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Robots… Quantum advancements… rollable screens. Unfortunately, MTM is not writing a science fiction blockbuster. Instead we have been looking at the key announcements and trends from the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – the annual technology bonanza bringing every AI start-up and tech giant to Las Vegas to show their latest wares. While 2017 was the year Amazon’s Alexa awoke the world to the possibilities of artificial intelligence, this year there were some broader developments.
Robots have feelings too
Last year the world was introduced to Erica – a robot so real she starred in the Taylor Wessing portrait prize, usually restricted to animate beings. This year, our humanoid obsession with robotics appears to have increased. Sophia, the creation of Hong-Kong based Hanson Robotics, provides emotionally driven responses, asks questions, and has even developed feelings and preferences (or has been programmed to). She has been well received; appearing on chat shows, giving speeches, and even becoming a citizen of Saudi Arabia. Erica received a better reception at CES than LG’s Cloi, a new robot designed to co-ordinate smart homes, which sadly refused to respond to any commands. Although this may be due to his attention taken by some scantily clad robot dancersdown the strip…
TV UX is rolling with the times
It wasn’t all bad for LG. The introduction by LG Display of the first rollable television garnered a much more positive response. This 65-inch 4K OLED TV rolls away into a tidy box, doubling as a speaker, and was described by engadget as “indistinguishable from magic”. While aesthetically it is stunning, and space saving, its technology also offers flexibility around aspect ratios for viewing. No longer will movie sessions be impeded by black bars hanging out on the side of the screen, now a simple click can turn 16:9 (standard viewing) to 21:9 (cinematic viewing) instantly.
VR delivers a world of pain
Virtual Reality (VR) has threatened mainstream success for years, without (yet) breaking through. But this year’s CES offers a new variation, whereby VR gets physical. Blackbox, founded in 2016 by two fitness fanatics, has developed a full-body workout in the form of a 30 minute virtual reality experience, challenginggamers to get fit. In a further development, the charged VR Teslasuit uses micro electrical charges to simulate pain, touch and pressure; developing a VR experience into a full body sensation. Imagine zombie first-person shooters where being caught causes more pain than a loss of points.
Computing takes a quantum leap
Intel made one of the most mystifying announcements, in among an unnerving drone EDM performance: it has made a breakthrough in developing its quantum computing capacity. Put simply, quantum computing arose out of a desire to make computing more energy efficient through using subatomic particles that can exist in two states simultaneously. Although quantum computing is still in a nascent stage (Intel has developed only 0.0049% of a total quantum computer), Intel CEO Brian Krzanich predicts it will be capable of solving global problems such as drug development, financial modelling and climate forecasting much faster than currently possible; which today can take even the best supercomputers months or years.
Electric cars get a Byton boost
Last year in electric cars, Faraday Future announced its arrival. Although generating a buzz, production issues at the company, depleted cash flows and an exodus of employees prevented the precocious start-up from generating much else. Many of its employees jumped ship though to Byton – a Chinese start-up set to rival Tesla (itself facing production difficulties). The Byton SUV, at an affordable £33,000, offers sleek, contemporary design, a 323 mile limit, and the interior experience of a home assistant. Through the development of Alexa-powered deep artificial intelligence, Byton boasts machine-learning capabilities that analyse vehicle data and environmental conditions to optimise the speed and settings of the vehicle. A futuristic car, both inside and out.
If you would like to discuss CES or any other tech trends, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

domain: news


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HealthDay News — According to a new report by the AARP Public Policy Institute, the prices of brand-name drugs used by many older Americans rose nearly 130 times faster than inflation last year.
Researchers examined the prices of 268 brand-name prescription drugs widely used by seniors, including 49 in drug categories that are used to treat common and often chronic conditions such as hypertension, hyper-lipidemia and diabetes.
The retail prices of the drugs rose an average of 15.5% in 2015, compared with a 0.1% increase in the general inflation rate, according to the AARP report. Of the 268 drugs included in the report, 97% had retail price increases in 2015. Seven had average price increases of more than 50%.
“Prescription drug therapy is not affordable when its cost exceeds the patient’s entire income,” report coauthor Leigh Purvis, MPA, director of health services research at the AARP Public Policy Institute, said in an AARP news release.
“Even if patients are fortunate enough to have good health care coverage, high prescription drug costs translate into higher out-of-pocket costs — especially for those who pay a percentage of drug costs rather than a fixed co-payment — as well as higher premiums, deductibles and other forms of cost-sharing.”
Brand Name Drug Prices Increase Nearly 130 Times Faster Than Inflation [press release]. Washington, DC: American Association of Retired Persons; December 14, 2016.


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Over 400 Years of Coins Digitized and Visualized in Princeton University’s FLAME Database
From the Princeton University Library:
In July 2021, the Framing the Late Antique and Early Medieval Economy (FLAME) project passed the major milestone of digitizing, storing, and visualizing the production and movement of more than 700,000 coins across Western Afro-Eurasia.
FLAME is a Princeton University-based project that supplies hard data about the early medieval economy over about 400 years (from 325 to 750 CE). It is head-quartered in Princeton University Library’s Special Collections, where it is run by FLAME Chair and Princeton’s Curator of Numismatics Alan Stahl and Database Coordinator Mark Pyzyk. Recently, FLAME launched its second major web application—the Circulation Module—designed to track coin movement across a region stretching from Portugal to India. The application stores information on hundreds of thousands of coins, including where they were minted, as well as where they traveled.
Direct to FLAME Website
About Gary Price
Gary Price (firstname.lastname@example.org) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. Before launching INFOdocket, Price and Shirl Kennedy were the founders and senior editors at ResourceShelf and DocuTicker for 10 years. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com, and is currently a contributing editor at Search Engine Land.


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To officially introduce the Phantom X2 series to the world market, Tecno recently organised a massive launch event in Dubai. The Phantom X2 5G will arrive in India in January, according to an official announcement made by the company today. Its landing page has gone live on Amazon India in advance of the launch. Here are some specifications and other information about the device.
Tecno Phantom X2 Specifications and Features
The Tecno Phantom X2 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset. The smartphone features a 6.8-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED curved-edge display. Moreover, the device runs on the HiOS 12-based Android 12 OS. Other additional features of the Tecno Phantom X2 includes an in-screen fingerprint scanner and Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The Phantom X2 features up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage and up to 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The device is backed by a 5,160mAh battery unit which supports 45W of fast charging.
Speaking about camera layout, the X2 boasts a triple back camera setup with a 64MP main camera, a 13MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP camera. For taking selfies and making video calls, the device has a 32MP front-facing camera.
Tecno Phantom X2 Price and Availability
The Phantom X2 costs SAR 2,700 (about $717; Rs 59,350) in Saudi Arabia. The X2's price for the Indian market is unknown. The device will be available in Grey and silver colour options. A Phantom X2 Pro 5G launch in India is also conceivable. It's uncertain whether it will emerge in Q1 2023.
According to the Phantom X2 5G's Amazon page, pre-orders will start on the retailer's website on January 2. On January 9, the first sales are expected to start. The Phantom X2 Pro 5G's launch in India has not been announced; hence it is likely that it will not be launching with the Phantom X2. A few customers who pre-book the Phantom X2 will also be eligible for a free upgrade to the Phantom X3 when it becomes available, according to the listing. The Phantom X3 series will most likely be released in the second half of 2023.


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Apple didn’t invent the mobile phone, but it did create the iPhone—the intuitive smartphone that introduced the pinch-and-zoom, took the world by storm and upped the ante for mobile phone manufacturers everywhere. As the Cupertino, Calif.-based company prepares to release its results for the most recent quarter after the markets close on Tuesday, we take a look back at the humble beginnings of the cellphone, and how its design has evolved from bulky to sleek. That evolution may be swinging back in the other direction. Apple, for instance, is reportedly testing larger iPhones to satisfy the demand for everything from games to video, while potentially increasing the phone screen’s advertising real estate.
Here are 10 phones that have shaped the mobile world.
1973: The Motorola DynaTAC2
Forty years ago, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper made the first cellphone call. A lot has changed since Cooper walked onto the streets of New York four decades ago and placed the first mobile call to his rival Joel Engel at Bell Labs. Cooper’s first phone weighed 2.5 pounds, was 9 inches long, 5 inches deep and 1.75 inches wide. Now compare that to the smartphone in your pocket—it is unlikely it weighs more than 10 ounces. And while modern mobile phone users may not be able to even fathom using a 1980s brick phone, it was quite the accessory back in the days. Just check out this commercial for one of the first Motorola phones. To get your hands on such a bad boy you had to find $3,995 in your pocket, so it isn’t just the size that has changed over time but also the price. At left, Cooper in later years, holding the groundbreaking phone.
1983: Motorola’s DynaTAC 8000x
Motorola introduces the first commercial cellphone, the DynaTAC 8000x, at a retail price of $3,995. It weighed around 30 ounces.
1989: Motorola’s MicroTAC 9800x
The smallest and lightest phone on the market at the time and the first phone that wasn’t a brick. Price tag: $3,000. Despite its high price it was well received.
1995: Ericsson’s GH337
The GH337 was launched as Ericsson’s ERICB, +3.47% flagship business phone and weighed a little less than 7 ounces.
1996: Palm Pilot 1000
The Palm Pilot 1000 was one of the first so-called PDAs, or personal digital assistants. It couldn’t call, but was a steppingstone for the smartphone. It came with a price tag of $299.
2003: BlackBerry 6210
After launching several devices with no calling functions, BlackBerry BBRY, +0.90% released the 6210, the first BlackBerry to come with an integrated phone where no headset was required.
2007: The first iPhone
Apple AAPL, +2.96% sparked smartphone hysteria and really fueled the touch-phone era when it released its first iPhone in 2007. The 4GB model was priced at $449 and the 8GB at $599.
2013: BlackBerry Z10
10 years after launching one of its most popular phones ever, BlackBerry in March released its new flagship phone, hoping to bring the phone maker back into the cellular limelight.
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In 2018, the company cut exports by 15% year-on-year, to 2.38 million tonnes. Among this tonnage, around 1.95 million tonnes, or 82%, was related to shipments of hot-rolled coil (HRC), a source inside the company told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for CIS-origin exports of HRC was stable week on week at $445-465 per tonne fob Black Sea on January 28.
In 2018, the average price assessment was $550.57 per tonne fob Black Sea, up from $505.29 per tonne in 2017.
In 2018, MMK shipped 9.03 million tonnes of finished steel products to the home market. That was 5.9% more than in 2017, when local sales totaled 8.53 million tonnes.


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By Katrina Kukhar | Lynnwood Times Staff
Communities and our sense of unity are most tested during tough times. The Lynnwood community stepped up to the challenge when one of their own needed assistance.
“We’re tired of all this crap. We are exhausted,” expressed Tiffany Teasdale, owner of Lynnwood Gun and Ammunition. “I’m tired of the looting.”
Following reports of rioters and looters coming to Lynnwood amidst protests following the death of George Floyd, the community took it upon themselves to stand guard outside of Lynnwood Gun and Ammunition as a means of protection.
“Our community is reaching out and helping us because we help them,” said an emotional Teasdale. “We do fundraisers with them and they’re coming out and supporting us and protecting my business, it’s amazing.”
Teasdale says that for Lynnwood Gun and Ammunition, precautionary measures were necessary.
“We had people volunteer to put boards up on our windows so the looters and thieves wouldn’t break into the store and steal firearms,” she explained. “We all know what people do with them when they are taking them unlawfully. We wanted to take this preventative step to ensure the safety of our community and families.”
The Edmonds and Lynnwood Police Departments were some of the community members who readily responded to calls from the gun store. According to Teasdale, an off-duty cop patrolled the area in the morning, while other individuals from the community would stand guard outside the store during the night.
“We are truly humbled by all the love from our amazing community! We want to give a shout out and a HUGE thank you to all of you who helped and have called to make sure our store and staff were safe,” wrote the store in a social media post.
The post continued saying, “we also want to give a HUGE thank you to Lynnwood PD and Edmonds PD! They really stepped up – not only running off potential troublemakers – but really ensuring the safety and security of businesses and neighborhoods!”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Teasdale chose to keep her doors open, asserting that people are desperate to arm themselves as a means of protection.
When asked if the store has seen an increase in firearm sales Teasdale exclaimed, “100%… there’s probably a 200% increase… It’s been absolutely crazy.”
“We are not increasing prices here because we don’t feel that’s right. So, what we did, we just brought more inventory in to give people the ability to buy more,” she continued.
At the end of our interview, Teasdale concluded, “Now I’m hoping that after this is all over, we can all join hands, everybody, across the board and say we’re family.”
Lynnwood Guns and Ammunition, located at 20829 Hwy 99, opened shop in October 2013 and is open 6 days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.


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Pinterest is striking a partnership with Datalogix to help brands find out how effective their ads were in driving sales, according to sources with direct knowledge of the plans. The new relationship is expected to be in effect in time for holiday shopping, according to one digital marketing exec, but it could come in 2016. Pinterest is also in talks with Acxiom, the source said.
“Pinterest is moving very quickly to integrate Datalogix and other third parties into the platform,” the digital marketing exec said.
Datalogix helps brands determine which of their customers viewed online ads before making a purchase decision. It’s a key metric that helps brands see how effectively they are spending their media dollars.
“It has big sweeping implications and opens a ton of advertisers for Pinterest, looking for that degree of attribution,” said another advertising source, who helps brands buy Promoted Pins through Pinterest’s ad platform. “This shows brands in-store sales they’re unable to see without Datalogix.”
The source added that a number of brands have been reluctant to spend on the platform without having a way to the ultimately gauge the impact. Datalogix has partnerships with Pinterest rivals like Facebook and Twitter, which use its data technology to inform ad retargeting, as well as measure results.
Sources said that Pinterest would lean on Datalogix and others for the benefits they bring to measurement, more than ad targeting.
Pinterest has been strengthening its ad technology slowly but steadily over the past two years, positioning itself as a rival to Google and search marketing, because its users are busy posting pins in a way that implies an interest in future purchases.
The company likes to say that it’s not a social network where people go to say what they’re up to; people use Pinterest to plan their future projects — whether it’s a vacation, wedding, home renovation or wardrobe.
Pinterest has built up its marketing platform, which helps brands post freely to the site and track how well their pins perform. It also built up its paid advertising business, giving more tools to brands to plan campaigns and the ability to buy Promoted Pins through third-party ad platforms. There are also newer formats like Buyable and Cinematic Pins, which are kind of like GIFs.
Salesforce is among the marketing partners that help brands plan their Pinterest promotions. Datalogix has information on consumers, such as loyalty card purchase histories, a rep for Salesforce said. “So if someone views an ad or a post, what do they do after that?” the rep said. “Datalogix can match that engagement data with in-store purchases.”
Pinterest would not comment on any specific partnerships. “We remain very focused on finding the right measurement solutions to help our partners understand the full value that Pinterest is driving for them,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. “We are always on the lookout for innovative and effective solutions but don’t have any additional details to share at this time.”
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The Biden administration on Friday released new rules that will significantly shorten the list of electric vehicles that qualify for federal tax credits. Officials hope the change will push carmakers to move their supply chains out of China and to the United States or its allies.
The rules, issued by the Treasury Department, are a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, which Democrats passed last year to fight climate change by encouraging the use of zero-emission vehicles and green energy. The law also seeks to reduce the industry’s reliance on China, which makes most of the world’s batteries and dominates the processing of critical raw materials.
For purchases of their electric cars to qualify for up to $7,500 in tax credits, automakers must meet strict requirements for where they assemble the cars and batteries and where they get the materials that go into batteries. Only a handful of vehicles are expected to qualify for the full credit when the rules, which are more stringent than previous requirements, go into effect April 18, down from 21 now.
The new rules, which could be revised in response to comments from the public, will require that a certain percentage of the components and minerals in each electric car’s battery come from domestic sources or countries with which the United States has trade agreements.
The full list of qualifying cars will not be published for a couple of weeks, but Tesla has begun informing buyers that the changes would affect its lineup. The company said on its website that the least expensive version of its Model 3 sedan, one of the most popular electric cars, would no longer be eligible for the full credit. The car uses a battery made in China.
General Motors said Friday that three electric vehicles it plans to sell this year – the Cadillac Lyriq and electric versions of the Chevrolet Equinox and Blazer sport utility vehicles – would qualify for the full credit.
James M. Wickett, a partner at Hogan Lovells who focuses on tax and energy policy, said the electric vehicle tax credit was “moving supply chains, to the tune of tens of billions.”
“The details matter in a significant way,” he added.
One significant detail on Friday expanded the program to include battery minerals from Japan and paved the way for adding more countries, such as the 27 members of the European Union.
Officials in the United States, Europe and elsewhere have also begun discussing plans to build a kind of buyers’ club for critical minerals that could exert pressure over the global industry, including setting higher labor and environmental standards for mining, processing and manufacturing.
The race is on for manufacturers whose vehicles don’t qualify for the U.S. tax credits to procure the minerals and components that will satisfy the requirements. The credit awards a significant competitive advantage to any car that makes the grade.
To be eligible, at least 50% of the components in an electric car battery must be made in North America. And 40% of the minerals used to make the batteries, which often contain nickel, manganese and cobalt, must come from domestic sources or from countries that have trade agreements with the United States. The minerals quota will rise every year until it reaches 80% by 2027, and the component quota will climb to 100% in 2029.
The administration said it would later issue rules clarifying how much investment that companies could receive from countries like China and Russia and still qualify for tax credits. The law includes prohibitions on using critical minerals and battery components from a “foreign entity of concern,” a term that includes companies based in China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
Siyu Huang, the CEO of Factorial Energy, a Massachusetts company that is developing advanced batteries with backing from Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Stellantis, welcomed the trade agreement with Japan. But she said it would be “very challenging” to acquire battery-grade lithium because almost all the refineries are in China.
“The critical part of this is really about where the lithium is coming from,” Huang said.
In writing the rules, Biden officials have tried to balance two priorities: encouraging Americans to buy cleaner cars to mitigate climate change, and trying to bring more factories for cars, batteries and battery materials to the United States and its allies.
Company executives, and some analysts, said the administration had come down on the side of the latter goal. Given the limited number of vehicles that currently qualify for tax credits, some consumers could decide to wait to buy an electric car until more become eligible in a few years, said William Reinsch, the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
“What always happens if people are uncertain is they hold on to their wallets,” Reinsch said.
Jennifer Safavian, the CEO of Autos Drive America, which represents foreign carmakers such as Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen, welcomed Japan’s inclusion and said it would help strengthen supply chains. Yet, she added, the drop in the number of eligible cars would slow the growth of electric cars.
But some lawmakers complain the Biden administration has been too generous to foreign companies. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a pivotal player in the Inflation Reduction Act’s writing and passage, said this week that he may bring a court case challenging the administration’s interpretation of the law.
In a statement Friday, Manchin said that the Treasury Department’s guidance “completely ignores the intent” of the act.
“It is horrific that the administration continues to ignore the purpose of the law, which is to bring manufacturing back to America and ensure we have reliable and secure supply chains,” he said. “American tax dollars should not be used to support manufacturing jobs overseas.”)
The legislation has already shaken up the car industry. Immediately after President Joe Biden signed the bill in August, a provision excluded from the tax credits any electric vehicles not made in the United States, Mexico or Canada.
Hyundai and Kia cars made in South Korea no longer qualified, angering that nation’s leaders, who felt betrayed by a close military and trade partner. Sales of South Korean-made electric vehicles have since lost market share in the United States.
The law also proved to be a major source of friction diplomatically. Leaders of the European Union, Japan and other U.S. allies feared the program would lure investment away from their countries or force them to offer more generous subsidies to compete with the United States.
Because the European Union, Japan and Britain do not have free-trade agreements with the United States, products from those countries, including battery materials, did not qualify for any portion of the tax credits.
Under pressure from foreign governments, the Biden administration proposed a workaround. In a news release, the Treasury Department said the law did not define the term “free trade agreement,” which “could include newly negotiated critical minerals agreements.” The Biden administration signed a limited trade deal with Japan on Tuesday covering critical minerals, and is negotiating a similar deal with the European Union.
But the strategy has been strongly criticized by lawmakers in Congress, who have said the administration failed to consult with them on trade policy, or argue that U.S. taxpayer money will now subsidize Japanese industry.
For consumers, the new rules are likely to make many electric vehicles more expensive.
At least some Tesla vehicles are likely to remain eligible. The company makes cars in California and Texas and batteries in Nevada. Ford Motor said it would “soon” disclose whether any of its vehicles qualify.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.


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Brexit-Hit Building Merchants Rise on Year-End Sales ReprieveBy
U.K. construction material sales saw strong end to 2016
SIG, Grafton lost market value following Brexit referendum
SIG Plc led British building-material suppliers higher in London trading, rising the most in 6 1/2 years, as a pick up in sales boosted investor optimism in an industry wounded by the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union.
The Sheffield-based supplier of wall insulation reported a 1.1 percent increase in sales in the U.K. and Ireland despite “challenging” market conditions, with currency movements offsetting a decline in mainland Europe. In a statement Friday, it also reiterated its outlook for 2016 profit to be 75 million pounds ($91 million) to 80 million pounds.
SIG on Nov. 11 warned investors about a slowdown in construction activity stemming from the outcome of the Brexit vote, sending its shares down as much as 24 percent. Dublin-based Grafton Plc added to the relief, saying today U.K. merchanting sales picked up in the final quarter of 2016, with group revenue for the year up 13 percent at 2.51 billion pounds ($3.06 billion).
Grafton rose 5.7 percent to 571.5 pence as of 9:10 a.m., with industry peer Travis Perkins Plc. gaining as much as 4.3 percent.


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Kana seeks to bring P-to-P to B-to-B, CRM
- 08 February, 2002 13:48
Kana Communications is looking at ways to add peer-to-peer communications to its e-commerce offerings, first for business-to-business transactions and then for business-to-consumer applications, to enable real-time collaboration.
The company has just licensed the Jabber Communications Platform for instant messaging for use internally by Kana developers. But Kana's plans for instant messaging and p-to-p computing extend beyond that to enable collaboration via Kana CRM applications, according to Bud Michael, executive vice president of products and marketing at Kana, in Menlo Park, California.
"That's why we're looking at Jabber and other technologies or platforms that would enable p-to-p computing," Michael said.
In a b-to-b paradigm, for example, several business partners could work together to contribute input on a proposal, Michael said. "It just dramatically increases the productivity," he said.
Kana is thinking mostly of utilizing p-to-p technologies in b-to-b applications and would not do so for more than a year, Michael said. In business-to-consumer environments, p-to-p technologies could be deployed in self-help applications for quicker interaction between merchants and customers on problem tickets, he said. Kana would want to extend this to wireless, non-PC devices such as PDAs and cell phones, but roadblocks exist such as the fragmented wireless services market in the United States, which impedes communication, Michael said.
One analyst, however, raised doubts about the possibility of utilizing p-to-p technologies in e-commerce applications.
"Beyond internal support deployments, the use of chat/instant messaging as a customer service application has failed to capture the fancy of online consumers," said David Daniels, senior analyst at Jupiter Media Metrix. "Several sites have shut off the feature because of poor user adoption."


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About 69 percent of consumers order food online using a mobile device, according to a new study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Viggle.
In the study, IAB and Viggle found that restaurant-specific app downloads are on the rise. The study found that users use their mobile device to find out restaurant locations, check out menus, and see other users’ reviews.
“This research highlights the fact that the mobile internet is increasingly becoming a vital tool to help consumers navigate their everyday lives – even when it comes to simple tasks such as ordering a pizza,” said Anna Bager, IAB vice president and general manager of the Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence.
“Restaurant and fast-food chain marketers should pay close attention to this trend and take advantage of the opportunities that mobile offers, making it a key part of their ad-buying strategy.”
The study found that 50 percent of consumers surveyed have downloaded a restaurant-branded app on their mobile device. Another 55 percent of those surveyed were found to have downloaded restaurant review apps.
According to the study, Yelp was the most popular restaurant review app. Survey respondents reported that 37 percent of them downloaded the Yelp app. Urbanspoon came in second to Yelp in the category. The survey found that 24 percent of those surveyed use the Urbanspoon app.
IAB’s and Viggle’s study comes in the run-up to this year’s Super Bowl on February 3. According to those surveyed, 28 percent of them will use a mobile device to order food online during the Super Bowl.
Those surveyed said that pizza was the favorite food to order on an online mobile device. About 72 percent of those surveyed said they order pizza online using a mobile device.
The second most popular foods to get through an Internet-connected mobile device were found to be burgers and Chinese food. The two food types tied to account for 31 percent of the study’s votes.
“Restaurant marketers should consider these insights when planning for future mobile campaigns. Mobile users are clearly looking for benefits to motivate them into transitioning their food ordering experience onto their smartphone or tablet,” said Greg Consiglio, Viggle president and chief operating officer.
“Dining establishments and fast-food giants continue to leverage new incentive-based platforms for ordering via mobile devices, providing their customers with the easiest possible way to place an order.”
The study comes from a 573 member survey conducted on Viggle users. Viggle reports that the survey was fielded from January 7 to January 9 of this year.
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According to Deloitte’s annual retail holiday sales forecast, retailers should expect to see an uptick in both in-store and online sales this coming holiday.
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"Fly me to the moon."
That literally may be the next big endeavor that billionaire Yusuke Maezawa embarks upon after suddenly resigning as CEO of the e-commerce fashion site he founded, Zozo, and agreeing to sell a 30% stake in it to Yahoo Japan for upwards of 243 billion yen ($2.3 billion). He currently owns 36% of the company.
Known for his tweets to his 4 million followers on Twitter, art collecting and recent purchase for all the slots on Space X’s first flight around the moon–at a cost that might dwarf his $110.5 million purchase in 2017 of a Basquiat painting, the high-flying Maezawa had hit a rough patch in the past year.
The company, which he founded two decades ago in his apartment after a stint as a rock musician, saw its first profit decline since its 2007 listing because of management missteps. Losses from a bespoke Zozo suit business and major brands dumping the site over discounts took their toll. In the fiscal year through March, net income dropped by nearly 21% to 16 billion yen on revenue of 118.4 billion yen, and shares have plunged about a quarter over the past year.
While acknowledging his mistakes at a two-hour press conference, he said there were two personal reasons for his resignation: Preparing for the 2023 lunar mission, including going into space once before that, and wanting to feel the “rush” of building a company from the ground up again.
"Training to go into space will to take up much of my time," he said, flanked by his successor at Zozo, Kotaro Sawada, and the president of Yahoo Japan.
“Up until now, I had managed based on gut feelings. At times, I read things incorrectly, and regret the mistakes. Sawada is the exact opposite of my instinct-based management and adept at management based on logic, like crunching data and testing things out first,” he said.
In the tender offer expected to start early next month, Yahoo Japan plans to take a 50.1% stake worth some 400 billion yen and leverage Zozo’s 8 million customers to improve the competitiveness of its own e-commerce business against Japan’s top two e-commerce giants, Amazon and Rakuten.
Billionaire Masayoshi Son, the founder and CEO of Softbank Group, which controls Yahoo Japan, made a cameo appearance at the press event. Son, wearing the same T-shirt as Maezawa emblazoned with the phrase, “Let’s Start Today,” noted their personal ties and that Maezawa approached him first about retiring from Zozo, starting the talks that led to the deal. (Start Today was Zozo’s name until last year.)
Maezawa didn’t discuss his reason for selling most of his stake and denied that he needed to sell his shares to pay back the loans, which he took out, for example, for art purchases. He has pledged a large chunk of his Zozo stake as collateral for them, but that amount has dropped recently, according to Japanese regulatory filings. His fortune is currently estimated at $2.2 billion on Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.
“This partnership [deal] has nothing to do with my debt. I strongly refute that,” Maezawa said. “When you buy things, you borrow money, take out a loan. The only difference with me is that there’re a few more zeros.”
I am happy to announce that I just won this masterpiece. When I first encountered this painting, I was struck with so much excitement and gratitude for my love of art. I want to share that experience with as many people as possible. バスキア落札しました。アートを好きになってよかった。このペインティングをはじめて見た時、心からそう思いました。みなさんにも見てもらえる機会を作れたらいいなと思っています。 #jeanmichelbasquiat #basquiat #バスキア #ありがとう @sothebys


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A Newport Beach firm has acquired its first Los Angeles County homesite with the goal of bringing 50 luxury homes online in Chatsworth by next year.
An industrial building has traded hands in Simi Valley in an $8.2 million deal which closed on April 12, according to an announcement by PCI Commercial Reality Group.
A new study found that Santa Clarita ranks No. 18 among medium-sized cities nationwide for year-over-year rent growth.
A corner retail property in San Fernando has changed hands for $850,000, or $158 a square foot.
Public Storage has promoted Nathaniel Vitan to chief legal officer and corporate secretary as of April 20, the company said in a statement.
A 4,500-square-foot office building in Van Nuys has sold in an all-cash deal for $1.3 million, or $288.89 per square foot, according to brokerage CREI.
Aurora Village Apartments, a low-income senior housing project in Lancaster, has traded for $8.65 million, according to Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura.
A Chatsworth warehouse has sold for $9.65 million to its tenant Allsale Electric.
A North Hills multifamily property has sold for nearly $4.9 million, or $318 per square foot.
A 38,994-square-foot office building in Sherman Oaks has sold for $11.6 million, or $298 per square foot, according to an announcement by Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura.
Warner Bros. Entertainment announced Monday major expansion plans for its Burbank headquarters, which will include the acquisition of a nearby studio complex and the creation of two Frank Gehry-designed office towers.
A Van Nuys-based movie production studio has changed hands for the first time since its 1957 founding for $1.6 million, or $181 per square foot, according to brokers involved in the deal.
The former Sears location at Westfield Valencia Town Center will become the site of a project dubbed the Patios Connection, building on the success of the retail center’s existing element, The Patios.
A 22-unit multifamily property in North Hollywood has sold for the first time in nearly 30 years for nearly $5.2 million.
Semtech Corp. and PS Business Parks have been added to the S&P MidCap 400 index.


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Fundraiser supports wine country recovery efforts
California flower farmers are joining agriculture and tourism industry partners to support a pop-up feast to benefit wine country wildfire recovery efforts. The event, The Grateful Table, will be held Tues., Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. in an idyllic vineyard at the Napa-Sonoma County line.
Donations of California Grown Flowers and floral design are being coordinated by the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC). Flowers will be sent by flower farmers up and down the state in support of this important fundraising effort. Approximately 1,000 people are expected to attend the evening’s fundraiser, making for a very long table where guests will enjoy an all-California Grown farm to fork style dinner in the middle of the vineyard.
CCFC and Certified American Grown Flowers are very familiar with the feast’s format and are prepared to lend a hand thanks to their three years of experience hosting the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour.
“This is a wonderful way for our farms to support the recovery effort of the communities that have been impacted by these fires” shared CCFC CEO & Ambassador Kasey Cronquist. “As their flower donations have come in, we’re learning about the many connections our farmers have with people who were affected by these fires. They are very happy to give their blooms to the cause.”
The floral design team is being lead by Heather Frye and Camille Rowan of Venn Floral. Heather and Camille will be leading a volunteer team of floral designers to help create the beautiful tablescape for the evening’s event.
The Grateful Table is hosted by Chef Tyler Florence and friends, along with the team at Outstanding in the Field.
Guests can purchase single tickets, tables, or buy a seat for a first responder or residents who were affected by the fires.
One hundred percent of ticket sales will be donated to nonprofits helping those directly impacted by the fires, including;
- Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund
- Sonoma County Resilience Fund
- Mendocino County Disaster Fund
- California Restaurant Association Foundation
Visit visitcalifornia.com/grateful-table to learn more and to purchase tickets.
A big thank you to Torchio Nursery and Jessup Transportation for providing the logistics support for this effort.
Thank you to Syndicate Sales for assisting with the hard goods support.


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Recently, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said it has closely monitored developments in cryptocurrencies and is exploring whether there is potential value in developing an Australian digital currency. The digital currency to be proposed will allow commercial banks and other corporates across the country use to speed up transactions.
The reserve bank has been carrying out Ethereum-based trials for a potential digital coin and is looking into how 3rd parties can contribute to its research.
In a proposal presented before the Senate Select Committee, the RBA noted that these innovations in payment systems could help boost productivity in the broader economy and push Australia towards becoming a digital economy.
The bank assessed that there is presently no case for building a central bank digital currency (CBDC), but wants to leverage blockchain for household use.
Other benefits of a digital currency would be to facilitate ‘atomic transactions’ which only allow a transaction to go ahead if all parts of an exchange are executed, reducing settlement risk.
RBA Not Convinced About Crypto
According to the RBA, crypto has the potential to affect its mandates as the issuer of banknotes and operator of the country’s real-time gross settlement system.
In fact, the RBA does not see cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin taking off in Australia as a means of payment, given its extreme volatility. However, the reserve bank, in its submission assured everyone that it is ‘all-in’ for the stable coins emerging in the country.
The bank, however, believes that the next generation of cryptocurrencies could become more widely used in the future.
Facebook’s Libra will not be allowed in Australia
According to the same proposal, the RBA has quelled any hopes of Facebook launching its digital currency in the country.
Even though Libra cryptocurrency has the potential to be broadly popular, given the involvement of big corporations such as Facebook that may leverage their large existing user bases and technological capabilities, it would not be allowed in Australia.
The bank argued that it endorsed the view of the G7 that global stablecoins should not be permitted to launch until risks relating to consumer/investor protection, data privacy, monetary policy, and financial stability are addressed.
Furthermore, the bank said it was unclear if there would be strong demand for Libra-style stablecoins, given the availability of many low-cost real-time payment methods.


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Sun Micro up after Oracle says it will buy it
NEW YORK |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Sun Microsystems JAVA.O rose in premarket trade on Monday, after Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) said it would buy the company for $9.50 a share in cash.
Shares of Sun surged 27.1 percent to $8.50 before the bell, while Oracle shares were down 4.2 percent to $18.25.
(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica, Editing by Walker Simon)
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This Story Brought To You By
Ready to travel? These are the trends for summer 2021
By Kiersten Willis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Troy Warren for Hometown Hall #travel-all
U.S. travelers are already looking to next year to plan their warm-weather getaways.
Although winter is approaching, Americans are already beginning to book trips for warmer, sunnier months.
While many travelers opted to remain close to home amid the coronavirus pandemic this year, they’re seeking international destinations for 2021, according to U.K.-based travel company Skyscanner.
Among the top 10 most-searched destinations, six are outside of the United States, the metasearch and travel agency recently announced. Its research also shows search volumes are steadily increasing — including a 25% increase last month.
“2021 looks like it’s going to be a bumper year for travel, with so many Americans desperate to get out and explore the world again. Some are reorganizing a ‘missed’ trip, some are using unspent funds and vacation days to upgrade to bucket-list getaways, and some are embracing Americana, using internal flights to discover a variety of hidden gems on U.S. soil. What we can see from our data is growing search and booking numbers, and more even split between domestic and international destinations in July and August 2021,” said Mark Crossey, US Traveler Expert at Skyscanner in a statement.
“US. vacationers are obviously keen to enjoy their best-loved international hotspots, with traditional favorites London and Paris taking the top and third spots in the ten searched,” he added.
The most-searched destinations are below.
Papeete, French Polynesia
The international change will likely be a welcome one for U.S. travelers. In the last few months, Americans have embraced domestic travel as the coronavirus pandemic continues. TheTransportation Security Administration recorded almost 1 million travelers checking in on September 4th ahead of Labor Day weekend. At the time, Montrae Waiters, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group said “Labor Day is typically the last big hurrah of the summer travel season and added that “short road trips become popular solutions to get some relaxation.”
While Atlanta didn’t make it among the most-searched options for Skyscanner’s list, below are several ways you can enjoy the state’s offerings if you’d rather stay put next summer.


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The increase in car production at both Dacia’s plant in Mioveni and at Ford’s plant in Craiova placed Romania on the top spot among the countries with the highest car production growth rate in 2013.
Romania produced 411.000 cars in 2013, up 21.7 percent on year. The growth rate helped Romania surpass countries such as Austria (20 percent increase) or China (14.8 percent) according to data provided by The International Organisation of Car Makers (OICA).
2013 was a record year for Dacia, with over 342,000 cars produced. It was also the first year when the Ford plant had a complete production line. It constructed 68,339 cars, up 123 percent on year and a record for the Craiova factory, writes zf.ro.
“Romania has the potential to keep growing in this industry because we are attractive from a geographical and financial point of view. Of course, we can’t compare average salaries in Romania with the ones in western Europe but this is one of the reasons Romania has attracted foreign investments in last years, despite obstacles such as infrastructure”, Bogand Belciu commented, from PwC Romania.


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AgweekTV: Chinese tariffs, cold calving, Dairy Expo
This week on AgweekTV, soybean growers are nervous about a proposed Chinese tariff increase that could hit the region hard. Why do so many ranchers calve during these cold winter months? We talked to a few ranchers to find out. And we'll find out what's driving the discussions among dairy producers here at the Central Plains Dairy Expo.


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YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was recently called onto stage to answer tough questions from the creator community at the platform’s first-ever Gaming Creator Summit.
One hundred creators from around the world gathered at the end of October in Palm Springs for the three-day event.
YouTube’s creator summits are invite-only and the platform doesn’t generally release details about them, but Wojcicki’s footage and Ryan Wyatt (YouTube’s global head of gaming and virtual reality) shows this first-of-its-kind gathering was similar to YouTube’s general annual Creator Summits.
A mix-and-mingle for notable creators and platform executives, where YouTube can hear directly from the people producing some of its most-watched content. And hear from them YouTube did.
Wojcicki’s questioning was conducted by longtime YouTuber Matthew Patrick, aka MatPat, the creator of popular channels The Game Theorists (12.1M subscribers) and The Film Theorists (8.05M). He didn’t bother with softball queries; instead, he immediately told Wojcicki that gaming creators feel like they’re “second-class citizens” on YouTube.
“It feels like we’re being segregated off from the rest of YouTube even though we’re delivering a huge value to this platform,” he said. (It’s possible he’s referring to the Gaming vertical, a specialized destination YouTube launched in March to host gaming content — although, to be clear, gaming content is not restricted to the Gaming section. YouTube has two other specialized verticals for Music and Fashion content).
“I think, as you can tell, that I was clear just to ask whatever’s on your mind, and not edit it in any way,” Wojcicki laughed. Then she got more serious: “Gaming is an incredibly important part of our ecosystem.”
She added that when she became CEO in 2014, she put together the first team that solely worked on projects related to gaming creators.
That team, based on feedback from said creators, has since been responsible for the development of some of YouTube’s biggest creator monetization tools, like Channel Memberships, Super Chat, and the newly-introduced Super Stickers, she revealed.
COPYRIGHTS DIGITAL MARKETING COMMUNITY 2019


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TuneIn Offers App For Fords
January 10, 2012 at 6:51 PM (PT)
TUNEIN RADIO joins the list of smartphone apps that are compatible with the SYNC® AppLink found in FORD vehicles. The TUNEIN RADIO app will be available for use with vehicles equipped with SYNC AppLink, and will provide drivers with another listening option that can be controlled hands-free through voice commands.
"Smartphone apps have ingratiated themselves into the lives of consumers to such a degree that we have come to depend on them for much of our news and entertainment," FORD CONNECTED SERVICES Global Dir. DOUG VANDAGENS said. "With the addition of TUNEIN, SYNC is reflecting that trend while dramatically increasing the global listening choices for FORD drivers."
"TUNEIN captivates people by offering unprecedented access to listen to anything they want from local talk radio to live sports to music," TUNEIN CEO JOHN DONHAM said. "With TUNEIN, FORD drivers can now more easily enjoy the world’s audio from their favorite hometown stations to broadcasts half a world away, making listening even more global and personal."
TUNEIN is available in 10 languages and on more than 150 devices across all major smartphones and tablets, connected home stereos, smart TVs, car dashboards and online at www.tunein.com. The SYNC-enabled version of TUNEIN RADIO soon will be available through the iTUNES App Store


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Birmingham coffee house and cafe Damascena has celebrated its birthday by raising £8,000 for Acorns Children’s Hospice.
Back in June, the Damascena pledged to donate 10% of total sales during its 7th birthday week to the cause.
Dedicated to helping the families of local children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, Acorns allows them to make the most of their time together.
The idea proved popular with customers and the city-wide business raised £7,168 across its four sites, generously bumping it up to £8,000 before writing the cheque.
West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor, and Acorns Ambassador, Andy Street met Damascena’s Anas Zein Al-Abdeen to accept the cheque.
Anas, managing director, aid: “We’re both grateful for and proud of what we’ve achieved over the past seven years and wanted to mark this milestone by repaying the kindness that Birmingham has shown us.
“We don’t think we could‘ve celebrated in a better way than by fundraising for this truly worthy community cause.
“Thank you so much to our customers who have supported us during this time.
“We couldn’t have done it without you. And the money you’ve raised will be used to help bring some light to local families in the most difficult of circumstances”.
Damascena is an independent coffee shop that specialises in freshly made Middle eastern cuisine.
Established in 2014, the successful business now operates four venues across the city of Birmingham Temple Row West in the centre, Moseley Village, Harborne, and the Jewellery Quarter.
Damascena is due to open its fifth coffee shop next year at Lyndon House, Edgbaston.
The venue will also be home to its headquarters and a barista school.


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The pound dipped slightly lower on Friday following the lower than expected retail sales figures for January.
The pound pared gains against the dollar following the data release. At 10:03 GMT, the GBP/USD was up 0.03% on the previous session close to 1.4101.
The pound reached a two week high against the weaker dollar early on Friday morning, touching 1.4145. Immediately prior to the data release at 09:30 GMT. cable was 1.4105.
According to a report by the Office for National Statistics released on Friday, UK retail sales increased by 0.1% in the three months to January.
December recorded a decline of 1.4%, revised upward from a decline of 1.5%. The consensus figure had been for an increase of 0.5%.
Year on year retail sales, though at the highest since August, were still far lower than analysts had forecast. Retail sales grew 1.6% year on year, while the forecast figure had been 2.6%. The December figure was upwardly revised to 1.5% from 1.4%.
Core retail sales, which exclude automobile sales and fuel, increased by 0.1% in January. Economists had expected a 0.6% rise. December’s reading was revised to a decline of 1.5%, up from the prior 1.6% drop.
Consumers spent more on active wear in January, however food sales fell as households tightened their belts following the festive period. With inflation cooling and wages creeping higher, the Bank of England predicts that the squeeze on consumers in 2018 will ease.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was down 0.14% at 88.35. Earlier in the session, the dollar reached three year lows.
GBP/CAD was down 0.19% to 1.7563.
Investors will be watching Brexit news over the weekend. On Friday, Philip Hammond will conclude his trip European trip, where he has met with several EU finance ministers.
Prime Minister Theresa May is set to meet German chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany. On Saturday, May will make an official Brexit speech at a conference in Munich, the second in a series of six ‘Road to Brexit’ speeches planned for the coming weeks. Boris Johnson spoke in London on Wednesday.


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Composites industry events focus on recycled carbon fiber, filament winding
CETMA and Suez present a workshop on recycled carbon fiber, MF Tech announces global filament winding convention, and SAMPE 2020 abstracts are due Nov. 15.
The latest composites industry event news includes an upcoming workshop on recycled carbon fiber composites, a convention dedicated to filament winding and a Nov. 15 deadline to submit abstracts for the SAMPE 2020 conference and exhibition.
There are numerous methods for fabricating composite components. Selection of a method for a particular part, therefore, will depend on the materials, the part design and end-use or application. Here's a guide to selection.
Safe high-pressure service challenges manufacturers of composite pressure vessels.
Fast-reacting resins and speedier processes are making economical volume manufacturing possible.


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Global commodity trader Louis Dreyfus is gradually expanding its Western Canada grain-handling capacity, but is not looking to be active in mergers and acquisitions as the region moves to an open market, said the head of its Canadian office.
Privately held Louis Dreyfus, based in France, is a major global grain trader but holds just six per cent of Western Canada s grain-handling market share. Bunge Ltd. has said it plans to bolster its presence once Canadian Wheat Board s marketing monopoly ends but his company isn t planning to follow suit, said Brant Randles, president of Louis Dreyfus Canada.
(Company) valuations are very rich in Western Canada, said Randles. In terms of (Louis Dreyfus) being a buyer of another company, I think that s unlikely. It s a mature basin in terms of production and the build-out of capacity.
Louis Dreyfus is adding storage space to two of its 10 Western Canada grain elevators and will look selectively to fill holes in its grain-handling network, but is not contemplating more sweeping moves, Randles said.
But Randles said he expects to see major changes in the sector.
Private grain marketers are likely to want farmers to plant more mid-quality, high-yielding wheat because under the wheat board s control Western Canada currently produces too much top-grade wheat, Randles said.
As much as two-thirds of Western Canada s spring wheat harvest falls into the top two milling grades in some years, but Randles said export and domestic market demand for top supplies usually amounts to no more than half of that.
As a result, some of farmers top-quality wheat ends up sold to buyers who only need medium quality, he said.
Why don t we target our production to our demand? asked Randles.
The switch to an open market also brings challenges for grain traders like Louis Dreyfus. It owns no Western Canada port terminal space of its own and in an open market, will have to work out access agreements to terminals owned by its competitors, in order to ship grain to customers abroad.
Grain handlers will also need to pay more up front once they buy crops straight from farmers, meaning large or small, they will need more cash flow to participate.
Neither is an insurmountable challenge for Dreyfus, Randles said.


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The brokerage industry is expected to clock a record broking income of Rs 27,500-28,500 crore in FY21, a jump of 30-35 per cent compared to Rs 21,000 crore in FY20. The record growth comes on the back of a spurt in retail participation post COVID-19 crash in March 2020 and a resultant pick-up in transaction volumes.
The ICRA sample pool of 12 brokerage companies registered an annualised growth of 34 per cent in broking income and 21 per cent in total revenues in H1 FY2021.
The FY22 outlook for the brokerage industry, however, is "cautiously stable". "The industry growth rate is expected to moderate in FY22 with gradual moderation in transaction volumes. Consequently, ICRA expects industry aggregate broking income of Rs 29,500-30,500 crore (Y-o-Y growth of 7-8 per cent), in FY2022," says Samriddhi Chowdhary, Vice President & Co-head - Financial Sector Ratings, ICRA.
The rating agency notes that many brokerage houses have ventured into other businesses like consumer funding, mortgage lending, commercial real estate lending, etc. "For the purpose of this analysis, the focus has been on capital market performance which continues to dominate the revenue profile."
Discount brokers gain market share
Large brokerages with strong presence in online broking have increased their market share in the current environment, states ICRA. "As per information from the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the top 20 brokerage houses together accounted for about 84 per cent of overall active client accounts as of December 2020, up from 75 per cent as of March 2020 (57 per cent as of March 2019). Discount brokerage houses, however, have been able to garner a predominant share of the new accounts supported by their technology-driven business model. In contrast, some of the traditional brokerage companies had a slow start to the year in terms of new client additions."
With a strong push to the digital onboarding of customers, new client additions in the industry are expected to remain healthy supported by the large untapped market in the retail segment, coupled with favourable demographics, rising financial literacy and increasing smartphone/internet penetration.
"The trend of consolidation is expected to continue with smaller broking players ceding market share to more established broking entities," says ICRA.
Other key highlights:
- As per ICRA Research, the market traction has been supported by strong foreign portfolio investor (FPI) investment inflows, optimism related to a recovery after the graded reopening of the economy, and steady retail investor momentum.
- Steady increase in trading activity with trading volumes peak in December 2020; aggregate turnover up 66 per cent in 9M FY2021.
- Significant increase in retail participation; as per SEBI, the total number of demat accounts increased to 498 lakh as of December 2020 compared to 408 lakh in March 2020.


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American Queen Voyages announced it has sponsored America’s Test Kitchen TV for its 2023 season, the first partnership in the cruise line’s history.
Representatives from American Queen Voyages, including Cindy D’Aoust, its president; Angela Composto, vice president of marketing; and Regina Charboneau, the line’s culinary ambassador, visited the set of America’s Test Kitchen on January 25 to celebrate with representatives of the show and join in a taste testing and recipe development process.
“Partnering with America’s Test Kitchen is an excellent opportunity to highlight our amazing culinary program,” says Cindy D’Aoust, president, American Queen Voyages. “The dining experience is such an important part of American Queen Voyages and announcing this partnership here in Boston with our Culinary Ambassador Regina Charboneau and the talented Test Kitchen team is such a delight.”
America’s Test Kitchen is available to watch on the PBS and Create television networks; it can also be streamed for free for Amazon Prime members.
“We are looking forward to our partnership with American Queen Voyages and are excited to welcome Culinary Ambassador Regina Charboneau and the team,” says Jack Bishop, chief creative officer, America’s Test Kitchen. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to build our partnership for the benefit of travelers and viewers alike.”
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Looting and vandalism is exacting a high price for some local businesses and their employees here.
The owners and employees at a Ferguson beauty supply store are preparing to close, at least temporarily, after the store was ransacked overnight in the unrest that has followed the shooting death of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer.
“It’s not worth it,” Tanya Littleton, manager of Feel Beauty Supply, said Saturday. “Right now our safety is more important than anything.’
Benny Billups, who does small repairs for the store, said looters entered by shattering a glass door.
“They tried to get into the cash register, stole hair items and some jewelry,” Billups said. “I’m just frustrated because these people are not understanding how this affects others when they come with this foolishness. There was a tragedy, yes, but this not how you deal with a tragedy.”
Source: USA Today | KSDK-TV, St. Louis


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I just read an article in MediaPost entitled, “Time Spent With Media Falters, Digital Spawns Shorter Attention Spans” that covers a study by Veronis Suhler Stevenson's Communications.
My first question is, who commissioned this report?
I do not feel like paying two grand for this report so I am going to have to comment on MediaPost’s extractions. If anyone wants to send me the report for free, I promise to read it.
"For example, consumers typically watch broadcast or cable television at least 30 minutes per session, while they spend as little as five to seven minutes viewing consumer-generated video,"
Fine this may be true (to a degree), but what does this really mean? Is this something advertisers should fear?
- Are modern consumers really glued to the TV for 30 minutes per session or are they getting up during commercials or just plain skipping them. Come on guys, this is total crap. If I am tied to the TV for 30 minutes it is because the show is 30 minutes long sans commercial
MediaPost then goes on to talk about how the study mentions a decline in ad supported media.
- Ummm. Did they ever stop to think that this is due to the fact that much of the advertising is irrelevant and consumers have learned how to avoid ad supported media where possible?
Then they say that the share of time spent with "media supported predominately by consumers" rose to 46.2%.
- I think the answer here is obvious. Advertisers, sponsor better content or learn how to operate in the new media ecosystem. Trust me, it can be done!
The report postulates that we are becoming a less literate society due to the decline in print consumption
- What does this mean? First of all, people do read text in the digital media space. Second, I would say that we are more media literate than ever before.
Why This Study Bothers Me
Not having the actual study I cannot tell if it is the study itself, or Mediapost’s analysis of the study that cooks my goose. Here is a direct quote from MediaPost:
“THE RAPID SHIFT OF CONSUMERS toward digital media options for news, information and entertainment is producing an unintended consequence for all of the industry's stakeholders--especially advertisers: It's reducing the amount of time people spend with media. For the first time in recent memory, the amount of time consumers spend with media has declined, according to the 2007 edition of an influential industry report, which forewarns that the efficiency of using digital media is the primary factor.”
Come on guys…
Perhaps we should try and stifle the growth of digital media so that lazy execs (I know a lot of people in traditional media that I respect and I am not pointing a finger at the industry, rather I am point a finger at those people who want to leave work at 3 to go play golf while the digital folks stay at the office until midnight trying to figure out the future of advertising and marketing) can continue to enjoy martini lunches and executive golf outings.


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Parkway Place & Madison Square Malls Offer Special Hours for New Year Holiday | Shopping & Services
Parkway Place and Madison Square Malls will be closing early Monday, December 31. The malls will open Monday at 10 a.m., but will close early at 6 p.m. so that employees can relax and usher in 2013.
On New Year’s Day, Tuesday, January 1, the malls’ hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The malls will resume their regular 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. operating hours on Wednesday, January 2.
The mall hours are posted on the entry doors of each mall and are also listed on the malls’ websites.
Souce: News release


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The streaming platform is one of the technologies that have positioned themselves favorably in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, however 66% of Mexicans are not willing to pay more than 300 pesos a month, so they accept watch short ads in series and movies for free.
The percentage points to the appearance of the so-called “subscription fatigue” among consumers, this because as there are more and more subscription streaming services in the market, viewers may be tired of spending more to watch their movies or favorite TV series, and are willing to watch commercials.
The foregoing after a recent survey conducted at the national level by the marketing research company One Other data thrown by the survey reveals that the video on demand service shows an increase, since 31% of Mexicans have considered canceling a service of subscription streaming due to cost.
One in three users does not intend to pay more than 300 pesos per month for streaming services, the most that Strea agreed to pay is 269 pesos.
In December 2020, the streaming service reported that they had experienced nine-fold growth since its introduction in the Mexican market in June 2020.
The survey also revealed that nine out of 10 Mexicans used an entertainment streaming platform in the last year to watch series or movies, however, due to the quarantine caused by Covid-19, 83% of those surveyed revealed that they have been streaming. 2.8 hours more a day on average than in 2019.
For lovers of the seventh art this is great news that can deliver a better experience if combined with the right devices.
In this game, the offer delivered by Misik gains relevance, a company that in its portfolio has several exclusive proposals that are committed to functionality and design.


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The Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kate Nwosu gave the warning during the unveiling of government approved measurement cup organized by the Consumer Protection Council in Umuahia.
Mrs. Nwosu who decried the occasional fraud some traders indulge in especially when selling goods like beans, wheat and rice sold by measurement said her Ministry would monitor the compliance of the directive, adding that the law would visit anyone flaunting such directives of the government.
According to her, the Ministry had met with various Market Heads in the state with a view to sensitize their members on the dangers associated with such fraud when caught and advised them to be sincere by using the approved measurement cup.
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman, Abia State Consumer Protection Council ,Mr. Ukadike Ogbuagu noted that the organisation decided to introduce the measurement cup to check the incidence of short changing consumers while making purchases in the market, adding that an Enforcement Team had been set up in the Ministry of Trade and Investment to ensure compliance.
Mr. Ukadike Ogbuagu appealed to traders to cooperate with the Council to give Consumers maximum satisfaction commensurate with their money.
Highlight of the occasion was the unveiling of the measurement cup with the Nigerian Coat of Arm Emblem inscription.


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Mobile World Congress
Last week I posted about how the media and technology industries are being affected by the changing laptop market. This week, one of the largest mobile electronics conferences in the world was held - Mobile World Congress. MWC has occurred annually since 1987. Run by GSMA, the conference takes place in Barcelona, Spain. This year much of what was introduced were incremental upgrades - bigger screens, better processors, slightly adjusted operating systems. It's almost as if the mobile phone market is becoming the laptop market of the last 20 years. Sure, they'll run a little faster, but it appears that it will be quite a while before we see another market-shattering device like we did in 2007 with the introduction of the iPhone. One of the more notable announcements at the conference was the introduction of the mobile Firefox Operating System. The Verge doesn't seem to like the devices very much, writing "To be blunt, they're not very good: the ZTE Open and Alcatel One Touch Fire look and feel like low-end handsets from two or three years ago." Regardless of what journalists say, the carriers really seem to love the device because Mozilla's letting them in on some of the marketplace profits. Unlike Google and Apple, Mozilla will allow carriers to create their own marketplaces within the operating system, giving them access to some of the pie. The devices do lack power, but that may be alright because they're targeted at low-end users and emerging markets.
Also at MWC, Nokia launched its newest editions to the Windows Phone family. The new devices are colorful and competitive price-wise, running around $100 for the upper-end Lumia 920. The determining factor for Windows Phone sales may not have a ton to do with the Lumia though. It may be how many developers join in on improving the Windows Phone 8 marketplace. So far, developers have been less than ecstatic to get involved.
Regardless of who dominates the market in the future, you can be sure that prices will continue to drop, more consumers will consume through the mobile sphere in more location, and the world will become increasingly connected through those things with screens in our pockets.


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When Chobani advertised that its “Complete” yogurt products contained up to 25 grams of protein, the makers of Dannon yogurt cried foul. Here is the commercial claim in question:
It turns out that two of the three products shown in the ad did not have 25 grams of protein per serving. They only had 15 and that distinction was not made clear.
So Dannon filed a formal complaint with the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau. Before NAD could render a decision, Chobani announced that it would stop making the 25 grams of protein claim about its 5.3 ounces yogurt cups, and make clear that the claim only applied to their 10-ounce shake product.
“Up to” claims are inherently misleading because they highlight the best case scenario and ignore the worst case. That’s why Massachusetts advertising regulations, for example, require both the lowest number and the highest number in a range to be disclosed in equal size type, such as “save 10 to 50 percent” rather than “save up to 50 percent.”


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A groom called Thomas Cook could be unable to get married after the holiday firm of the same name collapsed.
Thomas Cook, 29, and his partner Amelia Binch, 27, from Hucknall, Nottingham, are stuck in Rhodes after booking the getaway and wedding package with Thomas Cook.
They flew out on September 18 and were due to marry on September 27.
Almost half of the guests are due to fly out with Thomas Cook over the coming days, including the best man.
But the couple have been told the wedding might not go ahead, as the Thomas Cook package included the wedding ceremony, flowers, cake, decorations and entertainment.
The pair, who have two young daughters together, Alice, five, and Lucy, seven, had flown out from East Midlands Airport with their parents and close family.
They were due to fly home on October 3, but they have been told to be on standby as they could be called to the airport any day.
The couple have spent nearly £10,000 on the trip.
Amelia added: "It is costing us nearly £10,000 and we are sat here stressed out. We don't know if we are getting married."
The couple, who have been together for 12 years, chose the location because they wanted to get married abroad and it was cheaper to marry in Rhodes than having a wedding in the UK.
Amelia added: "It's awful. You don't expect it to happen with a company like this. That's why we booked with them. It is now going to cost us more."
A statement on the Thomas Cook website said: "Thomas Cook UK Plc and associated UK entities have entered Compulsory Liquidation and are now under the control of the Official Receiver.
"The UK business has ceased trading with immediate effect and all future flights and holidays are cancelled.
"A dedicated support service is being provided by The Civil Aviation Authority to assist customers currently overseas and those in the UK with future bookings."


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The next few years will see billions of users regularly using facial recognition technology to secure payments made through their smartphone, tablets or smartwatches, according to new analysis carried out by Juniper Research. Smartphone owners are already used to staring at their screens to safely unlock their devices without having to dial in a secret code; now, facial recognition will increasingly be deployed to verify the identity of a user making a payment with their handset, whether that's via an app or directly in-store, in wallet mode. Smartphones The best cheap phones The 10 best smartphones The best Android phones The best Samsung phones The best rugged phones How to keep your smartphone clean during the coronavirus (TechRepublic) In addition to facial features, Juniper Research's analysts predict that a host of biometrics will be used to authenticate mobile payments, including fingerprint, iris and voice recognition. Biometric … [Read more...] about Billions of smartphone owners will soon be authorising payments using facial recognition
Beat making software
Roku on Tuesday announced its latest 4K media streamer, the Roku Express 4K+. In addition, the streaming-device maker launched a new optional voice-remote upgrade, the Roku Voice Remote Pro, a lightly updated version of its two-in-one Smart Soundbar called the Streambar Pro, and a Roku OS 10 software update for its family of video hardware, audio devices, and Roku TVs. A new 4K HDR streamer for $40 Further Reading Chromecast, Fire TV Stick, or Roku: What’s the best streaming stick for ~$50? Starting with the new streamer, the Roku Express 4K+ will cost $40 and replace the current Roku Premiere player when it starts shipping in mid-May. It has the similarly small and slightly curved design of the existing Roku Express, but now it can output 4K HDR video instead of basic 1080p. It won't support Dolby Vision HDR—that, along with Dolby Atmos audio, will remain limited to the high-end Roku Ultra —but it will support HDR10 and HDR10+. (The latter will also arrive on the … [Read more...] about Roku’s latest streaming device gives 4K, HDR, and a voice remote for $40
It seems that NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are everywhere right now, with more companies jumping on the NFT bandwagon to offer one-off digital assets for sale. Special feature Special report: How blockchain will disrupt business (free PDF) This ebook, based on the latest ZDNet/TechRepublic special feature, looks at how blockchain is shaking up the economy and changing the way individuals and enterprises conduct business. Read More Non-fungible tokens are used to verify unique items such as digital art and digital ownership of other items. Now, NFTs can be used to verify ownership of physical items. Several stories have recently caught my eye, as companies scramble to lead the way with unusual NFT sales and auctions. But do Americans view the emerging concept of NFTs positively, or do they think the impact on climate change means that celebrities should act responsibly when offering NFTs for sale? Celebrities such as Jack Dorsey, Beeple, and the Kings of … [Read more...] about Are NFT collectibles the new trading cards or a hype bubble soon to burst?
Keeping you in the know The TicWatch GHT can tell you how hot you are. Derrek Lee 13 Apr 2021 0 Source: Mobvoi What you need to know Mobvoi announced the global launch of its TicWatch GHT. The smartwatch features an Apple Watch-like square design and a 10-day battery life. The TicWatch GHT will be available starting today for $80. When it comes to the best Android smartwatches , Mobvoi is undoubtedly near the top. The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS offers the best that Wear OS has to offer with good battery life and snappy performance. The company has decided to switch things up a bit by offering a new smartwatch more focused on health features and extended battery life. That brings us to the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH, which is receiving its global launch today. Source: Mobvoi The TicWatch GTH moves away from Mobvoi's usual circular smartwatch designs to offer a style akin to the Apple Watch Series 6 or OPPO Watch . The … [Read more...] about New Mobvoi TicWatch GTH includes a skin temperature sensor and 10-day battery life for $80


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Chrysler, Daimler in Merger Talks
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) _ The Germany luxury automaker Daimler-Benz and Chrysler Corp., the No. 3 automaker in the United States, are in talks about a possible merger, the companies confirmed Wednesday.
Industry sources estimated the purchase price at $35 billion.
Daimler stocks surged 8 percent on the German stock exchange after the merger talks were confirmed in a joint statement issued from Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart.
Daimler is Germany’s largest industrial group.
Daimler’s board was also expected to consider the merger this week. Chrysler’s directors have a regularly scheduled board meeting Wednesday.
Last year there was market talk about a merger between Chrysler and BMW, another German luxury car maker. BMW is currently bidding for Britain Vickers PLC’s Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.


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Delivering the Automotive Academy’s second annual lecture, Ghosn told an audience of senior industry executives: “I am not sure everyone in Europe has a clear idea of what is happening in Asia. If you ignore it, that could be a problem.
“China’s motor industry will be driven by an economy with a billion people looking for jobs and opportunities. Europe will have to compete on quality, knowledge and added value – and see China as an opportunity to compete, not as a threat.”
Most European carmakers are looking for ventures in the Chinese market. BMW has a link with China Brilliance, the company once courted by MG Rover. Renault, meanwhile, expects its joint venture to be China’s third largest car producer by 2007, when it forecasts 500,000 sales compared with 20,000 two years ago.
Europe can never compete with China on price but it has a lot of potential because of its sophistication and engineering innovation, Ghosn believes. He supports the Automotive Academy’s efforts to raise UK manufacturing training to a global standard. Ghosn took two questions from the floor – asked by chief executives Christopher Macgowan (SMMT) and John Neill (Unipart Group of Companies) – and both related to the potential challenge from China and Europe’s ability to deal with it.
Patricia Hewitt, secretary of state for Trade and Industry, told the invited audience: “We need world class training products from the Automotive Academy, not the appalling complexity of qualifications which have left potential trainees confused. The challenge for the EU is not to think of itself as a closed entity that can do what it likes but as part of an open global market – there is a tendency in Europe to deal with a problem through regulation.”