text:
Every Thursday evening since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, Krystal Schmandt and several friends have been doing a Zoom girls’ night.
Not too far into the virtual gatherings, they realized it would be fun to come up with a theme for each week. They’d been to Hickory Creek Winery two years ago, enjoyed themselves and had been following the Buchanan winery on Facebook since, Schmandt says.
So when they saw that owner/winemaker Adam McBride was going to be offering a new tasting flight option so consumers could do their own wine tastings at home, they were delighted — especially because McBride is happy to lead participants through a virtual tasting.
“I thought, ‘That’s the smartest thing ever in this virtual era we’re in right now,’” says Schmandt, 35, who lives in Birmingham and is a mother of infant twin boys.
McBride says he came up with the idea after the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order meant Michigan winery tasting rooms had to close.
“We started thinking about how can we stay connected with our customers, with our wine club — how to replicate that (tasting) experience if they can’t actually come to the winery,” McBride says. “So we thought, ‘What if we got some type of small-format bottle to mail a flight and do a video tasting with them?’”
And that’s exactly what he’s done. He found a supplier to provide a 50 mL clear wine bottle and worked with his label maker to adapt Hickory Creek’s label to the smaller size.
“It’s basically using the similar format label we would use for 750 mL bottles,” he says, noting that as of April 22 he was waiting for state approval following the federal OK. The 50 mL bottles he’s using required no additional approvals, he adds.
McBride has assembled three flight options that are available for pre-order at the Hickory Creek website. Each bottle contains a 1.7-ounce pour, he says.
“Usually, you think of a tasting pour to be between 1 ounce and 1.15 ounces,” he says. “This is a very healthy pour.”
The Hickory Creek Signature takes tasters through a dry white, a dry rosé and a couple of dry reds before finishing with another dry white.
“I like to call this the crowd pleaser,” he says. “It’s the full spectrum and shows our signature wine style.”
Like all three flight options, it comes with a winery logoed glass; a packet of oyster crackers; instructions for setting up a guided tasting appointment with McBride via Zoom, FaceTime or Google Duo; and a coupon for $10 off a separate two-bottle purchase. Retail is $25, plus $5 shipping.
The Winemaker’s Select at $27 leans more red and dry, he says, coming with three dry reds and two dry whites.
“I think these are my personal favorites,” he says.
The Patio Flight “kind of channels that warm summer afternoon out on the patio,” he says. With a white, a rosé and a few sweeter wines, it runs $22.
The price reflects the labor-intensive nature of assembling it all by hand.
“We don’t make much money off this,” McBride says. “The hope is to showcase our wines, maybe get in front of some people we wouldn’t have otherwise … and that someone has one of these tastings, really enjoys it and wants to buy one, two, maybe six bottles.”
Meanwhile, Schmandt and her friends have each preordered the same flight and can’t wait for their Zoom girls’ night wine-tasting party.
“We don’t have a wine trip planned this year,” she says, “so it’s going to be like we never missed it.”


text:
India will soon roll out of 5G services. This mean that faster internet speeds, better network penetration, more stable connection, ultra-high definition 4K video viewing on smartphone and many more for us.
As there is no specific date yet but Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the service could come by October with installations already in-progress.
As there are many 5G phones are available in Indian market likes of OnePlus, Nokia, Oppo, Xiaomi, Samsung and other leading companies are already selling 5G-ready phones in the market.
At present the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G, Samsung Galaxy S22, Samsung Galaxy S22+ and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, OnePlus 10 Pro, OnePlus 10T, OnePlus 10R, and iPhone 13 Pro Max are some of the top 5G-supporting smartphones selling in India.
Airtel and Jio are said to be the early providers of 5G services.
Vodafone Idea and BSNL will also provide 5G.
There are talks that 5G plans could be costlier than the 4G.
So, government has said that 5G will be available to both rural and urban parts of India and the prices are likely to be affordable.
If you do not want to miss on this upcoming 5G technology, you need to make sure that your phone supports 5G network.
How to Check if Your Phone Supports 5G Network?
Follow These Steps :
- Go to the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on ‘Wi-Fi & Network’
- Then go to ‘SIM & Network’
- You will be able to list of technologies support by your phone.
- You will see 2G/3G/4G/5G in case your phone supports 5G. A 5G-supporting device will run 4G and 3G.
Note that before checking your phone for the technology, it is important to know if your network service provider offers 5G network.

domain: news


text:
Kuaishou operates one of China's most popular short-video sharing apps with more than 200 million users logging in every day. Yet its founders worry that the Beijing-based start-up is at risk of sliding into irrelevance.
In a call to arms to its more than 8,000 employees on Tuesday, Kuaishou's founders, Su Hua and Cheng Yixiao, set a target for the company to reach 300 million daily active users by February 2020 and to shake off a laid-back corporate culture that sets it apart from its peers in China's fiercely competitive internet industry.
"Behind what looks like good numbers, we see deep, hidden dangers," Su and Cheng said in a joint memo to staff, obtained by the Post. "We're no longer the team that runs the fastest. Somewhere during the growing-up process, our muscles are losing their strength, reaction times are slowing, and our connection to users is weakening."
The call to shake off the "Zen attitude" and switch to "combat mode" comes as China's short-form video industry becomes increasingly crowded. It also follows calls by many other tech bosses, including Baidu chief executive Robin Li Yanhong and Xiaomi's Lei Jun, to step up their game amid growing uncertainties on the domestic economy brought on by the trade war between the US and China.
Lei urged Xiaomi's employees to seize the opportunities brought on by ultra-fast 5G telecommunications networks. "Win or lose" will be determined in the coming three years, he said on Tuesday in an internal meeting.
Still, there is a growing pocket of tech workers who are protesting against the hard-charging, long-hours culture, labelled 996 as shorthand for 9am to 9pm, six days a week. Underlying the tensions is often the growth model transplanted from Silicon Valley, the so-called "blitzscaling" model of build massive scale at lightning speed to seize market share before competitors and achieve network effect, often through cash-burning subsidies to consumers.
In China, users spent an average of 600 million cumulative hours watching short-form videos, according to the 2019 Internet Trend Report. Kuaishou, founded in 2012, is popular with residents in rural areas and by working-class users and some of its viral videos include farmers showing of their carpentry skills and Navy sailors recording life out at sea.
Despite a later start, Bytedance's Douyin, which is known as TikTok outside China, has quickly risen to become China's top short-video app with over 250 million active users since its launch in 2016. Haokan, a relative late arrival to the short-video market and operated by Baidu, ranks third after Kuaishou. Baidu is also among Kuaishou's early investors.
In the letter, Kuaishou's founders said the company will revolutionise the company organisation, optimise structure and upgrade products.
"What can stop our progress? Only ourselves."
Additional reporting by Yingzhi Yang
Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.Artikel Asli


text:
by Wadsam | July 2, 2013 1:56 pm
A large crowd of Afghans signed up to use modern technology to pay their bills safely, as delighted Afghan and U.S. officials watched. The event, organized by USAID, was held at the U.S. Embassy.
Customers of the Afghan electric utility company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), gathered at the U.S. Embassy today to watch a demonstration of Mobile Money, a system that allows payment of bills by cell phone. More than 750 customers who come to DABS Head Office every day to pay their electricity bills now can pay their bills using their mobile phones, a service not available in many first- world countries.
“More than 100,000 households in Kabul City who earlier registered under Etisalat’s mHawala mobile money service, can now pay their electricity bills through their mobile phones,” DABS CEO Abdul Razique Samadi said. “Previously, we only sent paper bills to the consumers but now the bills are also sent to their mobiles phones via SMS, making sure that everyone gets it on time.”
An additional 200,000 customers are expected to register in Kabul by the end of the year, and DABS officials say they want to roll the service out to other provinces, including Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kundoz within the next few months.
“The social benefits of this system are enormous for people living in remote areas,” explained Larry Sampler, head of the USAID Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs, who attended the Embassy demonstration. Paying a bill will require only a mobile phone signal, as opposed to traveling long distances to the nearest city, Sampler said. Mobile Money initiatives also reduce the opportunity for corruption by removing the need for cash. USAID support for Mobile Money builds on Afghanistan’s commitment to the ‘Better Than Cash’ initiative, which helps governments move from cash to electronic payments.
“DABS is one of the key supporters of this world-leading initiative, Sampler said. “I’m proud to see how far Afghanistan has come in just a few short years, and see for myself the innovative services Afghan mobile phone companies are providing. Services that are unavailable in most of the western world.”
Four Afghan mobile money operators, their partner banks and the Afghan electric utility company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), introduced their mobile services to their customers, enabling them to use their mobile phones to transfer cash, including both person-to-person and person-to- business transactions, and to pay their electricity bills.
Source URL: https://wadsam.com/afghan-business-news/afghan-customers-can-pay-their-electricity-bill-through-mobile-phones-now-908/
Copyright ©2019 Wadsam unless otherwise noted.


text:
Spending money on activities and events, such as concert tickets or exotic vacations, won't make you happier if you're doing it to impress others, according to findings published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
Research has shown that consumers gain greater happiness from buying life experiences rather than material possessions, but only if they choose experiences for the right reasons says the new study.
"Why you buy is just as important as what you buy," said Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University. "When people buy life experiences to impress others, it wipes out the well-being they receive from the purchase. That extrinsic motivation appears to undermine how the experiential purchase meets their key psychological needs."
The study builds on Howell's previous findings, which suggest that people who buy life experiences are happier because experiential purchasing helps fulfill psychological needs that are vital for human growth and well-being. These include the need to feel competent, autonomous -- or self-directed -- and connected to others.
For the present study, Howell and colleagues surveyed 241 participants and found that a person's motivation for making a purchase predicts whether these needs will be met. Howell conducted the research with Jia Wei Zhang, a student in his lab, and University of Rochester researcher Peter Caprariello.
They found that people who choose to buy life experiences because it is in line with their desires, interests and values reported a greater sense of fulfillment and well-being. They felt more autonomous, competent and connected to others, less loneliness and a greater sense of vitality.
Individuals who choose life experiences to gain recognition from others reported feeling less autonomous, competent and connected to others.
"The biggest question you have to ask yourself is why you are buying something," Howell said. "Motivation appears to amplify or eliminate the happiness effect of a purchase."
As part of the study, the researchers developed and validated a new survey to measure individuals' motivations for experiential buying. Members of the public can take the survey by visiting the "Beyond the Purchase" website. Howell and colleagues launched the website to collect data for academic studies and allow members of the public to take free psychology quizzes to find out what kind of shopper they are and how their spending choices affect them. Visit the Beyond the Purchase website at http://www.beyondthepurchase.org
"Buying Life Experiences for the "Right" Reasons: a Validation of the Motivations for Experiential Buying Scale" was published online on June 13, 2012 in the Journal of Happiness Studies. Co-author Jia Wei Zhang is a former SF State undergraduate who graduated in 2011.
Journal of Happiness Studies


text:
Updated: Nov 9
Time to look at the latest facts and stats on U.S. remote work and the effect it has on small business owners in 2023.
● The recent Labor Department survey on remote work statistics is deeply flawed
● Remote work is falling but still 5 times greater than pre-pandemic levels (Forbes)
● 35% of workers with jobs that can be done remotely say they’re working from home 100% of the time (Pew Research)
The Initial Rise of Remote Work
The pandemic increased the need for working at home or remotely due to health concerns. Many experts said this would forever change the landscape of work. But when COVID subsided, many companies decided they wanted workers to return to the office.
This was a challenge because employees enjoyed working from home and had leverage due to a major shortage of workers. As the economy slowed and layoffs began, companies gained some of that leverage back.
The thing is, remote work affects more than tech workers and large corporations. Small business owners have felt the ripple effects.
● The more people work from home, the fewer shoppers hit downtown for lunch.
● Fewer Uber fares for freelance business owners (drivers) on weekdays.
● Less need for office space affected property owners which affected…
● Service businesses such as window cleaners.
That’s the short list of examples.
Plus, small business owners also have had to deal with the fallout of how work and remote work is perceived. Most small businesses don’t involve the Metaverse, Twitterland, or the cloud. Most mom-and-pop businesses are boots on the ground, aka working in physical locations.
These small business owners are affected by the overall vibe of employment in America.
*Microsoft reported remote workers were working 28 percent more after traditional hours.
Heavier workloads had to contribute to stress already sky-high from the pandemic. And which workers had to deal with this anxiety the most? Those filling the boots on the ground in grocery stores, local cafes, and service businesses.
Great for drama-fueled online video platform views, awful for small business workers. Also terrible for small business owners who kept losing good workers due to job stress.
Where is work headed now though?
“From 2019 to early 2023, job postings that say employees can work remotely at least some days of the week grew more than three-fold in the U.S.” (Bloomberg)
The above statistic can be taken with a grain of salt as this differs from city to city. But it does show that even if fully remote work opportunities decrease, hybrid work (home + in-office) will be a reality for the foreseeable future.
Since it’s a reality for large companies, this too affects small business owners.
Example: If a top-notch data analyst has the choice between hybrid work at Amazon and working fully on-site at a small company, then the smaller business will likely lose out on that talent. Same thing with an experienced bookkeeper or designer.
Small business owners are being forced to adapt to the new normal. Which is constantly shifting in these, the fastest moving times in history.
There is promising news though…
Check out these stats from the broader Pew study on how Americans view their jobs:
● 51% said they were very satisfied with their job overall
● Only 33% felt the same way about chances for a promotion
● 62% were very satisfied with their manager (67% with co-workers)
● 49% of workers who don’t take their full allotment of time off say the reason is fear of falling behind on workload
“The majority of U.S. workers overall (61%) don’t have jobs that can be done from home. Workers with lower incomes and those without a four-year degree are more likely to fall into this category.” (Pew Research)
You can imagine most small business owners never considered remote work as a possibility when they first started their businesses. Who could predict this? After all, only 7% of American employees worked remotely before the pandemic.
What about the Downsides of Remote Work?
Even tech leaders may have overestimated and over-hyped the seamless step toward working at home in pajama pants.
Disney’s CEO has stated that in-person work is needed to boost creativity.
Salesforce’s leader backpedaled even more.
“Marc Benioff, chief executive of Salesforce, which told all its employees they could go permanently remote, began voicing concern this year that productivity among some employees has been lower.” NYT
Many small business owners are probably not shocked by that news. Work cannot change overnight, despite technology companies wishing it could because Americans stuck at home during the pandemic led to booms in tech companies’ profits.
We will wrap up with three more key facts from a 2023 WFH Research report.
I believe it’s crucial small business owners stay updated on employment realities regardless of the industry they’re in. Because changes in the American workforce and attitudes affect companies both large and small, whether directly or indirectly.
1) Hybrid is the most common arrangement for employees with work-from-home opportunities
2) Top two most prevalent work-from-home industries are Tech & Finance
3) Contract / gig workers worked 48.9% of their days remotely compared to 23.5% of days by salaried workers with one main job
Investment advice offered through Private Advisor Group, a registered investment advisor.


text:
The first image of a Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta on the road has surfaced online less than a month after Ferrari announced that it would make a limited production run of the LaFerrari in convertible guise. Spotted outside the Ferrari factory in Maranello, the LaFerrari Aperta is finished in Ferrari’s signature racing red in contrast to the black example that Ferrari debuted earlier this month.
Ferrari are yet to confirm how many of the drop-top LaFerrari they will produce, however for those with pockets deep enough to warrant asking the question, it doesn’t matter, every model is accounted for and the order books have already closed.
The Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta will feature the same 6.3L V12, coupled with a 120W electric motor to produce identical power figures to the hardtop version; 588kW of power and 708Nm of torque. Coupled with a seven-speed dual clutch gear box, the LaFerrari coupe covers the 0-100km/h sprint in 2.8sec.
Ferrari are yet to confirm an official release date for the LaFerrari Aperta, however there is suggestion that those details will be confirmed when the Aperta officially debuts at the Paris Motorshow next month.


text:
It’s hard to believe that Microsoft Windows and the PC only became mainstream 20 years ago. What a wild ride its been. PCs, the internet, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Streaming, Podcasting, eBay, Amazon, Netflix and the list of innovative technologies and companies just keeps growing. The latest rage running the circuit is how mobile platforms are transforming the technology industry and the very way business is done.
If the future plays out as some people predict, the way we use the internet will be transformed over the next several years. Of course, predictions like this have been projected for years in other areas. However, while some of those predictions were a bit delayed, they are finally coming to be realized. The convergence of media like movies, television and the internet that can now be accessed through businesses like Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix right on your tv via Google TV, Roku Box, and Apple TV.
A co-worker forwarded this video on mobile to me earlier today. I really enjoyed the heavy use of statistics in the video that communicated how far mobile has come since the introduction of the iPhone just a few years ago. Watch this video, and you’ll get just a glimpse of how mobile is going to impact how business is done as we step into the future.


text:
EV salary sacrifice booming on back of 0% BiK
Orders for electric vehicles via salary sacrifice have grown five-fold at Octopus Electric Vehicles since the spring, driven by the Government’s 0% Benefit-in-Kind tax incentive.
The firm launched its scheme in April – just in time for the fall in BiK tax liability for fully electric company car drivers to 0% on 6 April for the 2020/21 tax year. The rate, previously 16%, will also only rise to 1% for the 2021/22 tax year; significantly lower than BiK tax for combustion cars.
CEO Fiona Howarth (pictured) said the impact of the last six months had been “staggering” as businesses and company drivers recognise the financial benefits of EVs. Latest SMMT data shows registrations of fully electric vehicles for the first nine months of 2020 were up 165% on the same period in 2019.
“Changes to Benefit-in-Kind tax have been a financial game changer for EV leasing,” Howarth outlined. “Add this to brilliant electric cars hitting the market and huge savings on running costs versus petrol cars, and EVs are a total no brainer. It’s no wonder then that we are seeing a huge boom, with the number of companies ordering EVs via our salary sacrifice scheme growing five-fold since April.”
More than 100 businesses have already adopted the Go Green Car Scheme, which enable employees to pay for vehicles from their gross salary, saving on both National Insurance and income tax. According to the firm, combining salary sacrifice and 0% BiK typically cuts monthly leasing payments by 30-40%.
It costs businesses nothing to introduce and is even protected against early termination, for example due to redundancies or maternity leave, while also boosting firms’ efforts to reduce their and their employees’ environmental impact.
The scheme is also designed to be hassle-free, handling all of the administration on behalf of participating companies and provides ongoing expert aftercare for employers and drivers themselves.
Howarth commented: “As employers tighten their belts and employees look for clean and safe ways to travel, our salary sacrifice scheme is a meaningful and low-risk perk for staff that also underlines a business’s commitment to the environment and local air quality.
“In return for just a few minutes of admin time each month, employers can offer their team huge savings on brand-new electric cars, and a personalised service to make the switch easy – from choosing the right car, to getting a charger installed at home, and even selecting an energy tariff designed just for EV drivers. It’s extraordinary value and makes it pay to go electric.”


text:
The Latest: BPI attorney: Settlement with ABC exceeds $177M
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The Latest on the size of a legal settlement between ABC and a South Dakota meat producer (all times local):
A lawyer for a South Dakota meat producer says the company's defamation lawsuit settlement with ABC exceeds the $177 million charge the network's parent company reported in a recent financial filing.
Disney, which owns ABC, disclosed the $177 million charge in a filing this week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that offered few other details.
Beef Products Inc. attorney Dan Webb said in a Wednesday statement that based on the disclosure, it appears Disney is funding $177 million of the settlement and insurers are "paying the rest."
Webb's statement doesn't specify the full settlement amount. Disney didn't immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
BPI sued ABC in 2012 over its reports on a beef product that critics dubbed "pink slime." The companies announced the settlement in June while the case was at trial.
Disney has reported spending $177 million on a legal settlement during the quarter that its subsidiary ABC and a South Dakota meat producer announced a settlement in a high-profile defamation lawsuit.
Disney's filing this week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission doesn't give other details. Disney didn't immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
ABC and South Dakota-based Beef Products Inc. announced their settlement in June, but its terms are confidential. BPI sued ABC in 2012 over its reports on a beef product that critics dubbed "pink slime."
BPI argued that ABC's coverage misled consumers into believing the product is unsafe, is not beef and isn't nutritious. A spokesman for BPI didn't immediately return an email requesting comment.
They settled while the case was at trial.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


text:
Case Study: Vodafone Group
By Marie-Christin Hansen-Oracle on Aug 27, 2014
Vodafone Group is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies with a retail presence in 30 countries across five continents. To continually provide a better shopping experience for its 436m customers, the group wants to enhance the performance and effectiveness of its retail channel by optimising its inventory processes to enable rapid deployment of new products.
In the following interview from the Oracle Retail Industry Forum, Europe 2013, Justin Bushby, Global Head of Technology at Vodafone, explains how the communications giant has partnered with Oracle Retail to drive its ambition of becoming an extraordinary retailer by creating a fantastic customer offer in store.


text:
September 14, 2023
While most fried chicken quick-service restaurants serve their customers via a drive-thru, Krispy Krunchy Chicken serves up “freshly made, perfectly Cajun” fried chicken that captures the hearts and palates of fans inside someplace you might not expect – gas stations and convenience stores.
According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, there are over 150,000 convenience stores in the United States. As Krispy Krunchy Chicken approaches 3,000 locations by the end of the year, the brand reports that 97% of its locations are in gas stations and convenience stores – over twice as many placements in these locations as the nearest store-in-store chicken competitor. The brand boasts one of the largest number of locations in the US.
“Krispy Krunchy is in a phase of rapid growth. Our operators and their customers have been fans of the business and the product for years, and that affinity has driven our growth – now more than ever, as we take our place as a major brand for fried chicken,” says Jim Norberg, President of Krispy Krunchy Chicken. “Our growth is powered by an evolution of our strategies in Marketing, Supply Chain, and support for our operators, and we are committed to get smarter and more craveable every day.”
Norberg joined the Krispy Krunchy family as Chief Operating Officer in 2022. He was promoted to President earlier this year and has helped shape and escalate the brand’s presence in new and established markets.
Initial enhancements to the model under his tenure include consumer-focused marketing, a new simplified menu, improved supply chain processes, and new and better tools for operators.
“We have the teams and systems in place to keep Krispy Krunchy at the forefront of our industry and to continue building on this incredible momentum that will enable us to bring our foodservice solution to more and more operators,” adds Norberg.


text:
Will pornographers soon be creating adult content with holograms? That’s a question that Daily Beast appeared to answer in 2017, enthusiastically writing that “Hologram Porn” is “The Most Realistic Sex Available” and, further, that, “creating live-action holograms, filmed with an extensive array of cameras, will enable users to view a performer from every angle, just as in real life.” However, Utherverse founder Brian Shuster did warn, that it would cost a lot to produce a single minute of porn in this new technology.
More recently, CamSoda, an adult entertainment company based in Florida, advertises its Holo-Cam technology allowing for “mass consumption of holographic performances” from its many CamSoda models. As described in Inverse, “anyone looking to beam a camgirl into their home, will need a smartphone or tablet and a 3D holographic display pyramid,” the latter of which is a “smallish piece of acrylic or plastic that retails, in many cases, for less than $5.” “These stubby obelisks allow CamSoda to fold a multipart video stream beamed out of a ‘capture room’,” it explains, producing “an image of a gyrating woman on top of a phone or tablet.”
CamSoda president Daron Lundeen told Inverse that, “the Holo-Cam provides users with a hologram of a webcam model similar to that of Princess Leia when Luke Skywalker interacted with her.” “We figured fans wanted to see a real-life version of this and anticipate those with a science fiction kink to tune in and give it a try,” he said.
Many media & entertainment industry experts presume that holograms are already in use in adult entertainment, but a closer examination reveals that neither of the companies below are producing real holograms and that holography has yet to impact adult entertainment. Shuster’s Utherverse produces virtual reality, although it’s incorrectly dubbed as holography. CamSoda provides an inexpensive miniaturized version of Pepper’s Ghost, a lighting/staging trick used in theaters, amusement parks and other venues to present the illusion of someone who is not actually there. Its origins are attributed to English scientist John Henry Pepper who first demonstrated it in theaters in 1862. An example of Pepper’s Ghost was the appearance of a ghostly Tupac at the Coachella Music Festival in 2012.
But experts aren’t wrong that pornography is often the first industry to adopt new technologies. In Psychology Today, however, Dr.Robert Weiss noted pornography’s first use of “advanced technology” goes back to 1524 when “Marcantonio Raimondi published 16 sexually explicit engravings by Guilio Romano, collectively titled I Modi,” followed by Pietro Aretino’s early pornographic work Sonetti Iussuriosi (1527) and Ragionamenti (1534-36), which used the printing press. In the late 1800s, the relatively new medium of photography was used to create pornographic photos and magazines. The motion picture industry was creating single-reel “stag films” for private viewings as early as the 1920s.
By the 1970s, the porn movie theater was booming; depending on which source you believe, there were between 900 and 1,500 porn movie theaters across the U.S. in this particular “golden age.” Home video changes all that. Attorney/educational consultant Frederick Lane, who also wrote Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber Age, reports that,“the decrease from 1,000 adult theaters at the end of the 1970s to, by the end of the 1980s, in the tens,” was all about home video. “People who would never go to an adult theater felt more comfortable buying an adult video tape or going into the back room of a video rental store because the chances of having an unpleasant experience was much lower,” he says. Contributing to this Golden Age of Porn was the advent of the video camera. Suddenly, consumers “couldn’t only consume pornography private but also produce it,” says Lane. “That became a well-defined sub-genre of the porn industry.”
Then came the internet and, shortly thereafter, the smartphone. Actual statistics, such as the number of porn sites on the web, are hard to come by, although Statista notes that “only 4 percent of websites are estimated to be porn, but web and mobile searches clock in higher at 13 and 20 percent respectively.” Still, there’s no arguing that the Internet was an even more comfortable and readily accessible way to access adult entertainment than the backrooms of video rental stores, which by this time had almost entirely shut down.
Lane notes that he doesn’t think there has been a significant technological shift since the advent of the smartphone. “Because, of course, that brings video capacity and that’s a known quantity,” he says.“That has slowed down things.”
Maybe. Pornographers are charging ahead, taking advantage of every advance in technology, from 5G and haptics to robotics and virtual reality. Journalist Ross Benes, who is also an eMarketer research analyst and author of The Sex Effect, notes that, “the biggest impact of 5G on porn is that it will allow consumers to download high quality video easily.” “With faster Internet speeds, video resolution will improve, and viewers won’t be bogged down by buffers and failures to load,” he says. “I expect subscription sites will make better use of video quality than free sites will,” which make their money on ads and have less incentive to upgrade.
With advances in sensors, tracking, graphics and other technologies, haptics (the use of technology that stimulates the senses of touch and motion, especially to reproduce in remote operation or computer simulation the sensations that would be felt by a user interacting directly with physical objects are also evolving. Although everything from sex suits (Vivid Entertainment nearly debuted a Cyber Sex suit) to remote-controlled dildonics have been in the news, Benes believes it will remain a niche market. “This market will probably be limited to people who own numerous sex toys,” he says. “I don’t expect them to become as ubiquitous as the common vibrator or dildo.”
Virtual reality has had more success, although Benes notes that it is still limited by bandwidth and the cost of buying a VR headset. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, BaDoinkVR was formed in 2015 as a porn creator/disseminator of this new technology. VR content director Lucas Elliott reports that, at the beginning,“there were a handful of products, but VR was the main one.” “We started with one site and kept adding another and then another,” he says. “Adult content has always pushed the boundaries in terms of technology, and we kept that going.”
BaDoinkVR sent its first subscribers Google Cardboard glasses “to give [VR] a try.” Elliott says that “people in the community are a very tech savvy group of people” and that Oculus Quest made the VR headset more affordable and more accessible. “VR being a hyper real immersive experience from a camera POV made porn a natural niche to grow,” says Elliott. Being successful, he adds, is “about understanding the subjective experience of the viewer … and understanding the long-established standards of this genre of content.”
When queried as to whether BaDoinkVR would consider adopting holography as another means of creating pornography, he noted that “these technologies are still in a very experimental situation.” Even with VR, a more developed technology, he adds, “we’re constantly hitting limitations because of the platforms and bandwidth.” He notes, however, that the hyper real avatars of the metaverse and “the physicality of the character … with a perfect map for tactile interactions … could be the ultimate sexual playground.” Benes opinions that, “Pornographers will find a way to use holograms whenever they arrive just as they’ve found a way to utilize nearly every other technology shortly after its debut.”


text:
MISS Sunderland will be flying the flag for the city after being fast-tracked to the Miss England final.
Mackem model Tamzin Cummings, 21, impressed at the contest’s semi-final and will compete for the ultimate beauty pageant crown later this month.
She competed against 60 other semi-finalists from all over the country at the semi-final in Leicestershire and impressed judges in three rounds, including interview, evening wear and eco fashion to win a place in the top 15 in the semi-final.
Tamzin, from Ashbrooke, said: “I am thrilled that I have qualified for a place in the Miss England grand final. The competition was very tough, so to be awarded a place in the top 15 is amazing.
“Even if I don’t win, the experience so far has been amazing. I have already made some lifelong friends and had a massive confidence boost as well as raised money for a good cause. I would recommend it to anyone.”
The Miss England grand final starts in Birmingham on June 23 with a two-day boot camp where the 60 finalists, made up of semi-finalist winners and automatic entrants, will undergo a fitness test and participate in a modelling round.
The winners of these two rounds will be to fast-tracked through to the top 15 at the grand final in Leicester on June 26.
Sunderland University student Tamzin has competed in the contest once before, in 2010, where she came fourth.
When asked what the judges should be looking for in a Miss England winner, Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, said: “We are looking for a well-rounded individual who stands out from the crowd and possesses a natural beauty and flair. They must also be personable, eloquent and athletic, as well as being someone who will be a role model and a great ambassador for their country.”
Angie added: “The standard of girls taking part in Miss England Final this is very high so the judges are going to have a really difficult job.”
The girl who will compete as Miss Sunderland in Miss England next year will be chosen at the Miss Sunderland 2013 final which takes place at Rainton Meadows Arena on Sunday.
Tamzin won this year’s regional title through a public vote.
See the show
The current Miss England is Alize Mounter, 23, from Kensington. She is a professional model and is studying journalism at the University of Roehampton.
Tickets for the two final events in Leicester are on sale now. For Monday evening, the eco fashion and Great Lengths hair show, the tickets are priced £25.
Admission tickets for the main show on June 26 are priced £50 admission or – £80 with dinner. VIP tickets are available but are limited and only available by special request to the organisers.


text:
Do you Micro-hoo? Technology bloggers are chattering about Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Yahoo! Henry Blodget (yes, that Henry Blodget), writing at Silicon Alley Insider, calls it “a brilliant move by Microsoft — a big premium dangled in front of battered Yahoo shareholders, but a price that would have seemed absurdly low as recently as six months ago.”
“[W]hat makes Yahoo/Microsoft interesting is the e-mail audience,” writes former Microsoft employee Robert Scoble (and current Microsoft shareholder) at his personal blog, Scobleizer. “That’s another 300 million people to add to Hotmail’s audience of close to the same.” He continues:
Yahoo has a ton of interesting Web properties that are far more interesting than anything Microsoft has done lately. Groups. Finance. Upcoming. Etc.
This gets Microsoft back into the Web game in a big way and puts a defense around Microsoft’s Office cash-generating-machine. I bet that some of Yahoo’s smartest engineers get moved over to the Office team to help build an online Office that’ll keep Google’s docs and spreadsheets from getting major marketshare inroads.
It’s the fear that Google’s Docs and Spreadsheets might someday take marketshare away from Office that I think was driving this deal.
Jeff Jarvis, the media consultant and journalism professor, is skeptical. He writes at BuzzMachine, his personal blog: “Will this be big enough to beat Google? No, because big won’t win in the end. Open will.”
And Salon co-founder Scott Rosenberg, thinks the proposed takeover “is a path to failure for both companies.” Rosenberg writes at Wordyard, his personal blog, “These big takeovers — AOL/Time Warner was the biggest — are always about failure in the present and fear of the future. And they nearly always end badly.” He continues:
To understand what the takeover would mean for Yahoo, just look at the fate of the previous company to end up in this circumstance. When Netscape, then a dominant portal site and purveyor of a declining but still widely used Web browser, got bought by AOL a decade ago, we heard all the usual pieties about the strength of the brand and the value of its franchise. But AOL’s acquisition of Netscape meant its doom: the remaining talent headed for the exits, and its assets were quickly cannibalized. AOL itself entered another disastrous merger a couple of years later, and today it is a shadow of its former importance while Netscape isn’t even a phantom.
Similarly, if Microsoft wins Yahoo, you will see most of Yahoo’s smart people depart, and its customers gradually parceled out to attempt to bolster Microsoft’s ever-faltering efforts to build an online business. Much of the talk in the business press surrounding this deal will be about Yahoo’s ad business, and it’s true that Microsoft will find it useful, but it’s hard to see what new power a combined Microsoft and Yahoo business will have to challenge Google that the two companies didn’t have as separate entities.
For Microsoft, this move is a final admission of the utter failure of the company’s effort to build an online business for itself over the past decade in services, advertising or content.
(Disclosure: I was employed by Microsoft from 2000 to 2005 as a Slate writer and editor, and remain a Microsoft shareholder.)


text:
CHICAGO, Ill., April 20, 2018 – Dino Publishing, a leading B2C and B2B content marketing agency with a portfolio of marine-industry clients, is thrilled to be the new creative force behind Maritimo Yachts’ marketing efforts in North America. Maritimo, an Australia-based luxury yacht company, is expanding its footprint to include the United States, with several new yacht lines expected to be released this fall.
“Maritimo is a well-respected, award-winning yacht manufacturer that prizes innovation and luxury of the highest degree,” said Dino Publishing President Doug Leik. “We have nearly 20 years of experience working with luxury yacht clients and know the U.S. market inside and out. We’re ready to use our creative and digital savvy to introduce this fantastic brand to an eager audience.”
Maritimo’s exciting expansion in North America will start with the launch of the all-new X60, a revolutionary, broad-beam yacht with a versatile space aft that can be converted to a fourth stateroom, a yacht tender or a beach club social area. The X60, the first of several forthcoming X Series yachts, will be introduced alongside Maritimo’s M Series and S Series lines at U.S. boat shows this fall.
“Dino Publishing has the experience and innovative mindset that we’re looking for in a creative partner,” said Dave Northrop, president of Maritimo Americas. “The combination of our statement-making yachts and Dino’s results-oriented marketing will no doubt lead to an exciting and successful venture.”
For more information about Maritimo, visit maritimo.com.au.


text:
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's time for a magical day at Minute Maid Park! When the Astros face the Mariners on June 30, it will also be Princess Day.
Fans who purchased the ticket package for the event receive an Astros princess jewelry set, along with access to a princess storytelling station, tea party station and more. Fans can also interact with princess characters during the event.
The ticket package is sold out, but there is still an opportunity to have your face painted and take pictures in a photo booth from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Princesses will be available from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, fans can visit the astros website.
More TOP STORIES News


text:
Khloé Kardashian Is Red Hot in Lingerie Look
Khloé Kardashian certainly isn't afraid to show off her revenge body. The 32-year-old reality star flaunted some serious skin on Friday, wearing a bright red lingerie-inspired look as she stepped out in L.A.
We're sensing a trend with Kardashian's style lately—this is the second time this month she's incorporated lacy lingerie into her outfit. A few weeks ago, the Revenge Body host paired a black lingerie bodysuit with sweats, and now she's at it again, rocking a lacy red bra and slip underneath a skin-tight dress. The scarlet number featured a plunging neckline and waist-high slit that put Kardashian's undergarments on display.
VIDEO: Get That Body: Khloé Kardashian's Booty
But she didn't stop there! The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star took the red-hot theme even further, opting for a bright scarlet lip and nails, as well as a matching red Givenchy bag. She topped off the look with lacy nude Louboutin pumps and a delicate gold lariat necklace—all we can say is wow!
Kardashian is known to be a fitness enthusiast, and her hard work has paid off in more ways than one. Earlier in the week, E! News announced that Revenge Body will be returning for a second season, in which Kardashian will help participants gain confidence while working toward their wellness goals.
We can't wait to see what Kardashian has in store for us—both in terms of lacy fashion and her TV show!


text:
Why OnDeck Didn’t Sign The Small Business Borrowers Bill of Rights
Recent media reports attempting to spin OnDeck’s loan programs in a negative light have been quick to point out that they have not signed on to the Small Business Borrowers Bill of Rights. There’s apparently an obvious reason for that, they weren’t invited to participate in the drafting of it…
In a recent interview with Lend Academy’s Peter Renton, Breslow addressed this even further. “I think if you look at the actual principles and the way the document is written, there is a clear bias towards longer term loans in the document,” Breslow told Renton, pointing out that the group is a small circle of lenders that focuses on 3-year loans. “We don’t think a three-year product is appropriate for many types of small businesses out there, but if you can’t get access to a long term loan we don’t think that means you shouldn’t get a loan at all,” he added. “So what we’d love to see either in the BBOR or some other industry standard that you might see developing over the next year is a broader perspective on what types of financing businesses should have access to and to be clear, we’re very supportive over time, kind of inclusive industry standards that encompass the range of products that we think small businesses should have access to and that access should be fair, efficient and transparent.”
You can listen to the entire interview which covers many more topics below:
Renton is a co-founder of the LendIt conference, the biggest marketplace lending event of the year. If you haven’t secured tickets yet to the April conference in San Francisco, you should sign up here before it’s too late. Last year the conference was completely sold out.Last modified: January 21, 2016
Sean Murray is the President and Chief Editor of deBanked and the founder of the Broker Fair Conference. Connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on twitter. You can view all future deBanked events here.


text:
Far Cry New Dawn may have just been announced at The Game Awards, but a handful of retailers and marketplaces, including Amazon, Gamestop, PlayStation Network, Steam, and the Xbox Marketplace, already have pre-orders locked and loaded for the game’s February 19, 2019 release.
New Dawn will, of course, be available in both physical and digital formats, and there will be two editions, a $39.99 standard edition and a $49.99 deluxe edition.
As of this writing, and since the game was just announced, we don’t know the exact pre-order bonuses each retailer will be providing, but we do know that the deluxe edition will give you access to “additional weapons, outfits, and vehicle skins”. We will update this article when bonuses for each storefront are announced.
Here’s where you can pre-order each edition right now. Note that not all platforms and editions are available on every storefront at the current time, but they should be made available in the coming days.
Set in post-apocalyptic Hope County, Montana, the newest installment in the long-running FPS series is set 17 years after the ending of Far Cry 5, and it is the first game in the franchise to be a direct sequel.
Far Cry New Dawn will also feature online co-op play, and allow players to craft new weapons from old items, including (hopefully) the high-profile saw-gun that’s been heavily featured in the game’s trailers.


text:
Watchguard appoints D2B
France: UTM vendor Watchguard has appointed security and storage VAD D2B as official distributor in the country.
D2B on the Wave (System)
France: security and storage VAD D2B has inked a distribution deal with authentication and encryption vendor.
D2B bets on Total Defense
France: security and storage specialist D2B has inked a distribution deal with cyber security editor Total Defense.
D2B stores on QNAP
France: storage and security VAD D2B has added QNAP NAS systems to its offer.
Note: articles from ITdistri.com are also available in Google Currents. Subscribe now.
D2B backups on Ctera
France : storage VAD D2B has expanded its portfolio with hybrid local/cloud backup systems from Ctera.


text:
ROTOCONTROL has expanded its product portfolio with the acquisition of Germany-based LeoMat, a major German supplier of processing machines for adhesive labels, foils and paper. The company also announced the appointment of Peer Gronkowsky as Operations Manager. The former Plant Manager of LeoMat, Peer will oversee the ROTOCONTROL Service and Support, Research and Development, Engineering, Manufacturing and Purchasing departments.
The expansion is a result of significant sales growth from successful worldwide slitting, rewinding and die cutting finishing machine installations, as ROTOCONTROL enters its fourth year of operation. The LeoMat purchasing, manufacturing and engineering employees joined the ROTOCONTROL team at its headquarters in Ahrensburg.
Marco Aengenvoort, ROTOCONTROL Managing Director said, The acquisition of LeoMat marks an important milestone for the future of ROTOCONTROL. With this acquisition we have significantly increased our manufacturing and engineering capabilities which would be difficult to do so quickly organically. The company is now even more strongly positioned to offer Converters around the world a well-rounded product portfolio based on German design and manufacturing.
With the acquisition, the ROTOCONTROL product portfolio has expanded to include Digital and Booklet finishing machines, accelerating its growth plans in these markets.The existing LeoMat branded finishing machines will still be available to customers, and service for all installed LeoMat product is now available through ROTOCONTROL.


text:
Nothing better to kick off the work week than some rankings — today’s courtesy of Interbrand. The firm released their annual listing of the world’s most valuable brands.
Once again, Apple finds itself in the top spot, followed by Google, marking the third consecutive year that has shaped up to be the case; Apple, Google, Microsoft and IBM have been Top 5 placers for the last half decade.
As has been the recent trend, tech firm have been the list’s most strongly represented business segment. Coca-Cola and McDonald’s were the only non-tech related firms to place in the Top 1o. According to Interbrand’s classification system, 28 of the top 100 were technology firms. Microsoft, IBM, Samsung and Amazon were all in the Top 10, while Intel, Cisco, Oracle, HP, and Facebook all made the Top 25.
If one counts the tech-related firms like Starbucks or General Electric, that list swells to make a full third of the most valuable brands on earth being housed in the tech vertical. Starbucks is the creator of the nation’s arguably most successful mobile payments platform; General Electric is working hard to argue in ads against the idea that it is “not a tech firm.” Arguably they both could be counted with the tech firms, and they aren’t the only ones.
“Because today, business and brands need to happen at the speed of people’s lives, this year’s Top 100 represents those elite brands that best align with people’s priorities and seamlessly integrate into their everyday,” said Interbrand Global Chief Executive Jez Frampton. “It is genuinely exciting to see so many leading brands across so many diverse industries increasingly embrace the role they play in influencing customer choice and building new business models in response to changing norms and testing new ideas to meet the need of shifting consumer mindsets.”
The biggest strides on the list this year were made by Facebook, that saw a six-point skip up in the ratings to accompany a 54 percent increase to its brand value.
PayPal, in its first year on its own, also made a first-time appearance on the list. However, with its placement at 97, it has a ways to go before it catches up to its parent firm, eBay, which is ranked at No. 32.
Lenovo and Huawei both made first appearances on the list this year – though their compatriots over at Alibaba did not, despite being widely expected to make it due to its record-setting IPO. However, since that very big debut, Alibaba has stock price fluctuations – particularly recently – with its wide exposure to the Chinese financial slowdown.
Interbrand’s rankings are derived from measurements in three areas: financial performance, influence and how competitive the brand is in the marketplace.


text:
|By Business Wire||
|July 10, 2014 04:41 PM EDT||
Rent-A-Center, Inc. (the "Company") (NASDAQ/NGS: RCII), the nation's largest rent-to-own operator, today announced preliminary revenues and earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.
Second Quarter 2014 Preliminary Results
The Company expects the following financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014:
- Total revenues are estimated to be approximately $773 million.
- Same store sales are estimated to have increased approximately 0.6%.
- Net earnings per diluted share are expected to be in the range of $0.31 to $0.33.
- Adjusted net earnings per diluted share are expected to be in the range of $0.36 to $0.38, when excluding a pre-tax restructuring expense of approximately $4.4 million, or approximately $0.05 per diluted share, related to the consolidation of approximately 150 stores into existing Core U.S. stores.
“Macro-economic pressures continue to burden our financially constrained customers contributing to softer than expected demand in our U.S. business segments. Consequently, revenue and earnings for the second quarter 2014 will not meet expectations. We are not satisfied with our second quarter results and hold ourselves accountable for improving our performance. To that end, we are excited to announce a new product line in our domestic retail stores with our entrance into the burgeoning smartphone business,” said Robert D. Davis, the Chief Executive Officer of Rent-A-Center, Inc.
The Company’s smartphone rollout offers consumers nationwide one-stop shopping for a variety of leading, name-brand smartphones and no-contract plans, a rent-to-own industry first. It also provides ground-breaking flexibility: Phones may be rented in connection with the immediate activation of a no-contract airtime plan, or without. A choice in the brand of airtime plans is offered, and customers may even opt to activate a plan for a phone not rented through Rent-A-Center. Additionally, airtime plans may be reloaded at Rent-A-Center stores, regardless of one’s cellular carrier.
Launched this week, the smartphone rollout across Rent-A-Center’s 2,800-plus Core U.S. stores is expected to be completed by month’s end and was spurred by the success of a pilot program launched last summer.
Boasting the latest Samsung Galaxy smartphones including Galaxy S® III, Galaxy S® 4, Galaxy S® 5, Galaxy Note® II, Galaxy Note® 3 and Galaxy S® Relay at launch, Rent-A-Center will offer a choice of leading wireless-service providers including NET10 Wireless, SIMPLE Mobile and Telcel America.
The offer is expected to appeal to cash- and credit-strapped consumers put off by the high upfront cost of acquiring a smartphone.
Competitively priced with no credit check, deposit or long-term contract, the Rent-A-Center offer distinguishes itself from standard smartphone and airtime plans. It also compares favorably to traditional no-contract plans since the cash outlay to acquire a smartphone through a rent-to-own agreement is minimal, customers need not purchase a new phone in order to upgrade, and warranty and service are included at no additional cost.
“There’s already a pronounced appetite for smartphones and no-contract airtime plans,” said Mr. Davis. “By heightening flexibility and choices while lessening a consumer’s initial cash outlay, we believe we have meaningfully enhanced this product,” Mr. Davis said. “While the roll-out of the smartphone product is part of a plan to address our business performance, we are also in the midst of a multi-year program designed to transform and modernize our operations company-wide in order to improve the profitability of our Core U.S. segment while continuing to support our Acceptance Now and Mexico segments. This program is focused on building new competencies and capabilities through a variety of operational and infrastructure initiatives such as developing a new supply chain, formulating a customer-focused value-based pricing strategy, optimizing our store footprint, and innovating our digital e-commerce capabilities,” Mr. Davis concluded.
On July 21, 2014, Rent-A-Center, Inc. will report final 2014 second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2014 results and update its guidance for the remainder of 2014.
Rent-A-Center, Inc. will also host a conference call to discuss the second quarter 2014 results, 2014 guidance and other operational matters on Tuesday morning, July 22, 2014, at 10:45 a.m. ET. For a live webcast of the call, visit http://investor.rentacenter.com. Certain financial and other statistical information that will be discussed during the conference call will also be provided on the same website.
Rent-A-Center, Inc., headquartered in Plano, Texas, is the largest rent-to-own operator in North America, focused on improving the quality of life for its customers by providing them the opportunity to obtain ownership of high-quality, durable goods such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, furniture and accessories, under flexible rental purchase agreements with no long-term obligation. The Company owns and operates approximately 3,030 stores in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and approximately 1,360 Acceptance Now kiosk locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Rent-A-Center Franchising International, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national franchisor of approximately 180 rent-to-own stores operating under the trade names of “Rent-A-Center”, "ColorTyme" and “Rimtyme”. For additional information about the Company, please visit www.rentacenter.com.
This press release and the guidance above contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "could," "estimate," "should," "anticipate," or "believe," or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are accurate. However, there can be no assurance that such expectations will occur. The Company's actual future performance could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the general strength of the economy and other economic conditions affecting consumer preferences and spending; economic pressures, such as high fuel costs, affecting the disposable income available to the Company's current and potential customers; changes in the unemployment rate; difficulties encountered in improving the financial performance of the Core U.S. segment; the Company’s ability to develop and successfully execute the competencies and capabilities which are the focus of the Company’s multi-year program designed to transform and modernize the Company’s operations; costs associated with the Company's multi-year program designed to transform and modernize the Company’s operations; the Company’s ability to successfully market smartphones and related services to its customers; the Company's ability to develop and successfully implement digital electronic commerce capabilities; our ability to retain the revenue from customer accounts merged into another store location as a result of the store consolidation plan; uncertainties regarding additional costs and expenses that could be incurred in connection with the store consolidation plan; the Company's ability to execute and the effectiveness of the store consolidation; rapid inflation or deflation in prices of the Company's products; the Company's available cash flow; the Company's ability to identify and successfully market products and services that appeal to its customer demographic; consumer preferences and perceptions of the Company's brand; uncertainties regarding the ability to open new locations; the Company's ability to acquire additional stores or customer accounts on favorable terms; the Company's ability to control costs and increase profitability; the Company's ability to enhance the performance of acquired stores; the Company's ability to retain the revenue associated with acquired customer accounts; the Company's ability to enter into new and collect on its rental or lease purchase agreements; the passage of legislation adversely affecting the rent-to-own industry; the Company's compliance with applicable statutes or regulations governing its transactions; changes in interest rates; adverse changes in the economic conditions of the industries, countries or markets that the Company serves; information technology and data security costs; our ability to protect the integrity and security of individually identifiable data of our customers and employee; the impact of any breaches in data security or other disturbances to our information technology and other networks; changes in the Company's stock price, the number of shares of common stock that it may or may not repurchase, and future dividends, if any; changes in estimates relating to self-insurance liabilities and income tax and litigation reserves; changes in the Company's effective tax rate; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to maintain an effective system of internal controls; the resolution of the Company's litigation; and the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect the events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Chris Carter, CEO of Approyo, will discuss the basic set up and solution for an SAP solution in the cloud and what it means to the viability of your company. Chris Carter is CEO of Approyo. He works with business around the globe, to assist them in their journey to the usage of Big Data in the forms of Hadoop (Cloudera and Hortonwork's) and SAP HANA. At Approyo, we support firms who are looking for knowledge to grow through current business process, where even ...
Feb. 26, 2017 07:30 PM EST Reads: 1,103
The Internet of Things can drive efficiency for airlines and airports. In their session at @ThingsExpo, Shyam Varan Nath, Principal Architect with GE, and Sudip Majumder, senior director of development at Oracle, discussed the technical details of the connected airline baggage and related social media solutions. These IoT applications will enhance travelers' journey experience and drive efficiency for the airlines and the airports.
Feb. 26, 2017 06:45 PM EST Reads: 2,336
Addteq is one of the top 10 Platinum Atlassian Experts who specialize in DevOps, custom and continuous integration, automation, plugin development, and consulting for midsize and global firms. Addteq firmly believes that automation is essential for successful software releases. Addteq centers its products and services around this fundamentally unique approach to delivering complete software release management solutions. With a combination of Addteq's services and our extensive list of partners,...
Feb. 26, 2017 06:00 PM EST Reads: 900
DevOps is being widely accepted (if not fully adopted) as essential in enterprise IT. But as Enterprise DevOps gains maturity, expands scope, and increases velocity, the need for data-driven decisions across teams becomes more acute. DevOps teams in any modern business must wrangle the ‘digital exhaust’ from the delivery toolchain, "pervasive" and "cognitive" computing, APIs and services, mobile devices and applications, the Internet of Things, and now even blockchain.
Feb. 26, 2017 05:30 PM EST Reads: 1,951
In 2014, Amazon announced a new form of compute called Lambda. We didn't know it at the time, but this represented a fundamental shift in what we expect from cloud computing. Now, all of the major cloud computing vendors want to take part in this disruptive technology. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, John Jelinek IV, a web developer at Linux Academy, will discuss why major players like AWS, Microsoft Azure, IBM Bluemix, and Google Cloud Platform are all trying to sidestep VMs and containers...
Feb. 26, 2017 05:30 PM EST Reads: 2,119
A strange thing is happening along the way to the Internet of Things, namely far too many devices to work with and manage. It has become clear that we'll need much higher efficiency user experiences that can allow us to more easily and scalably work with the thousands of devices that will soon be in each of our lives. Enter the conversational interface revolution, combining bots we can literally talk with, gesture to, and even direct with our thoughts, with embedded artificial intelligence, whic...
Feb. 26, 2017 05:15 PM EST Reads: 1,888
Wooed by the promise of faster innovation, lower TCO, and greater agility, businesses of every shape and size have embraced the cloud at every layer of the IT stack – from apps to file sharing to infrastructure. The typical organization currently uses more than a dozen sanctioned cloud apps and will shift more than half of all workloads to the cloud by 2018. Such cloud investments have delivered measurable benefits. But they’ve also resulted in some unintended side-effects: complexity and risk. ...
Feb. 26, 2017 05:00 PM EST Reads: 2,125
WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web communications world. The 6th WebRTC Summit continues our tradition of delivering the latest and greatest presentations within the world of WebRTC. Topics include voice calling, video chat, P2P file sharing, and use cases that have already leveraged the power and convenience of WebRTC.
Feb. 26, 2017 04:15 PM EST Reads: 1,660
SYS-CON Events announced today that CA Technologies has been named “Platinum Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, and the 21st International Cloud Expo®, which will take place October 31-November 2, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. CA Technologies helps customers succeed in a future where every business – from apparel to energy – is being rewritten by software. From ...
Feb. 26, 2017 03:45 PM EST Reads: 2,661
With 10 simultaneous tracks, keynotes, general sessions and targeted breakout classes, Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo are two of the most important technology events of the year. Since its launch over eight years ago, Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo have presented a rock star faculty as well as showcased hundreds of sponsors and exhibitors! In this blog post, I provide 7 tips on how, as part of our world-class faculty, you can deliver one of the most popular sessions at our events. But before reading the...
Feb. 26, 2017 03:30 PM EST Reads: 8,907
"Storage is growing. All of IDC's estimates say that unstructured data is now 80% of the world's data. We provide storage systems that can actually deal with that scale of data - software-defined storage systems," stated Paul Turner, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Cloudian, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 17th Cloud Expo, held November 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Feb. 26, 2017 02:30 PM EST Reads: 7,098
The best way to leverage your Cloud Expo presence as a sponsor and exhibitor is to plan your news announcements around our events. The press covering Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo will have access to these releases and will amplify your news announcements. More than two dozen Cloud companies either set deals at our shows or have announced their mergers and acquisitions at Cloud Expo. Product announcements during our show provide your company with the most reach through our targeted audiences.
Feb. 26, 2017 02:30 PM EST Reads: 2,443
20th Cloud Expo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy.
Feb. 26, 2017 01:30 PM EST Reads: 2,358
Bert Loomis was a visionary. This general session will highlight how Bert Loomis and people like him inspire us to build great things with small inventions. In their general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Harold Hannon, Architect at IBM Bluemix, and Michael O'Neill, Strategic Business Development at Nvidia, discussed the accelerating pace of AI development and how IBM Cloud and NVIDIA are partnering to bring AI capabilities to "every day," on-demand. They also reviewed two "free infrastructure" pr...
Feb. 26, 2017 01:15 PM EST Reads: 1,845
Cloud Expo, Inc. has announced today that Aruna Ravichandran, vice president of DevOps Product and Solutions Marketing at CA Technologies, has been named co-conference chair of DevOps at Cloud Expo 2017. The @DevOpsSummit at Cloud Expo New York will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, and @DevOpsSummit at Cloud Expo Silicon Valley will take place Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Feb. 26, 2017 01:15 PM EST Reads: 2,206


text:
Costa Rica’s ICE to buy into Cablevision -
Costa Rica’s ICE to buy into Cablevision
Iñaki Ferreras | 05-09-2012
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)of Costa Rica has gained the approval of the nation’s Commission to Promote Competition (COPROCOM) to advance the purchase of cable TV operator Cablevision.
Under the terms of the proposed deal ICE will become the owner of all shares, infrastructure, and services to Cablevision customers.
After reviewing the proposed purchase by the state company, COPROCOM issued a resolution in which it determined that there are no technical or legal disadvantages for the deal, and that it will not affect competition in the pay-TV segment.
Once the deal has completed, ICE may start offering directly triple play services which it has to date been offering through partnerships with other cable operators.


text:
Apple Files Another Lawsuit Against Samsung in the Netherlands
The enmity between Apple and Samsung is set to build up after Apple filed a new lawsuit in Netherlands, seeking an injunction against Samsung's smartphones and tablets.
According to AppleInsider, the latest lawsuit is more extensive the one filed in Germany, where Apple claimed that Samsung illegally copied the iPad design for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and banned its sales. Apple now demands in its new lawsuit a ban on the sales of all Samsung's smartphones and tablets running the Google Android platform in the Netherlands. It also requires Samsung to do a complete recall of all affected Samsung devices from European distributors and resellers, which will affect its entire supply chain in Europe.
If Apple gets its way in the court again, Samsung's days in the European market will be numbered. Having declared its support for HTC in its patent dispute with Apple, we wonder if Google will intervene this time, especially when it recently acquired Motorola Mobility and its 17,000 patents, and Samsung being one of its biggest Android supporters.


text:
Chipotle Sued for Using GMOs After Declaring Its Food GMO-Free
The chain is now facing a class action lawsuit.
Popular burrito chain Chipotle, which proudly declared it is completely GMO-free in April, is being sued over alleged use of GMOs. According to CBS, a class action lawsuit has been filed in San Francisco against the Colorado-based company claiming that Chipotle has been using GMOs — or genetically modified organisms — in its food “despite advertising that it is GMO-free.”
The lawsuit — which has been filed on behalf of all California consumers who purchased Chipotle after April 27, 2015 — further alleges that Chipotle’s menu has never been completely GMO-free. The…


text:
The first Sainsbury’s store launch of 2022 has seen the supermarket giant land on Cambridge Street in Harrogate.
Spread across 2.293sq ft, the new Sainsbury’s Local convenience store in positioned right at the centre of the North Yorkshire town and offers excellent accessibility by being open from 7am to 11pm every day of the week, offering customers a varied selection that includes fresh food, fruit and vegetables along with branded and own-brand grocery items. In addition, the latest opening is home to an in-store bakery, juicer and coffee machine as well as a food-to-go stand offering sandwiches, salads and hot takeaway food.
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Property Director, said: “It’s been a pleasure to attend the opening of our first new store of the year and take the opportunity to hear some of the initial feedback from our customers. Harrogate is a popular destination for visitors and tourists and we’re looking forward to playing our part in welcoming them to its busy town centre. We’re really excited about our plans for Sainsbury’s property pipeline this year, ensuring we are in the best locations throughout the UK to help and serve our customers.”


text:
Amazon faces labor crunch which hinders one day delivery
Amazon.com Inc’s one day delivery plan is now being hindered due to labor shortage in Prime loyalty club. Seattle-based Amazon expected to receive $4billion after the inclusion of additional labor and other expenses during the fourth quarter and in the midst of pandemic, the company faced hard times, it was difficult to hire warehouse workers and drivers to deliver the packages to other warehouses.
Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said, "We have unfinished business on the one-day-promise side. We were ramping that up nicely in 2019 and in the first quarter of 2020 before the pandemic," he said, referring to one-day shipping. "We're still not back to levels that we saw pre-pandemic."
Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities said, "Their sales are in population centers, which by and large means they're having to pay competitive wages”. "They really can't control it. The model is, order on Amazon and you're going to get it soon."
Retail industry is suffering from labor shortage especially the restaurants, entertainment venues and stores. Amazon had earlier mentioned that it had plans to add 150,000 seasonal jobs in the U.S.


text:
Nintendo and Niantic have teamed up to create apps that will look to “combine Niantic’s real-world AR technology with Nintendo’s beloved characters.”
The first game that the two companies are developing together will be based on the Pikmin franchise, which will have “gameplay activities designed to encourage walking and make the activity more enjoyable.”
Created by the team at the Niantic Tokyo Studio, the Pikmin app will release aris scheduled to launch globally “later in 2021” with pre-registration now open.
“As we continue to expand our games portfolio, it was a natural next step to team up with Nintendo,” explains Niantic CEO John Hanke. “We’re looking forward to shaping the future of AR together, bringing Nintendo’s beloved game characters to life for mobile game players around the world.”
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto adds: “Niantic’s AR technology has made it possible for us to experience the world as if Pikmin are secretly living all around us. Based on the theme of making walking fun, our mission is to provide people a new experience that’s different from traditional games. We hope that the Pikmin and this app will become a partner in your life.”


text:
On 22 March 2017, Patrick Ng, Principal Technology Consultant from IPI, addressed an overseas delegation of 30 MBA students and faculty members from South Africa’s Wits Business School. Patrick shared with the audience about IPI and its role in enabling enterprises to grow their businesses through open innovation and technology partnerships in the Singapore innovation and enterprise ecosystem.
The delegation was in Singapore and Malaysia as part of their global MBA outreach programme hosted by the South African High Commission (SAHC) in collaboration with the Nanyang Technological University-Singapore Business Federation (NTU-SBF) Centre for African Studies (CAS). Part of the CAS-SAHC MBA outreach programme covered topics on Singapore-Africa bilateral trade and investment relations as well as Singapore’s innovation landscape.
The sixth Innovation and Enterprise Office (IEO) Forum hosted by Ngee Ann Polytechnic on 27 September brought together over 70 representatives from...Read More
The printed circuit board (PCB) has a place in almost all electronic products we see today. Whether it is found in a medical device or a home...Read More
The regulatory framework for commercialisation of medical and health products continue to evolve with innovation developments and increasing health...Read More
Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and IPI were invited to share about corporate innovation opportunities in Singapore with members of Singapore...Read More


text:
OpenAI, the American organization that owns ChatGPT, the chatbot that, thanks to artificial intelligence, responds to sentences written or spoken by users, has suspended the service in Italy, making the site hosting the chatbot inaccessible. The decision was taken after an investigation was launched by the Guarantor for the protection of personal data, also called the Privacy Guarantor, due to an alleged unlawful collection of personal data by the chatbot.
OpenAI said it will refund all Italian users who subscribed to ChatGPT in March and stop automatically renewing already active subscriptions until the service is suspended.
Anyone trying to access the site from Italy will see a flimsy message mentioning the privacy guarantor’s investigation.
OpenAI suspended the service #ChatGPT in Italy. A choice respectful of the Italian provision for the limitation of user data issued by @GPDP_IT . #guarantee #privacyamica pic.twitter.com/LMjEVTvROY
— AGOSTINO GHIGLIA (@GHIGLIAAGOSTINO) April 1, 2023
The Privacy Guarantor’s investigation into ChatGPT was launched on Friday: the Guarantor noted “the lack of information for users and all interested parties whose data is collected by OpenAI, but above all the lack of legal basis justifying the massive collection and storage of personal data, for the purpose of “training” the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform”. For this reason, the Guarantor had ordered a temporary limitation of the processing of Italian users’ data by OpenAI and requested that OpenAI communicate the measures taken to implement the requested protections within 20 days, “under pain of a fine of up to up to 20 million euros or up to 4% of global annual turnover”.
One of the hypotheses was that OpenAI was blocking the registration of new users in Italy for using ChatGPT: in the end, this went further, making the chatbot inaccessible from Italy. In the press release announcing the service’s suspension, Open AI said it will work with the privacy guarantor to ensure its use by Italian users is restored “as soon as possible.”


text:
The world is going to see a new economic reality, which may not be as attractive as that of the heady years of unprecedented growth, says Arindam Bhattacharya.
The economic crisis saw global trade, which had been one of the biggest contributors to global gross domestic product (GDP) growth, contract by over 10 per cent even as global GDP fell by 4 per cent from the heady days of 2006 and 2007.
The pre-crisis global trade flows had underlined a dramatic economic, and by implication, geo-political shift taking place in the world.
In the last two decades, as the world experienced unprecedented economic prosperity, global trade grew more than five times in volume terms from 22 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 1990 to 122 million TEUs by 2007 - a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 per cent.
Perhaps the two most critical and intertwined drivers of this were the disruptive growth of rapidly developing economies (RDEs) driven by their huge cost advantage on the one hand, and the continued growth in consumer demand in the US economy on the other.
These two factors fed on each other and resulted in a fundamental shift in global trading patterns with Asia-related trade flows growing to more than 60 per cent of the global trade by 2007 as the world's economic centre of gravity slowly shifted eastwards.
The fall of global trade cruelly exposed the economies of many countries, both developed and developing, to the vagaries of global integration and has drawn very different survival responses ranging from "anti-globalisation" pressure in many western societies to forcing an emerging economic giant like China to change the direction of its economy and focus much more on growing the domestic market.
As the global economy recovers from its worst-ever crisis in recent times, many questions abound, not just on the future trade flow patterns, but also on the geo-political world that will emerge:
(i) Will the world return to the historical trend rates in global trade and what will be the shape of this recovery?
(ii) Will we see a fundamental re-ordering of the priorities in different countries and an emergence of new trading and political blocs with consequences for the trading environment?
(iii) How will different governments react to crises emerging from exchange rate movements, demand contraction and domestic pressures?
(iv) Will the growing "anti-globalisation" or "economic nationalism" movement gain strength and, if yes, where? (v) Which sectors will be impacted the most?
There are many factors that create uncertainties in answering these questions which are related to global trade.
Besides the specific fallout from the economic crisis, the movement of the Chinese currency, the green/global warming movement, oil price movements and even increasing miniaturisation of products can dramatically change the economics of global supply chains and thus global trade flows.
The answers to these questions are crucial not just for planning export or international growth strategies at the firm level; they will also shape some of the fundamental assumptions underlying the economic planning by nations.
One of the ways to address such high degree of uncertainty is to develop contrasting future scenarios, understand their implications if they come to pass and then develop a set of robust responses both at the country and individual firm level. Let me offer two very contrasting scenarios.
Scenario of global prosperity
The economies of the world return to the pre-crisis path of the prolonged period of high growth. All economies flourish, globalisation continues and free trade grows, driving further economic development around the world.
Asia prospers, ultimately dominating the world economy with well-executed reforms, and growing domestic markets propel China and India to greater heights, and Southeast Asia benefits from the creation of an Asean free-trade zone.
Scenario of a divided world
A divided world is shaped by higher trade protectionism and low global trade. A prolonged economic recession spurs a global protectionist spiral, changing global trade patterns.
The US, China and EU countries become much more internally focused. Trade growth occurs primarily among members of the same trading bloc (i.e., Nafta and the EU) or is based on bilateral agreements.
Global trade slows down. Lack of agreement on carbon emissions results in the US and Europe introducing stiff carbon tariffs on imports from developing nations. Europe and the US move production away from Asia so that they can increase local manufacturing, or the production is taken to near-shore locations.
There is a third scenario, which on the face of it may seem implausible but is not completely improbable. This is the scenario of a "China-US alliance". In this scenario, a new leadership in the US and in China decides to make Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) a vehicle for building the biggest trading bloc that serves the strategic agenda of both the countries, even as Europe frustrates post-2010 negotiations at the WTO and suffers a slow economic decline. India and its firms lose out in this scenario.
Modelling the high-level impact of the scenarios shows that long-term global GDP growth could vary from 1.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent per annum over the next few decades, depending on which scenario emerges.
As a result, the growth of the global trade could vary from 3 per cent to 9 per cent per annum, and the geographical mix of trade flows (origin and source) could shift significantly to the different scenarios.
This huge variation in outcome can make or mar the economic growth plans of many nations. Developing economies like India could see their GDP growth rates getting impacted by as much as 1.5-2 per cent per annum.
Even as we face this uncertainty, there are some directional truths clearly visible. Firstly, whichever scenario unfolds, Asia will come to dominate the global economy as the key export engine for developed economies.
For example, exports from the continent are likely to rise from the current 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the US GDP in the next five-seven years. Secondly, it is quite likely that many countries in the West will see a continued demand slowdown due to the need to deleverage balance sheets and the rising saving rates.
For example, the US economy needs to repay $5.2 trillion of debt to reduce the debt level to a long-run sustainable level of around 80 per cent.
Even staggering it over 10 years could shave off a couple of percentage points from the US GDP due to the ensuing demand contraction. Thirdly, Asia will become the largest trading block in the world with intra-Asia trade alone likely to contribute as much as 35 per cent of the global trade by 2015.
The Indian economy has emerged relatively unscathed in the aftermath of this economic crisis. But several key sectors of the Indian economy, especially exports and capital flows, that had been affected are now slowly getting back to normal.
To make sure this continues in the longer term, it is critical that we understand some of these fundamental shifts that have begun to take place in the post-crisis global economic order, and also their underlying uncertainties.
As a nation, we will have to take some crucial calls on the growth of the global trade, relative importance of export-led economic growth vis-à-vis domestic markets and also the regional focus of our trade policies.
At the firm level, there is a need to build strategies to exploit the directional truths (e.g. investing in industries that are most likely to migrate capacity to Asia; include Asia as a key part of their international expansion and focus not just on Europe or the US).
Besides, it is important to develop contingency plans for the different scenarios that can be triggered by careful tracking of scenario markers.
But one thing is certain. We will face a different economic reality in the coming years and this may not necessarily be as attractive as that of the pre-crisis "Cinderella" years of unprecedented growth of global trade.The author is managing director, The Boston Consulting Group (India).


text:
Kolion Technology Co., Ltd., Mito’s holding?subsidiary, participated the RT Imaging Summit & Expo-EMEA 2017 as an exhibitor at Cairo, Egypt from 23 to 24 April. Mary Ouyang, Mito’s CEO also attend this event.
Mito Color Imaging Co., Ltd. has won “Focus on Quality” again at Business-Inform EXPO 2018 held at Moscow from 12th May to the 17th May 2018. Mito was the winner for the same award last year.
Mito Color Imaging Co., Ltd. will again be presented at Paperworld, exhibiting at Booth C29. As a leading remanufacturing company for laser toner cartridges, Mito has dedicated itself in the remanufacturing of color toner cartridges over the last 14 year and has a range of more than 2,000 alternative models of color & mono laser toner cartridges, drums and copier toner cartridges ,which compatible with various well-known OEM machines.
At the first day of RemaxWorld Expo 2017, RT Media held its Global Industry Awards Ceremony 2017 to honor those organizations or individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the print consumables industry in the past.
Mito participated the RT Imaging Summit & Expo - Americas 2017 as an exhibitor at Cancun, Mexico from June 22-23, 2017.
ReChina Imaging Supplies & 3D Forum was held in May 24, 2017 together with ReChina Expo at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition &Convention Center in Shanghai, China. Several industry experts and entrepreneurs presented their latest industry market research and shared their personal penetrating views.
Mito Color Imaging Co., Ltd. has won “Focus on Quality ” again at Business-Inform EXPO 2017 held at Moscow from 17th May to the 19th May 2017. Mito was the winner for the same award last year.
Mito will participate the RT Imaging Summit & Expo-Americas 2017 in Cancun, Mexico from June 22 to 23.
MITO participated ITEX 2017 as an exhibitor at Las Vegas from 18 to 20 April. As the?largest?and?most extensive event for business solutions providers in the imaging industry in North America, the show has been informative to the buyers as well as the exhibitors. It is also one of the very few platform that both OEM and aftermarket manufacturers will attend at the same time.
Mito exhibited at Paperworld 2017 in Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre from 28 to 31 January 2017. Paperworld 2017 witnessed over 1,500 exhibitors from 65 countries this year. Europe market occupies an important position in Mito’s global business so Mito valued this opportunity very much to make closer connection with European customers.
RemaxWorld Expo 2016 ended in Zhuhai International Convention & Exhibition Center? in October 15th, 2016. As the world’s largest print consumable exhibition, RemaxWorld Expo 2016 witnessed 468 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions, breaking all previous records.


text:
Automated advertising software has liberated the web: While in the past news outlets were directly selling their ad space to advertisers, today every content producer, every blogger can make money by using automated advertising software such as Google Ads to display ads on their website and, thus, make money with their online content.
However, we all know the saying "If it bleeds, it leads". This is not only true for traditional news agencies, but of course also for the world wide web. In fact, the web has become so perfectly optimized to the "If it bleeds, it leads"-mantra that it outperforms any traditional news outlet.
Google and Facebook, two of the most successful internet companies, have built most of their success by optimizing their algorithms in such a way that consumers of their products are increasingly being presented with increasingly sensationalist content through their feed to make users stay on their platforms for as long as possible.
The time a users spends on any free platform means money for this platform: The longer the user stays, the more ads can be displayed.
As a consequence, the free web fuels sensationalism. If serving dopamine is the only way to catch the attention of a bored brain, it is no surprise that the most successful online companies have optimized their feeds accordingly or that many bloggers focus on sensationalism. Just as in markets, where there is demand, supply follows.
To many bloggers it does not matter that what they sell is misinformation. To them, the content is merely a product. Their primary goal is to be the center of attention for as long as possible. And that means being loud and controversial.
Content producers of sensationalist news have higher chances of making money with displaying automated ads than producers of neutral, fact-based content.
Sensationalism and conspiracy theories are the money makers of many online bloggers.
A lot of the conspiracy theorists' success has been boosted by social media as these platforms are perfectly optimized for sensationalist content. As said before, the more time a user spends on the platform, the more they can increase their ad revenue.
Even though some social media platforms are starting to ban conspiracy-related websites, e.g. QAnon related profiles are being banned from many social media platforms since the end of 2020, the conspiracy theorists always find other platforms to boost their content.
However, the platforms only ban the most extreme content. Misinformation and fake news are still widely shared. In fact fake news get much more attention than true news. An MIT study found on social media that "falsehood diffuses significantly farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth, in all categories of information, and in many cases by an order of magnitude".
The COVID19 pandemic has seen a skyrocket of misinformation around the world. This development, however, also put a lot of pressure on social media platforms that made them suspend accounts, delete hundreds of posts and videos, and add infoboxes to help users find reputable information. Google even announced that it would stop ads from running on stories spreading debunked coronavirus conspiracy theories.
However, up to that point "huge amounts of money has been split between the conspiracy theorists, the 'alternative' media and the tech giants themselves", as the Press Gazette reports.
On top of that, it always takes time until conspiracy theories get debunked, accounts get suspended or misinformation gets taken down.
In contrast to that, the underlying algorithms that are optimized for sensationalism support the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories.
As a result sensationalism and conspiracy theories have the upper hand. This is fueled by how the free web works, by how ad tracking and content optimization based on user profiles are influencing people and, thus, societies.
The price we all pay to enjoy a free web is ad tracking. By allowing websites to track every click we do online, we are being tracked, profiled and then targeted with matching content or ads. That's why we call on banning surveillance-based advertising.
This business model, called surveillance capitalism, does not only make you spend money on things that you might not need, it also lets the worst of the web keep growing.
To fix the web, we must change the algorithms. A web that is optimized for sensationalism will continue to help the spread of misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories.
Even though we have lots of fact checking websites by now, it would be much better if web services simply did not optimize for sensationalism.
We need a new web where fake and misleading content is marked as such or removed entirely instantly.
No comments available


text: This very smart Israeli designer has received a lot of attention for his inventive designs. A recent graduate of London's Royal College of Art, Alkalay founded his design studio called Raw Edges in London. This month, he launched a new furniture piece called STACK, a set of dresser drawers that is as sculptural as it is functional. Drawers open from either side. And he was so smart in his color choices. So cool, so interesting. Manufactured by Established & Sons.