of 100 thousand units this year. So also with the Playbook, which even the previous quarter was able to sell 200 thousand units of tablets.
Canadian-based company was founded has seen decline in the BlackBerry market share in recent years due to the presence of new entrants such as Apple's iPhone and Google Android platform. Even in 2006, successful BlackBerry smartphone market share of 50 percent, currently in the third quarter of 2011, the BlackBerry OS platform only 8 percent.
The results are less satisfactory, of course, makes co-CEO Lazaridis of RIM Jim Balsille and apologized for the poor performance of enterprise IT. They were immediately punished by reducing his salary to $ 1 a year. "We ask for your patience and confidence. We realize that we are not meeting expectations," said Lazaridis


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Nearly half of the financing target has shrunk, and the US encryption company Circle announced layoffs.
The star business OTC business is also surrounded by rivals.
Following the announcement of layoffs, the digital currency payment company Circle once again reported a reduction in financing targets.
It is reported that Circle was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Dublin. It is a startup company specializing in mobile payment and cryptocurrency. It was once the title of “US version of Alipay”. Circle's business lines include: Circle Pay, which provides legal currency transfer services, Circle Trade, which conducts digital currency transfer transactions, and Circle Invest, which helps retail investors invest in the digital currency market. Not only that, but also through the acquisition and cooperation of the trading platform Poloniex The equity crowdfunding site SeedInvest and the USDC stable currency with Coinbase; so far, a total of $246 million in public funding has been raised from Pantera Capital, Digital Currency Group and Bitcoin.
On May 22nd, Cicle CEO Jeremy Allaire announced on Twitter that the company had fired 30 employees. Allaire said that layoffs are an attempt to cut costs, making these changes in response to a new market environment, and most importantly, the regulatory environment in the United States is becoming more stringent, and the company itself is "still strong and healthy."
- Zhao Changpeng: The security incidents encountered by the currency security at the beginning of this month have made us blessed in disguise.
- Bitwise ETF was postponed, VanEck did not, is the ETF coming?
- Wang Yongli, former vice president of Bank of China: supply chain and blockchain
According to the block quoted sources familiar with the matter, the company is seeking $150 million in financing, which is far below the $250 million target reported by The Information in March this year, a 40% reduction. Sources include a former employee of the company and a person reviewing their investment promotion desk.
Just in the middle of this month, Pollonex, a Circle exchange, was affected by the regulation and stopped offering nine digital assets to US customers: ARDR, BCN, DCR, GAME, GAS, LSK, NXT, OMNI and REP. In response, CEO Allaire has issued a statement that “The US encryption policy needs to change”, saying that it is against the US government's practice of treating most digital currencies as securities, and regulation has failed to keep pace with the encryption industry.
In addition, the block believes that OTC crypto trading, as the core business of Circle, was once the star business of the digital currency market, and also faced the risk of Waterloo, even though the official announcement of the Circle on January 3, 2019 was off-site. The trading department Circle Trade processed $2 billion in over-the-counter transactions in 2018 and executed about 10,000 transactions with 6,000 different parties.
But as profit margins continue to shrink, and new players such as many platforms enter the cryptocurrency market, Circle's OTC business may also face strong enemies. For example, Coinbase quietly launched over-the-counter trading services in November this year. According to data company Diar, Coinbase's over-the-counter volume in December has exceeded $5 billion, and it has surpassed the bitcoin investment trust launched by established company Grayscale (Bitcoin). Investment Trust, GBTC).
However, Circle declined to comment on the financing target and noted that its Circle Trade business is profitable, while Poloniex will add more new assets, non-US user margin trading and more customers in the second quarter.
Original article, author: aloe.
Source: Planet Daily; violation of laws and regulations must be investigated.
- In New York and Hangzhou, the two blockchains were “cool” and “hot” on Monday, but they revealed the same truth.
- How to use blockchain for data governance from three perspectives
- Let users become the masters of personal data, how do the decentralized identity tools of companies such as Microsoft overturn traditional game rules?
- Babbitt Summit Thinking: Blockchain Technology Helps Digital China to Build Future Applications
- Reflections on the Chain Block Week of Hangzhou in 2019
- Editor-in-Chief | Hangzhou Block Chain Week, a feast of mobility
- More rigorous than KYC: The Financial Action Task Force on Anti-Money Laundering will finalize new international standards for regulatory encryption companies next month.


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Ever wanted to stay overnight in Rockefeller Center? Now’s your chance: Airbnb and developer RXR Realty, which manages 75 Rockefeller Plaza, have teamed up to turn 10 stories of that 33-story building—currently home to the American Girl store, among other businesses—into Airbnb-operated rentals.
The partnership will function less in the way that Airbnb typically operates, with one person renting out a room or entire home, and more like a hotel. (It will, however, need approval from the city before it can proceed.)
The rooms on offer—pricing for which was not immediately revealed—will be “apartment-style suites,” according to the companies; amenities available to guests will include a concierge, a dedicated lobby, a new bar and restaurant, a business center, and more. According to the Wall Street Journal, the rooms for rent within that skyscraper will be on its higher floors—the better to maximize views of the plaza below, including the annual Christmas tree lighting, as well as the surrounding Manhattan landmarks.
And while they’ll be rentable through Airbnb, they won’t have that company’s branding, per Scott Reichler, the chairman and CEO of RXR. Instead, they’ll “have a name tied to the neighborhood or the building,” according to the WSJ.
While there are plenty of hotels around Rockefeller Center, this would be the first time in recent years that one would be available within the complex itself.
The partnership is reportedly the first of several that the companies want to transform in New York City; they’ll collaborate on a similar office/hotel hybrid at a former printing press at 47 Hall Street, across from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.


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Have you ever performed Pokémon Go and thought, “I wish this game let you earn small amounts of Bitcoin by engaging with internet finance memes and a cryptocurrency debit card system?” If so, I don’t consider you, however I’ve excellent news.
Fold AR is a new augmented actuality game from Pokémon Go developer Niantic and the monetary company Fold. The game — which a press launch dubs a part of the metaverse — could be very loosely modeled on Pokémon Go however themed round cryptocurrency. As defined by Fold CEO Will Reeves, it runs with the metaphor of “mining” Bitcoin. So as a substitute of capturing cute monsters, the central mechanic includes discovering cubes of binary code and tapping them like Minecraft blocks till they reveal a prize.
The prizes embrace Bitcoin within the denomination of Satoshis, a very small unit presently price round 1/twentieth of a penny. They additionally embrace power-ups for Fold, which already gamifies card purchases via an app that lets you spin a wheel and win Bitcoin rewards.
Unlike Pokémon Go and different Niantic video games, although, Fold AR (which is launched from contained in the Fold app) is just not presently set in a world filled with digital locations that correspond to real-world areas. Instead, the game spawns a block between 1 and 50 ft away from the participant each 10 minutes, mirroring the speed of actual Bitcoin mining. The workforce hopes to launch different options starting early subsequent 12 months, doubtlessly together with a geocaching-like multiplayer system that lets you disguise Bitcoin for mates to search out, in addition to some type of non-fungible token, or NFT, system primarily based on Bitcoin.
Reeves says the aim is partly to make a digital forex really feel actual by creating an AR setting for it. The game is crammed with cryptocurrency and meme inventory in-jokes, that includes mechanics with names like “Diamond Hands.” But it’s alleged to enchantment to each cryptocurrency newcomers and current followers — “This is a wonderful experience to share with people,” says Reeves. It’s additionally harking back to the financial gamification present in non-crypto investing app Robinhood.
More broadly, Fold AR is a part of a pattern known as “play to earn” that offers gamers cryptocurrency rewards as a substitute of purely in-game forex. The NFT-based play-to-earn game Axie Infinity has spawned a difficult financial system over the previous few years, though that appears far much less probably right here.
Reeves advised that Niantic would possibly take a look at Fold AR options — together with the play-to-earn system — for inspiration. However, he stated that there was no official roadmap for something like including monetary options to any current Niantic game. He additionally didn’t disclose exactly what elements of the game Niantic developed.
In a assertion, Niantic’s Megan Hughes stated that “games always help us push the boundaries of technology and allow us to incubate some of our most audacious thinking, but we see incredible opportunity in multiple categories, including payments.” It’s not a completely new flip for the studio — Ingress featured promoting partnerships with Duane Reade and JambaJuice, amongst different firms. But with Niantic additionally more and more centered on AR glasses, it may supply a signal about what sort of experiences which may contain.


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GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd on Thursday reported 43.17 per cent increase rise in net profit to Rs 2.7549 billion for the second quarter ended September 30.
The company had posted a net profit of Rs 1.9241 billion in the July-September quarter a year ago, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare said in a filing to BSE.
Its net sales was up 14.41 per cent to Rs 12.7199 billion during the quarter under review as against Rs 11.1171 billion in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.
The company's total expenses was up 7.18 per cent at Rs 9.3358 billion compared to Rs 8.7102 billion.
Shares of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare on Thursday closed at Rs 7,074.55 on BSE, up 0.80 per cent from previous close.


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THE developers who want to build a €2bn residential and shopping centre in Bray, Co Wicklow, have said they intend to reapply for planning permission in the next year.
Pizarro Developments said that An Bord Pleanala's refusal of permission did not mean the plan would not go ahead. On Tuesday, the board refused permission for the ambitious development - which would "rival Dundrum shopping centre" in scale - until the road network was upgraded and flood protection works put in place. The company was granted planning permission last year by Bray Town Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to build the complex. Bray has a flooding problem and the developers agreed to pay for the flood protection "within reasonable limits". But a scheme is still at the design stage. A Pizarro spokesman said a fresh application would be lodged when the plans for the roads and flood protection were finalised.


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MarTech Today: BIMI adds logos to emails, LinkedIn’s native video ads & an interview with IAB’s president
Here’s our daily recap of what happened in marketing technology, as reported on MarTech Today, MarTech and other places across the web. From MarTech Today: BIMI launches to add trusted logos to emails Mar 29, 2018 by Barry Levine The new protocol, built on the DMARC anti-spoofing email standard, could mean zillions of free brand impressions […]
Barry Levine on March 30, 2018 at 9:00 am | Reading time: 2 minutes
From MarTech Today:
- BIMI launches to add trusted logos to emails
Mar 29, 2018 by Barry Levine
The new protocol, built on the DMARC anti-spoofing email standard, could mean zillions of free brand impressions and a boost in email trust.
- LinkedIn is rolling out native video advertising & video for Company Pages
Mar 29, 2018 by Robin Kurzer
Video for Sponsored Content and Company Page video will be available to all business in the coming weeks.
- Programmatic, branding, and what companies are missing: An interview with IAB’s Patrick Dolan
Mar 29, 2018 by Blaise Lucey
From a rejection of media trading to an embrace of data-centricity, contributor Blaise Lucey speaks to the IAB president about moving the industry forward.
From Marketing Land:
- Facebook booting data brokers, simplifying privacy tools to bolster user confidence
Mar 29, 2018 by Greg Sterling
The company is turning off ‘Partner Categories’ and adding privacy shortcuts.
- Programmatic performance marketing (aka affiliate marketing) questions and answers
Mar 29, 2018 by Kevin Lee
Contributor Kevin Lee takes a close look at affiliate marketing and how it fits into the programmatic advertising space.
- Unleash the power of 1st and 3rd party data
Mar 29, 2018 by Digital Marketing Depot
First-party data — it’s what a company generates through interactions with their customers. It can include transaction data, website visitation, marketing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) data and more. All of these data sources can and should be used to inform your understanding of who your existing customers are and how to attract new ones. But, […]
From Around The Web:
- Apple ups its transparency game to avoid a Facebook-like scandal, The Next Web
- Microsoft is launching a huge reorganization to focus on AI and the cloud, MIT Technology Review
- Twitter makes it easier to share the right part of a live video with launch of ‘Timestamps’, TechCrunch
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


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So it has come to this: a flying wedding cake.
In the upward pursuit of the perfect wedding, finicky brides are having their cakes delivered by airplane. ''We fly ours with Continental,'' said Sylvia Weinstock, a Manhattan baker, who has cakes in the air nearly every weekend in May and June. Mmmm: there's the three-tier yellow cake adorned with bunches of sugar grapes for a wedding in Napa Valley and a six-layer Lady Baltimore cake for a bride in Lake Geneva, Wis.
Mrs. Weinstock, who flies her buttercream-frosted layers in cargo, sees this extravagance in relative terms. One of her fancy, many-tiered cakes -- enough to feed 300 guests -- can cost $5,000, plus another $500 for shipping and more if it is accompanied by a handler.
''When you're spending $200,000 for a wedding, a cake that costs $5,000 is not all that expensive,'' she said.
Maybe not, but having one delivered 3,000 miles with the ease of a pizza does suggest a peculiarly driven personality. Wedding obsession has become the latest cultural contagion, and it doesn't affect just the rich or fans of Jessica Simpson, the pop singer whose over-the-top nuptials inspired her book of wedding tips.
Turn on the television at the breakfast hour and you can watch a bride and groom plan every step of their special day, right up to an on-air wedding. On Sunday Night, ABC Family will broadcast ''Love Rules!,'' a movie about ''the perfect wedding.'' Cable keeps viewers clinging to their Kleenex boxes with reality shows like '''Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave'' on MTV. Meanwhile, on the peau de soie heels of Bride's have come nearly a dozen new bridal magazine titles since 2000.Continue reading the main story
Although some degree of perfectionism is present in every blusher-length veil and ribbon garland -- in every hand-lettered invitation, silver cake knife and, lately, every chocolate fountain that a bride feels she must have -- this perfectionism, wedding professionals say, has ballooned into an obsession.
''We have people who have meltdowns over what hankie to buy,'' said Barbara Barrett, the owner of the Bridal Mall in Niantic, Conn., who in part blames the media's focus on lavish weddings and what she calls ''the stupid romance'' of reality television.
Mindy Weiss, a Beverly Hills party planner who helped the actress Kate Beckinsale with her May nuptials, and Ms. Simpson in 2002, said she gets e-mail messages every week from brides-to-be asking how they can have a wedding like Ms. Simpson's on a budget of less than $20,000. Ms. Weiss advises them to scatter candles around the room. ''I truly feel for them,'' said Ms. Weiss, whose clients typically have budgets of more than $100,000.
One California bride, on a quest to be size 8 by her wedding day, had her jaws wired shut for two months. ''She could only eat through a straw,'' said Monique Lhuillier, a Los Angeles bridal designer who made the woman's dress. And more of her customers, Ms. Lhuillier said, are buying two gowns -- a traditional style to please their mothers for the ceremony and a second, trendier model to wear during the reception.
Natalie Fritz, a lingerie designer in Los Angeles, has seen friends transform into Bridezilla, even Groomzilla, a specter she wants to avoid when she marries Rick Eid, a television writer, in September in Carmel, Calif.
Ms. Fritz, 31, who is limiting her guest list to 150, said, ''I definitely feel the pressure to do something memorable.'' She will have a dessert bar and will send guests home with sacks of chocolate chip cookies and cartons of milk.
This impulse to be different is not confined to the coasts. A decade ago it would have unthinkable to hold a wedding on Aruba or Hawaii and turn it into a weekend of spa treatments and golf matches for your guests. But this year some 200,000 American couples -- nearly one in every 10 -- will do just that, making the destination wedding the fastest growing segment of the $50 billion bridal industry.
Marcy Blum, a New York wedding planner, recalls her skepticism when Disney approached her, in 1991, about developing a wedding business in Orlando, Fla. ''I told them, this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of,''' Ms. Blum said. Since then, 22,000 couples have been wed there, a Disney spokeswoman said, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue from hotels and admissions.
''The media and Internet have played such a big role in all this,'' said Mary Bernstein, an Omaha wedding planner who had a client wed in a train depot, an event featured in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. ''Now every bride wants something different.''
The media are certainly culprits, says Katherine Jellison, an Ohio University history professor who is working on a study of American weddings since World War II. But, as Dr. Jellison points out, the media have long been obsessed with weddings; in the 1950's, NBC had a show called ''Bride and Groom'' with real couples. ''So the phenomenon isn't new,'' she said. ''It's just been ratcheted up to the nth degree.''
Far more troubling to her is the message that the media, and the wedding industry, now give young women. ''The message is: 'Spend time on yourself, not on your moral or intellectual development, but on displaying yourself,''' Dr. Jellison said.
However, wedding professionals in the trenches tend to view this development more harshly. ''I wouldn't want my clients to hear me say this,'' a retailer said, ''but I think it's because we've raised a generation of spoiled brats. Everything is about them -- 'me, me, me.'''
In New York, the impulse to be different is further aggravated by competitiveness. ''You can't tell me there is a New Yorker who doesn't want to be original,'' said Jordana Sandler, 30, whose reception in May at Gotham Hall included a sit-down dinner for 215 and ''Jordana's brownies,'' a favorite of her husband's.
Ms. Blum said she has seen a radical shift in emphasis in the past few years. ''It used to be that if you wanted to show you were rich, you went to the Pierre,'' said Ms. Blum, who helped Padma Lakshmi, an Indian actress and model, and the author Salman Rushdie with their April nuptials, which had an Anglo-Indian theme. ''Now it's not enough to show you're rich, you've got to show you're creative. That's the message.''
To older generations of brides, who perhaps got married in Priscilla of Boston dresses with receptions in their parents' backyards or at local country clubs, the notion of receptions with sushi ''stations'' and chocolate fountains, or vows written out in calligraphy on the aisle runner -- strains the imagination. Whatever happened to the afternoon wedding followed by cake and punch?
''Have you heard of an M.N.P?'' said Gerard Monaghan, president of the Association of Bridal Consultants, a trade organization. ''It's a reception with mints, nuts and punch. They're still very common in the South.''
Influenced by the sugarplum pages of Martha Stewart Weddings, alert to the names of celebrity designers and determined to have a wedding that emphasizes not merely her taste and personality but also the cleverness of her choices, today's bride is unlikely to see the virtue in bowls of Jordan almonds.
''This is a generation of highly branded consumers,'' said Nina Lawrence, vice president and publisher of the Fairchild Bridal Group, which includes Bride's and Modern Bride magazines.
The average American couple spends $22,300 for their wedding, according to a 2002 survey by Fairchild Bridal InfoBank. In New York and Washington, the average is $35,000 (and, in reality, say caterers, closer to $50,000). Even though more and more couples are paying for their own weddings or pooling family resources, credit management companies have seen a rise in wedding-related debt.
And Ms. Barrett, of the Bridal Mall in Connecticut, said: ''I think some of the franticness I'm seeing in brides is because they know they're overextended. Their credit cards are maxed out.''
But a more revealing indicator of wedding obsession may be the number of experts now operating in the field. Although the number of marriages performed in the United States has remained steady for 20 years -- about 2.3 million -- the number of wedding planners has risen 25 percent in the past 18 months to 7,000, according to the bridal consultants group.
''Like everything else, the industry has gone from being a mom-and-pop business to a highly specialized one,'' said the wedding designer Colin Cowie. In addition to books and a cable television show, Mr. Cowie now has a deal with J.C. Penney to produce a line of bridal products and services, so that lower-and middle-income consumers can benefit from the expertise he has lavished on big spenders, like the Mexican bride who sent her family's private jet to pick up her cake.
But specialization has also led to an explosion of products, putting further strain on budgets -- and, in some cases, making chiselers and penny pinchers of brides as they try to skimp on one frippery to have another. ''There are just too many choices,'' said Ms. Barrett, noting that the latest rage to hit her area is the $300 preserved bouquet, freeze-dried and under glass.
Ms. Blum sees hopeful signs of a retreat. For the first time in years, she said, brides are telling her they want the traditional first dance and to toss their bouquets.
The flight of the Wisconsin wedding cake also illustrates that weddings, like life, seldom go as planned. The cake had a bumpy ride, causing a stabilizing rod between the layers to snap, said the bride's mother, Janet Hanson. But while a disappointment, it was not a total loss. Mrs. Hanson and her daughter, Dawn, who is a flight attendant, borrowed a display dummy from a local bakery for the photos, and served up Mrs. Weinstock's cake anyway.
''It was beyond compare,'' said Mrs. Hanson, admitting that her friends were a little startled by the idea of a flying cake.
But she suggested that why they did it was no secret: ''We heard about Sylvia on 'Regis and Kathy Lee.'''Continue reading the main story


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TikTok is launching a dual camera feature akin to BeReal's popular daily photo prompt.
TikTok Now, the company said in a blog post Thursday, will send users daily prompts to capture and post 10-second videos or static photos using their devices’ front and back cameras.
The company described the feature, which it will be testing “in the coming weeks," as "a daily photo and video experience to share your most authentic moments with the people who matter the most."
TikTok is the latest company to try to replicate the "authenticity" element of BeReal, which is partly what has made it so popular.
The app, which was founded in January 2020, prompts users to post daily status updates by taking photos with both the front and back cameras. The prompts appear at different times every day, and users have a two-minute window to post before they can see their friends’ posts. Some users have said BeReal offers a respite from other social media apps that can be more curated.
In July, Instagram announced Dual, a Reels feature that allows users to simultaneously record videos with the front and back cameras. In August, Meta confirmed that Instagram was also prototyping a similar feature called IG Candid, The Verge reported, which would randomly prompt users to post a photo every day.
In its post, TikTok described the feature as "the newest way to be entertained and connect with others on TikTok."
“TikTok Now brings the authenticity of TikTok to a whole new creative experience that connects you with those closest to you," it said.
Users in the U.S. will be able to access TikTok Now from the TikTok app. Outside the U.S., TikTok Now might be available as a separate app.
Anyone under age 16 who creates a TikTok Now account will have a private profile by default, as with TikTok’s standard app. Users under 18 will not be able to share their content to the Explore page, and users under 15 will be limited to commenting only on their friends’ posts.
"We’re always looking to create seamless ways for our community to build authentic connections as they continue to be entertained on TikTok," TikTok said.


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- As Eustacia Limited Takes Over
By Gbenga Abulude
AXA Mansard Insurance is divesting from its subsidiary, AXA Mansard Pensions, after entering into a sale and purchase agreement with Eustacia Limited.
This was unveiled in a notification sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and signed by Omowunmi Mabel Adewusi, AXA Mansard Insurance company secretary, over the weekend.
The notice read that the shareholder had approved the sale at the company’s extraordinary general meeting held on February 13 2020, after which the company began the process of divestment.
Eustacia Limited (a member of the Verod Group) was selected as the preferred bidder after completion completion of a bid process.
The company along with the minority shareholder entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Eustacia Limited to divest the entire issued ordinary share capital of AXA Mansard Pensions comprising of 60 percent shareholding (2,067,672,000 shares) held by AXA Mansard Insurance and 40 percent shareholding (1,378,448,000 shares) held by the minority shareholder.
Consequently, the divestment has received letters of no objection from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), National Pension Commission (PENCOM), and the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). The completion of the divestment is subject to the receipt of the final approval of PENCOM.
Mr Kunle Ahmed, CEO of AXA Mansard Insurance, stated that the transaction marks a new direction in AXA’s broader strategy to focus on and grow the company’s life, property & casualty and health businesses across all its geographies.
Mr Eric Idiahi, partner at Verod, expressed his company’s commitment to sustaining AXA Mansard Pensions’ standards.
“We strongly believe that this is the ideal time to enter the market and that AXA Mansard Pensions provides an excellent beachhead from which to establish a consolidated position and gain market share,” Idiahi said.


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Microsoft says it is supporting RipCurl to build a cloud-based data warehouse that provides a single source of intelligence for the business.
And according to Micfrosoft, some key benefits of the data warehouse include:
- RipCurl now has a singular view of key customer drivers
- Understanding of product performance through a consistent, real-time platform
- Better inventory management across stores
- A look into retail trends and statistics and how this is affecting Australia.
RipCurl Lead BI architect Stuart Connell said that while some of its old systems don't work with the new platform, "Microsoft has a solution".
“That was the best decision we made – 100 percent Microsoft architecture.
"We do have some tricky old 32-bit systems that don’t work within the [new] platform, but [our partner] always has a solution,” Connell said.
"So we’ve got a virtual machine that sits inside the architecture where we use some open source Python scripts to connect to some of the more tricky infrastructure and do our ETL that way”
As stores reopened across the country, Rip Curl staff have utilised the software to help them manage their stores and inventory.
Microsoft says the wisdom of moving to the cloud was thrown into sharp relief during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
“The iconic Rip Curl Pro surfing competition at Bells Beach in Victoria was postponed in early 2020. Now the focus is on growth supported by intelligent analytics.
“While the company has performed some cube-based analytics, ultimately Rip Curl wants to use Power BI to handle all its data analysis.
“And the data collection available for analysis continues to grow. Rip Curl is currently tackling data integration to its point of sale information and to retail store door counters which will give it much more granular insights about who is buying what and when.
“It’s a key part of the business that’s only going to grow over the next five to 10 years,” says Connell who Microsoft says is focussed on accelerating the pace at which information reaches key decision makers to drive greater efficiencies."
“BI has transformed the way we operate. We now have a singular view of key customer drivers and understanding of product performance across a consistent real-time platform from in store to head office,” said Lachlan Farran, Rip Curl Group GM of Retail and Operations.
As COVID related restrictions eased and stores started opening again store managers have been able to use Power BI to get up to the minute information to help manage shops and inventory.
Microsoft says that as the data warehouse links Rip Curl’s eCommerce system and image database, managers can even see an image of the wetsuits or T-shirts that people are buying rather than just bald SKUs and sales figures which can be harder to interpret.
"That visual component allows managers to work out where to locate stock, and because wholesale and retail systems are integrated, Power BI can also generate a delivery report so that store staff can see images of what is being delivered in each box and carton."
“That’s great because we have a casual workforce and people have been with the business varying lengths of time. To come into the business, pick up that screen, see what’s expected in the box and check it off, is something that I see a lot of demand for from the business,” says Connell.
Initially around 200 people had access to Power BI but Connell says that Rip Curl has expanded its licence to cover the whole organisation, with data access on a need-to-know basis.


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Apple has just seeded out the latest developer build of the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.6 operating system, also known as Snow Leopard. The latest build is 10A355, and early reports are that stability improvements are continuing as a trend across the board, while Apple has listed nine known issues in the seed notes for devs to take heed of, including the fact that Quicktime Player X may crash when playing DRM-protected content in 64-bit mode. All recent Apple hardware is now capable of running Snow Leopard in 64-bit mode, and when installed on either the Early 2008 or Early 2009 Xserve machines, 64-bit is the default.
We don’t yet have a firm date for the launch of Snow Leopard, but we are fairly certain that we will hear a lot more about that at WWDC 2009 in June.
We know that all this talk of the iPhone 3G has you chomping at the bit to see it in action yourself. I mean, we live blogged the keynote, and we threw up our iPhone 3G gallery, but sometimes images don’t do products justice, right? Well, you are in luck. Apple has just posted the video of the WWDC 2008 Keynote Address. Hit the link below to watch the entire thing, highlighting the iPhone 3G, App Store, MobileMe, and more.
Read More | WWDC 2008 keynote video
We’ve been waiting for it for a year, and Apple has finally delivered - the iPhone 3G was announced this morning during the WWDC 2008 keynote, to a rage of applause. Time to run down the entire feature set.
For starters, it’s an iPhone with 3G capabilities built right in. It is almost three times faster than the original iPhone even dared to be (actually, closer to 2.4x as fast). Since it’s using 3G technology, that means that you can surf the Internet, download email, and even watch video while you are on a call. Try doing that with your iPhone OldSchool. According to Apple, the iPhone 3G actually loads pages 36% faster than the Nokia N95 and Treo 750, both of which are also 3G phones. If you’re keeping track of which wireless technologies the iPhone now takes advantage of, that would be UMTS, HSDPA, GSM, WiFi, EDGE, GPS, and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR.
That’s right, we said GPS. On iPhone 3G, the Maps application takes advantage of the built-in GPS chip. So while you are driving around, or even walking around, the iPhone finds your exact location. You are representing by a pulsating blue dot right on top of the Google Maps interface. Of course, you can get turn-by-turn directions to a destination, get live traffic info, and more.
How about battery life? All this extra stuff should result in a compromise, right? Wrong. iPhone 3G features 300 hours of standby time, 8-10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G talk time (which is amazing), 24 hours of audio playback, and 7 hours of video playback.
As for pricing and availability, this should be the best news of all. iPhone 3G is launching at half the price of the currently available iPhone. You can pick up an 8GB iPhone 3G at launch for just $199 USD. If 16GB is more your thing, that will run you $299, down from $499, and that one is available in both black and white. The phone launches in 22 countries, including the US, on July 11. Of course, you can hit up the Apple Store online to
see more images of the phone. No pre-orders after all.
Gallery: iPhone 3G: The details
In just about five minutes, Steve Jobs will be taking the stage to give his WWDC 2008 keynote. We are monitoring all the news, and will be bringing you updates on everything going on, live, as it happens on stage. In case you’ve been summering in Antarctica, we are expecting the new 3G iPhone to be launched (and not expecting it to be as radical as others think it will be - no front-facing camera, no iChat video chat - just some 3G and GPS goodness), Snow Leopard should be given out to developers to take home with them in anticipation of the launch of OS X 10.6 at MacWorld 2009, and the new .Mac replacement we’ve all been hearing about, Mobile Me, should be announced and shown off to the masses.
Well, it’s just about time. Let’s get started…
In a move that is completely shocking to most, on the morning of a WWDC keynote, the Apple Online Store has gone down! What in the blazes?!
In all seriousness though, at the very least, this confirms that we will definitely be seeing some new hardware when Steve Jobs takes the stage in 15 minutes or so. Or Mobile Me subscription packages.
Apple‘s Worldwide Developer Conference starts on Monday. We already knew what the rumors are. 3G iPhone. OS X Snow Leopard. App Store. iPhone 2.0 firmware. Redesigned iMacs/MacBook Pros. Mac nano. Mobile Me service. Steve Jobs announced as Obama’s running mate. Anything we missed?
Anyhow, one thing we can be certain of is that Apple is focusing on the operating system. As evidenced by the spy shot above, OS X Leopard and OS X iPhone should be getting some premium attention. Makes sense, being that this is a developers conference and all. We have one more spy shot for you after the jump.
So, word on the street now is that Apple will be unveiling Mac OS X
10.6 in a mere five days at WWDC. Based on the fact that Steve Jobs said that they wanted to get back on track to releasing just about yearly, I started asking people if they thought the successor to Leopard would show up next week, and they all scoffed as if I were some sort of lunatic. Well, now with the reports that TUAW and Ars have receive, it appears that my hunch was correct. Oh, and what will the successor be named? We all know Apple likes to stick with the cats for OS X, and it appears that this time it is going to be “Snow Leopard.” You see, this release is all about tightening up speed, stability, and security - not so much about dazzling new features like Time Machine. See? They want to take Leopard, and make it white as snow. That’s almost as cute as an iPod nano…
We look to Monday to see what Steve brings us.
Read More | TUAW
The fascinating relationship/rivalry between Microsoft and Apple was ratcheted up a notch this week. At Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference, CEO Steve Jobs announced their Apple-exclusive web browser, Safari, will be released for Windows XP and Vista—and will be up to twice as fast as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, and 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2. The move is seen as part of Jobs’ business strategy to broaden Apple’s presence in the browser market, of which they only have 5 percent, compared to Microsoft’s whopping 80 percent. Curious? A test version of the browser is available at Apple’s web site. This writer will give Safari a test run with Windows Vista and report back soon…
Read More | New York Times
Steve Jobs is set to deliver another of his hypnotizing keynote speeches this morning from the 2007 Worldwide Developers Conference. We are here to bring you live notes, thoughts and commentary on all Steve has to say about the future of Apple and it’s products. Let’s jump in, as things are getting started:
- After another “I’m a PC, I’m a Mac” skit, Steve takes the stage and begins to give us a few WWDC 2007 numbers. There are over 5,000 attendees at the event this year, which makes it the biggest ever. There are over 950,000 Apple Developer Connection members.
- We have just realized that the Apple Store has just gone down. New products for us today?
- Steve talks about the transition to Intel, and how seamless and fantastic it all has been. Intel CEO Paul Otellini hits the stage to accept a shiny award disc from Steve, and says a few words which can all be summed up by saying that Intel has enjoyed working with Apple. Steve says he is proud of the Macs they are shipping with Intel chips inside them.
As evidenced by the video above, found on YouTube by one of our readers, the Apple iPhone now has an official launch date: June 29, 2007. The commercial first aired this evening during an episode of 60 Minutes. The announcement of the release date was subtle, and was featured at the end of the spot, which showcase a few of the iPhone’s functions. We were expecting Steve Jobs to announce the launch date at WWDC, but what do we know? All that matters now is that the biggest mobile phone launch in history is just a few weeks away.
UPDATE: Apple just posted three new iPhone commercials, all featuring the June 29 launch date.
Read More | iPhone Ads
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A mobile app maker violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by claiming that users of its apps could gain access to hundreds of thousands of criminal records without following other requirements of the statute, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The agency brought charges against Filiquarian Publishing, Choice Level LLC (a related company that provided the criminal records accessed via Filiquarian’s apps), and Joshua Linsk, the CEO of the companies, for failing to ensure that the information they sold was accurate and would be used only for legally permissible purposes as required by the FCRA.
Pursuant to the FCRA, credit reporting agencies (companies that supply reports for credit, employment, housing, and insurance applications) must take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of their reports and provide consumers with the right to challenge information contained therein. In addition, companies cannot provide data unless the recipient intends to use it for a “permissible purpose” under the Act, such as decisions relating to credit, employment, and housing applications.
The FTC complaint alleged that defendants failed to meet these statutory requirements despite the fact that they acted as CRAs under the Act.
The agency alleged that Filiquarian told consumers to use its mobile apps to access “hundreds of thousands of criminal records” and conduct searches on potential employees. Marketing for the apps included statements such as “Are you hiring somebody and wanting to quickly find out if they have a record? Then Texas Criminal Record Search is the perfect application for you.”
For 99 cents, users could conduct an unlimited number of searches for criminal records within a particular state or county. Between 2010 and last May, approximately 7,000 copies of Filiquarian’s apps were sold on iTunes and GooglePlay.
The defendants “regularly” provided those purchasers with reports without checking them for accuracy and failed to ascertain whether app users had a permissible purpose under the FCRA, the FTC said.
The defendants also failed to inform users of the apps that they are required under law to notify individuals if an adverse action was taken against them based on information in a report.
Although Filiquarian posted disclaimers that it was not FCRA compliant, that its products should not be considered screening products for employment, insurance, and credit screening, and that anyone who used their reports assumed sole responsibility for FCRA compliance, the agency said these disclaimers were insufficient to overcome the express representations in its advertisements that the reports could be used for employment purposes.
Under the terms of the consent order, the defendants are barred from providing reports to anyone they do not have reason to believe has a “permissible purpose” to use the report. In addition, the companies will provide report purchasers with information about their obligations under the FCRA and will take reasonable steps to ensure the “maximum possible accuracy” of the information in the reports.
To read the complaint and the consent order, click here.
Why it matters: The case underscores the agency’s attention to potential violations of the FCRA, particularly in the context of mobile apps. Last year, the FTC sent warning letters to six marketers of background check mobile applications, in which they cautioned compliance with the FCRA if their reports were being used for employment or other FCRA purposes. This settlement also illustrates that the agency will not hesitate to find that companies act as CRAs and violate the FCRA based on their actions, even where they expressly deny that they are a CRA or FCRA compliant.


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By Elizabeth Marie Himchak
Headed to the post office Friday to mail holiday gifts? You will not be alone.
The U.S. Postal Service is estimating Friday (Dec. 16) will be the busiest day for sending packages and the most cards will be sent on Tuesday (Dec. 20), said Eva Jackson, a Postal Service spokeswoman.
On those days, Jackson said postal employees in San Diego expect to ship 170,000 packages and cancel 1.9 million cards and letters. Most will occur in Carmel Mountain Ranch at the Margaret L. Sellers Processing and Distribution Center, which sorts, postmarks and redistributes almost all mail for the region.
As for busiest delivery days, Jackson said those will be Dec. 20 for packages and Dec. 22 for cards.
Today (Thursday) is the last day people can send packages via Parcel Post if they want gifts to arrive by Christmas. For First-Class Mail, the deadline is Dec. 20, for Priority Mail it is Dec. 21 and Express Mail it is Dec. 22.
Jackson said the Carmel Mountain Ranch post office at 11251 Rancho Carmel Drive is having extended hours on four days. Today and Monday it will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Several post offices — including Rancho Bernardo, 16767 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite L1; Rancho Penasquitos, 9245 Twin Trails Drive; and Carmel Mountain Ranch — also have automated postal centers, so with a credit or debit card you can weigh boxes and envelopes, print postage and ship 24 hours a day. Poway’s post office does not have one.
Jackson said an increasing number of customers skip a trip to the post office, opting to weigh packages at home (or use a flat-rate box), print postage from their computers and request a mail carrier pick up packages from their front door. There is no extra cost.
Though getting free boxes delivered at home is an option, she said it might be too late to have that free service this year. However, all post offices have Priority and Express Mail boxes in several sizes available for free in their lobbies.
One of the best values is using a flat-rate Priority Mail shipping box, Jackson said. Shipping is $4.95 for the smallest and $14.95 for the largest box, which can be filled with up to 70 pounds of items and mailed for each size’s posted rate.
“Flat-rate boxes have become extremely popular,” Jackson said, adding if the box is heavy people will save money.
As for shipping, Jackson said there are many things people can do to ensure packages arrive in one piece.
“Use a box strong enough to protect the box. When taping, do not use Scotch tape, but packing tape,” Jackson said. Put delivery and return addresses on a paper inside in addition to writing clearly on the outside.
“Leave space for cushioning,” she said. “If it’s fragile, a coffee mug or vase, wrap it in tissue paper, not newspaper, because the print can rub off on the item. Pack it in bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts.
“If you run out of packing material late at night, air pop some popcorn with no butter or salt,” she said. “It is great (cushioning) and if you’re hungry can also be a midnight snack.”
• Indicate if food is inside.
• Remove glass from photo frames and wrap separately, so if the glass breaks it will not destroy photos.
• Remove batteries from toys and electronics and wrap separately.
“Lots of toys … move (during shipping) and turn on,” Jackson said. “When we get noises, we’re not sure why a box is ticking … so we have to isolate the box and call in authorities because you can never be too safe.”
When at the post office, customers might want to buy some Forever stamps since on Jan. 22 postage for a letter up to 1 ounce is going from 44 to 45 cents. Postcard rates will rise 3 cents, to 32 cents; 1 ounce letters sent to Canada or Mexico will go up 5 cents, to 85 cents; and letters sent to other international destinations will rise 7 cents, to $1.05.
For mailing tips and available services, go to www.usps.com or call 800-ASK-USPS (275-8777).


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"The Cost of Cyber Crime" report reveals that whilst government and the citizen are affected by rising levels of cyber crime, at an estimated £2.2bn and £3.1bn cost respectively, business bears the lion’s share of the cost. The report indicates that, at a total estimated cost of £21bn, over three-quarters of the economic impact of cyber crime in the UK is felt by business. In all probability, and in line with worst-case scenarios, the real impact of cyber crime is likely to be much greater.
Businesses are under contant attack with the theft of intellectual property rights and industrial espionage making up an estimated £16.8bn of the £21bn cost with the pharmaceutical sector most affected at £1.8bn closely followed by electronics and software. Being able to communicate, between verified and trusted individuals and entities, and share confidential documents online with an audit trail providing accountability would considerably mitigate the risk of theft.
The attack on Sony back in May 2011 has cost the company an estimated $150m excluding lost sales, share price impact and reputational damage "Sony hasn't taken care of my personal details – why trust it?". A data vault with 100m sensitive records is a tempting target and, even with encryption, is vulnerable to attack. The answer is not stronger encryption, it's 100m data vaults, or personal data lockers, each uniquely encrypted.
How many more 'tempting' data vaults need to be attacked before businesses accept that the way they protect individuals personal information and privacy has to change. Victor Chavez, CEO of Thales UK, estimates that ". . . in the last 18 months alone [there has been] possibly a tenfold increase in attacks".
So the likelyhood that your business, organisation, government department, or bank (who are reticent to discuss such attacks in case their customers lose faith in them) will get hit is high. Couple that with the fact that your personal, private and sensitive details are, for the average UK citizen, stored in 1,000 organisations data vaults and the likelyhood that you will be a victim is almost certain. At what cost? According to the report identity theft costs consumers £1.7bn – and rising.
And banks, who currently monitor and report how I manage my financial information, could be part of the solution rather than the problem, by monitoring and reporting how I manage my personal information. Is there a listening bank out there?


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Helpshift, a customer support industry firm, has announced the results of a survey conducted by Radius Global Market Research June 12-13, among adults ages 18-plus that explored Americans’ feelings about email, messaging and proactive customer support.
More than three-quarters of Americans (81%) use mobile apps—to check social media (66%), read the news (44%), play games (44%), order food (35%) and handle work-related tasks (22%). However, the vast majority of mobile app users (69%) report having problems with apps—27% on a daily or weekly basis.
Apps that don’t provide good customer support are more at risk of being deleted or ignored: nearly half (47%) of app users say they just delete apps that are frustrating and don’t provide any customer support. Others will: give the app a bad review (24%), trash the app to friends (19%); and complain about the app on social media (18%).
What’s more, the Helpshift survey shows that app users don’t want to have to exit the app to seek help over email. They want to communicate with customer service agents the way they communicate in their daily lives: over messaging.
More than half (59%) of Americans who use mobile apps prefer messaging to email, because they feel it is a more trustworthy form of communication. If an app offered live, in-app customer service, 46% would try it, 34% would use it, 23% would recommend the app to friends, and 16% would buy it for having this feature.
“Mobile apps that provide more sophisticated in-app support are more likely to enjoy stronger customer engagement and loyalty,” says Abinash Tripathy, founder and CEO of Helpshift. “These survey results underscore the point that people want to communicate with customer service agents the way they communicate with everyone else—through messaging and apps. That’s why in-app messaging is the superior form of customer support.”
What’s more, a significant majority of Americans (89%) say they recommend an app if they were proactively contacted inside an app by a customer support agent if they were experiencing a problem with an app.
The survey was conducted online within the United States by Radius Global Market Research on behalf of Helpshift June 12-13, 2017, among 2,170 adults 18+. The results were weighted to the U.S. census for age, gender, region and income.


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Melville-based Sbarro’s board of directors has named a new chief executive and a new chairman, as the Italian fast food chain emerges from bankruptcy.
James Greco, 54, has been named president and CEO, effective immediately, according to a company statement.
Greco was formerly CEO of Bruegger’s Enterprises, a national bagel bakery chain. He partnered with Sun Capital to acquire Bruegger’s in 2003 and served as CEO until the company was acquired by Groupe Le Duff SA, a leading French operator of bakery-cafes, in 2011.
J. David Karam, 53, former president of Wendy’s International, has agreed to serve as Sbarro’s new chairman. Prior to joining Wendy’s in 2008, Karam was president of Cedar Enterprises, a Wendy’s franchisee, operating 150 Wendy’s restaurants in Indianapolis, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Hartford and Seattle.
Sbarro also appointed two directors to its board: Desmond Hague, CEO of Centerplate, and David Wiggins, a turnaround expert.
Sbarro is emerging from its Chapter 11 reorganization with significantly less debt and substantial liquidity to invest in future growth, according to the statement. The chain has more than 1,000 restaurants in more than 40 countries.
More breaking news
- LIBN writer’s new play looks at innocence after guilty
- Cheap gas fueling expanded Thanksgiving travel day
- Hofstra to host InnovateHER Business Plan Contest
- Big screen comes to LIU Post
- Consumer spending up a weak 0.1 percent in October
- Gambling to feature at New York daily fantasy sports hearing
- Greene Turtle opens second LI location in East Meadow
- Inked: Recent Long Island real estate deals
- LI unemployment continues to drop
- Health co-op failure in NY leaves doctors owed millions


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The start-up, which boasts 10,000 users just six months after launching, has compiled its list of top 10 activities, and while stand-up comedy remains a popular evening out, unusual pastimes such as African drumming, pole fitness, James Bond-style spy experiences and anti-gravity yoga are surprise hits with Wonderush customers.
Chessboxing, which features a bout of boxing in between turns at a game of chess, combines physical exertion with a mental challenge.
“Our service encourages people to try things they would never usually do,” claims founder Nelson Sivalingam. “It’s incredible how popular chessboxing has become.
“Another surprise hit has been pottery. We’re having to add more classes to meet demand.”
The serial entrepreneur credited the rise of social media, which encourages users to post images of their nights out, meals and experiences, for the surge in bookings for unusual classes. “People are also now spending less on material possessions and more on experiences,” he claimed.
Users pay £29.99 a month for access to unlimited events and Wonderush works with activity providers to list classes that have free spaces.
The provider receives a nominal fee but benefits from the opportunity to win new customers. “It’s cheaper than using other marketing channels,” claimed Mr Sivalingam, adding that the business has grown by 500pc in three months.
More than 4m minutes of activites have been enjoyed to date through the service.
The eight-strong Wonderfush team is also gearing up for a record January, as Londoners commit to a new hobby or fitness class as part of their new tear’s resolutions. “In a single week in January, we’re expecting as many new users as we get in a month,” said Mr Sivalingam.
The top 10 on Wonderush:
- Stand-up comedy
- Spy experiences
- Swing dancing
- Pole fit
- African drumming
- Antigravity Yoga
- Cocktail Making


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Hankook eco-friendly tire earns high rating
Hankook Tire America Corp. reports the company’s enfren eco eco-friendly all-season performance tire has received the highest rating certified by the Korea Energy Management Corp. (KEMCO) for Energy Efficiency Grade for Tires (based on its rolling resistance) — the first-ever achievement for any tire in Korea.
The enfren eco, officially launched in the U.S. last November at the 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, was designed for fuel-efficient and hybrid vehicles and features a high silica rubber tread compound which lowers rolling resistance, increases wet and dry handling and helps to improve fuel economy.
It will be available in the U.S. in eight sizes: 185/65R15H, 195/60R15H, 195/65R15H, 215/60R16H, 205/55R16H, 195/55R16V, 215/45R17V and 205/65R16H by the second quarter of this year.
“Our latest advancement, the enfren eco, further demonstrates our commitment to investing in R&D to develop quality, fuel-efficient tires based on our leading technology,” says Soo Il Lee, president. “The enfren eco has clearly exceeded rigorous energy efficiency testing and measurement standards in developed markets around the world and we are pleased to offer this eco-friendly product to dealers and consumers here in the U.S. so they can also experience the benefits first-hand.”


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Elsevier on Thursday said it has acquired Plum Analytics, a company that produces alternative metrics for tracking the impact of research, from the information services company EBSCO. The acquisition is the latest move in the metrics space by Elsevier, which last year launched CiteScore, an alternative to the widely used Journal Impact Factor. At the time, Elsevier said it was looking to expand its “basket of metrics.” The company said in a press release that it intends to feature Plum Analytics metrics across its products.
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Former ITV group marketing director David Pemsel has been appointed as the new chief commercial officer at Guardian News & Media as part of a series of management changes.
Director of digital development Tanya Cordrey is also joining the management team after being promoted to the new executive role of chief digital officer.
But executive director (commercial) Adam Freeman is leaving the company this month after 10 years to launch a digital start-up dubbed MutualMedia.
Also leaving is global commercial director Chris Pelekanou, who will depart in December after 20 years to join Clear Channel Outdoor as commercial director.
Pemsel has worked with GNM for a year as interim chief marketing officer and will now have extra responsibility for sales organisation - which includes Guardian Professional, business development and brand extention - and display.
Cordrey joined GNM in 2008 to work on the group's enivronment products and most recently oversaw its product development team. She will now work on the group's strategic development.
Group CEO Andrew Miller said: "I am delighted that David and Tanya have joined the GNM executive. Both have worked tirelessly and with great creativity to make our digital-first strategy a reality, attract unprecedented numbers of global readers and create new revenue streams. These changes are part of our strategy to bring both GNM and GMG closer together as we build a stronger, more digitally-focused organisation.
"Adam and Chris have made huge contributions to the development of GNM’s commercial operations and we wish them both the very best in their new businesses.”


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Here’s What The Rumored 2018 iPhone X Plus With 6.4-Inch Bezel-Less Display Will Look Like
The iPhone X is still a good few weeks away from going on sale but this being the world of Apple rumors that does not mean that attention has not already turned away from 2017 and towards what the iPhone maker will offer up this time next year.
With rumors having Apple already working on a new 6-inch iPhone, suggestions are circulating that there may be an iPhone X Plus of sorts, although that name is likely to not be the one Apple goes with. Now iDropNews has released some renders showing off what such a device might look like.
The designs shared by the outlet actually show a 6.4-inch iPhone with a design that mimics that of the iPhone X closely, including that notch that houses all of the magic that makes Face ID work. The renders basically show a larger iPhone X which, really, is what any sort of iPhone X Plus really will amount to. Apple had already been rumored to be leaning towards larger and larger iPhones with demand also trending in that direction.
If Apple does opt to launch a larger iPhone next year as rumored, then questions have to be asked about the technology that will be used. With LCD and OLED now part of Apple’s lineup, a larger offering will surely follow the iPhone X’s lead and go for the OLED option that will debut when the newest iPhone goes on sale next month.
We of course do not really know what Apple has up its sleeve for 2018 and with 2017’s big releases still not having actually been released yet, we do have plenty to look forward to as it is.
The iPhone X is without doubt the next chapter in the iPhone’s story and we expect all high-end iPhones to follow its blueprint for the coming years. A larger iPhone X would make plenty of sense, but let’s just get the iPhone X out of the way before we start wishing the next year of our lives away, OK?


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With the Holy month just around the corner, it means one thing: fashion. Ramadan is a time of reflection, however, it's also a time to show-off some serious style. With NET-A-PORTER celebrating the start of Ramadan by launching a dedicated campaign and a curation of
Karl Lagerfeld sparked concern by not appearing at the end of his Chanel shows in Paris in early 2019. Days later, on February 19, 2019, it was announced that the legendary designer had passed away.
The most romantic time of year is here, and what better way to swoop your loved one off their feet than with a Valentine's Day flower arrangement from Heart in a Box.
You are invited to see Tory Burch's Fall Winter 2019 collection in a live-streaming tonight at 9 P.M .
Bloomingdale's Middle East launched its spring and summer 2019 campaign, unveiling the "Bloomie’s Collective' concept (#squadgoals )
The Phantom of the Opera, celebrated tickets going on-sale for its Middle Eastern debut by lighting up the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa
Kenzo celebrates the love season with a dedicated capsule collection in celebration of the most romantic day of the year.
Giorgio Armani beauty opened its first boutique in Middle East and the largest worldwide in Jeddah’s Red Sea Mall in Saudi Arabia.
'The Phantom of the Opera' will make its Middle East debut at Dubai Opera for a limited season beginning 16 October, 2019.


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The Market at The Pizitz presented by Yellowhammer Creative will be coming this winter! Featuring local artists, makers, farmers and live music, this will be an amazing opportunity to get some holiday gift shopping done.
The Market will be held on Black Friday, November 24, and again December 16.
There will be 2-hour free parking in The Pizitz Deck located on 18th Street and 1st Avenue North.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to eat, drink and shop this winter!
The Rainbow Viaduct, one of Birmingham’s oldest bridges, has been transporting people between the south and north sides of downtown for more than 130 years! Now as we look toward its future, you’ll see a pilot project on the bridge to make it more pedestrian and cyclist friendly while we determine the best next steps.
Are you a startup looking for a foot in the door? Did you know we have an accelerator program that helps founders begin their entrepreneurial journey right here in the Switch district? TechStars is a dynamic three-month program that empowers entrepreneurs in their quest to discover product-market fit, gain traction, and access both capital and global mentorship. Operating in more than 30 cities worldwide, Techstars added Birmingham as a host for their energy-focused cohort.
Amid the pandemic, when many found themselves at home searching for new hobbies, Josh Cosio and his wife embarked on a unique journey – roasting coffee at home. What began as a simple passion project soon evolved into something much more remarkable. Just two years after their inaugural batch of home-roasted beans, Cala Coffee has swiftly taken root, with not one but two locations opening in Birmingham.


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Credit Sesame polled social media with an informal fourth of July spending habits survey.
It’s an American tradition to celebrate freedom from oppression on July 4th.
This year, the chief oppressor of Americans is inflation. In keeping with tradition, Americans are finding ways to celebrate July 4th that defy the tyranny of inflation.
An informal poll conducted by Credit Sesame found large numbers of Americans celebrating the 4th of July in cost-effective ways this year.
So, grab a hot dog or a scoop of fruit salad. Pull up a chair and crack open a cold one. Here’s the story of how many of your fellow Americans are escaping the grip of inflation this July 4th. Your fourth of July spending does not have to be over the top to have a great time.
Few are spending a lot of money on travel
The Credit Sesame poll found that just 6.7% of respondents said travel would be their biggest 4th of July expense this year.
Wise choice. Energy costs have led the surge of inflation over the past year. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gasoline prices are up $1.78 per gallon this summer, compared with a year ago.
That means that if your car gets 25 miles to the gallon, you’d spend $7.12 more this year for every 100 miles you drive. The chart below shows how the cost of driving 100 miles this July 4th compares with a year ago:
Last summer, a gallon of gas was selling for an average retail price of $3.09. This year, the price is up to $4.87.
At 25 miles per gallon, it would have cost you $12.36 cents to drive 100 miles last summer. This year, the same trip in the same car would cost you $19.49. That makes this a good time to cut down on travel.
Of course, because of inflation just about everything is more expensive this year. However, that’s especially true of gas prices. So, if there’s one expense you can avoid, travel costs are an excellent choice.
Most are looking at reasonable fourth of July spending
Besides not blowing a lot of money on travel, people are finding other ways to keep their costs of celebrating the 4th down this year.
The poll found that most people are spending less than $50 on the 4th of July this year. Here’s how the different amounts people plan to spend break down:
Good intentions can fizzle like a dud firecracker once you see all the 4th of July goodies lining the supermarket aisles. If you want to avoid costly impulse spending, set a budget before you stock up for the 4th. Go to the store with a list of what you really need, and avoid cruising parts of the store you don’t need to visit.
Of course, not everybody is pinching pennies this July 4th. As you can see from the chart, just over one out of every ten respondents said they were spending more than $200.
If you’re shelling out that kind of money this July 4th, have a great time. But here’s a tip: it’s better to be invited to that party than to be the one throwing it.
Most of the money is going for food
Here’s another cost-effective aspect of people’s fourth of July spending plans. Overwhelmingly, most people said the bulk of their spending was going towards food.
82% of respondents said food was going to be their biggest expense this 4th of July. Not fireworks, not travel, and not alcohol.
The significance of this is that food at least has nutritional value. Sure, some of that value might be marginal when it comes to party food. But you’ve got to eat anyway.
Be sure to get the most out of your food budget by getting things out of the hot sun after serving. That way you can stock your refrigerator and enjoy those good barbecue leftovers all week.
Sharing the day with others makes it more cost-effective
The Credit Sesame found one more practical aspect of people’s 4th of July plans.
63% of poll respondents plan to spend the day with three or more other people. This includes 19.6% who plan to gather in groups of 7 to 15 people, and 8.7% who intend to party with more than 15 others.
Sharing meals and other expenses is typically more cost effective than paying for everything individually. And of course, there is more benefit to these get-togethers than just splitting costs.
After a couple years of isolating because of the pandemic, the chance to socialize may seem especially welcome. This 4th of July, that’s another type of freedom that’s well worth celebrating.
You may also be interested in:
Disclaimer: The article and information provided here is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice.


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Blue jeans icon Levi Strauss (LEVI -0.06%) is a play on artificial intelligence. Wait, don't laugh! Digging deeper into the company's operations reveals that it's serious about pursuing this technology -- and its efforts in AI could help boost returns for investors.
The company's push to incorporate AI begins with the revamping of its loyalty app, which delivers content based on user browsing and purchases. This personalization means less searching and more compelling promotions. In Levi Strauss's third quarter, its app downloads increased by 20% compared to the first quarter, and Levi also saw increases in average order values and contribution rates for e-commerce revenues.
Levi Strauss is also using AI for its recommendation engine in Europe. Its algorithms forecast what types of products users are interested in, then suggest complementary offerings. It can even let users know about sales on products they've searched for in the past. According to a blog from the company, the recommendation engine "contributed to the LS&Co.'s healthy Q3 and Q4 2020 financial margins."
Levi plans to move beyond these early steps by incorporating computer vision and sophisticated neural networks for product searches, slated for a November release in the U.S. Using photos for the AI should provide even more insights than text-based data, which may not capture all the colors, textures, and shapes of Levi's products. The AI often finds patterns and insights that are not obvious -- and it can do so on a large scale, whenever and wherever shoppers need help finding garments that look good together.
But perhaps most importantly, Levi's using AI to manage its supply chain -- which has been beset with spikes in transportation costs and cotton prices – with sophisticated predictions. According to Levi Strauss, its cost of goods sold is only expected to increase by 1% year over year for the first half of 2022, thanks in part to AI efficiencies.
Success starts at the top
Back in February 2019, Levi Strauss hired its first Chief Strategy and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Katia Walsh, who reported directly to the CEO. Before this, she worked in leadership positions for data science at companies like Vodafone, Prudential Financial and Fidelity Investments.
The role of the Chief AI Officer is fairly new even for tech companies, and quite rare for mainstream retailers. But for Levi Strauss, this buy-in has spurred innovation and highlighted the strategic importance of AI for the global workforce.
Another critical advantage for Levi Strauss – especially when compared to smaller retailers – is the company's scale, which gives it huge troves of data that help its algorithms work better.
This rapid transition toward direct-to-consumer transactions helps drive even more of that data toward Levi's waiting AIs. In the latest quarter, direct-to-consumer revenues jumped by 34% year over year, and direct sales grew to represent 20% of Levi's $1.5 billion. The company also plans to spend two-thirds of its capital budget on digital efforts.
Fighting for talent
One of the biggest challenges with AI is recruiting talented data scientists and engineers. But Levi Straus is not just relying on hiring from the outside. It has created its own AI bootcamp, an eight-week, full-time, fully paid program that includes courses on coding, statistics and data science. The program is unique among major retailers and has already led to new employees for the AI division.
Yet Levi Strauss still faces challenges. AI doesn't always yield correct answers, and more governments are crafting regulations on the use of data, especially for personally identifiable information. And even if Levi gets AI right, other major retailers have the resources to invest in artificial intelligence and its benefits as well.
But as an early adopter, Levi benefits from more effective models and data, and more of a head start to build AI systems that comply with emerging regulations. And while rtificial intelligence's complexity can be intimidating for employees, Levi's in-house training can help them better understand how to apply the technology to their own job, whether they're improving the design of baggy jeans or lowering the costs for a manufacturing process.
What to watch for
Artificial intelligence stocks are generally fetching stratospheric valuations, as seen with companies like C3.ai, Lemonade, and Palantir. However, investors can find a more creative approach to this sector by looking for companies that are poised to benefit from the technology.
Consider Domino's Pizza (DPZ -0.81%), whose shares have grown a whopping 15-fold since 2011. Domino's massive investments in making online ordering faster and easier-including AI features like voice recognition -- helped drive the company's turnaround. Today, more than 75% of Domino's sales come though digital channels.
Levi Strauss looks like it's using a similar playbook; the company is still in the early stages, but there are already signs that the technology is making a difference. In its latest quarterly report, sales jumped 41% and earnings soared 570%. This stemmed partly from the company's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but management also credited AI and machine learning, calling it "a huge opportunity for us long-term." There's no standard index for artificial intelligence success, but investors can follow Levi's blog, which has frequent updates on innovations and look for improvement in margins and revenues.
For investors looking for a unique way to play AI, scooping up shares in Levi Straus may not be laughable at all.


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TOKYO, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Sales of Nintendo Co Ltd's 7974.OS Wii game console and Sony Corp's 6758.T PlayStation Portable handheld player tripled last week in Japan, driven by price cuts and launches of major software titles, a research firm said. Keen to stir up sluggish demand ahead of the critical year-end shopping season, Nintendo slashed the price of the Wii by 20 percent and Sony cut the price of its PSP by 15 percent, both on Oct. 1.
Sales were also boosted by Sony’s launch last week of the PSP version of its popular driving game “Gran Turismo”, and Nintendo’s release of “Wii Fit Plus”, the sequel to its blockbuster home fitness game, “Wii Fit”.
Sony sold about 49,000 units of its PSP in the week ended Sunday, up from 15,000 units a week earlier, while sales of the Wii came to around 32,000 units, compared with 10,500 units in the previous week, Ascii Media Works said.
Shares in Sony rose 2.9 percent to 2,505 yen and Nintendo gained 0.5 percent to 21,840 yen, compared to a 1.1 percent rise for the Nikkei average .N225. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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May 12, 2022 | Updated: May 27, 2022
For anyone who has worn a fitness tracker, there’s probably one question they have in the back of their minds: just how accurate are they?
Long story short, say the experts, they can help indicate when you should go see a doctor, but they aren’t a substitute for a trained medical professional.
“There is nothing that is a substitute for a well-experienced cardiologist in a hospital setting with their hospital grade equipment,” said IEEE Member Carmen Fontana, who began using the earliest heart rate monitors as a college athlete in the ‘90s, and now uses a fitness watch to monitor a genetic heart condition discovered in recent years. “These devices we wear on our wrists now are pretty darn good. Where they are beneficial to you and your cardiologist is it allows continuous monitoring. You can’t be in the lab 24/7. While they might not be medical grade, they do a great job of being a first line of defense.”
A handful of fitness trackers are marketed as ECG watches –– ECG standing for electrocardiogram. The distinction between a fitness tracker and an ECG watch is that the latter has received a level of regulatory clearance to monitor for certain conditions. In the U.S., for example, that’s usually the Food and Drug Administration.
But the clearance may not extend to all cardiac conditions. The most common conditions that ECG watches are cleared to monitor for is a type of irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation. But the watches are not approved to monitor for other conditions. That means that the patient will still require further testing by a medical professional using a 12-lead professional ECG in a hospital.
“The traditional 12-lead ECG can measure the overall magnitude of the electrical potentials of the heart,” said IEEE Member Eros Pasero, “Some smartwatch models can provide important information about atrial fibrillation and other important cardiovascular diseases. This information can require an additional full ECG.”
The question of accuracy in smartwatches and fitness trackers, however, continues to draw continued research interest, with hundreds of trials using some of the most popular fitness devices. The most reliable answers, as reported in IEEE Pulse, are systematic reviews that examine multiple assessments.
Engineers and technologists are exploring numerous ways to integrate smartwatches and other wearable devices into mission-critical applications for health and safety. In IEEE, the world’s foremost researchers provide several examples, including detecting when people are too sleepy to drive, and when workers in healthcare or food preparation have or haven’t washed their hands properly.


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Ski center “Ravna Planina” is known for its diverse range of offerings, and therefore it now provides a completely new service for all its guests and visitors – free 11kW electric vehicle chargers. This new service is another proof that Ski center “Ravna Planina” adheres to world standards and cares about the needs of its visitors.
With this new addition, Ski center “Ravna Planina” takes an important step in preserving the environment. Electric vehicles are becoming a more popular option for travel, and Ski center “Ravna Planina” is adapting and providing this type of service to its guests.
Free chargers for electric vehicles will certainly be a useful service for all guests who arrive in their electric vehicles, and it will also provide them with convenience and comfort during their visit to the ski resort.