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Coca-Cola is one of the America’s best known brands — in fact, in a 1977 study, less than one percent of Americans were unable to identify a bottle of Coke by its shape alone.
However, as much a part of Americana Coke may be – polar bears and Santa notwithstanding — its advertising campaigns of late seem to be pushing progressive Kool-Aid rather than its own bubbly brown beverage.
You might recall the Super Bowl ad from 2014 which featured people from various ethnicities all singing “America the Beautiful” in their native language. While it was meant to celebrate “diversity” many were outraged that it seemed to celebrate division.
Col. West pointed out at the time, “the last thing any of us should want to see is a balkanized America. Furthermore, it has to be of concern that we have Americans who lack the resolve to take a stand for our borders, language, and culture.”
Well, Coke is at it again, this time doing a little “virtue signaling” and celebration of gay culture.
A new TV ad depicts a brother and sister both vying for the attention of a hunky, male pool boy.
There’s a twist at the end as to whom actually gets to him first (hint: MILF).
“Sibling rivalry never looked more inclusive,” Out Magazine said of the commercial that debuted last week. Marketing Week also approved, according to AOL.com.
The ad has no dialog and is one of four in the company’s new global campaign.
“It’s a human story where Coca-Cola plays a key role in the development of the drama,” said Ali Brubaker, senior manager of global brand PR for the company.
“We are managing culturally relevant messages organically within our spots not as the main subject of the story but as sub-text.”
Say what? By the way, since this is part of a “global” campaign, will it air in Saudi Arabia or Iran? No, probably not.
But here in the old U.S. of A. anything goes.
It is of continual interest that homosexuality and the LGBTQ community have risen to the top of the heap of “culturally relevant messages,” considering how small that community actually is.
About 35 percent of the U.S. population is non-white. Less than four percent is gay.
Yet, the gay lobby has done such an outstanding job of promoting itself, Americans actually believe a quarter of the population is gay.
Part of that is the over-representation of the gay community throughout the entertainment field. In fact, a 2015 study released by a gay advocacy group showed that the number of Hollywood films featuring homosexual behavior had risen to an all-time high, with nearly 16 percent of films released in 2014 featuring at least one homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual character.
Surely that number has risen since then. After all, this year’s Best Picture, “Moonlight,” deals with the lead character’s coming of age struggles as a gay black man.
We reported just days ago that even DISNEY is going gay, featuring an “exclusively gay moment” in the live action “Beauty and the Beast” film scheduled to open in just a few days.
Last year, black people complained about the lack of diversity in the film industry and awards with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. Seems like what they should really be complaining about is #OscarsSoGay.
[Note: This article was written by Michele Hickford]


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Winter weather emergency kit recommended
Published 6:47 pm Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Unexpected weather or vehicle problems may leave motorists stranded this holiday season. Keep an emergency kit in your car.
AAA Carolinas recommends motorists update their emergency kit to include; a mobile phone, car charger, blankets, flashlight with extra batteries, a first aid kit, drinking water, a small shovel, a sack of sand or cat litter for traction, windshield scraper, battery booster cables, emergency reflectors, and non-perishable snacks.

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But the most interesting thing? There were three advertisements for mobile games during one of the biggest “bricks and mortar” game broadcasts in the world. In other words, last night approximately $16 million was spent last night to tell you about games you can play on your phone.
The Super Bowl is a collision of commerce, entertainment, rage, and Katy Perry. So it makes sense that the advertisements featured during the game, the most expensive advertisements in the world, are representative of the business landscape in America. Companies who can place ads in the Super Bowl are entertaining, competitive, and successful.
Game of War showed a 30-second ad during the first quarter of the game that featured Kate Upton and general Game-of-Thrones-style warfare. So far so good.
In the third quarter, we were blasted with a sixty-second commercial for a mobile game, this time featuring Liam Neeson. The Taken star parodied Taken by vowing vengeance against his enemies in Clash Of Clans while in line for coffee.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, we got one final taste of what animated characters can do when given virtual weapons and rolling landscapes in the Heroes Charge Super Bowl commercial. It was a short fifteen-second spot.
Meanwhile, Mophie threw its hat in the ring with an ad based on this simple premise: “What would the world look like if God’s phone died?” Squarespace, which took out its first Super Bowl Ad last year, again showed its stuff during the big game with a much more subtle (and inexpensive) ad.
With a $4.5 million price tag on a thirty-second spot, many marketers are wondering whether or not the bang is worth the buck. But this year’s Super Bowl was viewed by more than 100 million people, and many ads will be talked about into today, this week, and even into the year.
For companies that produce games like Game of War and Clash of Clans, the Super Bowl is an expensive, though relatively safe, bet. Last night, more than 100 million people watched Liam Neeson play Clash of Clans and Kate Upton pretend to be a character in Game of War. Many of those viewers had their smartphone within reach.
Next year I predict that Bitcoin will be mentioned during the Super Bowl, Snapchat will place an ad featuring a celebrity, and Tom Brady won’t be there at all. It will be glorious.


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Senior, Pennsylvania Virtual Charter
On Sept. 17, the most anticipated game of 2013, "Grand Theft Auto V," hit store shelves. Unsurprisingly, the game brought in more than $1 billion for its developers, Rockstar Games, in the first three days, according to published reports. This mind-boggling profit made the game the fastest-selling entertainment product in history.
More recently, the avant-garde approach Rockstar is taking to release extra downloadable content, or DLC, for the game is rapidly changing how the video game industry markets extra content to consumers. In the weeks before the September release of "GTA V," Rockstar used traditional methods to boost preorders of the game. For example, the developers gave extra content to players who preordered either basic or collectors versions of the game like exclusive cars, clothing, weapons and even a blimp. While this is a fairly common tactic game developers use to maximize their profits on release day, Rockstar used these exclusive items to tease players about what future "GTA V" DLC content would be like.
In early November, Rockstar's methods took a completely unexpected turn. It announced a new DLC pack called "Beach Bum Content Update" that featured several new vehicles, clothing, weapons and a slew of new online-version only missions for "GTA V." The catch? The update was set to be free. It would be an understatement to say I was shocked when I heard the new update would be free for all players.
In the past, comparable video games of the same sandbox genre, such as "Mafia II" and "Just Cause 2" would charge on average between $2.99 and $4.99 for their similar DLC packs. I quickly downloaded the pack and have to say that it was well worth the roughly 0.1 MB on my hard drive. While I could not enjoy the missions since I do not own the online multiplayer version of "GTA V," the vehicles, weapons and clothing for the offline version added a fresh and fun new aspect to the game.
While I was enjoying some off-roading with a new dune buggy featured in the pack, I pondered why in the world Rockstar would give players a new DLC pack for free. Quite frankly, the answer was gliding right in front of my face over the rugged hills and valleys of the virtual world. Rockstar probably came to the conclusion that by giving players the content update for free, it could persuade those same players to dish out cash for more expensive and extensive DLC updates in the future. In addition to the expected packs that will cost a fee, Rockstar has promised to also give players several other free packs in the future. This is a central reason why "GTA V" became the best-selling piece of entertainment in history. Rockstar took an avant-garde approach to promoting its game by putting players before profits.


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Off the menu: NHS adds a dash of scepticism to reports that chocolate boosts eyesight
A small JAMA Opthalmology study has found contrast sensitivity and visual acuity are significantly higher two hours after consuming dark chocolate
24 May 2018
A Government health website has attempted to rein in the celebrations of chocolate lovers after reports that dark chocolate may improve eyesight.
NHS Choices responded to media coverage of a new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology that found contrast sensitivity and visual acuity were significantly higher two hours after consumption of a dark chocolate bar than a milk chocolate bar.
The study involved 30 adults without pathologic eye disease who each consumed a 40g Trader Joe's Crispy Rice Milk Chocolate bar and a 47g Trader Joe's 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar in separate sessions. They were then tested on a variety of visual tasks.
The authors highlighted that improvements in the ability to see low and high contrast targets after eating dark chocolate may be due to increased blood flow.
“The duration of these effects and their influence in real-world performance await further testing,” they shared.
A post on the NHS Choices website highlighted that the findings could be by chance, as the study only involved a small group.
“Whether these minor differences between milk and dark chocolate would make any difference at all in real life, and whether they would be sustained with long-term consumption, is unclear,” the post stated.
“As it stands, there isn't good evidence that dark chocolate will improve your eyesight,” it concluded.
Clinical and regulatory officer at the AOP, Farah Gatrad, highlighted that people should consider the reliability of the research.
“This study will no doubt strike a chord with the ‘chocolate lovers’ out there but naturally it is much better to refer to studies that include a larger cohort and those that are carried out over longer periods of time – to be surer of results,” she shared.
“There is a wealth of advice that is well evidenced to help maintain healthy eyes and we would always guide patients to these. One of the best ways people can take care of their vision is to have regular sight tests – so any changes to eye health are picked up early,” Ms Gatrad added.
The AOP has a list of ‘Top tips for healthy eyes’ on its website.


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Strong Sales Leadership Helps Black Book Deliver Profit-Driven Tools Across Automotive Channel
Black Book® has promoted Jared Kalfus to Senior Vice President of Sales where he will expand his current role overseeing Data Licensing and Lender Solutions to now include the sales team of Black Book’s Activator Division. The promotion further solidifies Black Book as the leading provider of data and insight to the broader automotive industry, which relies on data-driven solutions to serve customers across every aspect of the automotive supply chain.
With twenty years of experience in the automotive industry, Mr. Kalfus joined Black Book in June, 2012, where he began his tenure as Vice President of Automotive Licensing. Mr. Kalfus will remain responsible for overseeing the national sales team focused on licensing Black Book data to automotive OEM’s, Auctions, VAR’s, and marketing companies. He also leads the Black Book Lender Solutions team that supports automotive lenders, finance customers, banks, credit unions and title lenders.
“The expansion of Jared’s leadership role is a strategic decision that provides stronger integration of resources for Black Book’s automotive dealership customers,” said Tom Cross, President of Black Book. “Black Book’s innovative data-driven solutions reach every corner of today’s automotive channel. Jared will leverage his expertise in sophisticated data platforms to lead our sales teams focused on offering customers a new level of profit potential, particularly at the automotive dealership level.”
A leading pioneer of the online lead-generation industry for automotive, Activator develops and markets innovative web-based and mobile-friendly products to help thousands of dealers convert more digital automotive shoppers into satisfied customers.
“Today, auto dealers and sales professionals rely on data-driven, web-based tools and resources to identify and convert quality online customer leads,” added Mike McFall, President of Black Book’s Activator Division. “With the vast majority of automotive shoppers beginning their vehicle research process online, Jared’s end-to-end sales leadership skills will help effectively communicate the value of our services and better position our products among thousands of Black Book Activator dealerships throughout the country.”
Mr. Kalfus holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida and resides in the Atlanta suburbs with his wife and son.


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Cattle, hog, and broiler chicken producers should expect lower market prices during the first half of 2018 than they saw during the first six months of this year, said USDA economists.
For the third time this year, the Agriculture Department is holding up a regulation that would give livestock on organic farms more elbow room than is common at conventional operations, and this time, it says, it may rewrite the rule, which already is a decade in the making. "We will see the department in court and are confident that we will prevail on this important issue for the organic sector," said the Organic Trade Association, which sued USDA two months ago for unlawful delay of the animal welfare regulation.
Mexico is the third-largest market for U.S. farm exports, so the declining value of the peso "could create a drag on U.S. animal product exports in 2017," says USDA's monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook. The southern neighbor of the United States is the largest market for exports of U.S. pork, poultry, and dairy products, says USDA, as well as the No. 3 market for U.S. beef.
The collapse in crop and livestock prices since 2013 will result in the lowest net farm income since 2009, says USDA. In the final estimate of the year, the Economic Research Service pegged farm income at $66.9 billion, down $4.5 billion from its August estimate and barely more than half of the record income that producers enjoyed just three years ago.
President-elect Donald Trump is getting a welcoming handshake from farm groups often identified with Democrats or populists, not just those touting free enterprise and low taxes. The National Farmers Union said in a letter to Trump that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, backed by many farm groups, is a threat to the rural economy, so "we hope to work with your administration on fair trade deals."
After a review of farm-sector financial indicators, economist Brent Gloy says, "Caution going forward would be appropriate," particularly for operators who are borrowing money. The commonly used debt-to-asset ratio is low, Gloy writes at the Agricultural Economic Insights blog a day before USDA updates its farm-income forecast, but lesser-known yardsticks, such as the debt-service ratio and times-interest-earned ratio "indicate that financial conditions are as poor as any seen for some time."
The world nearly met its goal of halving hunger by 2015, but will miss its ambitious new goal of eradicating hunger by 2030 without decisive action to raise incomes, expand food production and alleviate income inequality, says a joint report of the OECD and FAO. The new edition of their Agricultural Outlook says the number of undernourished people in the world will drop to 636 million in 2025, compared to 799 million now.
The newly created Ag Economy Barometer will provide a monthly gauge of the sentiment of large-scale farmers, who produce the bulk of U.S. food and fiber, say its sponsors, the Center for Commercial Agriculture at Purdue U and CME Group, which operates futures markets. Some 400 large producers …
Spurred by record-high cattle prices in 2014 and early 2015, U.S. ranchers are expanding their herds with plans to send more cattle to slaughter in coming months. The USDA says the number of calves is up 3 percent from a year ago and the number of beef cows is up 4 percent.
Weak crop and livestock prices combined to pull down U.S. net cash farm income -- a measure of farmers' ability to pay bills and make payments on debt -- 28 percent in 2015, the second year of falling income.


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Delta's move could have disastrous effects on other struggling big airlines, but it represents a boon for consumers, agencies and media sellers that have stakes in the marketing battles to come.
Delta last week rocked the industry by slashing the cost of tickets, lowering its fares on walk-up travel and eliminating Saturday-night stay-overs. The Atlanta-based carrier cut some prices up to 50% and capped one-way domestic economy fares at $499 and one-way first-class fares at $599.
"Let it be clear: This is not a fare sale," Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein said in a conference call. "This is a fundamental change to our pricing structure."
The move electrified competitors, who matched the fares within days, though they went kicking and screaming. "We doubt Continental Airlines can maintain $970 one-way fares between Houston and Newark while Delta offers first class via Atlanta for $549," JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker said in a research note.
Stocks for the major carriers dropped between 7% and 17% in the wake of the news, and some were caught off-guard.
They shouldn't have been. This was not a quickly planned marketing scheme by Delta. It trademarked the name "Simplifares" as far back as August as part of the No. 3 airline's strategy to reinvent itself as a low-cost carrier. It also continues to compete with Song, Delta's low-fare unit. Instead of competing against American and United, "We view [discount carriers] JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran Airways as our principal competitors," Delta Chief Marketing Officer Paul Matsen said. Mr. Grinstein said Delta did a test run late last year in Cincinnati, one of its hubs, and sales went up more than 40%.
Delta is advertising its new fares in print ads in major newspapers around the country and is developing TV ads from Ogilvy & Mather, New York, the WPP Group agency it selected last year for its $25 million account.
The big airlines are now left to follow Delta-at considerable cost. "The whole airline industry will now have to move in this direction," said Caylon Securities analyst Raymond Neidl. "This will likely hurt revenue in the short run but could be beneficial in the long run," he said, if the airlines are able to attract more customers.
"Anything that benefits making air travel more convenient benefits the consumer, benefits the tourism industry and even benefits us as an advertising agency," said Dorn Martell, CEO of Miami-based Tinsley Advertising, a shop dedicated to travel/tourism. "But the downside here is, when you get predatory you lose carriers."
Ripe for the picking: US Airways, United Airlines and ATA Holdings, all in bankruptcy, including US Airways for the second time in two years. Delta itself has lost more than $6 billion since 2000, but has staved off bankruptcy after negotiating pay cuts with its unions.
Delta is already seeing some benefit. Internet search engine Yahoo reported that following Delta's announcement, searches on "Delta Airline Reservations" rose 611%, "Delta Air Lines" was up 289% and "Delta Skymiles," its frequent-flier program, was up 98%. The possibility that Delta's cuts might precipitate a price war sent searchers to major travel sites as well. Among Yahoo's top 100 search terms, Expedia, Southwest Airlines, Travelocity and Orbitz all climbed 8% to 10%.
"This is the first time in a long time that a major carrier has come to the marketplace with something other than a laundry list of fares," said airline-industry expert Joe Brancatelli, who runs the site joesentme.biz. "They not only set the structure, they now become the standard against what everybody will be measured."


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New owner to reopen Hornepayne lumber mill
Sept. 6, 2016 - The Olav Haavaldsrud Timber Company sawmill in Hornepayne, Ont., has a new owner who plans to restart it in January.
September 6, 2016 By Maria Church
Frank Dottori has purchases the 63-year-old mill, which has been idle since last November. The sale does not include the adjacent Becker Cogeneration Plant.
Read the full story on Sudbury.com
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Bordeaux, for good reason, will always be associated with its wine, but...
EUROPEAN CITIES MARKETING FOCUSES ON BRIC COUNTRIES posted on: 11/6/2012 10:16:15
EUROPE - European Cities Marketing (ECM), a network of tourist offices and convention bureaus in Europe, is building the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) countries into its forward strategy.
The network says the BRICs present great opportunity for the leisure and meetings industry.
Garry White, the incoming CEO of ECM, who has spent the last five years working in the Asia Pacific region as Regional Director for Visit Britain said: “BRIC markets and in particular Russia, India and China are already important source markets for European cities. The economies are strong and they never really felt the impact of the global economic crisis as we did in Europe.
“You have a huge middle class segment emerging together with a significant high net worth, luxury segment and there is a lot of interest in travel to Europe. From a Chinese perspective Europe fascinates, but a lot of their perceptions are shaped by the film industry and European consumer brands. The challenge and the opportunity is to present a product that is more tailor-made to a Chinese/BRIC audience.
“My belief and experience indicates that Europe is more attractive as an 'idea”' than a set of individual countries and that cities are far more interesting than the countries they belong to. Chinese buyers and consumers would be far more attracted by the idea of visiting a number of European Cities than visiting any one country in Europe and that presents us with a tremendous opportunity at ECM,” White added.
The ECM Benchmarking Report 2012 indicates that member cities are achieving an average year on year growth of 6.2 per cent domestically and eight per cent internationally. It also revealed that the fastest growing source markets were Russia (up 36 per cent) and China (up 30 per cent).


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Need another sign that Amazon is dead serious about building a giant logistics network to challenge UPS and FedEx? The online retailer will open its own cargo air hub in Northern Kentucky, where it plans to employ 2,000 people, it announced today.
The Amazon facility will be the eventual home to 40 Amazon Prime Air planes the company is leasing to transport packages between its own warehouses. Amazon said 16 of the planes are already in service.
The Cincinnati Business Courier pegged the cost of the project at $1.49 billion and said Amazon is in line to get $40 million in tax incentives from local governments. The company has received approval to lease 900 acres in total, the publication reported.
More from Recode:
For some people looking to dump Uber, the #deleteUber campaign simply sealed the deal
Watch James Corden's quiet, powerful argument against Trump's travel ban
It's official: Flipagram has been acquired by Chinese news aggregator Toutiao


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Caribbean airlines finalize merger
Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica completed their merger, giving the Jamaican government a 16% stake and a seat on the board of Caribbean Airlines, the flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. Caribbean Airlines, which took over Air Jamaica's operations a year ago, will continue operating both brands while converting Air Jamaica's operation to an all-Boeing fleet. Caribbean Airlines will focus primarily on commercial and emerging markets in South America and Latin America, while Air Jamaica will focus on leisure.
E.U. approves 3-way OTA deal
The European Commission approved the creation of a joint venture involving three European online agencies, Opodo, Go Voyages and eDreams. The deal involves Amadeus' previously announced sale of Opodo to AXA PE and Permira, two private equity firms that already own Go Voyages and eDreams, respectively. As part of the sale transaction, which values Opodo at $650 million, Amadeus obtains a 10-year agreement to provide GDS services to the equity partners' sites. The Commission said the deal did not raise competition concerns.
Cipriani family launches Mr. C brand
The Cipriani family, which operates the original Harry's Bar in Venice, launched its Mr. C hotel brand in Beverly Hills, unveiling a renovation of the former Tower Beverly Hills. The hotel offers 138 rooms and suites, all with private balconies, outdoor pool and a Mr. C restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. Residential bungalows with private gardens are planned. The family has 13 restaurants around the world.
JAL names Boston a Dreamliner route
Japan Airlines will open a Tokyo-Boston nonstop route on April 22, 2012, marking its first new U.S. gateway in 13 years. The route will be operated as part of the carrier's transpacific joint venture with Oneworld partner American and will be served with 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The carrier also began talks with JetBlue about opportunities for connecting traffic.
Rezidor eyes hotel at site of Olympics
Anticipating the Olympics, Rezidor plans to open another Park Inn hotel in London in the second quarter next year, the Park Inn London Wembley. The 235-room property will be on Olympic Way, a pedestrian zone near Wembley Stadium, which will serve as the venue for Olympic soccer. The Olympics begin July 27, 2012.
Benchmark creates luxury collection
Benchmark Hospitality, an independent luxury operator, acquired MTM Luxury Lodging and incorporated the four hotels it manages into a group called Personal Luxury Collection. The group includes eight upscale Benchmark properties, plus the Bellevue Park Hotel in Washington state, under construction and slated to open in 2013.
Hilton debuts in Namibia's capital
Hilton opened its first hotel in Namibia, a 150-room property in the capital city of Windhoek, billed as the city's first five-star hotel. The Hilton Windhoek offers restaurants and lounges, lap pool and fitness center plus meetings facilities.
Friends & Colleagues
Gordon Wilson, right, took over on June 1 as Travelport's president and CEO. Wilson has been in charge of Travelport's GDS business for the past five years and has served as its deputy CEO for the past year. Outgoing CEO Jeff Clarke will become executive chairman. He was also named to Travelport's board of directors. Clarke will remain chairman of Orbitz Worldwide, a company in which Travelport is the largest investor. • • • Travel Leaders Corporate named Linda Oliver-Eckhardt senior vice president of client strategies. Before joining Travel Leaders Corporate, she held a variety of management roles at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, most recently serving as senior director of national accounts. • • • Glen Ceremony was named CEO at Travelzoo, effective June 15. Ceremony joins Travelzoo from eBay, where he serves as corporate controller. He replaces Wayne Lee, who plans to take time off with his family and to pursue other opportunities. In other Travelzoo news, Lisa Oswald was named vice president of customer service. Oswald comes from Priceline.com, where she was vice president of operations and customer service from 1999 to 2010. • • • David Peckinpaugh is the new president of the Maritz Travel Co. The former vice president of business development for HelmsBriscoe, Peckinpaugh will assume his role June 13. Interim President Jane Herod will continue to serve as Maritz Travel's COO. Prior to HelmsBriscoe, Peckinpaugh served as president and CEO of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau and as chief marketing officer of Experient.


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Electronic Arts just released the first trailer of the upcoming Madden NFL 21. The preview featured new control abilities and the new quarterback cover.
As previously wildly hinted, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens is the new face of Madden NFL 21. This cover feature is only fit as he is, in fact, the reigning NFL MVP, oozing with such impressive agility and speed.
As always, the first few trailer drops are just teasers for the ultimate deep dive events. It’s to lure gamers to watch further on the upcoming longer trailers. Like what many game critics describe, it’s the “back of the box” video feature.
Nevertheless, avid fans and players still experienced a breathtaking new look at the upcoming installment of the Madden NFL franchise.
New Madden NFL 21 features and added details
First off, it is important to note the small detail that was added to the players’ look was the mouthpiece. The player community was actually asking the devs for a mouth guard, but a mouthpiece will do.
The thought that the EA actually listened to its fanbase is already a big thumb’s up—we’re off to a good start to Madden NFL 21.
Furthermore, EA featured a more detailed foot planting, which is a big difference to the game’s predecessor. Also, there’s more potential awareness from the NFL players to reach out for the football.
Moreover, EA’s latest trailer drop highlighted more on its latest gameplay enhancement and added features. One of which is its campaign career mode titled ” Face of the Franchise: Rise To Fame.”
This new mode is more of a playable documentary where players work through creating building their NFL career from rising to fame as a high school quarterback, to going off to college before pivoting to the path of NFL Combine, NFL Draft, until finally solidifying players’ own names as legacies within the Football League. Basically, similar to the NBA 2K franchise’s MyPlayer mode.
Also, there’s the added mechanics for the Madden Ultimate Team mode—Play, Collect, Upgrade.
New gameplay mechanics
Meanwhile, EA featured on the trailer the added control features of the new Skill Stick. Players can now try to master offensive moves such as dead-leg and slide hurdles, and defensive moves such as location-based tackling and breakdown tackling.
In addition, the trailer boasted its new adaptive AI adjustments. Critics are actually on the lookout as to how this new feature will work out.
Important dates to note
As noted earlier, the two trailer drops are just the first of the many that are expected to come before the official global release.
There’s going to be a deep dive series event starting on June 25. The series will be called Talking Madden which will be live-streamed on Twitch. Also, hours from now, EA will launch its EA Play Live event, hopefully, players will also see further gameplay for the sports game.
Two next dates to note are the release dates. Those who will opt to purchase the MVP and Deluxe Editions of Madden NFL 21 will have the privilege to play the new installment on August 25—three days ahead of everyone else.
This leads us to the second date worth remembering—August 28, the official worldwide release. Check out the pre-order details here.
Featured image courtesy of EAMADDENNFL/YouTube Screenshot


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Topping banking rivals to retail banker award.
Retail Banker International, the London-based banking publication that analyses and reports on the retail banking sector has announced Arrie Rautenbach, high-profile head of Absa Bank’s retail arm as “Retail Banker of the year 2012”, outclassing competitors from more than 300 banks around the world.
With just over a year since Rautenbach took over the reins as head of Retail Banking of South Africa’s largest bank, bringing the customer back to centre stage has become priority number 1.
Rautenbach has strengthened Absa’s operating model and market positioning actively raising his public profile and availability to media. This has led to increased public awareness on the bank’s focus of ease of banking and innovation, while Rautenbach has established a leadership team with a combined experience of more than 100 years to drive this vision.
This is quite a contrast to the old Absa, which now offers a useful budget planning tool on its revamped internet banking site, Absa online and certainly strives to make life easier for clients through innovations such as its App designed for tablets and smartphones and its Payment Pebble, a mobile card-reader device that makes accepting payments easier for entrepreneurs. The device has recently entered pilot phase.
Kicking off 2012 with the introduction of Absa Value Bundles which offer customers competitive monthly fees and rebates for taking up multiple products and Absa Transact, a low-cost banking account with no penalty fees, the bank’s retail arm has concentrated on bringing down costs.
As a result Absa’s Gold Value Bundle was named the best priced bundled offering in the market according to 2012’s Finweek Bank survey. The study also commended Absa’s commitment to pricing simplicity and transparency by noting that changes made to the bank’s fee structures in 2012 were far more user friendly than they used to be and also lowered banking costs for most of the bank’s clients.
The bank will up its retail client base to 13-million following the acquisition of the Edcon store-card loan book, while the prospects of the deal led by Mr Rautenbach will be to convert Edcon clients into primary Absa clients.
Citing these as some of Rautenbach’s achievements Craig Bond, newly appointed CE of Absa and Barclays Africa Retail and Business Banking said: “Customer centricity is a company strategy that requires strong leadership and endless discipline. We are proud that Arrie Rautenbach’s stewardship to drive this vision, taken together with his increased rapport and public profile is beginning to come into focus having earned him the honour of being Retail Banker of the Year.”
Bond adds: “His decision to focus on the basics to make banking easier for customers, relationship-based pricing, while concentrating on digital channels and innovation will play a key role in growing market share and is an important milestone in the furtherance of our goal to become the Go-To-bank.”
Humbled by the award Mr Rautenbach cited new product features and close attention to leadership development, where the percentage of senior management in his team was recruited from internal talent pools, as the main reason behind his accolade.
Says Rautenbach: “Successful leadership development from a build-from-within company is a strategic imperative and a responsibility that I take very seriously for Absa Retail’s current and future success. This will take us from strength to strength.”
He said being known for ease of doing business was still a hurdle within Absa’s midst, however said this win would remind the bank of its promise to put the customer first and to remain highly competitive in the banking industry. “We will differentiate ourselves from rivals offering services particularly through a rich innovation pipeline that will continue to focus on making things easier for the client and putting them at the centre,” concludes Rautenbach.


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Meet the top scoring marketers who helped fictional brand Moon skyrocket
From being identified in the Marketing Week Top 100 to gaining top grades on the Mini MBA in Brand Management, these marketers are at the top of their game.
An ability to stand out from the crowd is a key asset in the world of marketing – but measuring it can be a tall order.
However, those marketers who were recognised in the Marketing Week Top 100 last year were given just such an opportunity. Each was invited to take part in the Mini MBA in Brand Management run by professor of marketing, and Marketing Week contributor, Mark Ritson.
The invitation was open to both the Top 100 marketers and members of their teams, with more than 40 taking up places. The course sees its students through a dozen modules on everything from the concept of brands and the codes that make them work, to tactical execution and budgeting.
The course culminates with an exercise in simulation. This sees each student become the brand manager of Moon, a fictional – yet realistic – tech brand. Moon has an enigmatic founder, a history of innovation, a small group of loyal users, and several larger competitors.
The marketers were asked to identify and then navigate a number of major challenges for the brand to survive and thrive. Every decision they make is run through a simulator programme that calculates share price movements for Moon over five years. At the start of the exercise the company has a price of 100, with its final price becoming the student’s final grade for the course.
“What better test than how well someone can develop a strategy and then execute it successfully?” asks Ritson.
The highest-scoring students from the process have been shortlisted here, each of them achieving a substantial uplift in the share price of Moon – and some more than doubling it in the five-year test.
“These marketers are doubly impressive. First, they or their manager were recognised by Marketing Week in its annual ranking of the Top 100 most effective marketers. Second, they have gone on to prove themselves in an incredibly difficult simulation against hundreds of marketers from more than 20 countries and some of the world’s best run brands,” adds Ritson.


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Matt Campbell It weighs nearly three tonnes, but new Range Rover V8 diesel drinks less fuel than some V6 Commodores.
Matt Campbell Japanese brand labels big discounts and two-wheel-drive SUVs "ugly".
Matt Campbell Resurrected Swedish brand unveils 9-4X luxury soft-roader ahead of its local relaunch in 2011.
Special report: four wheel drives
Matt Campbell Dual-cab four-wheel-drives and SUVs may seem like chalk and cheese but recent releases and upcoming models could change that, writes Matt Campbell.
Matt Campbell Japanese brand aims up to Toyota with its new limited edition D-Max sports ute.
Matt Campbell Nissan has increased equipment levels across its X-Trail range and dropped prices by up to $1750 as the company attempts to claw back its share of sales following a barrage of new soft-roader...
Matt Campbell Luxury SUV gains new, more frugal engines and a new transmissions as part of a mid-life update.
Matt Campbell More equipment for less money - that’s the equation Nissan is using with its mid-life update of the X-Trail soft-roader.
Matt Campbell An all-new version of Nissan's luxury soft-roader will feature two doors and a soft top. But is it a niche too far?
Matt Campbell Holden's long-awaited update to its successful VE Series has arrived, with the new model featuring styling, equipment and fuel consumption changes across the range.
Light trucks and commercials
MATT CAMPBELL Crack the shell of Volkswagen's van range and you'll find a new engine and a snappy seven-speed DSG.
Matt Campbell The Japanese manufacturer says it will see off the year with a bang, with several key models due before 2011.
Matt Campbell The British-designed jet-powered Bloodhound SSC rocket car that’s twice as fast as a passenger jet.
MATT CAMPBELL Turbocharged Territory soft-roader bites the dust as emissions rules kick in.
Paris motor show 2010
Matt Campbell Peugeot's all-new mid-sized 508 sedan and wagon have been revealed months before the car's official unveiling at the Paris motor show and more than a year ahead of its arrival here.
Paris motor show 2010
Matt Campbell Official details and images of the curvy new V60 wagon have surfaced ahead of its debut at the upcoming Paris motor show.
Matt Campbell Toyota says its new Rukus will polarise people's opinions - but its pricing could also cause a ruckus with the younger generation it's designed to appeal to.
Matt Campbell The Jota (scheduled to debut at the Paris motor show in October) will make use of lightweight carbon-fibre body panelling, as well as some aluminium components.
Matt Campbell Sub-$30,000 price tag for two-wheel-drive version of Toyota's RAV4 compact soft-roader.
Matt Campbell Kiwi radio pranksters create blasphemous “Folden” - a car that’s half Ford and half Holden


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Home sales end 2015 strong
Americans rushed to buy new homes in December at the strongest pace in 10 months, with 2015 marking the strongest year for this segment of the housing market since 2007.
The Commerce Department said Wednesday that new-home sales surged 10.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 544,000. It was the third consecutive monthly gain since sales collapsed in September. The increase nearly pulled the sales rate even with the level of 545,000 in February 2015 and points to continued momentum for real estate and construction in the opening months of this year.
Sales of new homes accelerated sharply in 2015, rising 14.5 percent on the entire year to 501,000.
Bob Evans to go cage-free
Bob Evans Farms will obtain its eggs from cage-free sources by 2025.
The New Albany-based chain, with 547 restaurants in 18 states and a growing prepared-foods division, is the latest in a long list of food companies pledging to switch to cage-free eggs, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Wendy’s announced earlier this month a plan to source only cage-free eggs by 2020.
Bob Evans uses more than 100 million eggs a year.
Facebook revenues soar
The world’s largest social network brought in $5.84 billion in revenue in its fourth quarter, up 30 percent from $3.85 billion the previous year. Profit more than doubled to $1.56 billion during the three months ended Dec. 31, up from $701 million a year earlier.
Facebook also reported that it now has 1.59 billion monthly active users, a 14 percent increase year over year, and that more than 1 billion people now use the social network every day.
Although Facebook shares were down 3 percent during regular trading, closing at $94.45, the company’s earnings results, announced after the close of trading, buoyed its stock price after hours.
New Microsoft partnerships
Microsoft on Wednesday announced a set of deals to more tightly integrate services built by other software makers into its Office suite.
People who store Office files on Box or Dropbox, along with two other popular online file storage and sharing services, will now be able to edit those documents at the same time as other users. Previously, that function was only available for Office documents stored on a Microsoft service.
The new links between Office and other software are part of Seattle-based Microsoft’s effort to broaden the reach of its products by partnering with other software makers, including competitors.
Nexstar buys Media General
Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc. emerged victorious Wednesday in its contentious, months-long bid to become the nation’s second largest broadcaster.
Nexstar, based outside Dallas, said it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Media General, finally edging out publisher Meredith to consummate a deal valued at $4.6 billion. The three media companies have been in a public tug of war since September when Nexstar’s first public offer for Media General was soundly rejected.
In Ohio, Nexstar operates a TV station serving the Steubenville area. Media General has stations in Youngstown, Columbus and Dayton.
Wireless venture to debut
Aereo founder Chet Kanojia, whose first attempt to shake up the cable industry was quashed by the Supreme Court, is ready to try again.
Starry will be a wireless Internet service that, unlike cellphones, promises to be speedier than cable and designed for single locations such as homes and small businesses. The service is expected to launch in Boston this summer, with plans to expand to other U.S. cities.
Compiled from staff and wire reports.


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Takata airbags are causing more trouble for Aussie Honda owners.
The car marker is recalling 25,000 cars across the country for the second time, because replacement airbags were found to have the same fault.
It's feared the airbag inflator may rupture upon deployment in the event of an accident.
Affected models include the 2012 Honda Accord Euro, City, Jazz and Insight.
Honda is contacting owners directly, if you're concerned your car is affected by the recall call Honda on 1800 789 839.
CLICK HERE to see the official recall notice.
Written by: @amydrewsnews


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Points made by RagingBull
XRP at $0.26 on Sep 11, 2019
This is major speculation but the partnership between #R3 and #Mastercard could indirectly result in mastercard utilizing Ripple's technology. Currently, the platform will be built on the commercial version of the #Corda platform, as opposed to the open-source Corda Network www.coindesk.com/...tform
The card giant is to develop a blockchain-powered cross-border payments platform in partnership with enterprise-focused blockchain firm R3.
Pundi X at $0.00 on Aug 17, 2019
PundiX is one of the hardest working crypto companies out there... Congrats on your partnership with #ChainZilla to launch a point-of-sale payment gateway (XPOS) in #Panama and its surrounding regions. cointelegraph.com/...anama
Panama to see increased Bitcoin retail penetration through the Chainzilla and Pundi X combined efforts in the field of the blockchain point-of-sale payments.
ChainLink at $2.42 on Aug 11, 2019
Why do these Crypto companies need to take so much money from investors. I just don't get it. People put their trust in these teams and then get screwed over by the same people they trusted. In the stock market no upstanding company would intensionally send their stocks plummeting down 50%. You can take some but not like this... Happy I didn't invest in ChainLink. #crypto #dump #selloff www.trustnodes.com/...-dump
Some $600 million worth of paper value Link tokens have vanished amid what appears to be continuous selling by the Chainlink team. The 2017 ICO-ed…
XRP at $0.31 on Aug 8, 2019
As the price of XRP keeps falling #hodlers seem to be getting restless. A twitter user by the name "Crypto Bitlord" has created a petition in an attempt to make Ripple stop dumping their XRP on its investors. Do you think this will work? www.coinspeaker.com/...ping/
Trader Crypto Bitlord said that Ripple continuse dumping billions of XRP, crashing the price. The petition says that all is aware of the fact that XRP is a solid coin with major potential...
Bitcoin at $5,928.89 on May 8, 2019
One of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges got hit, as thieves nabbed $40 million of bitcoin—along with user two-factor codes and API tokens.
End of content
That's all we got for #ragingbull


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Jaguar Land Rover, the iconic British luxury automotive marque and Tata Motors' subsidiary, opened its new engineering test centre in Dubai on May 13, 2013. The aim of this centre is to test their vehicles as per various parameters, especially for weather during the hot season. In the summers, temperatures in Dubai typically touch anywhere between 48 to 50 degrees Celsius. During this period, a rigorous range of tests on durability, calibration and hot weather, to check for heat and humidity will be conducted at the new 11,120 sq. ft. facility, located in Al Barsha area of Dubai, UAE. The new centre will replace a previously smaller setup in Dubai.
The extreme hot weather testing will also take place for powertrains, chassis and heat and ventilation systems. It would also include off-road and sand driving capability of Land Rover’s unique Terrain Response system, fitted in every Land Rover vehicle. This new facility will help the company enhance its products further for the Middle East. Five global test facilities are available for Jaguar Land Rover, namely Nurburgring (Germany), Arjeplog (Sweden) Phoenix and International Falls (USA), along with Dubai in the UAE.
Speaking about the future of testing programs for the company, Jaguar Land Rover Director of Engineering Technical Services Martyn Hollingsworth said, “Jaguar Land Rover has ambitious plans for growth, and since 2008 we have been investing to enhance our engineering capability to help us deliver an unprecedented number of new and refreshed Jaguar and Land Rover models.” He also added, “Our new facility in Dubai is four times the size of the previous test centre. The engineering team is an important part of this is rigorous environmental testing of our vehicles to ensure they can withstand even the harshest conditions.”
Echoing on the same lines, Robin Colgan, Managing Director (MD) for Jaguar Land Rover Middle East and North Africa (MENA) was quoted as saying, “We are delighted at the expansion of Jaguar Land Rover’s test facilities in the Middle East. Dubai offers some unique and very challenging environmental conditions, so if a vehicle passes our tests here we know it will perform in any hot weather environment. The new facility will be crucial to the company’s continued success as every model for the European and MENA markets will be certified here in Dubai following thorough testing before going into global production.”
In the year 2012, Jaguar Land Rover, which is part of the Indian auto manufacturer Tata Motors, sold 357,773 vehicles globally, which was a rise of 30 per cent as compared to the previous year. During FY 2011-12, record profits of 15 billion pounds were earned by the luxury car and SUV manufacturer. This is an increase of a whopping 392 million pounds over the previous fiscal. The company is the largest Research & Development (R&D) investor in the UK market. At present, it is good to see that Jaguar Land Rover is able to post positive growth figures in the luxury vehicle market, despite an overall economic slowdown in the world economic markets.


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Retail growth continues in Huntsville. Cabela’s outdoor retailer announced plans to build an 80,000 square foot store at the planned Parkside Town Centre off of I-565 and Governor’s West Drive. The construction is set to begin this fall, opening in the fall of 2015. The retailer plans to employ 180 people from the area.
Huntsville Mayor, Tommy Battle, said that the revenue from sales tax brought in by retailers “means we can do infrastructure.”
Huntsville is also noted for its picturesque beauty and outdoor activities.
Parkside Town Centre is close to Bridge Street Town Centre now entering their development of phase III with the new flagship Belk.
The city will be investing about $3 million for road improvements, right of way acquisition and utilitiy installation. The city is not giving a sales tax rebate which is standard policy.
Cabela’s includes a wide range of total outdoor gear and land management products. Included in the store will be an archery range, archery technical room, gun library, boat shop, tractors and implements, bargain cave, a fudge shop and deli.
The bargain cave consists of overstock, special buy and clearance items.
The gun library sells new and used firearms, classics, and collectibles.
The wildlife and land management team will guide you through gardening, how to make food plots to attract bucks, and proper environment for waterfowl.
The 53-year-old Nebraska-based retailer has over 50 stores in the US and more due to open soon.
What will the impact be on existing sports shops and particularly Bass Pro Shop’s plans to build in Decatur? Many people feel Alabama can support these shops as outdoor life continues to grow. We shall see.


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Apple announced major product upgrades last week which included the new iPad Pro, a revamped Apple TV, and of course the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. But it’s the software update, iOS 9 (free update avail Sept 16th) that has mobile advertisers worried. Apple is strengthening the ad-blocking technology of its mobile browser Safari in iOS 9. With Apple’s new tools, developers can build ad-blocking apps that consumers can download to wipe out ads on mobile sites when using Safari.
Ad Blocking Isn’t New
Mobile ad-blocking is not a new phenomenon, but it is effective. Ad Age used AdBlock Mobile to cleanly remove ads from websites in Safari with no new support from Apple required. Some apps like Facebook have in-app browsers that are not affected by current ad-blockers but iOS 9 will let developers use the new Safari browser inside apps. The good news for advertisers is hardly anyone is using ad-blocking apps. The two most known apps, AdBlock Mobile and Ghostery, have not been in the top 1,500 apps in the past three months according to App Annie. However, Apple’s appeal and market share have the potential to bring ad blocking to the mainstream, drawing more attention to the topic, and making the implementation process a lot more user-friendly.
Know Where to Place Your Mobile Ads
Even if Apple’s ad-blocking on Safari works as designed on iPhones and iPads, it’s the apps where consumers spend their time. Apps account for about seven out of every eight minutes of media consumption on mobile devices (ComScore). “The vast majority of activity is occurring in apps,” said Mr. Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research Group. About 90% of mobile content consumption happens in apps, Mr. Wieser said in a report this summer. Advertisers are already riding this trend and investing more into mobile in-apps advertising. “Marketers will spend $20.8 billion to reach consumers via mobile apps in 2015 but only $7.9 billion on mobile browsers” (eMarketer).
As mobile browsers become more friendly to ad blocking software, it places more importance on other advertising channels such as email and search. Future Flow Media aggregates all the major ad networks and exchanges so you’re never limited to a single platform or operating system. A hyper-targeted integrated cross-channel campaign using mobile, email, search, and re-targeting ensures the ads reach your audience regardless of their device and at the optimal time in the purchase journey. Read more about Hyper-Targeted Digital Advertising.


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- Elsight will begin an initial Halo proof-of-concept trial with drone developer Gadfin
- Halo allows the most advanced bonding technology to be integrated within any platform that moves
- Halo offers higher bandwidth, security and reliability than previous models
ASX-listed company Elsight will begin an initial Halo proof-of-concept (POC) trial with drone technology developer Gadfin.
Gadfin designs and develops a long-range aerial delivery network provider system for the logistics market.
It provides end-to-end solutions for hub-to-hub delivery by creating autonomous “railways in the sky” based on the development of the next generation of delivery drones.
Simply put, Gadfin’s products are unmanned and electric cargo delivery systems that can fly long distances in harsh weather conditions any time of the day — delivery drones.
Elsight is joining the ranks of some major industry players around the world in this new partnership with Gadfin.
“We have chosen to integrate Elsight’s Halo cellular communication system into our Gadfin Spirit One, Gadfin Spirit X, and other Aerial Cargo Systems,” Gadfin CEO Eyal Regev said.
“We are testing the Halo system in real life operations as part of our strategy that strives to integrate breakthrough technologies that will allow us to be a game changer in terms of safety, reliability, and compatibility with flight regulations,” he continued.
This proof-of-concept trial will use three Halo units to evaluate and integrate with Gadfin’s solution, with the aim of demonstrating the technology to new customers.
The trial is important for Elsight as it has the potential to showcase a key differentiator of the Halo platform for the entire drone industry. It will particularly focus on drone operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS).
BVLOS refers to when the drone is operating beyond the direct sight of the operator and many regard it as the tipping point towards making drone deliveries commercially viable.
While many companies have expressed their interest in delivery by drone, issues such as low battery, security, weight, and availability are current hurdles for the drone industry.
These are the issues that Halo was designed to address, and once they have been, drone delivery operations could become a reality.
Halo features between two-to-four embedded cellular modules, wifi, and Bluetooth, which allows the most advanced bonding technology to be integrated within any platform that moves.
Its features include a high bandwidth, high level security, high reliability and redundancy, high adaptability, a compact design, and a reduced cost.
It’s ideal for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) as it is much smaller and significantly lighter than any other solution in the industry.
Halo can seamlessly integrate into any fleet or autonomous vehicles, handheld devices or any platform or device that moves.
“We are looking forward to working with Gadfin and are excited for the opportunity to showcase the unique capabilities of Halo,” Elsight CEO Nir Gabay said.
“This is a very strategic trial as we intend to show the world a practical solution to solve the issues presented by ‘beyond the visual line of sight’ drone operations,” he said.


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Royals' Glass Satisfied Long Journey Has Paid Off Challenges Await Ballmer In Running Clippers Fans In China Eat Up NBA Games Chicago Sports Team Owners Get Together Royals' Glass Says GM Moore Will Stick Around LeBron: NBA Should Consider Shortening Season LeBron To Endorse Kia Motors Irsay Breaks Silence After Suspension Leafs Form Analytics Partnership With SAS Pirates Raising Ticket Prices For '15
Upcoming Conferences and Events
WOLVES SALE MIGHT NOT BE COMPLETED BY NBA TARGET DATE
Published September 23, 1994
The sale of the Timberwolves "is on the verge of unraveling because negotiations on a Target Center lease have hit 'huge hurdles.'" Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Chair Henry Savelkoul said that he has "a significant fear" that a lease agreement between businessman Glen Taylor and the commission will not be worked out by October 5 -- when the NBA is set to approve the sale. Savelkoul, who for a year has "steered a plan to publicly" buy the Target Center from Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner, made his comments after a team of bond lawyers told him and Taylor's representatives that their proposed lease includes legal flaws with "deal-breaking tax implications." Taylor is also seeking to place a limit on a ticket surcharge mandated by the legislation that authorized the public buyout of the Target Center. The legislation authorized a $42M buyout paid for by ticket taxes and $750,000/year for 15 years. NBA Commissioner David Stern was optimistic: "It's the normal ups and downs of a deal that's destined to get done." Wolfenson and Ratner agreed to sell the Wolves for $88.5M, but Taylor might not buy the team if a lease deal is not worked out. "One remote solution, Taylor could buy Target Center." Taylor: "Nothing is out of the question for me" (Jay Weiner, Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/22).


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The Huawei Mate 40 Pro has been revealed and it looks pretty amazing. But if you listened carefully to the keynote, you’d have heard another announcement that sounded less interesting but could prove to be crucial.
Now that the current issues between Huawei and the U.S. Government means there’s no prospect of Huawei being able to access full Google Mobile Services (such as the Play Store, Gmail and Google Maps), the company has been heading towards its own independent solutions to these issues.
Mail is relatively easy to solve – a Huawei app boasting compatibility with different email systems is good enough. Play Store is tricky, but as more apps appear in the AppGallery, this issue could slowly be overcome.
But mapping is a whole other problem.
Google Maps dominates the space on Android phones, and is the app that Huawei must really wish it had on board. Though you can of course access it through google.com on the browser, that’s really not the same.
So, Huawei got the brilliant Here WeGo maps on board some time ago and, more recently, TomTom Go Navigation joined the fold. That was a pretty big coup in its own right.
We knew that Huawei had inked a deal with TomTom for more than that, though and now, it’s gone live. We thought it was going to be called Huawei Maps (well, what else?) but the company has surprised us and brought the name in line with the Petal Search app which is proving successful at helping users pin down apps, and other stuff, users can’t easily find.
Hello, Petal Maps.
The app icon just says Maps on it, but Petal Maps it is. Establishing a successful mapping app is really tough – Apple discovered that when it botched the launch of its own Maps app and it has taken years for the iPhone’s native app to catch up.
But Huawei, like Apple, has sought help from TomTom, a company which brings exceptional skill in navigation and, by the way, its own highly advanced maps. Mapping the world is an expensive business but TomTom did it a long time ago when it bought TeleAtlas.
The new Maps app offers a lot of features, even though it’s technically still in beta. Across 140 plus countries, there are detailed maps and, in some places, including the U.K., real-time traffic data. There are different viewpoints, including a 3D view with cut-out buildings, category searches with places of interest and more.
Can it replace Google Maps?
Well, that’s quite an ask. But initial responses are pretty positive. It lacks the capability to download maps in advance, one of the key benefits of Here WeGo. It doesn’t yet have the sophisticated multi-layer features of Google Maps and there’s nothing like the amazing, great-looking Look Around street view of Apple Maps.
But Petal Maps is a clear indication of Huawei’s determination to create something world-class without Google. Already a serious competitor to Google, I suspect we should great things to come from it as it develops.


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With the worldwide boom of mobile data traffic, the need for mobile backhaul has become critical. As consumers use more smartphones, tablets and other devices over the coming years, the need for backhaul capacity will grow in step. The widespread adoption of LTE will only increase this demand and a recent report suggested operators will need nearly 10x fatter backhaul pipes by 2016...
LTE Backhaul Summit will build upon 2012’s special focus track that took place for the first time at the industry leading LTE World Summit.
The event will be jam-packed with presentations and engaging panel discussions led by industry visionaries, enabling you to hear ALL the latest news and developments happening in this space.
Sense-check your plans and benchmark your progress with a global audience at the forefront of the backhaul space!
Enhancing the end-user experience with a comprehensive mobile backhaul network
Combining a fiber and microwave backhaul solutions
Satellite backhaul opportunities
Wifi offloading strategies and its impact on backhaul
Amending backhaul strategies in rural areas
The role and impact of small cells in backhaul networks
Network Sharing to reduce capex
The opportunity for fixed-lineoperators to integrate LTE into their offerings
Making LTE backhauls all-IP ready
Integrating backhaul with 2G/3G networks
Wholesale backhaul opportunities


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Chamber Launches “Let’s Go Live” Livestream at Lunch
May 18, 2020, Hope, AR,
The Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce will launch a new membership service this week. “Let’s Go Live” will start on Tuesday, May 19 at noon.
During the livestreaming on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the chamber will visit with businesses in the county to ask for updates pertaining to their reopening process. Tuesday’s “live” will take place in Historic Washington. Thursday’s livestream will take place on the campus of UAHT. The chamber will post a “Let’s Go Live” schedule on Facebook as businesses are booked for the new program.
Beckie Moore, chamber director commented, “The livestream opportunity will not only allow recognition to be given to businesses, but will also allow the public to hear and see what is taking place as businesses reopen and prepare to create a safe and healthy environment in their workplace.”
To join the livestream, please “like” and “follow” the chamber’s Facebook page (Hope Chamber).


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The Consumer Price Index increased 0.5% in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 5.4%.
Prices for all items less food and energy, the “core CPI,” rose 0.3% in July after increasing 0.9% in June.
The food index increased 0.7% in July, after rising 0.8% in June. The index for food at home also rose 0.7% over the month, after rising 0.8% in June. As in June, the food at home increase was mostly due to the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, which increased 1.5% over the month. Food away from home increased, rising 0.8%. The food index rose 3.4% over the last 12 months.
The energy index decreased 1.6% in July after rising 1.5% in June.
Read the BLS release.


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In the age of the smart phone, how smart are the mobile shoppers who use these almost ubiquitous devices? A study from South Korea published in the International Journal of Mobile Communications hopes to answer that question.
Thae Min Lee of the Department of Business Administration, at Chungbuk National University, South Korea, and colleagues suggest that the received wisdom, particularly among mobile consumers, is that they can browse for and purchase items with a greater sense of efficacy compared with traditional shoppers. However, the researchers have looked at the emotive responses of purportedly smart shoppers when faced with price promotions and suggest that impulse buying rather than smart decision making is predominant.
“Smart phones have changed consumers’ everyday lives,” the team says. There have been many changes in consumer behaviour related to the ease with which information can now be acquired even while on the move. Moreover, the sharing of information is even more facile now so that consumers feel empowered by their access to social networking sites, customer-driven product review sites and other online sources of information, all accessible via their smart phones.
Earlier surveys of users of smart phones and tablet computers suggest that consumers are led by the devices in that they make more impulse purchases because the buying process is so easy. Lee and colleagues have investigated the emotive aspects of being a “smart” consumer – buying satisfaction, self-confidence, impulse buying, purchase regret and other dimensions of mobile shopping.
The current research suggests that many consumers, believing they are smart shoppers, are making more impulse purchases based on price promotions and the like. Ease of access to online shopping apps and sites as opposed to the need to make a trip to a shopping mall or supermarket has led to the illusion of control. Those people who do the most mobile shopping believe they have more knowledge and know-how about shopping than traditional shoppers and feel that they are saving more time, money and effort, which in some cases they may well be. However, if they are making purchases of unnecessary goods and luxuries that they would normally not make, then they are inevitably wasting money regardless of the savings coupon, online cashback or other price promotion.
Park, C., Jun, J.K. and Lee, T.M. (2015) ‘Do mobile shoppers feel smart in the smartphone age?’, Int. J. Mobile Communications, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.157–171.
How smart are you with your smart phone? is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot
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CINCINNATI (Feb. 4, 2014) — Cincinnati-based retailer Tire Discounters has hired Clarissa Niese, a consumer branding expert, to be its chief marketing officer and executive vice president.
Ms. Niese comes to Tire Discounters from Procter & Gamble Co., where she oversaw marketing efforts for some of P&G's iconic brands, such as Pampers, Duracell and Prilosec OTC. Prior to that she was with Perfetti Van Melle USA handling communication for Airheads and Mentos gum brands.
"We are delighted to have Crissy join our growing Tire Discounters team," said Paul Brunner, Tire Discounters President and CEO. "Her strong foundation of traditional consumer-centric marketing, coupled with her infectious energy is exactly what our organization needs. We look forward to ushering in even more Tire Discounters 'customers for life.'"
Ms. Niese is known for her creative approaches in marketing to women and for her ability to develop strong teams through inspirational leadership.
She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati,
Family-owned Tire Discounters operates 91 retail stores throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and plans to open a dozen or more stores in the coming year, including its first in Tennessee. The dealership has more than 900 employees.
Is the uncertainty swirling about the U.S. presidential election this fall having any effect on your business plans?
|We've decided to put investments on hold.||
|We're not doing any hiring until the election's over.||
|It doesn't matter a bit. We're going full speed ahead.||
|We're taking a cautious approach and weighing every decision.||
|Is it too late to move to Canada?||
|I'm not planning to vote. It would be too painful.||
|Total votes: 88|


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The Institut national de santé publique du Québec is looking into whether saliva-based tests can be a reliable tool in fighting COVID-19.
2022 Hyundai Tucson: Hybrid, plug-in hybrid versions heat up rivalry v...
2022 Hyundai Tucson: Hybrid, plug-in hybrid versions heat up rivalry vs. RAV4, CR-V - Green Car Reports
The 2020 Hyundai Tucson has a more daring design and tech surprises, but the most important news might be the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions coming soon.
In Similar Category
UK said US sanctions on Huawei threaten security of equipment, necessitating ban.
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CHICAGO – A Grubhub driver has turned himself in after a woman was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene Friday. The incident happened at about 6 p....
"To all my fellow CEOs out there running large companies, let's do our part to help the small businesses get back up and going," Lowe's CEO Marvin Ell...
From Green Car Reports
California-based QuantumScape has existed for about 10 years and is hoping to bring its lithium-metal battery technology to production.
The so-called Bus2Grid project will be able to supplement the grid with more than 1 MW, from the batteries of 28 electric buses.
The lowest-priced, most fuel-efficient models from Toyota and Honda—two brands that built their reputation on small cars—have been dropped.
After being sidelined, the Tesla Semi is reportedly a go, with a new push to begin volume production of the model.
The RAV4 Prime has a price tag—and considering state incentives and the EV tax credit it could be cheaper than the Hybrid.


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ANNOUNCEMENT 10 Oct 2012In October 2012, the government of Japan announced a change in its trade finance instruments.
NUMBER OF INTERVENTIONS
Jaban Bank for International Cooperation, Press Release:
On 10 October 2012, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with AKBANK T.A.S., a Turkish bank, to share information on a possible collaboration in financing.
The JBIC reported that 'the objective of this MOU fund is to explore the future cooperation between JBIC and AKBANK for supporting the financing of Japanese exports to Turkey and its neighboring countries and to exchange information regarding potential projects involving the export of Japanese machinery and equipment from Japan under the future financing cooperation'.
The JBIC is a public financial institution and export credit agency created on 1 October 1999 through the merger of the Japan Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund.


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➨Content 4.0 is here
That's content worth paying for -- and consumers are buying lots of it.
content has been available for free online, both legally and illegally.
➨So why are people buying it now?
Because technology is making content more convenient, attractive, relevant and emotional.
➨Conference Ignition - The Future Of Digital. http://read.bi/RIiQKP
[Two-day conference in New York City, Nov. 27-28, 2012, that explores the successful and emerging business models of digital media.]
➨By Business Insider. http://bit.ly/SuHvS9
Via maxOz, 'Timothy Leyfer


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Lenders have finally begun to loosen up underwriting standards for the approval of home financing. Many lenders are now willing to provide financing with 20% down in price ranges they had been limiting to 25% down. The widely-expected flood of foreclosure properties has never occurred in the Palisades. Many potential sellers have chosen to remain on the sidelines until prices show signs of increasing, thus limiting the inventory of homes available for buyers to select from.
All of the above may have finally tilted the scale in favor of local homeowners who desire to sell. For many years we had been accustomed to an average of about 20 homes selling per month in the Palisades. The sales level is historically somewhat lower in the winter months, and usually reaches the highest point in late Spring.
Where are we at?
As of February 1, 2012, there were 31 homes in escrow in the Palisades, and 16 had already closed escrow this year. With 90 homes now available for sale, there is approximately 5.5 months level of inventory at the current rate of sales. As has often been observed, anytime this level is below six months, the market begins to favor sellers.
Perhaps the most surprising observation we have made in reviewing the current Palisades housing statistics resulted from a comparison of the sales price per square foot during each January since the local market reached its peak in 2008.
In that year the average price per square foot of the 10 homes that sold in January was $1,050. As we all now know, prices began a steady decline during that year and each January thereafter showed lower prices. In January 2011 the 16 homes sold averaged $590 per square foot, reflecting the substantial market price adjustment that had occurred over three years.
The unexpected and intriguing observation is that in January 2012 the average price per square foot of the 13 Palisades homes sold increased to $767 per square foot, which is 30% higher than 2011. Though this is a positive sign, it is only based on a short period of time and a limited number of sales.
Where are we going?
Anecdotally, many agents have reported multiple offers with increasing frequency in recent months. For example, a new listing on Akron last month received close to 10 offers and ultimately opened escrow significantly higher than the original list price. Moreover, attendance at local open houses has been consistently strong even during the holiday period, with many new prospective buyers entering the market every month.
Most economists seem to be in agreement that by 2013 the nationwide real estate situation will have stabilized, and recent sales have indicated a couple of areas in the country already have felt three to five percent price increases. The Palisades has almost always led the Westside in market recovery cycles.


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You have searched for "Raya holiday"
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KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has urged motorists to drive carefully during the Hari Raya holiday to avoid collisions with crossing wildlife.
WHILE many were away on Hari Raya holiday, some of those who stayed back decided to serve their community in their own unique way.
THE Fire and Rescue Department are carrying out round-the-clock patrol along a 54km stretch in the North-South Expressway this festive period.
Malaysian consumers are looking at buying e-vouchers, groceries, clothing and electronics online during the Ramadan and Raya festival celebrations, according to online shopping marketplace 11street.
BUKIT MERTAJAM: A former secretary of a home in Bukit Tengah here that is being investigated over allegations of physical and sexual abuse of children under its care has backed the claims.


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Are you a business which has worked hard to promote sustainable travel this year?
Entries to the annual Travelwest Business Awards are now open to recognise the organisations across the West of England which are making significant contributions to sustainable travel.
Categories include the most improved workplace, best motivational campaign and most innovative sustainable travel measure.
The top accolade of Organisation of the Year will then be picked from the pool of category winners.
The awards ceremony takes place at the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare on Thursday 28 November.
The awards ceremony also recognises corporate travel plans which were rewarded through official accreditation.
The Travelwest Travel Plan Accreditation is valid for three years and marks an organisation’s commitment to promote sustainable travel for commuting and business travel. This year applications will need to be submitted by Friday 4 October for recognition at this year’s ceremony.
To apply for a travel plan accreditation visit www.travelwest.info/businesses/travel-plan


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RIDDLE&CODE is excited to join this year’s European Blockchain Convention! European Blockchain Convention is a comprehensive one-week event filled with inspiring keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, one-to-one meetings and high-level networking.
Berit Fuss, Director of FinTech Solutions at RIDDLE&CODE, will join the panel “Understanding Institutional-Grade Crypto Custody” on April 13th at 16:15CET, together with Sandra Ro, CEO of Global Blockchain Business Council, Raimundo Castilla, CEO of Prosegur Crypto, Lior Lamesh, Co-Founder and CEO of GK8, Francisco Maroto, Blockchain Lead at BBVA, Henrik Gebbing Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Finoa.
RIDDLE&CODE is delighted to take part in the 2021 Technology in Luxury Conference, hosted by Luxury Briefing in partnership with the British School of Fashion at GCU London, and in association with Treasure Data on Wednesday 31st March 2021. Together with industry-leading experts, Alexander Koppel, RIDDLE&CODE's CEO, and Anthony Day, IBM's Blockchain Partner, will be discussing authentication of digital assets, digital luxury items and combating counterfeiting.
Don't miss this must-attend event and register here.
RIDDLE&CODE continues to direct all our efforts to innovate and develop pioneering technology. To drive the progress even further, RIDDLE&CODE partnered with Bitkom, Europe’s largest knowledge network that brings together leading industry experts and companies from the digital world. RIDDLE&CODE is excited to be part of the progressive environment and participate in the expertise exchange between proficient specialists and executives from various industries in today’s thriving digital economy.
The exclusive research conducted by 101 Blockchains, RIDDLE&CODE and R3 analysts reveals the current industry trends and business practices revolving around blockchain for both the physical and financial supply chain. The report builds a bridge between these trends and practices with the opinions and anticipations of enterprise blockchain practitioners.
Make upgrades to your existing supply chain management practices and become future-proof.


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Words and photos by The Campus Editorial Board
Food scarcity and food insecurity are issues that affect roughly 40% of the CUNY student body each year. In 2016, the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York teamed up with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), a non-profit, non-partisan research and public education organization, to make accessible food on campus a reality.
Benny’s Food Pantry, which lends its name from the City College mascot Benny the Beaver (readers might recognize him as the Castor canadensis that adorns regal purple signage throughout campus), has grown since 2016. This past October, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official opening of Benny’s Food Pantry that moved it from its humble beginnings on the sixth floor of the NAC building into new, spacious digs: the kitchen inside the Hoffman Student Center located on the first floor of the same building. According to a letter from City College President Vincent Boudreau, students have a lot to look forward to with this new development. Boudreau states, “These new facilities have the capacity to store fresh foods, expand our canned food and boxed food options, and even host cooking demonstrations and potentially, a CSA for the campus.”
At the present time, just two weeks after Benny’s second inaugural opening, the food pantry has much to offer students. In addition to the gustatory fare on tap inside the pantry, there are utensils, bags to take goods home, a microwave, and an electric kettle for students to use. The most popular food offerings and ones most sought after for donation are those that can be used right away as quick fuel: instant jasmine rice, chips for snacking, popcorn, and fruit leathers.
Fresh produce are also available inside the pantry. A majority of this produce comes from the “CCNY/NYPIRG Food Pantry” garden patch at the Urban Gardens at City College, a series of raised garden beds located on the north side of the lawn at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. Some of the products come from the “Roofpod” as well, located above the architecture school. (As of the publication of this article, there are lovely looking cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes freely available at Benny’s from these gardens).
Although there is the option to take items home from the pantry, some students are reportedly reluctant to do so. One of the challenges that students face when using the food pantry for the first time is learning how to cook and make full use of the ingredients available. A New York Times article highlighted this issue and re-upped their profile of Jack Monroe, a renowned home chef who is well known for bringing the issue to the fore and tackling it. For students looking for inspiring ideas on how to cook using pantry staples and a microwave, Jack Monroe’s website cookingonabootstrap.com is a veritable trove of recipes that feature different ways of using pantry staples to their fullest potential. Although there is a bit of leg work involved in converting from metric units, if the commenters’ reviews are anything to go by, the recipe results are well worth the effort of learning a new skill.
Benny’s has made it a mission to make
food essentials, both on-the-spot and to take home, available to everyone and
anyone on campus; no questions asked. The pantry operates Mondays through
Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is even open during the winter and summer
breaks. For a quieter experience, you can try going during class hours, as
Benny’s tends to pick up traffic when students hop from one class to the next.
More information about Benny’s Food Pantry Below:


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|Телеком||ТВ и медиа||Облака||ПО||Кадры|
|ИТ в образовании||ИТ в медицине||Big Data||E-commerce||Спутниковая связь|
|Все новости||World News|
Netbooks lead computer growth
|27 октября 2008|
A new category of miniature, low-priced laptops has quickly assumed a central place in the computing world, leaving some of the biggest technology companies scrambling to catch up.
Despite the downturn in the economy, an unexpected surge in global consumer demand for the machines, known as “netbooks” or mini-notebooks, has turned them into one of the hottest new consumer-tech products in years.
“We expect there will be shortages before Christmas,” said Richard Doherty, an analyst at Envisioneering, a consumer technology research firm.
Demand for the devices “has been growing dramatically faster than we had thought”, added Bob O’Donnell of IDC, another tech research firm. IDC is set to raise its forecast for worldwide sales of the new machines this year to 10.8m, rising in 2009 to 20.8m, or 11-12 per cent of the entire laptop market, he said.
With a smaller 9in or 10in screen, narrower keyboard, less computing power and a price tag of under $500, netbooks have emerged as a distinct segment of the laptop market since a spate of new models hit the stores over the summer months. Some have little storage capacity, relying instead on data and applications drawn from the internet.
The new netbooks are expanding the laptop market by making it more affordable for families to own multiple computers, according to analysts. However, they are replacing some sales of low-end laptops and could eventually take a bigger bite out of sales of more profitable machines.
The surprisingly rapid impact of the machines on the PC world was evident last week when Microsoft said virtually all the growth in new PC sales in the developed world in recent months had come from netbooks. Since the software company makes about half as much from selling its Windows operating system for the devices as it does for regular laptops, the shift dented its revenues.
Paul Otellini, chief executive of Intel, said earlier this month that the world’s biggest chipmaker had been unable to keep up with demand for the new low-power processors used in netbooks, although he added that it expected to catch up before the end of the year.
Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, last week ruled out for now the idea of a miniature laptop from the maker of iconic consumer devices such as the iPod and the iPhone. ”We don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that,” he said.
Источник: Financial Times


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Wearables just keep getting fancier.
On Monday at CES the crystal company Swarovski and the wearable maker Misfit announced the launch of a new wearable collection — a watch and necklace that come in a variety of colors — that is about as glitzy as it comes.
Dubbed the Swarovski Shine Collection, the new product line consists of two new solar-powered wearable crystal devices called "energy crystals" and nine accessories. The two wearables are interchangeable between the accessories and track a wearer's steps, distance walked, calories, sleep duration and sleep quality.
Misfit already has a wearable device called the Shine that can be worn in multiple accessories. However, what makes the crystal wearable unique (besides the fact that it's super shiny) is that the battery never has to be replaced or charged because it uses Swarovski's solar-powered technology to recharge on its own. The device can even recharge with indirect sunlight, said Sonny Vu, Misfit's founder.
Misfit's regular Shine device relies on a coin battery that needs to be replaced about every six months.
The Swarovski Shine will be sold in starter kits that come with the wearable "energy crystal" and an accessory. Prices for the starter kits range from $169.99 to $249.99. The nine accessories in which the wearable crystal can be worn range from $69.99 to $149.99. The collection is available for preorder on Misfit's website on Monday.
The partnership between Misfit and Swarovski has been kept quiet until now, but the relationship between the two companies began to blossom in 2013 after a chance run-in at a wearable tech conference in New York City, said Vu.
Read More Wearables, 3-D printers, and virtual reality dominate CES
At the time, Misfit was working on a number of brand partnerships but wanted to find a product brand that was truly global, and Swarovski fit that description, Vu said in an interview with CNBC.
Besides Swarovski's global brand, Misfit was attracted to the crystal producer's tech-savviness.
"First, we just loved the idea of crystals, and the name of our product was Shine and they are about adding sparkle to life, but it wasn't until we heard about their energy crystal technology that they blew us away," Vu said. "Honestly, the first time I saw I was kind of skeptical because we have been working on energy harvesting for a long time and it's really hard, because that is kind of the holy grail."
"We had always dreamed of creating something that could harvest energy ambiently and just run it forever," he said.
Read MoreAdvertisers' Apple Watch problem


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Most cryptocurrency enthusiasts have shown an interest in this form of money because of its global appeal. It is the only form of money which can reliably be sent across the world without having to deal with currency conversions or country borders. Argentina’s Banco Masventas has acknowledged this, as the institution now relies on Bitcoin to settle cross-border transactions.
Bitcoin and Banking can Work Together
There is a good reason why banks have opposed Bitcoin for many years. This form of money is capable of doing something that’s currently impossible to do using the traditional banking system. More specifically, Bitcoin and similar currencies are capable of sending value across borders without any real restrictions, whereas fiat currencies are not.
Even so, banks around the world are looking for ways to provide this functionality. To that end, innovative features will need to be experimented with. In the case of Argentine bank Banco Masventas, the focus lies on using Bitcoin as a way to complete cross-border payments. That is rather intriguing, as it is the first time that a bank has acknowledged the potential of cryptocurrencies in this regard.
This change, which came into effect Monday, was made possible through a partnership with Bitex, a startup focusing on bringing cryptocurrency services to Latin America. This development is interesting for many reasons, including the fact that this solution will compete with the likes of Swift.
Considering that consumers have showed increased interest in mobile payment solutions in recent years, incorporating cryptocurrencies makes a lot of sense. It is also a smart move by Banco Masventas, as the company wants to lower its costs and expand its presence in the market. With Bitex on board as a strategic partner, that should be doable in the long run.
For customers of Banco Masventas, very little will change on paper. They will go through the same process of sending cross-border transactions, but the service will work very differently behind the scenes. Bitex will conduct cross-border transactions for the bank with Bitcoin, speeding up the process and reducing overhead costs in the process.
Given Argentina’s struggles with inflation and financial hardship, embracing cryptocurrencies is of the utmost importance. It is one of the few solutions which can make a positive impact on the country’s financial system. Even so, embracing the likes of Bitcoin for this purpose remains a big risk, as cryptocurrencies are inherently volatile.


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Sir Tim Berners-Lee, co-founder and chief expertise of Inrupt, talking at Net Summit 2022.
Sam Barnes | Sportsfile through Getty Photographs
LISBON, Portugal — The creator of the net is not offered on crypto visionaries’ plan for its future and says we should always “ignore” it.
Tim Berners-Lee, the British pc scientist credited with inventing the World Vast Net in 1989, stated Friday that he would not view blockchain as a viable resolution for constructing the following iteration of the web.
He has his personal internet decentralization venture known as Strong.
“It is necessary to make clear so as to focus on the impacts of latest expertise,” stated Berners-Lee, talking onstage on the Net Summit occasion in Lisbon. “You need to perceive what the phrases imply that we’re discussing truly imply, past the buzzwords.”
“It is an actual disgrace actually that the precise Web3 identify was taken by Ethereum of us for the stuff that they are doing with blockchain. In actual fact, Web3 just isn’t the net in any respect.”
Web3 is a nebulous time period within the tech world used to explain a hypothetical future model of the web that is extra decentralized than it’s right this moment and never dominated by a handful of highly effective gamers akin to Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
It includes a couple of applied sciences, together with blockchain, cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens.
Whereas breaking our private knowledge out of Massive Tech’s clutches is an ambition shared by Berners-Lee, he is not satisfied blockchain, the distributed ledger expertise that underpins cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, would be the resolution.
“Blockchain protocols could also be good for some issues however they don’t seem to be good for Strong,” an internet decentralization venture led by Berners-Lee, he stated. “They’re too sluggish too costly and too public. Private knowledge shops should be quick, low-cost and personal.”
“Ignore the Web3 stuff, random Web3 that was constructed on blockchain,” he added. “We’re not utilizing that for Strong.”
Berners-Lee stated folks too typically conflate Web3 with “Net 3.0,” his personal proposal for reshaping the web. His new startup, Inrupt, goals to offer customers management of their very own knowledge, together with the way it’s accessed and saved. The corporate raised $30 million in a funding spherical in December, TechCrunch reported.
Berners-Lee says that our private knowledge is siloed by a handful of Massive Tech platforms, like Google and Fb, that use it to “lock us into their platforms.”
“The consequence was an enormous knowledge race the place the winner was the one company that managed probably the most knowledge and the losers have been all people else,” he stated.
His new startup goals to handle this by 3 ways:
A world “single sign-on” function that lets anybody log in from anyplace.Login IDs that permit customers to share their knowledge with others.A “widespread common API,” or software programming interface, that lets apps pull knowledge from any supply.
Berners-Lee’s not the one notable tech determine with doubts about Web3. The motion has been a punching bag for some leaders in Silicon Valley, like Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Critics say it is vulnerable to the identical points that include cryptocurrencies, like fraud and safety flaws.