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The global market for connected devices that allow users to access the Internet is set to surpass 6 billion units this year, as new products including cellphones, tablets and computers enter the electronics ecosystem, according to a new report from IHS Technology, El Segundo, Calif.
Worldwide production of connected equipment will amount to 6.18 billion units this year, up a solid 6 percent from 5.82 billion in 2013. This will be the largest increase for the market in four years, surpassed only by the 10 percent hike in production during 2010, a year after the global economic recession ended.
Production growth rates will then slow in the next few years, even though total units produced will continue to rise in absolute numbers. Between 2015 and 2017, an estimated 19.42 billion new devices will flood the planet, as shown in the attached figure.
“The improved growth this year of the connected devices industry marks the return of higher production as manufacturers deliver all sorts of connectivity equipment to users,” said Jagdish Rebello, Ph.D., senior director for information technology at IHS. “Given the voracious appetite of consumers for social media and their yen for always-on connectivity, it’s little surprise that makers will continue to turn out such devices to keep buyers engaged.”
Connected devices are defined as equipment that allow users to interact with the Internet in some fashion, from as passive an activity as simply looking at photos in social media or streaming media content for consumption, to a livelier form of engagement, such as gaming in real time. The devices must possess embedded connectivity, made possible through built-in semiconductors.
Among connected devices, those expected to enjoy higher production numbers this year include video game consoles, media tablets, mobile handsets, liquid-crystal display televisions (LCD TVs), set-top boxes and mobile PCs.
In contrast, equipment markets that will suffer reduced production this year are digital still cameras, camcorders, desktop PCs, DVD players/records and portable media players.
The biggest surge in production took place in the earlier years of the connected devices era in the first seven years after the new millennium, when production spiked by as much as 27 percent annually and yearly growth rates frequently hovered in the 20 percent range, Rebello noted.
These findings are contained in the report, “WLAN 802.11ac: Commercial Product Introductions Start to Ramp Up,” from the Telecommunications service of IHS.


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Last year’s Mohair SA delegation TO the Far East has reported on the industry there, where the weak Japanese yen, non-rising personal spending and high wool prices have forced manufacturers to substitute polyester in their traditionally mohair blends. An abnormally warm winter has also hurt the industry. But some weavers feel that global warming would help mohair in the future, as the fibre is well-suited for making lighter summer fabrics. This would be welcomed by Japanese men, who still wear formal suits.
The weavers also believe ladies’ fashion is on an upward trend, as was the case in Europe, and they are following fashion trends in Milan more closely, even though their main market remains at home. O ne spinner, who makes hand-knitting yarn and uses mainly mohair in the 26 to 28 micron range, said that demand has been constant and that exports to 25 countries took up 80% of their business’s production. This spinner is also interested in compiling a range of South African wool and mohair. ther spinners in the high-end ladies’ market use mohair as fine as 20 to 21 microns. Although they operate in a very expensive segment, prices do affect them. Still, sampling at Piti Filati in Italy was positive, with names like Prada, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci showing interest. The US remains a big export market for this sector, with the Japanese becoming more important. This suggests that manufacturers see good-quality mohair as non-negotiable, despite concerns about the effect expanding game farms are having on mohair output.
China has seen an improvement in technology, and four Italian spinning companies have recently relocated there. The general feeling was that the domestic Chinese market has remained constant, but that exports were subdued due to the sharp increase in mohair prices the previous year and changing fashion trends. Some spinners have decreased the mohair content in their yarns by half due to 2006’s high prices, but there was optimism that the demand for adult mohair could increase should demand in Russia and Turkey pick up. he trend in China is towards finer mohair and the biggest weaving company there, which produces 28 million metres of fabric per year and which always used adult mohair, has changed to kid mohair (24 to 25 microns) because retailers are demanding finer yarn counts as dictated by fashion trends. Some spinners believe mohair quality has deteriorated since the 1990s and it doesn’t have the same appeal anymore.
Substitution of certain types of wool for mohair is also harming the business. However, the Chinese, who are leaning towards SA wool because yields are better, don’t expect the quota on greasy wool imports from Australia, due to the pollution problem, to affect mohair consumption. While some think there are too many fancy yarn spinners in China, where business is highly competitive, the price hike of chemical fibres is good for natural fibres. New products to look forward to include a jeans fabric with 30% mohair, a mohair/cashmere blend for winter suits and blends with Japanese paper (washi). – Roelof Bezuidenhout

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Tag Archives : DS 4
Is a China-only model. PSA Group’s DS unveiled the DS 4S at Auto China 2016 (2016 Beijing Motor Show) held last month. Designed in France,.
DS 4 Crossback is the first-ever crossover from the brand Peugeot-Citroen’s luxury brand DS Automobiles has taken the wraps off the facelifted 2016 DS 4.


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Excerpt from “Finding Value”: an article just published by OD Practitioner.
Several years ago, I was hired by a software client to help with strategic planning. When the company started fifteen years ago, its product was revolutionary but its uniqueness was not a permanent state. Other companies were offering software that provided similar functions. The channel partner who sold the company’s software was now offering a competitive product. Furthermore, hardware companies were embedding the software’s features into devices like printers, scanners, and faxes. This company needed help figuring out how to move forward amidst these challenges.
Eight years later and 2000 miles away, a diverse group came together to improve the health of adolescents in Austin, TX.


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BALL GROUND – One of Ball Ground’s newest businesses opened its doors for a city taste test on Saturday, welcoming guests in from the cold, rainy weather for a much-needed cup of joe.
Barrel House Coffee Company, a new addition to Ball Ground’s downtown district on Gilmer Ferry Road, celebrated its soft opening on Saturday, introducing guests to its unique spin on locally roasted coffee.
The business is co-run by two local couples – Ryan and Kathryn Turnage and James and Nicole Howard – and gives customers a choice between “barrel-aged and non-barrel-aged” coffees.
Nicole Howard said recently that, prior to roasting their beans, the business owners let them sit in empty whiskey and bourbon barrels to absorb the flavor and aroma. This practice, she said, was a result of curiosity stemming from another of the Howards’ local businesses.
“My husband and I have been making barrel table (kits) for about 4.5 years,” she said. “Last year sometime, I started roasting coffee on my own, because I was intrigued… James suggested, ‘Hey, what if we take some of this green coffee and put in one of our barrels that we use for tables?’”
The Howards said they were impressed by the flavors absorbed from the aromas inside the barrel, and after taste tests with friends and family and at places of work, they decided to roast enough coffee to sell at Locally Yours, another Ball Ground business they co-own.
Ryan and Kathryn Turnage joined to partner with the Howards over the summer, when both couples agree the timing lined up perfectly. Both Nicole Howard and Ryan Turnage said that they had flirted with opening a coffee shop, but couldn’t find the right partners until now.
Ryan Turnage, a self-proclaimed coffee and whiskey aficionado, said he first saw the coffee for sale at Locally Yours.
“As soon as I saw that I walked up to the owners and said, ‘Hey, we need to have a conversation.’ They were immediately on board with trying to get a coffee shop open,” he said.
Nicole Howard said the locally roasted coffee has been a point of pride since its beginnings, but said she hopes the brick-and-mortar coffee shop will put Ball Ground on the map.
“We love our product, but we wanted something that people would say, ‘Hey, there is a great place in Ball Ground, and wouldn’t you believe that they are barrel-aging their coffee.’ It’s something unique that people wouldn’t just want to pass by but would actually want to come to Ball Ground,” she said.
She added that the interior of the store was a labor of love, with virtually every countertop, shelf and decoration being crafted, sanded and painted by “all of us,” but especially her grandfather, Earl Layne, and Ryan Turnage.
Ryan Turnage said the work on the store displays the owners’ and employees’ passions and personalities enveloped in the business.
“We did the counters, all the tables, the bar, the barrel rack, the roasting platform for our roaster. I mean, everything in here has been touched or built by either Earl, myself or our partners, including painting the walls. We’re just so excited to get into this town and present our version of a coffee shop to them,” he said.
Nicole Howard also credited her daughters Madison and Claire Howard for their work roasting coffee, sanding, cleaning and contributing overall to the success of the business’s opening.
City Manager Eric Wilmarth said the city shares the owners’ excitement for the opening of downtown’s first coffee shop.
“I do feel like it’s been something people have been looking for, and we do have a number of people that say they’re looking for that hangout spot,” Wilmarth said. “Our slogan is ‘We roll out the red carpet, not the red tape,’ and we love adding businesses to our downtown. This is one of those businesses that fits in when you’re trying to accomplish a walkable downtown with businesses that thrive off of each other.”
Ryan Turnage agreed, saying that’s exactly what they aim to be for the city: a community hub and successful, mutually beneficial business.
“We’re absolutely excited to be able to give this to the town,” Ryan Turnage said.
The shop’s menu items include barrel-aged and non-barrel-aged coffee choices, pastries and cakes. Menu items may expand as the business does, owners said.
Barrel House Coffee Company is located at 275 Gilmer Ferry Road, suite 5. The store is open Tuesday – Sunday from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. and closed on Monday, though hours may be adjusted later. A grand opening date has not yet been set.
For more information, visit www.barrelhousecoffeeco.com or follow Barrel House Coffee Company on Facebook.


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By Sam Nussey2 Min ReadTOKYO (Reuters) – SoftBank's robotics arm said on Monday it will bring a food service robot developed by California-based Bear Robotics to Japan as restaurants grapple with labour shortages and seek to ensure social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.Slideshow ( 3 images)The robot named Servi, which has layers of trays and is equipped with 3D cameras and Lidar sensors for navigation, will launch in January, SoftBank Group Corp said.Servi will cost 99,800 yen ($950) per month excluding tax on a three year plan.The launch leverages SoftBank's long experience in bringing overseas technology to Japan but reflects the shift away from CEO Masayoshi Son's earlier focus on humanoid robots.Servi has been tested by Japanese restaurant operators, including Seven & i Holdings at its Denny's chain, as the sector grapples with an aging workforce and deepening labour shortages.SoftBank's humanoid Pepper robot became the face of the company following its 2014 unveiling but failed to find a global customer base.The firm in 2018 announced cleaning robot Whiz, which employs technology from group portfolio company Brain Corp and has sold more than 10,000 units worldwide.SoftBank is touting the use of Whiz as a coronavirus countermeasure, …
The government aims to put a facial recognition system into practical use to prevent new coronavirus infections at large-scale events including the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, it was learned Friday. The government also hopes to improve the national capacity to conduct saliva-based polymerase chain reaction tests to simultaneously detect cases of influenza and novel coronavirus infection, informed sources said. The proposals are included in a draft program for developing new technologies for preventing coronavirus infection. The government will unveil the program shortly and carry out demonstration tests at relevant ministries and agencies. According to the draft, the government is looking at using security cameras equipped with a facial recognition system to record the movements of visitors to the Tokyo Games, which were postponed to 2021, and other large-scale events, the sources said.
Japanese toy-maker MegaHouse Corp. said Wednesday it will launch the world's smallest working Rubik's Cube, weighing about 2 grams and measuring 0.99 centimeter on each side. On the same day, the Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. subsidiary started accepting orders for the product online. It is priced at ¥198,000 in Japan, including delivery costs. Delivery will start in late December. The Rubik's Cube, invented by Erno Rubik from Hungary in 1974, hit store shelves across the world in 1980. In Japan, MegaHouse has shipped out over 14 million cubes.
The excitement of using Artificial Intelligence has not dwindled from the time it has been unfolded. In KPMG study on “living in the AI world 2020: achievements and challenges of AI across 5 industries (retail, financial service, healthcare, transportation, and technology), revealed that 92% of respondents agreed that leveraging the spectrum of AI technologies will make their companies run more efficiently. Amidst the admiration towards AI, IBM created the Women Leaders in AI program in 2019. This was a way to acknowledge the women leading in AI and encourage females to lend a hand in the field of AI. Through this IBM, planned to make the efforts of the honourees more visible to the world. 2020 IBM women leaders were honoured for outstanding leadership in the AI space. Here is the list of women leaders in AI 2020 honorees:- Aarthi Fernandez Who is a Global head of Trade Operations and SEA Trade COO at Standard Chartered Bank? She is a C-suite executive with deep insight on how digitalization can positively disrupt US$17 trillion global trade. She is into deploying AI/Machine learning to make trade financing simple, faster, and better for corporate clients and mitigate compliance risk. Piera Valeria Cordaro She is a commercial Operations Innovation Manager, Wing Tre S.p.A., Italy. She is a speaker, advocating the use of AI in customer operations. Along with her team and with support by IBM Watson, implemented two chatbots, to improve customer experience. Both bots have made it possible to handle a million queries efficiently. Amala Duggirala Who is the enterprise Chief operation and Technology officer, Regions Bank, United States. To handle customers’ inquiries she deployed IBM Watson’s assistant- virtual banker persona, ”Reggie”. From the time of its implementation 4.3 million customer calls have been answered, with 22% of them being handled by AI. Mara Reiff Vice President, Strategy and Business Intelligence, Beli Canada, Canada. She used AI to improve operations, loyalty, and brand. She worked with IBM to install Watson studio Local using Red Hat open shift. This resulted in smarter, fast decision-making with improved customer experience leading to increased sales. Mara suggests everybody to “Make sure to stop and smell the roses. Take each opportunity to learn something new and embrace change”. Amy Shreve- McDonald She is lead Product Marketing Manager for Business Digital experience, AI&T, USA. EVA (Enterprise Virtual Agent) was launched in February 2019, to improve customer chat experience, it uses Watson assistant. This system has been able to handle 45% chats on its own, resulting in reduced costs and expanding 24/7 support. She also received AT&T’s 2019 Visionary Award for her work advocating EVA. Ryoko Miyashita Manager, customer service department, customer service section JACCS CO., LTD Japan. She launched a Watson-enabled operator onboarding tool, that resulted in reduced new operator training period by 30%. The tool has increase customer satisfaction. Her advice to the younger self is “It is important to believe in yourself, but it is equally or more important to believe in people around you. I would encourage myself to have many experiences and garner knowledge to objectively evaluate things, not blindly accept or exclude others’ opinions”. Carol Chen She is Vice President for Global Marketing, Global Commercial, Royal Dutch Shell, United Kingdom. Along with her team, Carol is partnering is planning for digital transformation with the creation of “Oren”- a Smart Minning Platform, by partnering with IBM. This platform will offer an innovative and creative experience for users in the sector to deliver connectivity and integration across the ecosystem. To use AI, she advice commencing with analyzing the business outcome that one wants and customer pain points that one can cater to. The next step would be to determine how to leverage AI and data to solve the problem. Rosa Martinez Cognitive Project Manager, CiaxaBank, Spain. For those who consider using AI, her advice to them is ‘first to understand the business case as it may take time more than expected. This phase can result in a non-AI project example a ‘software as usual’. But moving further with the project there can be more AI application for sure to work on’. Lee- Lim Sok Know Deputy Principal, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. Under the leadership of Sok Keow, The higher education institution in Singapore ‘Temasek Polytechnic’ launched the “Ask TP” chatbot in January 2018. The chatbot helped current as well as prospective students to get answers to the questions asked about Temasek and also gave personalized course advice. In the 1st two weeks of 2020, ‘Ask’ TP’ responded to more than4,351 questions. She suggests everybody “deeply appreciate ‘people’ as they are the most critical asset in an organization, and a leader must develop a team”. Itumeleng Monale Executive Head of Enterprise Information Management Personal and Business Banking, Standard Bank of South Africa, South Africa. By deploying many analytical tools in her organization, she can uplift the revenue of the company. Through models of analytics relationships, bankers are experiencing a 40% revenue uplift when comparing to their peers. She sees AI as a tool through which business delivery can be accelerated, value could be added to human capital and relationships can build further. With this AI era, Research has postulated that corporate giants still have less percentage of women in the technical department. Facebook’s diversity report suggests that there are 22 % of women in the technical department and 15 per cent of women work in the AI research group. Similarly, Google’s diversity report suggests that only 10% women are working on “machine intelligence”. There is a need to encourage women participation as there are many more women around the world, stepping out of the pre-existed sheathe and going beyond the walls to shape the future. Opening up the AI platform for all will fetch us more talented beings which can help us celebrate the use of AI in different fields and different ways. Reference:- https://www.ibm.com/watson/women-leaders-in-ai/2020-list https://advisory.kpmg.us/content/dam/advisory/en/pdfs/2020/technology-living-in-an-ai-world.pdf About the author:- Kirti Kumar is a budding HR professional currently pursuing PGDM in HR and Marketing at New Delhi Institue of Management. She looks forward to opportunities that can hone her skills. She is agile in her attitude with versatility in her action
Former Sony executive Ken Kutaragi, often called the "father" of the PlayStation video game system, has been named CEO of Tokyo-based startup Ascent Robotics. Ascent develops artificial-intelligence technologies for self-driving cars and other applications. Kutaragi said in a statement that he hopes to "drive the team forward on both the technology and business fronts." He joined the company's board in 2018. Ascent announced Kutaragi's appointment on Friday.
A giant 60ft tall Transformer-like robot based on the Japanese anime series Mobile Suit Gundam was filmed pointing, walking and'taking the knee' during a recent test. The humanoid robot was built as part of a new attraction at Yamashita Pier by engineers at Gundam Factory in the Port of Yokohama. It was due to become the centrepiece of the factory on October 1, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the opening until later this year, operators confirmed. The Gundam anime series has sparked a multi-billion dollar industry with movies, manga, plastic models and video games. Video footage shows the massive 25 tonne robot moving its right arm and fingers, lifting its legs and kneeling while workers watch from a nearby observation deck.
This full-scale Gundam robot stands outside Gundam Factory Yokohama in Japan. Fans of the anime robot Gundam can now visit the life-sized giant at the Gundam Factory in Yokohama, outside of Tokyo. According to new footage taken on Sept. 21, the enormous anime robot Gundam can move its arms, legs and torso with ease. Life-sized Gundam in Yokohama is now in testing mode.pic.twitter.com/51HVoraPb7 Construction of the massive robot finished on July 29.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced society to reshape how people interact, and robots are fast filling the void, even to the point of helping alleviate feelings of loneliness in a world where social distancing has become the new norm. While automatons were primarily utilized to perform menial tasks such as cleaning in the past, their ability to remove the need for close contact has now elevated their status and importance. In February, robot and technology solutions company Seikatsu Kakumei Inc. began selling what it dubbed a "digital teleportation robot" package to help businesses carry out customer-facing activities during the pandemic. By helping shops, showrooms, conventions and trade exhibitions handle visitors, robots "can bring people closer to the normal state of communication," said CEO Yuko Miyazawa. "Being holed up in a room is unnatural for human beings," he added.
And why should we care if they do? SAPIENS host Jen Shannon meets Pepper the robot, and host Chip Colwell goes on a quest to find out how the robotics industry is (re)shaping intimacy in Japan. He speaks with anthropologists Jennifer Robertson, Daniel White, and Hirofumi Katsuno, all researchers who investigate the field of robotics, to learn more about what artificial emotion can teach us about what it means to be human. Our theme song and music for this episode are by Matthew Simonson. Special thanks to composer Scott Ampleford for use of the original score from 2026: Musik Inspired by Metropolis, which was featured in this episode.


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Phoenix police arrest transient in Wal-Mart rifle theftPosted: Updated:
PHOENIX – Police have arrested a man suspected of stealing three AR-15 rifles from a Wal-Mart store in Phoenix early Friday morning.
After releasing surveillance photos on Monday, Phoenix police received tips from the public identifying Daniel Justin Miranda, 46, as the suspect in the theft from the Wal-Mart at Bell Road and 19th Avenue, according to Officer James Holmes.
Holmes said Miranda is a transient.
Police set up surveillance in the area where Miranda was known to frequent and took him into custody near Bell Road and 11th Avenue Tuesday afternoon. Police recovered two of the stolen rifles.
Holmes said Miranda admitted to the Wal-Mart burglary and a burglary at a Sprouts grocery store near Bell Road and Third Street the same morning.
Miranda was booked into jail and charged with two counts of burglary, trafficking in stolen property and three counts of misconduct involving weapons/prohibited possessor.
Holmes said Miranda sold one of the rifles to two people in the parking lot of a hotel near Bell Road and 17th Avenue Friday afternoon. He sold the $1,497 rifle for $200.
The two buyers were booked into jail for theft -- control of stolen property. Holmes said one was a prohibited possessor due to a previous felony conviction and he was charged with misconduct involving weapons/prohibited possessor. The other suspect was booked for possession of narcotic drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Suspect uses shopping cart to steal three rifles from Walmart


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Dropmyemail Business, an online service that backs ups corporate emails, has introduced Email Insights, a new tool that monitors email usage of employees. Available for free to existing and new Dropmyemail Business users, Email Insights enables administrators to do the following:
Identify all employees’ contacts, which is helpful in regaining lost sales leads during a server crash or personnel resignation.
Spot misuse of corporate email for personal purposes or data leakage.
Assess email effectiveness by tracking amount of email sent or received versus performance.
Filter through communications to find specific conversations.
The tool is currently reactive, meaning it alerts employers to abuse that has already happened. In the pipeline however are algorithms that will sort through emails in an attempt to predict fraud, data leakage, employees that are about to quit, employee dissatisfaction, and more.
Dropmyemail Business is available as a 30-day trial.
While there are many email monitoring software in the wild, Dropmyemail is different since it bundles an email backup service with the monitoring tool, making it possibly more affordable to customers that want both.
Employees might potentially be concerned by its Orwellian or PRISM-like flavor, but Dropmyemail says it only monitors corporate emails.
Employees, of course, could learn to mask their true intentions by shifting activity to their personal email accounts. That’s assuming that they’re aware of being monitored — which would surely become the case if such tools become ubiquitous.
“If an employee utilizes his or her personal email accounts for illicit business, it will be their personal consequences,” says Dropmyemail’s publicist Peter Yu.
Indiescapes offers experiences not often found in guide books.
With 52 primary languages, over 1,000 dialects, and 27 currencies, Asia is a potpourri of different cultures, races, and economic environments. While many entrepreneurs find the diversity daunting, online travel startups thrive on it.
Such cultural vibrance positions Asia as an attractive destination for travelers of all stripes, seeking anything from conventional resort stays to meticulously planned city tours to off-the-beaten-track wildlife escapades. This explains the Asia tourism industry’s massive size — which is slated to reach USD 357B by this year, a 64 percent increase from 2009.
While industry competition is brutal, a number of trends are converging to unearth a variation on the conventional travel experience.
Dolphin Browser, a popular mobile browser with over 50M downloads and more than 10M installs on Android, is looking to Southeast Asia as its next big market. The company is hiring a point person to head the startup’s expansion into the region.
Yongzhi Yang, the founder of Dolphin’s parent company Mobotap and head of marketing Edith Yeung (LinkedIn) have been in Singapore to understand Southeast Asia.
While the browser’s top three countries by installs are the United States, China, and Japan, Dolphin views Southeast Asia as a region of growth due to its combined population of over 500M people who are awakening to the possibilities of the mobile internet.
Founded in 2010, Dolphin is a relatively new player in the internet browser field. Despite its youth, it has distinguished itself with a mobile-oriented interface that partially eliminates the need for typing, as well as an ecosystem of add-ons.
It also succeeded because it bet on Android early, back when developers were skeptical about building for Android. There were only 30,000 offerings on the operating system’s app store then. Read more
Startups are like chameleons. For survival’s sake, these shifty animals can rapidly change their appearances in response to threats. So it is with startups. Unlike large corporations, startups don’t go through committees. They are sensorial in nature, constantly aware of the environment, gathering data, and shape-shifting.
Sometimes, a new iteration can be as drastic as a rebranding effort or a pivot, which is the case with Singapore-based company UserScout, formerly known as Referoll. Read more
The notion that Asia is an attractive place to do a startup is nothing new. What’s changing is how much easier it has become to raise money or receive an investment.
Take SeedAsia.co as an example. Started in Shanghai by Tom Russell and Yelena Sedykh, the online platform connects angel investors with startups and greases the wheels for an investment deal.
The premise is that having a web entity to aggregate startups and investors would lead to greater efficiency in information sharing, administration, standardized documentation, and deal discovery. Read more
The Buccaneer and the Power Mac G4 Cube. The resemblance isn’t coincidental.
There hasn’t been a pre-launch product from a Singapore startup that has garnered thismuchpressattention for a long while. Simply put, people are agog about the USD 347 price point for an Apple-esque 3D printer that will be pre-assembled and calibrated right out of the box. In fact, some have been downright skeptical, believing the photos to be renders rather than real images.
But there’s no two ways about it: The Buccaneer – which is what the first product from Pirate3D is called — is going to arrive in homes in the United States and around the world. In fact, the company is prepping a Kickstarter campaign that will hopefully launch in the next few days — and they’re working with the crowdfunding platform to provide as much details as possible. I’ve even seen a prototype in action myself at the coworking space the Singapore-based team is working out of.
Of the myriad of 3D printers in the market, there has been quite a number in the sub-$1000 category: RepRap, Printrbot, Solidoodle, and Makibox, just to name a few. Read more
Few men can score a date with the sexiest woman in the Philippines, which made me a very lucky bloke indeed. A few months ago, I was on my way to Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore to interview Maria Ressa, an accomplished journalist, counter-terrorism expert, and co-founder of Rappler, an exciting, young online news organization from the Philippines.
Of course, I didn’t know about her hottest woman alive label then. But that did not make me any less nervous: Maria’s accomplishments far outsize her petite stature. A Princeton University graduate and Fulbright Fellow, she worked at CNN for almost two decades, serving as the bureau chief in Manila and then Jakarta. She then became the news and current affairs chief at ABS-CBN, Philippines’ largest television network.
She possesses a deep understanding of terrorist networks, having authored two books on the subject. Her latest work, From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism, narrates the gripping story of how she led the crisis team that resolved the kidnapping of her news crew who were en route to interview the leader of Abu Sayyaf, a militant Islamist group from Southern Philippines.
Now, she’s on to her next adventure: Starting a new media company that is reimagining journalism. Read more
Of all of United States’ startup exports, Warby Parker is one that hasn’t really been replicated in Asia. The startup, which sells quality eyewear at a ridiculously low price point, has been a toast of the New York scene by disrupting the eyewear industry and in the process raising USD 50.3M in capital.
Warby’s innovation doesn’t lie in new-fangled technology. Instead, it break the dominance of an industry cartel that has been driving prices artificially high. By fashioning its own supply chain and designing its own glasses, it cuts out the middle men and offers eye wear at a low USD 95 a pop.
Four Eyes in the Philippines is attempting do the same. The company takes many of its cues from Warby Parker, right down to the sparse, white, and minimalist design on the website. Read more
Travel startups have been unimaginative when it comes to how they want to disrupt the industry. Most of them are consumer-facing apps that help consumers discover, book, or search for deals — essentially variations on the ideal neighborhood travel agent.
In this vein, Tripconomics is doing something entirely different. Rather than targeting the crowded consumer market, this Singapore startup is hoping to uncover what it sees as a hidden gem: the world of corporate travel management.
As I understand from co-founder Keson Lim, a corporate travel veteran, the industry is dominated by large corporate travel agencies that handle global accounts on large retainers.
These companies, which have call centers around the world, typically service corporations with revenue above USD 250 million (think brands like Energizer, HSBC, and Prada), handling flights, hotels, insurance, and visas.
For ‘smaller’ firms with ‘only’ tens of millions in revenue, they usually manage their travel arrangements and expenses in-house. That’s the crowd that the startup is targeting.
In a nutshell, Tripconomics is a web tool for corporates to manage the travel expenses and plans of their employees. The user can manage travel profiles for staff of different seniorities, setting useful details like budget limitations. Read more
Singapore startup Gametize has launched a new app that focuses entirely on consumers. Called Lifeplay, it adopts all the consumer-focused features that were in the previous version of GameMaki, leaving the new iteration of the latter as a part of the company’s gamification platform for enterprises. Read more


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Princess Cruises has just divulged the juicy details of its 2020-21 summer season Down Under and it’s going to be ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. We’re talking nothing short of Princess’ biggest Australian summer program on record.
Yesterday we joined 180 Travel Advisors on board Majestic Princess for her last day in Sydney for this season and to get a sneak preview of the 2020-21 summer season.
The program, which goes on sale from April 11 2019 (quick, put it in your diaries), will see a fleet of five Princess ships across six home ports in Australia and New Zealand.
This will offer holidaymakers a choice of 123 cruises between October 2020 and April 2021.
One major announcement was that Adelaide will become the fastest growing home port for Princess Cruises in Australia with 20 cruises planned to and from the South Australian capital.
When KARRYON sat down to speak with Princess Cruises’ Sales and Marketing Director, Nick Ferguson yesterday he said the news was a huge boost for South Australian Travel Advisors.
“For Travel Advisors based in South Australia, it’s a huge opportunity to get new cruising clients because one of the big things we’ve found is that many of our guests like the freedom of not having to worry about flying. They like the ease of cruising from their doorstep.”
Princess Cruises’ Sales and Marketing Director, Nick Ferguson
Sydney, on the other hand, will see Majestic Princess and Regal Princess sail from the harbour, marking the first time in history that Princess Cruises has deployed two Royal-Class ships from the same homeport outside Florida
In more firsts, the season will also see Sapphire Princess mark her inaugural season in Melbourne and the introduction of Ocean MedallionClass technology onboard Regal Princess.
On top of this, Sea Princess will be homeporting in Fremantle, Perth to sail the western coast from Broome to Albany.
All in all, the new local fleet will visit almost 80 destinations across 19 countries.
“From short cruises visiting picturesque Australian coastal towns to exotic cruises to Papua New Guinea and Asia, the new program also includes a wide choice of roundtrip voyages to New Zealand from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, enabling guests to select a cruise based on the featured ports,” Nick commented.
“Options include calls to Tauranga, Picton (for the Marlborough wine region), Akaroa and Wellington as well as Majestic Princess and Regal Princess’ first visits to the restored Lyttleton Cruise Terminal, the gateway to Christchurch.”
On top of this Princess will also launch unique “local connections” shore excursions around Australia with local experts.
What a huge season it will be!
- READ: FRENCH DELIGHT: La Mer restaurant to open onboard Sky Princess
- READ: Princess Cruises is sending the FASTEST WI-FI AT SEA to Aus on Golden Princess
What are your thoughts on the HUGE news from Princess Cruises?
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Hot Toys debuts new Marvel and Star Wars collectables
The Ani-Com and Games Hong Kong (ACGHK) 2015 has officially started today, and once again Hot Toys is in town. This year, Hot Toys is partnering up with The Walt Disney Company (Hong Kong) to bring both a Star Wars Galaxy Exhibition and a Marvel Universe Exhibition to ACGHK, and you can check out the bonanza of new collectibles in the gallery below!
In celebrating the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December, Hot Toys’ creation of the 1/6th scale Millennium Falcon has arrived at ACGHK. The 1/6th scale spacecraft along with over 50 1/6th scale collectible figures of the Imperial troopers and two 1/6th scale TIE Fighters are shown at the booth to create an incredibly spectacular diorama for all Star Wars fans to enjoy.
In addition to the entire Millennium Falcon, a 1/6th scale diorama of the Millennium Falcon’s main hold area where Obi-Wan trained Luke Skywalker has also been created for the exhibition. Furthermore, the official costumes of the newly-designed Stormtrooper from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens are shown for the first time in Asia!
A large number of collectible figures from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are shown for the first time at the exhibition, including the prototype of Quicksilver and Nick Fury, the new prototype of Drax the Destroyer and the recently-announced 1/4th scale Iron Man Mark XLV, 1/6th scale Shotgun, Pepper and Mark IX.
A stunning diorama of the Avengers battling waves of Ultron Sentries is also shown in Hong Kong for the first time ever. Moreover, in addition to the greatly detailed collectible figures, the detailed life-size statues of Iron Man Mark XLV and Ant-Man by Hot Toys are making their first debut across the globe.
Hot Toys Reveals Bonanza of Star Wars and Marvel Collectibles - SuperHeroHype


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DEKRA Certification obtains official approval of European Commission
DEKRA Becomes First Notified Body in Europe for In-Vitro Diagnostics under New IVD Regulation
DEKRA has become the first certification company to be recognized as a Notified Body by the European Commission under the new EU regulation on in-vitro diagnostics. Under this new regulation, considerably stricter requirements will apply to manufacturers of in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs) in the European Union starting from May 26, 2022. IVDs are medical products for laboratory testing of human samples.


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With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021 just around the corner, American manufacturer Dell has started teasing its upcoming offerings ahead of CES 2021. The company has now announced some new versions of its Latitude laptops for business users, led by the Latitude 9420 and Latitude 9520. The new Dell Latitude laptops will be powered by Intel’s new 11th Gen vPro chips and many new features like an automatic integrated webcam shutter that physically blocks the webcam when not in use.
Dell is calling its webcam shutter tech ‘SafeShutter’ which will be an option for those willing to opt for it. This new mechanism from the American manufacturer is much welcome in today’s day and age, considering the massive shift towards video conferencing in the past year as businesses and schools have been forced to function remotely. The shutter can open and close automatically when the webcam is in use, but there are ‘mute’ keys that will manually disable the microphone or camera as needed. Apart from the automatic camera shutter, another big update is the inclusion of Intel’s new 11th Gen vPro chips. The Dell Latitude 9420 can be configured with up to an Intel Core i7 processor, bringing the benefits of Intel’s latest chips to the new models. The updated Dell Latitude 9420 laptop will come in either a 2560×1200 2-in-1 form factor or a lower-resolution 1080p laptop configuration. The RAM on Dell’s upcoming Latitude 9420 laptop can be configured to up to 32GB, while storage can be configured to up to 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. Further, the Latitude 9420 will also come with 5G and LTE support as it will include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X20 or X55 modems. The Dell Latitude 9420 will be priced at $1,949 (roughly Rs 1,43,000) onwards in the US.
The Dell Latitude 9520, on the other hand, will be made available by spring 2021, and will offer similar improvements, including the webcam shutter. The Latitude 9250 will be an updated model for the 15.6-inch Dell Latitude 9510 and will include similar features like the automatic webcam shutter (SafeShutter) and the new 1th Generation Intel chips. There is no word on the pricing of the Dell Latitude 9520.
Apart from the two high-end Latitude laptops, Dell is also upgrading its Latitude 7000 and Latitude 5000 series. The 7000 series will get a new model, Latitude 7520 with a 15.6-inch screen. Further, the company has also updated its 13-inch Latitude 7320 and 14-inch Latitude 7420 laptops. All the three new Latitude 7000 series laptops will be powered by Intel’s 11th Generation vPro chips and will offer up to 32GB of RAM and a new, more sleek design. Dell also claims that the new Latitude 7000 series comes with upgraded camera and audio quality for better videoconferencing.
Lastly, the company will also update its Latitude 5000 series, which includes a 13.3-inch Dell Latitude 5320, a 14-inch Dell Latitude 5240, and a 15.6-inch Latitude 5520. The new Latitude 5000 series is also getting the new 11th Gen vPro chips, but does not have the premium feel and finish to it, using more plastic instead of aluminum.
The Latitude 5000 series will be available on January 12, while the Latitude 7000 series will be available on March 30, starting at $999 (roughly Rs 73,000) in the US.


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8th & Stellar And Melody Kindyland Signed Joint Venture Agreement
By: Jotham Lim
On 6th September 2019, Chin Hin Property and Melody Kindyland signed a joint venture agreement at the 8th & Stellar sales gallery at Wisma Chin Hin.
Melody Kindyland will occupy 6,000 square feet of commercial space, taking up three out of the seven retail lots in Chin Hin Property’s latest project – 8th & Stellar in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.
“We know that children’s education is important, and therefore, we want to provide a convenient access to high-quality education right at their doorstep. We looked for an education partner who is innovative, visionary, and is able to provide holistic education and experiential learning to equip our children for the future,“ said Chiau Haw Choon, Group Managing Director of Chin Hin Group Berhad.
8th & Stellar was officially launched in 26th February this year, with a current sales take-up rate of 40 per cent. The project is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2022, consisting of 660 units, which include office spaces, retail shops, duplex lofts and service apartments.
Melody Kindyland is a kindergarten and daycare centre, and has been operating since 1991. They have grown to over 35 centres in Penang and recently expanded their presence in Klang Valley.
About 600 employees from Chin Hin Group planned to move into 8th & Stellar once the project is completed. This newfound partnership between 8th & Stellar and Melody Kindyland is primed to add value to the families of these employees, along with public buyers as well.
If you have any suggestions on this article, please send to firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Angelina said, “I think that if you cheat, you should be dumped for it and you should be abused. Karma is a b*tch and I can’t wait to post cheaters on the site.”
As part of the deal, Cheaterville gets prime space on the Jersey Shore website, and there are videos of the cast talking about why cheating is wrong.
We love how tackiness of the Jersey Shore crew – they will all endorse anything for a buck. Stay classy guys.
Norelco and Vinny are hoping to help guys “get their style in check before heading back to school” and include grooming with Phillips Norelco products along with their “GTL.”
“Today, style is all about customization and confidence,” Vinny Guadagnino said in a statement. “GTL – or gym, tan, laundry – can only get you so far. DIY – do-it-yourself – is the real key to personalized style.”
It’s funny that another major brand wants to get on the Jersey Shore bandwagon, despite Abercrombie & Fitch’s offer to pay Jersey Shore cast members not to wear their clothing.
Mike is now promoting Boca Tanning Club. He will be the face and body of the Florida-based sunless tanning company that offers salons open 24/7 in Florida, Texas, and New York.
“It’s so exciting to be a part of something like this,” Sorrentino told Us Weekly on Aug. 10. “It’s such a classy organization and the facilities are unique and state of the art. I’m just very excited for the future and expansion of the company — and really putting the ‘T’ in ‘GTL’!”
“There just really couldn’t be a better fit in the world for our brand than Mike, considering he coined the term ‘GTL,’” Jen Boronico, owner of Boca Tanning Opportunities, Inc., told Us. “We’re working with him on an aerosol spray tan and it’ll be a beautiful bronze color that you’ll be able to apply in your bathroom — and look as tan as Mike.”
The company is called FLOW Formal, and the CEO Brian Weintraub told TMZ The Situation is a perfect spokesperson as they target a younger demo.
Weintraub adds, “This is great for us and great for the industry. [Tuxedos have] become an old man thing.”
They are even making an entire tuxedo line called “The Situation,” which launches in February 2012.
Here’s our concern - is The Situation still going to be relevant next year? The show is definitely coming to an end and as Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have taught us that reality TV is not a career.
In the interest of the entire tuxedo industry, let’s hope The Situation has the staying power.
Obviously, Charlie Sheen needs a job. His stint on “Two and a Half Men” is over with Ashton Kutcher now replacing him. And we all know Charlie’s live show sucks, so he definitely needs a source of income.
Luckily, EstablishedMen.com is coming to the rescue. The social networking site which connects wealthy men seeking hot younger women has offered Sheen an endorsement job for three years, reports TMZ.
The deal is worth $3,000,000, and Charlie would be crowned PRESIDENT of Established Men — running advertising, sales, and promotions — in return for a 50% interest in the company.
Most of the time these endorsement offers are stupid, but this seems like a reasonable opportunity for both sides. Charlie – do the deal!
Because you can never have enough money and slut yourself out too much, Justin Bieber now has his own woman’s fragrance. “Someday” by Justin Bieber is a fruity floral scent created by Honorine Blanc of Firmenich that will appeal to the 14- to 18-year-old core of Bieber’s fan base, reportsWWD.
“Let’s be real, the way a girl smells is very important to a guy! I have such a deep connection with my fans, so creating a fragrance that I personally love is another way I can bring them closer to my world,” Bieber told the fashion trade journal.
Is there anything else left for Justin to put his name on? Seriously what’s next? Well here is our guess for the next Justin Bieber line of products:
- Justin Bieber Condoms
- Justin Bieber Retirement Homes
- Justin Bieber Tax Software
- Justin Bieber Snow Tires
Check out a recent interview we did with Bieber:
This girl knows how to juggle endorsement deals!
After signing on to produce her own brand of tanning lotion last week, Jenni ‘JWOWW” Farley has reportedly added her name to another lucrative promotion opportunity – an appearance at Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling.
TMZ reports that the ‘Jersey Shore’ star will pull in an easy 15 grand to make a one night only appearance on Spike TV’s ‘TNA Impact!’ on Thursday. Though she doesn’t have a match lined up, she’ll probably be throwing down with wrestlers like Robbie E. and Cookie.
We don’t know who those people are, but they sure don’t sound very wrestler-y!
Farley hasn’t even appeared on the show yet but TNA is already looking to get her for a second appearance. It’s probably a good move on their part! JWOWW is, to quote Paris Hilton circa 2005, “So hot right now.”
Well Jenni, you’ve endorsed the G and the T, now where’s that L? Can we expect some JWOWW brand fabric softener in the near future?
As if Justin Bieber didn’t have enough on his plate and wasn’t racking in enough cash. Proactiv has chosen Justin Bieber as the new face of the acne medication, joining the ranks of Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
“I know that for a teenager, it doesn’t matter how many people are looking at you, you don’t want acne on your face,” Bieber told People. “I’m in the limelight all the time…I’m constantly doing interviews, constantly doing photo shoots and, you know, I’m determined to keep myself clear.”
Bieber adds, “My fans already know I’m just a regular kid, except the stuff about my life that’s not regular…like performing to thousands of kids and always being in the spotlight.”
Sylvester Stallone is the new face of Russian Ice vodka.
According to E! News, the Russian vodka producer Synergy has signed the action star to a one-year contract. Stallone will appear in print and TV ads for the company’s Russian Ice line of vodka beginning September 1.
“The advertising campaign concept was based on the fact that the actor has Russian roots,” Synergy explained in a statement.
According to Russia’s federal law, companies are prohibited from advertising alcoholic products on federal TV channels, meaning the star’s commercial will air only on the nation’s cable stations come this fall.
The endorsement deal is said to be roughly worth $1 million.


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According to a new study, having it all isn’t just a struggle for women. The study, conducted by the Pew Research Center, shows that men are nearly as stressed as women in reaching the right work-life balance.
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Wine Brand Advertises at Super Bowl 2017
Finally! An alcoholic beverage other than beer will feature at the Super Bowl this weekend. Australian wine brand, Yellow Tail, distributed in the United States by Deutsch Family Wines and Spirits is in this year’s Big Game for the first time with a regional spot helping it circumvent Anheuser-Busch’s exclusive alcohol category advertising rights for the Super Bowl.
The national in-game alcohol category is owned by Anheuser-Busch, so Yellow Tail decided to buy local spots in 70 markets to reach an expected 100 million households.
With this 30-second spot, Yellow Tail will kick off its new multiyear marketing campaign. The advert will air in the first half of the game in 80% of America including the top 30 television markets. This advert features a new spokesperson aptly named “Yellow Tail Guy” and his kangaroo sidekick enjoying Yellow Tail wine at a party, backyard barbecue and beach. It is directed by Harald Zwart.
“We’re using comedy to show that this wine is really fun to drink – to show that of the 5,000 wine brands in the space, Yellow Tail is the one associated with fun.” Mike Burns, founder of Burns Group which is Yellow Tail’s advertising agency stated. Mike Burns revealed that apart from it being because of Anheuser-Busch’s exclusive alcohol rights, most wine brands haven’t advertised in the Super Bowl recently because they don’t have the national distribution Yellow Tail has.
“A wide base of Yellow Tail’s consumers will be a part of the mass audience watching the Super Bowl,” Burns said. “Thirty million households serve wine during the game, so it seemed like a brand in the wine category that stands for fun and sociability deserves a place in the Super Bowl.”
A report out this month confirmed Yellow Tail is hugely popular with young Americans. According to the report, millennials drank up to 160 million cases of the wine which is nearly half the total in 2015.


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The 2020 holiday shopping season to surpass $189 billion in sales, the biggest shopping season yet
Adobe yesterday released its online shopping predictions for the 2020 holiday seasonOpens a new window . The data is based on Adobe Analytics that surveyed over a trillion website interactions from 80 of the 100 largest retailers in the U.S.
The report predicts this year, holiday sales in the U.S. will surpass $189 billion, increasing by a significant 33% YoY. The massive growth in customer spending could be attributed to stimulus payments and pent-up demand due to store closures across the country for most of the year. The report also indicates that in large parts of the country, customers are expected to spend an additional $11 billion online, surpassing a total of $200 billion (47% YoY increase).
Cyber Week To Stretch in Cyber Months: What Do November and December Have in Store for Retailers?
The report predicts that online sales will surpass $2 billion every day between November 1 through 21 and increase to $3 billion per day from November 22 to December 3. In addition to increased customer spending across the entire months, Black Friday is projected to net $10 billion in online sales, a massive 39% jump from last year. Despite a big Black Friday sale, Cyber Monday will remain the biggest online shopping day of the year with $12.7 billion in sales, signaling a 35% increase YoY.
This year, Americans are also expected to shell out $28.1 billion more on smartphone purchases than 2019, accounting for 42% of all online sales â€“ a 55% increase YoY. This comes at the backdrop of the latest iPhone launch earlier this month.
The holiday shopping season is expected to revive small retailers’ revenues, with a 107% increase in spending predicted. On the other hand, large retailers will witness an 84% boost.
The election week is predicted to bring in $16.3 billion in online sales. On the day after the election, Adobe projects an 11% dip than the full week.
â€œAs retailers adapt to consumers’ new behaviors in this pandemic, we expect earlier discounts, more shipping and pickup options and uncertainty around in-store purchases to drive this year’s online holiday sales to record highs,â€ said John Copeland, head of marketing and customer insights at Adobe. â€œThis year is unlike any in the past, and for the first time we are no longer referring to peak holiday sales as Cyber Week â€“ it’s now Cyber Month.â€
Discounts and Offers To Drive Sales
Holiday discounting is expected to drive sales within the first two weeks of November and build to the deepest category price drops over Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Here are some of the discount patterns:
- Black Friday remains the best day to get discounts on appliances (discounted by 11% on average) and TVs (19%).
- Computers are expected to be the cheapest (average discounts: 18%) on Small Business Saturday (November 28).
- Saturday, November 29, will offer the best discounts for toys, and sporting goods will be at their cheapest in December.
- December 26Â will seeÂ theÂ bestÂ pricesÂ on tools and home improvement items (12%).
Delivery and Pickup Trends:
Affordable shipping options will be in high demand, with 64% of customers stating that they’ll not pay for fast shipping this year. Additionally, curbside pickup will remain a popular option amid shopping concerns. Customers are expected to increasingly prefer buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS) channels now including curbside pickup. This trend will primarily be driven by convenience and safety concerns.
Overall, the 2020 holiday season shopping trends indicate strong demand expected to help retailers and etailers make up for the slow growth witnessed throughout this year.


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Raw sugar futures jumped into bullish territory on Friday as the market recorded a rebound after four consecutive daily declines.
October raw sugar rose 0.2 percent on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) to trade at 17.81 cents per pound. October white sugar was up 0.6 percent to $542.30 a tonne.
Dealers, however, observed that raw sugar prices stood far below the over 3-week high of 18.70 cents set at the start of the week. They also reported a gradual ease in supply tightness, citing a forecast for rains in Europe expected to relieve scorched beet crops in sugar-producing regions.
Market data also showed that a global surplus is expected in both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, indicating a reduction in price of the sweet commodity in the near term.
Data released by the General Administration of Customs stated that top importer China imported 280,000 tonnes of sugar in July, down 35.2 percent from the corresponding month of 2021, reflecting a downward trend in sugar trading.
“The hefty buying by short investors seems to have exhausted itself now. So with that aggressive buyer absent, the market is celebrating back to fundamentals that suggest lower prices for raws,” Tobin Corey, commodity analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said.
Coffee futures also gained on ICE as December arabica coffee rose 0.7 percent to $2.13 per pound, while November robusta coffee climbed 1 percent to $2,241 a tonne.
Dealers noted that ICE-certified stocks increased as traders recertify thousands of bags. As a result, certified arabica stocks as of August 18 stood at 596,775 bags, up from a 23-year low of 571,580 bags recorded at the start of the week.
On the other hand, cocoa futures traded lower as December New York cocoa plunged 1.1 percent to $2,395 a tonne. December London cocoa was also down 0.1 percent at 1,825 pounds a tonne, with a decline in sterling to a three-week low against the U.S dollar helping to underpin prices.
According to a report by Climate42, a research firm that specialises in agro-climatology of the cocoa regions of West Africa, some cocoa-growing regions in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, are experiencing mild stress from lack of water and in need of rainfall. This, analysts observed, could lead to a decline in production in the upcoming season if not urgently addressed.


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Last week we hosted fifteen retailers in Soho for a lunch to discuss the importance of data for growth in eCommerce .
News & Events Commerce sense
One of the most exciting times of the year for the US online commerce market is less than two weeks away. Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, CyberMonday, Super Saturday and CyberSunday are the 5 biggest days of online commerce and are the barometers almost all retailers will closely measure themselves against.
Few doubt that retail is getting tougher: there is more competition, economics are more challenging, and new skills are required. However, despite the pain, there is also more gain.
Everyone is eyeing the Chinese market at present. While China presents a significant opportunity for growth, it is a difficult market to tackle.
When setting up online in China here are some of the questions that you need to ask yourself before embarking on all-out attack on the luxury market there:


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Bitcoin has broken above $41,000 for the first time since late May. Follow US Retail Sales at 15:30 MT time!
The United States will release retail sales and producer inflation (PPI index) numbers at 15:30 MT time on June 15.
Gold has plunged amid the stronger US dollar as investors await the Fed’s meeting this week.
All eyes are turning to the Federal Reserve and the US dollar. How to trade XAU/USD, EUR/USD, and GBP/USD?
Growth stocks are back on track! Jump in to get the fresh stock market outlook!
The main bank of Russian will likely turn hawkish today. Time to sell USD/RUB?
Bitcoin seems to reverse up from the local dips. Are there enough reasons to buy it now?
The US inflation will come out today at 15:30 GMT+3. Traders can’t wait to see the numbers as they will impact all the pairs with the USD!
Great Britain will publish its trade balance for April on June 11, at 09:00 MT time.
The greatest sale of Bitcoin continues! It has approached the psychological mark of $30,000. The traders’ focus remains on Thursday’s report on US inflation.
The European Central Bank plans to post its monetary policy statement together with the interest rate on June 10, at 14:45 MT time.
The Bank of Canada releases a monetary policy statement with an update on the interest rate on June 9, at 17:00 MT time.


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- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has sold his first tweet as an NFT via the trading platform Valubles by Cent.
- It was sold to Bridge Oracle CEO Sina Esatavi for $2.9 million.
- Proceeds will be turned into Bitcoin and donated to charity via GiveDirectly to support its Africa relief efforts.
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Twitter founder and CEO Jack Dorsey has sold his first-ever tweet as a NFT, according to the website on which it was auctioned.
Tweet Sold Via Valuables
The auction for the token began on Dec. 15, 2020, when Dorsey turned his first tweet into an Ethereum-based non-fungible token via a service called Valuables, operated by crypto firm Cent.
The tweet was originally made in 2006 and marks the day that Dorsey set up his persomal Twitter account.
Sina Esatavi, CEO of the TRON-related company Bridge Oracle, won the auction. Esatavi made an initial bid of $2.5 million on Mar. 5, but today, he raised his bid to $2.9 million to buy the token. TRON founder Justin Sun previously bid on the item.
Dorsey noted earlier this month that all proceeds from the auction will be converted and donated to charity. Dorsey selected GiveDirectly’s Africa Response fund as the recipient.
The Rise of NFTs
Other tweets that have attracted high bids on Valuables include a tweet from Tesla CEO Elon Musk ($1.1 million), a tweet from Joe Rogan Experience producer Jamie Vernon ($1 million), and a tweet from MySpace founder Tom Anderson ($12,200).
Notable NFT lines that are either active or upcoming include movie-related NFTs from Mogul Productions, Atari’s line of Metaverse tokens, and the NBA’s line of Top Shot collectibles.
Disclaimer: At the time of writing this author held less than $75 of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and altcoins, and did not hold any NFTs.
OpenSea Raises $23 Million In Series A Funding Round
OpenSea has raised $23 million in its Series A round, according to an announcement from the NFT trading marketplace. OpenSea Attracts Heavyweight Investors OpenSea’s Series A fundraising round was led…
What is Dogecoin?
So what is the story behind DOGE? How did it become the asset of choice for a group of anti-establishment retail traders in January 2021, and what are the chances…
Sotheby’s Announces Upcoming Sale With NFT Artist Pak
After Beeple’s landmark Christie’s auction, NFTs are headed to Sotheby’s. Pak Heads to Sotheby’s Sotheby’s has announced its first NFT sale. The 276-year-old auction house will showcase a collection by…


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SAN DIEGO, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Formex, LLC ("Formex"), a leader in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, announced Yvonne Verburgt has joined Formex as a Sr. Director Business Development.
Ms. Verburgt has over 12 years of combined experience in business development and sales at contract development and manufacturing organizations.
Prior to joining Formex, LLC, Ms. Verburgt served as Sr. Director Business of Development for Pyramid Laboratories from 2012 to 2013 and as Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Irvine Pharmaceutical Services from 2010 to 2012. Ms. Verburgt was Sr. Director of Business Development at Pharmatek from 2007 to 2010 and also had roles of increasing responsibility at Patheon, Inc., from 2000 to 2007 as Director of Business Development for Pharmaceutical Development Services ("PDS") North America. Ms. Verburgt graduated with a BS in Biology and Chemistry from the University of St. Francis.
"Yvonne brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in business development and sales of both R&D and commercial products to Formex. We are extremely pleased to have Yvonne join Formex as Senior Director of Business Development", stated Rudy Emmelot, President & CEO of Formex. "Yvonne is well prepared to lead our BD efforts as Formex continues to grow and expand in capabilities and market presence."
About Formex, LLC.
Formex, LLC ("Formex"), The Formulation Experts, is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization focusing on oral and topical dosage forms. Formex specializes in bioavailability enhancement and controlled release technologies, such as hot melt extrusion, spray drying, fluid bed processing, and liquid/semi-solid filled hard capsules.
SOURCE Formex, LLC


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On 7th March 2018, Fujitsu revealed in its Press Release section that its research and development center has come up with algorithms that will detect bug infected transaction sequences on the Ethereum blockchain.
Smart contracts are basically computer codes that can be used as a platform for exchanging shares, money, property etc. The platform of Ethereum smart contracts can also be used to build various apps. The codes and algorithm of smart contracts are supported on a decentralized open source network. The transaction process through a smart contract requires the sender to “drop” a crypto coin into the decentralized ledger. Smart contracts are described by the white paper of Ethereum as autonomous agents.
How Can Bugs Affect Ethereum Smart Contracts
The Ethereum platform allows the developers to build their own smart contracts. The smart contracts can be copied to more than one location and are then run in a distributed way. It is difficult to stop a contract after its execution. Moreover, the contract cannot be revised even when it has been infected by bugs. As Fujitsu says in the press release, in one such incident a flaw had caused havoc in a transaction of a considerable sum.
The Ethereum smart contract risks can be categorized into six groups and the technologies prior to the one developed by Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu Research and Development Center failed to detect all these types of risks in advance.
- Authentication of the source of the transaction call
- Call stack restrictions
- Divide by zero
- Transaction order dependency
- Transaction uncertainty due to reliance on the timestamp
(Source: Fujitsu website)
Details Regarding the Technology Developed by Fujitsu
The major break made by Fujitsu is that the technology can pinpoint the pertinent addresses in the source code. The screenshot below shows how the newly developed technology will detect the risks.
- Use of symbolic execution technology: The bugs in the source code may have the capability to abuse the language specifications of Ethereum that will help in creating a fake origin of the transaction call. The solution developed will detect these risks by using symbolic execution technology. It will virtually perform the transactions under different situations and as per the source code that is based on the order of improper processing. The proposed technology, according to the researchers, promises to be an accurate method of detecting the risks of the Ethereum smart contracts.
- Spotting on the affected area of the source code: The technology developed by Fujitsu Laboratory and Fujitsu Research and Development Center to recognize the part of the source code that will be affected by the newly discovered risk. Symbolic execution is possible because the newly developed technology scrubs out idle commands from a debugging execution file, affixed with source-code data that corresponds with the Ethereum execution files. This facilitates the technology developed by Fujitsu to spot out the source code locations that concur with the risks detected in the execution file. This is done by analyzing the relationship between the debugging execution file and the execution file by utilizing information like the sequence and type of the virtually running the processing commands.
According to the labs and research center of Fujitsu, this technology has the potential of 100% detection of bugs compared to the prior technologies that were only 67% efficient. During the experimentation phase, it is said to have been 88% precise. The discussed technology is expected to solve the risks issue of Ethereum smart contracts and will pave the way for future developments of the smart contract technology. Apart from this the technology will effectively reduce the labor given for tasks like code evaluation and amend the code.
We will be updating our subscribers as soon as we know more. For the latest on ETH, sign up below!
Disclaimer: This article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide, investment advice. Global Coin Report and/or its affiliates, employees, writers, and subcontractors are cryptocurrency investors and from time to time may or may not have holdings in some of the coins or tokens they cover. Please conduct your own thorough research before investing in any cryptocurrency and read our full disclaimer.
Image courtesy of Pierre Metivier via Flickr
XNO Token of Xeno NFT Hub listed on Bithumb Korea Exchange
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 25th January, 2021, // ChainWire //
Xeno Holdings Limited (xno.live ), a blockchain solutions company based in Hong Kong, has announced the listing of its ecosystem utility token XNO on the ‘Bithumb Korea’ cryptocurrency exchange on January 21st 2021.
Xeno NFT Hub (market.xno.live ), developed by Xeno Holdings, enables easy minting of digital items into NFTs while also providing a marketplace where anyone can securely trade NFTs.
The Xeno NFT Hub project team includes former members of the technology project Yosemite X based in San Francisco and professionals such as Gabby Dizon who is a games industry expert and NFT space influencer based in Southeast Asia.
NFT(Non-Fungible Token) technology has recently gained huge focus in the blockchain arena and beyond, making waves in the online gaming sector, the art world, and the digital copyrights industry in recent years. The strongest feature of NFTs is that “NFTs are unique digital assets that cannot be replaced or forged”. Unlike fungible tokens such as Bitcoin or Ether, NFTs are not interchangeable for other tokens of the same type but instead each NFT has a unique value and specific information that cannot be replaced. This fact makes NFTs the perfect solution to record and prove ownership of digital and real-world items like works of art, game items, limited-edition collectibles, and more. One of the ways to have a successful trading…
Should Crypto Projects Devote Resources to Community Growth and Marketing?
2020 has been an incredible year for crypto as investors have generated windfall profits and crypto projects have seen their businesses gain the spotlight they’ve been looking for. While Bitcoin has received most of the attention after major institutional investors announced they were accumulating the increasingly scarce asset, many altcoins have also seen their fair share of glory. When looking at all the big winners of the past year, the first project that probably comes to mind is Chainlink, having appreciated by more than 550% YTD and now valued at over $4.5 billion. But, the actual biggest winner of the year is HEX with a YTD return of over 5,000%.
I mention both of the above projects as they have each taken slightly different paths to achieve greatness. Chainlink has devoted resources toward building a fundamentally sound business with many strategic partnerships while HEX has spent vast sums of money on marketing and promotion. Both approaches are valid, but one thing is certain, it is absolutely imperative for crypto projects to let the crypto community know what makes them special. Of course, one of the reasons that makes crypto so valuable is the powerful blockchain technology that most projects are utilizing.
Cryptocurrency vs. Blockchain Technology
It’s important to make a distinction between blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. Although they are often used interchangeably, they are different. Blockchain technology and crypto were both created after the 2008 financial crisis, but cryptocurrency…
XENO starts VIP NFT trading service and collaborates with contemporary artist Hiro Yamagata
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 24th December, 2020, // ChainWire //
The XENO NFT Hub (https://xno.live) will provide a crypto-powered digital items and collectables trading platform allowing users to create, buy, and sell NFTs. Additionally it will support auction based listings, governance and voting mechanisms, trade history tracking, user rating and other advanced features.
As a first step towards its fully comprehensive service, XENO NFT Hub launched a recent VIP service to select users and early adopters in December 2020 with plans for a full Public Beta to open in June 2021.
“NFTs are extremely flexible in their usage, from digital event tickets to artwork, and while NFTs have a very wide spectrum of uses and categories XENO will initially focus its partnership efforts and its own item curation on three primary areas: gaming, sports & entertainment, and collectibles.”, said XENO NFT Hub president Anthony Di Franco.
He also added “This does not mean we will prohibit other types of NFTs from our ecosystem However, it simply means that XENO’s efforts as a company will be targeted into these verticals initially as a cohesive business approach.”
Development and Procurement Lead, Gabby Dizon explained, “Despite our initial focus, we found ourselves with a unique opportunity to host some of the works of Mr. Hiro Yamagata. We are collaborating with Japanese artist Hiro Yamagata to enshrine some of his artwork into NFTs.”
Mr. Yamagata has been…


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With new funding, a local video game developer is looking to launch the first step toward the creation of a whole new virtual universe.
Worldspark Studios, a Farmers Branch-based video game development studio, announced its first outside investment with a $3 million seed funding round. The raise was co-led by Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands and early-stage venture capital firm Shima Capital. Now Worldspark is gearing up to launch its first video game tied to blockchain technology.
“The dream to build a studio and create games to compete with the massive corporate players in the space has always been just that, a dream,” said Chandler Thomlison, Worldspark’s co-founder and CEO, in a Medium post. “With the rapid growth of blockchain and the incredible opportunities it presents, our dream is becoming a reality and we’re ecstatic to engage our community to build the best studio and products possible.”
Battling on the blockchain
The company’s first title is Edenbrawl, a tech fantasy-style online multiplayer battle game. Within the game, players will be able to purchase and trade non-fungible tokens. However, the company notes it wants to avoid “pay-to-win” elements, meaning the NFTs will be tied to things like character skins and weapons skins, rather than on add-ons that will help players compete better.
While Worldspark has yet to select a blockchain network to build the game upon, it said it’s planning to host a token sale in about seven to eight months, with the goal of launching a closed beta version of Edenbrawl toward the beginning of next year. Eventually the company hopes the game will become part of the competitive esports scene.
“Worldspark values the social connections that can only be made through gaming, which is why we design specifically around social features, accessibility, and new player experience to ensure our games can be enjoyed by all,” Thomlison writes.
Worldspark intends for Edenbrawl to be the first part of a metaverse surrounding the virtual world of “Eden,” a hub where players can socialize and trade NFTs. From there, the company plans to launch other games to the universe, including an expected action role-playing game called Trials of Eden—a concept Thomlison likens to an old-fashioned arcade.
“When you go to the arcade with your friends, you meet in the lobby to socialize and group up,” Thomlison. “From there, you’ll take off toward the main floor to play whatever arcade machine you want. Eden is our lobby and Edenbrawl is our first Arcade machine.”
Adding industry expertise
According to Thomlison, the game, formerly called Circuits and Shields, has been in the works for nearly five years, without any full-time employees. However, according to the outlet Decrypt, the work has been aided by nearly 240 contract developers. Thomlison said the company, then known as Koza Games, initially tried to fund the project via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.
With the new funding, Worldspark says it’s now able to bring people on full-time. And it’s already attracted experts in the industry. According to LinkedIn, Chief Creative Officer Edmundo Sanchez is a former creative art lead at Riot Games—best known for the title League of Legends. Chief Product Officer Sebastian Cardoso also held leadership roles at Riot and Electronic Arts, in addition to previously serving as CEO for game developers Symbiotic Entertainment and Flower Blade. And Chief Technology Officer Tristan Root previously served as an engineering and feature lead at Bungie, the developer of the game Halo.
“We’ll be heads down for the next few months revamping our art style, building out Eden, and making drastic improvements to Edenbrawl gameplay,” Thomlison wrote.
Other investors joining Worldspark’s seed round included AAG Ventures, Alameda Ventures, Double Peak Group, Forward Analytics, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Jump Capital, LD Capital, Lucid Blue Ventures, Moon Holdings, Onchain Group, Pillar VC, Sfermion, SL2 Capital, ViaBTC, and YGGSEA—the sub-DAO of crypto gaming group Yield Guild Games.
“Worldspark’s strengths lie largely in the traditional…gaming space so we’ll lean heavily on our seed partners to fill our gaps and bring the best possible product to market,” Thomlison wrote.
North Texas is gaming central
The North Texas region has long been a hub for video games. In addition to being the home of the National Videogame Museum, Frisco is home to Gearbox Software, the maker of gamers like Borderlands, Half-Life, and Brothers in Arms. Other notable local video game developers include Richardson’s iD Software, one of the older operators in the space with its first-person shooter Doom being released in 1993, as well as McKinney-based Playful Studios and Dallas’ PeopleFun, the developer of mobile game series Wordscapes.
The concentration of developers in the local ecosystem has also given rise to North Texas’ spot as a leader in the competitive esports industry. The two biggest players are Dallas’ Envy Gaming, which recently merged with OpTic Gaming and includes celebrity backers like Post Malone, and Complexity Gaming, which was acquired by GameSquare Esports last year and includes the Jerry Jones family as stakeholders. Envy also owns the operating rights to Esports Stadium Arlington, which claims to be the largest in North America.
The Dallas Cowboys owner isn’t the only big-name local investor in the esports space. Goff Capital is also a stakeholder in Complexity, while Texas Rangers President Neil Leibman formerly formed Infinite Sports & Entertainment, which was acquired by Houston’s Immortals Gaming Club in 2019. In addition, local billionaire Mark Cuban formed Mavs Gaming in 2018 and has invested in a number of esports-adjacent startups in recent years.
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How does the Square POS system stack up to SpotOn Restaurant POS? See ratings from real users for both systems to help make the right choice.
Feed your guests. Fuel your dreams.
When you run a restaurant, it can be a struggle keeping up with the latest food trends. Here are some newsletter resources to help restaurants stay up to date.
Kamal Azzouz discusses running a family restaurant, investing in marketing, and what an 18-foot Christmas tree meant for his business.
Bryan Solar, CPO at SpotOn, weighs in on the tech on display at the annual expo and what’s on the mind of restaurant operators who attended.
Opening a new restaurant? Here's how to get started hiring great restaurant workers and making sure they have to tech they need to want to stay.
See how a walk up service window can make your restaurant operate smoother and help you serve more guests.


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- Views & Opinions
The Human Rights Campaign has announced a new partnership with gay designer and activist Marc Jacobs for the Little Marc Jacobs children’s line of clothing.
HRC and LMJ are selling T-shirts that offer a modern family take on an old tradition – one parent telling a kid to go ask the other parent. The T-shirt slogans read, “If Mom says no, go ask Mom” and “If Dad says no, go ask Dad.”
Constructed of 100 percent organic cotton, the infant and toddler T-shirts are available in unisex sizes.
But there are only 200 available online at shop.hrc.org, at HRC stores in Provincetown, Mass., San Francisco and Palm Springs, Calif., and Washington, D.C. and at the Marc Jacobs store in New York City.
The shirts, retailing at $35 each, raise money for HRC.
Download a PDF of the current issue of Wisconsin Gazette and join our Facebook community.


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Shares of Johnson & Johnson have climbed 16% over the past five months and as of this writing, the stock is making new 52-week highs. The health care giant appears rejuvenated, much of which can be dated back to when J&J completed its acquisition of Synthes. But this deal hasn't completely eradicated concerns about the company's long term prospects, and more specifically, that J&J is sometimes considered "too big."
Likewise, although the company recently posted good fiscal fourth-quarter results, there were also some opportunities for improvement. Consequently, it's become progressively more difficult to consider shares of J&J a better value over rivals such as Pfizer and Covidien . J&J has to prove that it can maintain its momentum and/or improve in some key areas to calm investors' nerves.
Doing much better, but...
The company has nursed its medical device business back to better health. However, it hasn't been easy, given the rash of product recalls that has affected the company by as much as $3 billion in charges for a faulty hip replacement device. However, with the recent beat on revenue estimates, there are signs that better days might be ahead.
Despite another special charge related to the hips device, the company posted an 8% increase in global revenue for the fourth quarter, which was fueled by rebounding sales of prescription drugs and demand for its medical devices. It's worth noting here, however, that the strong 13.7% growth in medical devices was boosted by the impact of the Synthes acquisition. When excluding Synthes, sales were up roughly 1%, including a 2.2% decline in the U.S.
Is J&J truly back to growth?
Bears would argue that J&J is not truly back to "organic" growth, given the recent boosts from Synthes. Still, the company deserves credit for seeing a growth opportunity in Synthes that it otherwise might never have had. Today, the Synthes acquisition has bolstered Johnson & Johnson's position as a dominant player in orthopedic devices for trauma patients . Likewise, Synthes was able to strengthen J&J's overall orthopedic and spinal care businesses, which are now contributing to the bottom line. It's also important to note that the reported numbers were good, but far from breathtaking -- at least not from an operational perspective.
Although J&J showed some progress, Q4 gross margin declined roughly 135 basis points. This comes on the heels of a 100 basis-point decline in Q3. Management did say, however, that the impact to margins was due to an inventory step-up charge related to Synthes, which increased the cost of goods sold by 140 basis points. The step-up charge has been treated as a special item. But even on an adjusted basis, the margin was still unimpressive considering there was also a decline in the third quarter.
Nevertheless, J&J managed to grow operating earnings 8% as reported. Likewise, fourth-quarter net income arrived at $2.6 billion, or $0.91 per share. While earnings arrived significantly above the $218 million J&J earned last year, as noted, the Q4 2012 results included a $3 billion charge. However, when removing special items fourth-quarter earnings arrived at $1.19 per share -- topping Street estimates of $1.17.
Opportunities for improvement
As noted above, margins are still a glaring issue. Granted, the impact from the Synthes deal helped the device business. But are there more catalysts from this point forward? And I don't think macro-related concerns are still valid if J&J underperforms -- at least not when compared to Covidien, which seems to outperform J&J in areas like surgical.
However, it's not all bad. J&J is well-diversified and continues to perform well in drugs. The company's drug Remicade impressively accounts for more than 10% of the company's revenue. What's more, its new cancer drug, Zytiga, which posted 74% revenue growth in the fourth quarter, continues to gain incredible traction -- outselling Remicade by $13 million.
However, as my Foolish colleague Maxx Chatsko pointed out, Zytiga also has to deal with plenty of competition from the likes of Medivation, which has an oral medication drug of its own. Nevertheless, I do expect drugs to continue to be J&J's biggest driver in 2013 and beyond. And based on management's improved guidance, the company feels that way as well.
What of the stock?
As noted above, while J&J is resting near 52-week highs, the recent run in the shares have taken its P/E to above 20, where it is now trading higher than Pfizer's P/E of 14. This may signal that investors believe J&J will continue to outperform its peers for the next several quarters. But this is by no means a flawless company; if management can get margins going again, while improving the medical devices business, I don't see any reasons why J&J can't continue to rise. But those are two big "if"s.
Is bigger really better?
Involved in everything from baby powder to biotech, Johnson & Johnson's critics are convinced that the company is spread way too thin. If you want to know if J&J is nothing but a bloated corporate whale -- or a well-diversified giant that's perfect for your portfolio -- check out The Fool's new premium report outlining the Johnson & Johnson story in terms that any investor can understand. Claim your copy by clicking here now.
The article Can Johnson & Johnson Hold Its Momentum? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Richard Saintvilus has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Covidien and Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool owns shares of Johnson & Johnson. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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ProShip to offer WorldLink as part of FOG Software Group’s recent acquisition of CMS GlobalSoft
BROOKFIELD, Wis. – (BUSINESS WIRE) – ProShip, Inc., the most trusted global provider of automated multi-carrier shipping software, today announced that CMS GlobalSoft’s parcel shipping software, WorldLink, will now be offered as a new product line within ProShip’s portfolio of solutions. This news comes after parent company, FOG Software Group, acquired CMS GlobalSoft in early March 2022 as part of its Supply Chain and Logistics sector.
The incorporation of the CMS WordLink solution into ProShip’s already robust product offerings allows ProShip, traditionally catering to enterprise-level shipping needs, to provide additional value to the entire mid-market. CMS WordLink is designed to grant mid-sized shippers access to simpler integrations, quicker implementation times, and the savings and flexibility of a true multi-carrier system that can scale as shipping volumes grow.
“We saw that there was an opportunity to leverage ProShip’s expertise in carrier compliance, extensive technical flexibility and in-house support across a broader segment of the supply chain space,” Bill Schroeder, President of ProShip stated. “We’re confident that the inclusion of WorldLink as an upper mid-tier offering will provide significant value to customers. Additionally, as a ProShip-backed shipping solution, this will bring world-class parcel shipping technology to the middle market for the first time, permitting today’s growing businesses to focus more on expansion and less on parcel and carrier management intricacies.”
Yulia Popokh, President of CMS Globalsoft added, “We’re very excited to join forces with the ProShip team to enhance the CMS WorldLink product. I’m confident that ProShip’s powerful back end combined with WorldLink’s user-friendly and highly flexible front-end will offer our customers and their clients an improved experience.”
“For over 20 years, ProShip’s singular focus has been on parcel shipping and the complexities surrounding it while executing millions of shipments with sub-second response time. The addition of CMS WorldLink further proves our dedication to focus on providing the best parcel execution system available,” Justin Cramer, ProShip’s co-founder says. “Our sole commitment to shipping technology allows us to innovate and advance our products rapidly and without distraction, so our customers always have the best solution there is on the market.”
About ProShip, Inc.
Making complex parcel shipping challenges simple & cost-effective. ProShip is the most trusted provider of automated multi-carrier shipping software for parcel. With simple carrier connectivity and high flexibility, ProShip enables complex features & functions, such as maintaining compliance, executing multi-carrier rate shopping with unified business logic, and empowering omnichannel fulfillment. Because ProShip integrates with multiple parts of your Enterprise Software Stack (ESS), our multicarrier shipping solution can automate the supply chain workflow & turn your parcel shipping operation into an efficient powerhouse. For more information, please visit www.proshipinc.com.


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Today begins CryptoTickets’ ICO, an Ethereum-based blockchain platform for ticket systems and event organizers. It is trying to solve ticket touting, fraud, and counterfeiting by utilizing the immutable ledger of the blockchain.
Event organizers, ticket distribution platforms, and secondary marketplaces have struggled to deal with ticket counterfeiting and fraud for many years. For instance, earlier in 2017, thousands of Ed Sheeran fans were denied entry to the Ed Sheeran concert due to the tickets they had purchased on secondary marketplaces. The fans purchased tickets from unverified sellers at a value eight times higher than the face value, and received counterfeit tickets in return.
In an interview with Forbes, Sandy Khaund, former executive at Microsoft, Intel, Turner Broadcasting and InStadium, further revealed:
“It happens a lot [ticket fraud]. Last year at game seven of the NBA Western Conference championship between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder, 86 people got rejected at the gate with tickets they’d bought from StubHub. At least StubHub has a money-back guarantee but those people didn’t get to go to the game.”
Essentially, the CryptoTickets blockchain platform is trying to solve the rapidly increasing cases of ticket fraud and counterfeiting in various industries. By using the Ethereum blockchain, a decentralized and peer-to-peer infrastructure developed specifically for decentralized applications, the CryptoTickets blockchain is capable of embedding the cryptographic proof of each ticket on smart contracts, which are eventually broadcasted to the Ethereum blockchain.“At the moment, the ticket sale market survives numerous problems, such as speculation in the secondary market, fraud and ticket falsification, incomplete sales and a lack of a consolidated tool for tickets return. These are the basic topics for all industry conferences across the globe. The blockchain t...


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Supermarket director has message for dude who stockpiled $10k worth of toilet paper + sanitiser: Up yours!!
An idiot in Adelaide has been denied a refund on massive amounts of toilet paper and hand sanitiser after not being able to spruik these online.
The Adelaide man, who remains unnamed, demanded a full refund on 150 packets of 32-roll toilet paper and 150 bottles of 1-litre hand sanitiser, equating a total of $10,000.
“I had my first customer yesterday who wanted a refund [for that amount],” says John-Paul Drake, director of Drakes Supermarkets, who denied the greedy prick a return of his money.
Instead, Drake went on to give the loo paper stockpiler the middle finger.
“That’s the sort of person causing the problem around the whole country,” says the supermarket director, adding: “The scenes everyone’s seen with toilet paper [stockpiling] have been absolutely ridiculous.”
What’s sure to look even more ridiculous is the sad state of said stockpiler’s garage or storage cupboard, sure to be packed to the brim in stuff he won’t be getting rid of in quite a while. And why? Because of internet bans on sales of ‘essential’ goods in bulk.
Better luck next time, shit-head.
Feel free to leave a comment!


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Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, while speaking to a private news network, reported a sharp reduction in imports through a combination of regulatory duties and import controls as part of the government’s efforts to reduce the account’s deficit (CAD) by about 40% to $10 billion. during the next fiscal year.
To achieve this goal, the government planned to curb imports through various measures, including a complete ban on the import of automobiles and the imposition of new regulatory taxes on the import of cell phones, machinery and other items. luxury goods, as well as an increase in the current duties on the import of auto parts.
The government has banned the import of the following luxury items to save valuable foreign currency. pic.twitter.com/7JVMYQ0HNx
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) May 19, 2022
Pakistan’s energy imports are an important cause of the CAD increase. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, the CAD has already ballooned to $13.2 billion, and by the end of the fiscal year it is feared to widen to $18 billion. dollars. Reducing the deficit to $10 billion could weigh heavily on the economy, but the government has no other choice to avoid default.
The current account deficit was reduced to $623 million on April 22; only two-thirds of the March 22 deficit of $1,015 million. An increase in workers’ remittances (by $315 million) and a decline in imports (by $246 million) explain this reduction. Cumulatively, the CAD reached $13,779 million in July-April FY22.https://t.co/Od8ikVdOd5 pic.twitter.com/smhwJlyTZu
— SBP (@StateBank_Pak) May 19, 2022
Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf government had left behind more than $16 billion in foreign exchange reserves, which have since steadily declined as the new government struggled to secure additional flows due to the lack of progress in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Days before PML(N) came to power, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) imposed 100% cash margins on 177 items in a bid to limit their imports. The current government has decided to further increase the number of imported products subject to 100% cash margins. It should be noted that regulatory duties and the cash margin requirement have not proven effective in the past in reducing imports, as 80% of the country’s imports are either raw materials or intermediate goods, depending on the World Bank.
Read more: India imports 25 times more Russian oil after US pressure
The government could face objections from the World Bank and the IMF, which often oppose such restrictions on imports. If import duties worked, Pakistan would have been among the most deficit economies, but unfortunately that is not the case. Despite imposing relatively high import duties, Pakistan has continuously struggled with the DAC.
High import duties have a negative impact on the economy. According to Gonzalo Varela, a trade specialist and macroeconomist working for the World Bank, high import duties have the following consequences:
1: Creates distortions by increasing profits from selling domestically rather than exporting.
2: Creates distortions by reducing incentives to improve productivity by limiting competition and opportunities for technology transfer.
3: Creates distortions by increasing political uncertainty as they affect the relative returns of investing in one sector versus another and thus encourage a wait-and-see approach by business.
Read more: Pakistan’s import-to-GDP ratio exceeds 18%
New regulatory duties and import controls will not solve the challenge of increasing CAD. These measures could reduce imports in the short term, offering temporary relief, but countering the rise in the CAD in the long term will require macro-adjustment to reduce aggregate demand, something the government must take if it is to prevent the economy of default.