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Technology use is changing lifestyles in U.S., census shows
Published 4:00 am, Monday, February 4, 2002
Last year, nearly 110 million people in the United States used a cellular phone, 113 million adults had Internet access and Baby Boomers bought more CDs than any other age group.
This snapshot of Americans as technology consumers comes from the Census Bureau's "Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2001."
Census numbers show how rapidly technology is changing the American way of life.
In 1982, vinyl albums ruled the music world, with sales of $1.9 billion. In 2000, the latest year detailed by the Census, CD sales were $13.2 billion, while vinyl hovered around $28 million.
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Cell phone use exploded between 1990 and 2000. At the beginning of the decade, there were 5.3 million mobile-phone subscribers in the United States.
In 2000, there were 109.4 million, according to the Census.
A bureau spokesman attributed the rise to falling costs. "Over the decade, the average monthly cellphone bill decreased from $81 to $45," said Lars Johanson, technical coordinator of the annual publication. "Another indicator of the spectacular growth of the industry was the jump in its employees, from about 21,000 to 185,000."
The Internet arrived even faster. In 1998, 26 percent of Americans had Internet access at home. By 2000, that had jumped to 42 percent.


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Baseballism announces official licensing partnership with Minor League Baseball (MiLB).
Following our successful ongoing MLB partnership that we kicked off back in December of 2022, we are excited to announce that we have now signed an official licensing partnership with Minor League Baseball, as well. Baseballism x MiLB collaborative apparel will be available at select Minor League ballparks beginning this summer. To commemorate this new partnership, we are releasing some select pieces from the initial offering online.
The partnership kicks off Saturday, July 22nd at noon EST, exclusively online at baseballism.com.
The initial Baseballism x MiLB release consists of the following:
- Durham Bulls: Outfield Fence tee
- Indianapolis Indians: Bobblehead Night tee
- Las Vegas Aviators: Outfield Fence tee
- Amarillo Sod Poodles: Bobblehead Night tee
- Reno Aces: Outfield Fence tee
- El Paso Chihuahuas: Anthem tee
- Eugene Emeralds: Outfield Fence tee
- Hillsboro Hops: Anthem tee
- Hillsboro Hops: Rally Cap tee
Baseballism x MiLB: First collection release
When: Saturday, 7/22, noon EST
Where: Baseballism Online Only
Collection Sneak Peeks

domain: news


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CRM application provider makes a big bet on helping businesses connect with customers via Twitter, Facebook, and other communities.
Sales automation giant Salesforce.com has agreed to buy Radian6, perhaps the best-known social media monitoring firm. The acquisition expands Salesforce into the still nebulous realm of social customer relationship management, and suggests the company sees a big future for selling and delivering customer service through social media.
Salesforce will pay approximately $276 million in cash and $50 million in stock, for a total of about $326 million. An additional $14 million in cash and stock payments are subject to vesting over the next two years.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said in a statement, "Not only will this acquisition accelerate our growth, it will extend the value of all of our offerings."
Salesforce intends to integrate Radian6 with several of its products, including its Sales Cloud salesforce automation tool, its Service Cloud customer service and support tool, its Chatter private social network for clients, and its Force.com application development initiative.
Radian6 claims its customers include more than half of Fortune 100 companies, including Dell, GE, Kodak, and Pepsico. It offers both a monitoring platform, which tracks conversations on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and other online communities and networks - and engagement features.
In December it helped roll out a Social Media Listening Command Center for Dell, a key element of @Dellcares customer care and tech support initiative. Dell is also a Salesforce.com customer.
Salesforce has also partnered with other companies, such as Eloqua, to help its customers automate marketing services.
The Salesforce-Radian 6 deal comes a day after eBay made its own belated push into marketing services; it said it will buy GSI Commerce for $2.4 billion. GSI is best known for e-commerce infrastructure and fulfillment but has built up its marketing technology and service holdings.
The Salesforce-Radian6 deal is expected to close before June 30.
Until March 2012, Zach Rodgers was managing editor of ClickZ's award-winning coverage of news and trends in digital marketing. He reported on the rise of web companies, data markets, ad technologies, and government Internet policy, among other subjects.
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October 13, 2015
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November 12, 2015


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Eckoh, a global provider of secure payment products and customer contact solutions, has won a new $3.7m five-year contract to provide secure payment services to a large US telecommunications provider.
The solution, which will be deployed in financial year FY18, uses Eckoh’s patented tokenisation technology to secure card payments being made through the organisation’s contact centre facilities. The new contract, Eckoh’s largest US secure payments contract to date, enables the client to comply more easily with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI DSS”) and to help prevent fraud.
In the half-year results announced on 29 November 2016, Eckoh reported strong progress in the US with payment contract value having more than doubled compared to that of the previous financial year. Since then there have been a further three US secure payment contract wins, including today’s. This takes the number of payment contracts won this financial year to nine, matching the number of contracts won in the previous financial year, but delivering contract value of $8.3m which is over five times higher.
As notable is the fact that of the contracts won this year only two of these are priced using an upfront fee model (“Capex”), the remaining seven using the SaaS style pricing model (“Opex”), which as announced in the trading update last September would be the Group’s preferred model going forward.
The table below illustrates the progress made in the US market since trading in the region commenced in April 2014. With less than 10% of the aggregate contract value this financial year having been won through the two Capex contracts, the SaaS-style contracts will improve Eckoh’s forward visibility of US payment revenues considerably, as well as more closely aligning the US with the UK model where there are 85% recurring revenues overall.
Nik Philpot, Chief Executive Officer Eckoh plc, comments: “The opportunity for Eckoh’s patented secure payment products in the largest contact centre market in the world is substantial and today’s $3.7 million contract is our largest ever. With a limited number of competitors and a product portfolio with a breadth and flexibility that they cannot match, we are convinced that Eckoh can become the natural choice for contact centre security. The strong progress we have made in the US this year is clear, both in terms of the value of the contracts and the quality of those future earnings, and underscores our ability to capture the scale of the opportunity and to deliver significant growth over the coming years.”


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iQOO Z3 5G India launch has been set for June 8. The device is also confirmed to be an Amazon-exclusive after its launch. The microsite on Amazon has also revealed some features of the iQOO Z3 5G. Other features of the phone remain the same as the Chinese variant.
iQOO Z3 5G India Launch Confirmed: Date, Live Stream
The iQOO Z3 5G will arrive in the country on June 8 at 12 PM IST which is believed to be live-streamed via the company’s YouTube channel and other social media handles.
iQOO Z3 5G Features
The iQOO Z3 5G will be the India’s first smartphone with the Snapdragon 768G chipset. Besides, the Amazon listing has confirmed the device will come with an 8GB RAM option and will have a 3GB extended RAM option.
As above mentioned, the Indian variant will have the same specs as the Chinese model. To recall, the handset was originally launched in China back in March. The handset comes with a 6.58-inch LCD display with 1080 x 2408 pixels FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 768G 5G processor is paired with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage options.
Moreover, it has a triple rear camera setup including a 64MP main lens, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with 120-degree FoV and an f/2.2 aperture, and a 2MP macro sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. For selfies, the smartphone gets a 16MP front-facing camera.
Other features include 4D game vibration, Multi-Turbo 5.0, Five-fold liquid-cooling temperature, Android 11 OS. Further, a 4,400 mAh battery fuels the device with 55W FlashCharge support.
iQOO Z3 5G: Better Than Competition?
The phone is rumored to launch in India at around Rs. 25,000, making it an affordable gaming device. In this range, the phone will give tough competition to the recently launched Realme X7 Max 5G and the upcoming OnePlus Nord CE 5G.
For the iQOO 7 series, we have seen a lower price than its rumor price tag. Considering this, we expect the upcoming phone could fall at around Rs. 20,000, cheaper than the X7 Max 5G and that can be a plus point for the iQOO Z3 5G.
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Story first published: Tuesday, June 1, 2021, 13:51 [IST]


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Collection of the best infographics on the web
The tips presented in this article reflect Aaron’s team building style and based on his impressive background, you are in for a joyful ride!
Eleven per cent of people in the UK have taken fewer holidays recently due to fears about their work and the economic situation, but this ...
This year's list broke records in size (1,210 billionaires) and total net worth ($4.5 trillion). China doubled its number of 10-figure fortunes, and Moscow now ...
49% of small businesses experience late payments every month
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JSE-listed African fuel and lubricants retailer Vivo Energy CFO Doug Lafferty has resigned to take up the position of CFO at Aston Martin Lagonda Group.
He will, however, remain a director of Vivo Energy until he leaves, which will be no later than July 31.
Lafferty will remain focused on the delivery of the company’s full-year results, due on March 2, as well as on ensuring the effective transition of his responsibilities. The search for a new CFO is under way and the company will announce a further update in due course.
“Doug has made a big impact on our business, contributing significantly to the development of our strategy and helping drive the continued recovery following the impacts of Covid-19. The Board and I will be very sad to see him leave and wish him all the best for the future,” says Vivo Energy CEO Christian Chammas.
“I’m proud of how the recovery has continued and the strong performance of the company during my tenure,” says Lafferty.
“I firmly believe that the strategy is right to provide long-term benefits to our customers and our broader stakeholders, and in the significant long-term potential of Vivo Energy. I look forward to working with Stan Mittelman as he takes over as CEO and wish Vivo Energy all the best for the future,” he says.


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Bank Technology News writesthat mobile financial services delivered through smartphones and prepaid cardsare the best ways to draw people into the financial mainstream.
Both the CFSI and FDIC researchsuggests that mobile phones and prepaid cards present opportunities for banksto reach these potential customers. Underbanked households are more likely touse smartphones than bank branches, computers or telephones to access money andaccounts — and they’re much more likely to do so than even fully bankedhouseholds.
While these can be valuable channels for reaching peoplewithout traditional bank accounts, they cannot be seen as panaceas for theissues faced by unbanked and underbanked people. It is worth noting thatresearch by the Pew Charitable trusts should that less than half of U.S.citizens age 30-49 making less than $30,000 a year said they owned smartphonesin 2013 (http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/06/05/smartphone-ownership-2013/).
It is also worth noting that these tools can give people away to lower the transaction and day-to-day financial management costs, butthey do not necessarily help people build credit scores or wealth. It isimportant to supply opportunities to graduate to better products and supply newtools for building better financial lives along with alternatives to high costfinancial services. Otherwise the risk is that these people remain in apermanent economic underclass.
Overview by Ben Jackson, Director, Prepaid Advisory Service for Mercator Advisory Group
Read full story at American Banker


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It’s not too late to jump on board the blockchain train. The year 2018 has proven that the industry is far from dead, and even Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao is bullish on the future of blockchain and crypto. The industry certainly isn’t in a bubble, either. As Alibaba’s Ant Financial CEO Alipay CEO Joe Tsai said at Davos , “We’re investing in blockchain technology because we think it will be the foundation of the next internet.”
It’s been a wild ride for most cryptocurrencies this year. After a dramatic 2018, prices have been on a roller coaster ride since the beginning of July 2019.
March 15, 2018 marked a new beginning for the crypto market, as an entire new generation of companies came up with their own digital currencies. While some saw the coming of the blockchain and the rise of the ICO as a turning point in the crypto world, others see it as a death-knell. However, the first mover advantage is a key aspect of a market, and the crypto world is no exception. While many saw the year 2018 as a bear market for the crypto market, others believe that this year is the first year of a bull market.. Read more about crypto bear market and let us know what you think.
Crypto markets are at a fork in the road right now, after an enormous bull run at the beginning of this year that was followed by an abrupt stop and a 50% decline since April. Where they go next may provide insight into how market circumstances affect popular acceptance via artists, innovators, and celebrities who have become more interested in the area.
The market for nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and social tokens has historically been anecdotally linked with the wider crypto market. We’re seeing that connection fade as artists attract more non-crypto followers, although with a tiny sample size. If Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) do not break out of their respective slumps and the market enters a bear market, there is a compelling argument to be made that the creator economy’s development will shield social tokens from the market’s impacts.
Related: On the fence: How long can a cryptocurrency bear market last?
The truth is that, for the time being, most artists’ fans are unconcerned with the price of BTC or ETH. They’re purchasing tokens to get access to special token-gated perks and new digital and physical methods to engage with their favorite artists and producers.
Whether the market is bullish or bearish in the next months, both situations provide distinct possibilities for our sector. Whether the market attracts new players in a bull market or shakes out the “weak hands” in a bear market, the near future offers a critical juncture for the creative and crypto economies.
As the NFTs cool down, the weak hands are weeded out.
Since the crypto bull market and NFT bubble exploded earlier this year, artists and celebrities have dominated the public discussion about cryptocurrency alongside Bitcoin. The NFT market has drastically cooled in recent months, with fewer big-name celebrities producing NFTs than in March. Is it possible that NFTs were just a fad, or will crypto alter the way celebrities and their followers engage in the future?
A few celebrities have undoubtedly utilized cryptocurrency for cheap endorsement money or to earn a fast profit. However, many of them are genuinely interested in seeing how crypto might bring them closer to their followers and let them to express themselves in new ways.
Related: The hype is over: How NFTs and art may help one other in the future
At the end of the day, influencers who exploited crypto as a “cash grab,” like previous generations of crypto tourists, will leave the sector amid downturns. We’re still talking to a number of genuinely interested artists about how they might use NFTs as part of a broader crypto engagement with their audience. The basis for artists and crypto has been solidly built to endure all market circumstances, whether they are household-name superstars or creators with an engaged, though more specialized, audience.
A watershed moment for the “middle class”
Creators with smaller and mid-sized followings have also looked at methods to interact with their audiences through crypto and NFTs, rather than letting Big Tech platforms to set terms.
More than 50 million YouTubers, TikTok stars, bloggers, and other content producers make up the creative economy. The industry is exploding: last year, ad expenditure on influencer marketing alone topped $10 billion, not to mention artists interacting directly with their followers. Crypto is becoming more prevalent in these direct creator-fan exchanges.
Despite the fact that the NFT market has retraced, innovators are still exploring the area, and the technology is progressing toward more functionality and usefulness. Million-dollar “market cap” economies are more prevalent than ever among crypto entrepreneurs. And it isn’t only cryptosphere founders who are succeeding in establishing crypto economies.
For example, Twitch streamer Alliestrasza’s 225,000 followers watch her play card games like Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering Arena. With her network of ALLIE social token holders, Alliestrasza has created a million-dollar economy by providing unique advantages such as participation in fan competitions for different games.
We’ll see less and less connection between social tokens intended for active community uses/engagement and the wider, more volatile crypto market that may draw more speculative players as more producers create these types of economies with separate value and purposes.
Adoption in large numbers and creators
Many individuals who were early adopters of cryptocurrency may wonder why any of this matters. A peer-to-peer electronic currency system or a “global computer” are not Creator coins. True, they may not be. However, bringing new audiences into crypto and helping them realize the technology’s worth is the only way to see substantial growth in the sector. The acceptance of cryptocurrency is still in its early stages. Those will either have to utilize technology as it is now (which is happening at a very slow rate) or technology will have to develop more user-friendly layers that are attractive to people with less interest in or understanding of technology and finance.
Understanding the systemic transition from financial services digitalization to tokenization
One of the most apparent ways to accomplish this is to meet customers where they are – by engaging with their favorite celebrities and artists. However, the potential is not limited to artists and celebrities: Consider the adoption curve if every single person, brand, or website on the internet that might benefit from decentralization was tokenized.
Of course, the rate at which crypto and crypto-related products are created and accepted will be influenced by changing laws. For artists and celebrities all around the globe, particularly in the United States, this will be a crucial area to keep an eye on. Compliance with the Financial Action Task Force is already a requirement for crypto platforms that service artists.
FATF draft guideline focuses on DeFi and compliance
However, when technology and regulation come together and crypto is integrated into the everyday experiences of internet users, billions of people will be exposed to and grow more acquainted with the technology’s power and potential.
This may be the turning point we’ve been waiting for.
There is no financial advice or suggestion in this article. Every investing and trading choice has risk, and readers should do their own due diligence before making a decision.
The author’s views, ideas, and opinions are entirely his or her own, and do not necessarily reflect or represent those of Cointelegraph.
Kevin Chou got his start in the esports game industry as the founder and CEO of Kabam, a company that was ultimately sold for $1 billion. His foray into the crypto world started in 2018, when he co-founded and served as CEO of blockchain ecosystem Rally for two years. Content producers, developers, and others may use the company to take control of their own digital economy. In addition to his role at Rally, Chou subsequently created Forte, a game-centric blockchain platform, where he now serves as chairman.
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- crypto bear market
- bull vs bear market
- bull market meaning
- bear stock
- how to make money in a bear market crypto


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The dream job - travel for free and as a £2,000 a week Instagram 'apprentice'
The role is for a Shore Explorer apprentice to go on an all-expenses paid world trip for three weeks. In addition to Japan, Alaska, Europe and the Middle East, they will be one of the first to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay – a new and exclusive private island in the Caribbean.
"We're looking for an adrenaline junkie who is not only hungry for adventure but also has a unique ability to capture a moment and tell a story in a simple social media post," a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told Insider. "We already offer a huge amount of incredible, once-in-a-lifetime, on-land experiences as part of our cruise holidays — from zip-wires and white water rafting to walking on glaciers and hot air balloon rides. By launching this position, we're hoping that the winning candidate will take our shore excursion program to the next level."
Candidates can apply via Instagram for the opportunity to seek out and test extraordinary shore experiences in some of the most jaw-dropping destinations across the globe – while getting ?2,000 a week, or ?6,000 in total.
Instagram is one way for cruise companies to attract younger and first-time cruisers. In a survey of 2,000 people aged 18-37, commissioned by Royal Caribbean and carried out by OnePoll, almost a third said they had booked a holiday or experience after seeing someone post about it on Instagram.
Those applying for the Royal Caribbean role must be 21 or over, hold a valid passport and be able to travel this year. They’ll be flying between destinations and travelling solo, although they can pay for a plus one to join them. A longer-term position with Royal Caribbean is not guaranteed at the end of the trip.
The application for the three-week position is open until March 1.
Royal Caribbean has 25 ships, including the biggest at sea – Symphony of the Seas, which has capacity for over 5,000 guests. The line’s first Quantum Class ship, Spectrum of the Seas, is due to launch this April.
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Tech giants Intel and Johnson & Johnson will test a simulated version of a Blockchain platform designed to track prescription drugs across the supply chain.
The goal of the project is to bring pharmaceutical industry into compliance with Drug Supply Chain Security Act and ensure the safe availability of prescription drugs to consumers.
The system is designed to track drugs from their point of manufacture to final distribution with the aim of removing potentially dangerous drugs from reaching US consumers, experts say.
The manufacturing and distribution of fake or substandard medications is a $30 bln problem and causes 200,000 deaths each year globally, according to a recent report by the World Health Organization.
David Houlding, the director of healthcare privacy and security at Intel Health and Life Sciences, told Bloomberg:
“The ultimate goal is for all drug-related companies and their suppliers worldwide to be on the Blockchain, an online ledger that can’t be erased. Then government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration could potentially plug into the Blockchain and provide oversight.”
The project aims to bring pharmaceutical firms into compliance with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, passed in 2013 which outlines steps to build an electronic, interoperable system to identify and trace prescription drugs as they are distributed in the US.
The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement:
“This (Drug Supply Chain Security Act) will enhance FDA’s ability to help protect consumers from exposure to drugs that may be counterfeit, stolen, contaminated or otherwise harmful. The system will also improve detection and removal of potentially dangerous drugs from the drug supply chain to protect US consumers.”
Testing will commence this spring when Johnson & Johnson, McKesson Corp., and other companies will enter simulated data into digital ledgers. Based on results, a pilot could be launched by the end of this year.


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By Luke Elisio
Wearing your heart on your sleeve just became a whole lot easier. The Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innovation has selected Wear Your Label, a fashion line aimed at creating a conversation about mental health, as its latest innovator.
One of six collections asked to join The Joe Fresh Centre, Wear Your Label was co-founded by Kayley Reed and Kyle MacNevin, both of whom have dealt with their own mental illnesses in the past. The brand encourages individuals to take ownership over their mental health rather than fear the stigma associated with mental illness.
“We tend to mask mental health with a negative stereotype and so bringing that positive side and the importance of self care for everybody, not just those who are going through a particular struggle, is something we’re really trying to do with our brand,” said Reed, 22.
The pieces of Wear Your Label, all designed by somebody affected by mental illness, serve as a medium for creating conversations about mental health by having phrases such as ‘it’s okay not to be okay’ and ‘self-care isn’t selfish’ written across the chest.
Customers are embracing this rare opportunity to open up about their mental illnesses, as evidenced by the overwhelming amount of customer feedback.
“Everyday we get hundreds of inquiries from people all over the world, asking to be an advocate for our cause or say thank you for the care package we put together when we ship things out. We get people who say this is the best antidepressant they’ve ever received,” said MacNevin, 23.
Becoming a part of The Joe Fresh Centre is crucial for Reed and MacNevin, as it allows them make connections in the fashion industry and continue to grow their business.
“Getting our clothing in physical locations around North America would be the ultimate goal for us. Enhancing our technical design skills and moving from casual pieces to more couture pieces would be fantastic as well,” said MacNevin.
Both MacNevin and Reed hope that Wear Your Label will allow those dealing with mental illness to find comfort in knowing there are others facing a similar issue.
“More than just being a statement or advocacy piece, or something that gives back, Wear Your Label is something that when you wear it , you feel comfortable and it’s a reminder that you’re not alone in whatever struggle you may be going through,” said Reed.


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It turns out that Elon Musk runs two meaningful companies, both of which offer a high-stress working environment.
Tesla board member, Model S and X owner, Steve Jurvetson, tweeted out an image from The Chronicle which highlights both SpaceX and Tesla.
The graphic shows SpaceX and Tesla as being tops in the "meaningfulness" category and tops in the less desirable "stressful environment" category as well.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted some clarification:
Tweets Via Elon Musk
SF Gate provides some background on the graphics, stating:
"A strong urge to make the world a better place drives many employees, even when they’re working in high-stress and relatively low-paying jobs, according to a report released Wednesday by the company PayScale, which aggregates pay and benefits packages for millions of workers."
Additional findings from the study are available here.


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January 3, 2017
In a recent AHR Expo and ASHRAE Journal survey sent to more than 1,400 HVAC&R manufacturers worldwide, 86% of respondents expect their sales to grow in the coming year.
Of these, 27% believed their business would increase by more than 10%, a 6 percentage-point jump from 2016.
“Combining these positive predictions with the fact that the 2017 AHR Expo will be the largest held in the show’s 88-year history, we are anticipating a stellar year for business activity among exhibitors and attendees,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company, which manages the AHR Expo. The AHR Expo will take place January 30-February 1 in Las Vegas.


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LONDON - Technophiles mobbed Apple stores in Europe and Asia yesterday in a quest to snatch up the hottest gadget of the moment - the iPad.
LONDON — Technophiles mobbed Apple stores in Europe and Asia yesterday in a quest to snatch up the hottest gadget of the moment — the iPad.
Long lines snaked down streets in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo as buyers vied for the device. Screams and cheers rose from the crowd in central London as students, professionals and self-proclaimed computer geeks clutched boxes containing the slim black device.
“If I was a music fan, it would be like the launch of a Lady Gaga album in the U.S.,” said comedian Stephen Fry, known in Britain as a champion Tweeter.
Apple Inc., based in Cupertino, Calif., said this month that it had sold 1million of the devices in the United States in only 28 days.
The company started taking orders for the iPad abroad May 10 after pushing back its international delivery target amid high demand at home.
The computer looks like a larger version of Apple’s iPhone and can be used to send e-mails, draw pictures and play games.
In Britain, prices for versions of the iPad range from $624 to $1,017.
Besides Britain, the device was being unveiled yesterday in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.


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Google Lens, a device learning-powered symbol analyzer, used to be first introduced at I/O 2017. It lately exists in each Google Footage (to scan present footage) and Assistant (to scan in real-time), however each strategies have required a Pixel telephone. Along some ARCore bulletins, Google printed that Lens could be rolling out to extra Android units and make an look on iOS.
Lens in Google Footage will quickly be to be had to all English-language customers on each Android and iOS. You are able to scan your footage for landmarks and gadgets, it doesn’t matter what platform you utilize. As well as, Lens in Assistant will get started rolling out to “suitable flagship units” over the approaching weeks. The corporate says it is going to upload enhance for extra units as time is going on.
Google Lens in Assistant
Past the expanded compatibility, Lens is receiving some capability enhancements. Google says Lens will quickly be capable to acknowledge commonplace animals and crops, together with particular canine breeds and plant life. You’ll be able to to find the unique announcement from Google on the supply hyperlink beneath.


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Despite the musical triumphs of her several top artistes, Nigeria has failed to make it into the world’s top 20 biggest music markets for 2012, the latest ranking by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, IFPI, claims.
The federation placed the United State of America number one, with $4.17 billion (N661 billion) trade value – 49% each for physical and digital market and a $13.4 (N2,100) per person consumption. Japan was ranked 2nd, with $3.96 billion (N630 billion) market value with 73% for physical market, and 25% for digital market; Germany was 3rd, with $1.41 billion (N224 billion) market value, and a physical and digital market value of 81% and 13% respectively.
Fourth was the United Kingdom, with a market value of $1.38 billion (N219 billion); physical market, 67%; and digital market, 25%. South Africa, at 18, was the only African country on the list, with a trade value of $125.6 million (N20 billion) and a physical and digital market of 93% and 5% respectively.
With the international success of many Nigerian music stars this year- Iyanya, Whizkid, Ice Prince, P Square, D’Banj- some industry insiders were wont to disagree with the ranking, while others, enumerating the many challenges plaguing the industry, said Nigeria not being on the list was justified, and the country would not be included in the 2013 list Too many issues A music blogger and writer (HipHop World, Popoff Central), Ayomide Tayo, said Nigeria would not make the 2013 list, despite its huge population and number of records released this year.
According to Tayo, Nigerian music revenue could increase and the country make the IFPL ranking if the music industry put its house in order and keyed into social media. “For Nigeria to become one of the biggest music markets we need to have a functioning music industry. We need to get the basics right.
The revenue that this so called industry of ours is making has been cut short by piracy, traditional media and the internet. We need to aggressively battle these monsters before we can start making serious revenue in this country,” he said. He noted that the inability of record labels to see beyond making profit from performance fees, and disregarding digital platforms as avenues where they could promote their artistes and sell records were other limiting factors.
“The record labels in Nigeria have a narrow mind-set. Taking a large chunk of performance fees only gets you so far. The bread and butter of music lie in the sales of albums, EPs and singles. “Digital platforms are new in Nigeria. Record labels in Nigeria need to have a working relationship with these platforms. They need to stop giving blogs the authority to post download-links for songs.
Why should I buy a song from Spinlet when I can get it on Pop Off Central? “Labels in Nigeria have to agree that songs sent to blogs should only be streamed and not made available for download. That way, they can make money from digital platforms thereby increasing revenue,” he advised. He also pointed out touring as another source of revenue for labels and their artistes.
“Touring in Nigeria is non-existent. The music industry in Nigeria has to invest in this area heavily before it can think of being one of the biggest music industries in the world,” Tayo said. An entertainment lawyer, Demilade Olaosun, agreed with Tayo’s points on the lack effective monetisation of the industry.
Olaosun also advocated effective laws by government that would protect intellectual property (IP) rights, adding that industry stakeholders could handle, amongst themselves, piracy, internet financial transaction system and an effective royalty calculation system.
“Of course, there are so many things to be dealt with; from piracy to effective internet financial transactions system, which would make purchase of music through the right channels easy and fast. “Also, there is a need for an effective royalty calculation and collection system, honesty and professionalism amongst practitioners regarding royalty delivery, effective legislation protecting IP rights, increased participation by corporate entities and the government, increased knowledge on monetisation of the end products on multiple platforms for labels and artistes, more attention to the business aspect of the industry – and a host of other issues,” he said.
Reacting to a projection by industry stakeholders that the Nigerian entertainment industry would hit the $1billion (N155 billion) mark by 2016, Olaosun declared that the music industry would play a huge role in making that possible. However, unlike Tayo, Olaosun was of the opinion that the music industry was close to making IFPI top 20 list for this year.
“I think we are definitely playing in the top 20. I stand to be corrected though,” he said. For D’Banj, IFPI not a definitive voice However, the failure of the London based organisation to reveal its parameters for ranking countries had led some Nigerian music industry stakeholders to question its rankings. D’banj, a major player in the music industry, was one of the major skeptics.
According to him, the Nigerian music market was far better than the South African one. He told PREMIUM TIMES, “Must you believe everything they (IFPI) say about us? Were they in Nigeria to check how much each artiste or label grosses every year? “In an unstructured structure where there is no light, where 1+1 does not mean 2, where there is piracy, Nigerian artistes are grossing millions yearly, and you tell me we are not the biggest music market in Africa? Even the South Africans who you say are on the list wish they were Nigerian artistes now.”
He, however, conceded on the ranking of the US as number one. “Why won’t US be number 1? When they (US) have a solid distribution network, when there is revenue from adverts and endorsements.” Perhaps, the greatest obstacle to Nigerian music making such rankings would be the availability of data. There is hardly any data that shows album sales in Nigeria.
Even at the digital level where data is available, it does not translate to money for either the artiste or label, and by extension, the market revenue, according to another entertainment lawyer, Akinyemi Ayinoluwa. Ayinoluwa also agreed with D’banj’s call to disregard the IFPI ranking, saying that the organisation should release its full parameters for ranking music markets, as well as visit different countries to know how music works there.
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted IFPI, one of its representatives, Laura Childs, explained, “The ranking is based on the size of each recorded music market in revenue terms, i.e. the market with largest revenues (USA) is in first place, and so on. We have local affiliate groups across the world who report their local sales data to us.” Childs, however, refused to disclose IFPI’s Nigerian affiliate.
Hey! I know this is sort of off-topic however I needed to ask.
Does managing a well-established blog like yours take a lot of work?
I’m completely new to operating a blog however I do write in my diary every day.
I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my own experience and views online.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for new aspiring blog owners.


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Its co-founder and chief executive, Lawrence J. Ellison, is known for his almost fanatical aggressiveness and take-no-prisoners attitude regarding competitors. ''It is not sufficient that I succeed; all others must fail,'' he once said, paraphrasing Genghis Khan.
But now the picture could be changing. In its announcement, made late on Thursday, Oracle said its growth for the company's first fiscal quarter would be only 30 percent, rather than the 50 percent the company had projected. As a result, expenses are too high and the company expects a loss of 20 cents a share when it reports its results on Sept. 25.
The announcement hammered the company's stock, which was the most actively traded issue on the over-the-counter market on Friday, with almost 10 million shares changing hands. Oracle shares dropped $1.75, to $8.125, having already fallen from a 12-month high of $28.375.
But the revenue for the quarter will push Oracle over the $1 billion mark for the last four quarters.
The company said it had reduced its growth projections for the rest of the year to 25 percent, from 50 percent, and would reorganize and take cost-cutting measures. Oracle said it expected to return to profitability in the second quarter.
Even before the unexpected loss was disclosed, Wall Street and investors had been becoming increasingly wary of Oracle, if only because it was inevitable that the company's breakneck growth would have to slow eventually.Continue reading the main story
Some analysts have also said the company had angered customers, in part by promising more product features than it could deliver in its rush for sales. Some suspicions about the company's practices seemed to be confirmed last month when Oracle said it would restate its financial results for three quarters of its last fiscal year because certain orders were prematurely recorded as sales. The company's results for the year as a whole, however, did not change.
Last week, Oracle quietly moved aside the president of its Oracle U.S.A. division, who had been the vice president of sales when the premature bookings occurred.
Problems May Run Deeper
If the suspicions are correct, it would indicate that the company's problems run deeper than expenses simply outrunning revenues and that the problems could last longer than one quarter. But Oracle paints a rosier picture, saying it continues to gain market share. ''As we adjust to a more conventional growth rate, our company will be stronger than ever,'' Mr. Ellison said. Some other providers of data base software have also seen some softening of business. Sybase Inc., a private company in Emeryville, Calif., that has been growing at Oracle-like rates, also ran into some problems that are believed to have caused it to delay an initial public stock offering.Continue reading the main story


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Coffee and your blood pressure
Coffee has been part of the human diet for about 1,000 years. During much of that time, it has stimulated controversy — and in the age of Starbucks, the dispute has blossomed from a tempest in a coffee pot to grounds for serious debate. Some of coffee's negative press seems to depend on the widespread belief that anything that tastes so good must be bad for you.
But there is a serious side to the argument: Coffee stimulates the nervous system, increasing alertness. But many people are sensitive to even one cup of coffee, making them feel jittery or interfering with sleep.


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The U.K. announced plans for a massive citywide WiFi network that will cover nine cities in and around London. European wireless provider The Cloud is building the network and opening it up to any ISP that wants to offer service. Revenues will be split among The Cloud, local government and ISPs. That's a better idea than some muni-WiFi plans in the U.S. Plans here position local government to play favorites by granting special privileges to the one ISP building the system. Ultimately, this gives the consumer less choice. Competition brings innovation and pushes prices down to create affordable broadband access rather than being subject to a citywide WiFi monopoly that will likely fund itself through advertising revenue, or even worse, taxpayer money. I'll tip my hat to The Cloud if they can reach every nook and cranny in London.
For more details about the U.K.'s citywide WiFi network plan:
- check out this article from CNET


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Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Chromebook 2 has been revealed in a new leak, which marks the return of the company’s unique bright orange color through Evan Blass in a similar-looking design.
The new model is seeing some changes, including minor adjustments to the port layout and expansion of Samsung’s application in orange. On second-generation models, the keyboard is made more neutral black, even as the orange color extends to the edges of the laptop.
But any more changes to the internal specs will likely see some kind of improvement from last year’s model – especially given that the new 11th Intel Intel laptop chips are out. Combining the better battery life and graphics performance from those chips with the already good-looking Samsung Galaxy Chromebook seems like an intriguing possibility.
The original Galaxy Chromebook was a premium device, with a design – and price tag – to match. But in his review, The ledgePoor battery life and cooling have disappointed Monica Chen – Samsung is hoping on this new leaked model. CES 2021 is right around the corner, so there is a possibility that we will make an official disclosure from Samsung in the next few weeks.


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Asset management digitalisation forecast to generate medium-term cost benefits
Diamond recovery underway, maybe
Diamond Producers Association morphs into Natural Diamond Council as synthetic threat grows
Global diamond supply chain virtually suspended around the world in response to pandemic
Russian miner lifts sales 52% in December quarter but future demand a concern.
Auction for ownership of the "Diamond Autumn" fund will be subject to strict terms.
The Russian diamond miner admitted conditions were tough but expressed hope markets would stabilise....
Sales continue to slide for Russian diamond major Alrosa
Russia's Alrosa to buy downstream diamond polisher Kristall
Diamond market could be coming back to supply-demand balance, says major miner
ALROSA's Sergey Ivanov on "a rough diamond with a story"
Diamond producer loses decorated duo


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Send this profile to a friend
News from The Business Journals
Sep 12, 2014, 6:00 am EDT
Tristan Navera's reporter page
Apr 11, 2014, 6:00 am EDT
In a driving society, the first and last impression of a city is often the parking experience. And for many of downtown Dayton’s businesses and their customers, it’s a bad one.
Oct 7, 2013, 8:08 am EDT
American Pi, a retail shop in the St. Clair Lofts specializing in American-made gifts and clothing, has set Oct. 8 for the opening of a new location a ...
Sep 20, 2013, 6:00 am EDT
Sep 16, 2013, 10:40 am EDT
Some downtown Dayton business owners are opening a second location of their business in Lebanon.


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Texas grocery chain Sprouts Farmers Market this week announced partnerships with the Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences, along with supporting 50 individual NIL deals with female athletes from multiple schools from both conferences.
Sprouts is the first grocery retailer to make this commitment, and is doing so alongside softball icon Jennie Finch.
“Sprouts is the place where goodness grows, offering delicious foods that nourish both families and athletes,” said Jack Sinclair, chief executive officer of Sprouts, in a statement. “Through the partnerships with the Pac-12 and Big 12 Conferences and their member universities, and alongside Jennie Finch, we pledge to continue to empower and educate women’s health and performance, bringing fresh and nutritional food options to them on and off the field. We’re proud to sponsor these great female athletes.”
This announcement coincides with the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
“Sprouts truly is where goodness grows," said Jennie Finch, former Arizon Wildcats softball player. "Its commitment to female athletes and women’s college athletics is a wonderful way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. I’m grateful to be part of this initiative and the tremendous work Sprouts is doing as a company to make the world a healthier and more equitable place."


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Article content continued
“This is similar to the path Wal-Mart chose in late 2015,” Stifel Financial Corp. analyst Mark Astrachan said in a note. “That said, Target’s size relative to Wal-Mart suggests increased risk in focusing on everyday low prices.”
Target’s gloomy outlook signals that CEO Brian Cornell has more work to do to reverse the weak traffic that marred its holiday season. Only 35 per cent of U.S. households shopped at Target in December, compared with 53 per cent who did so in December 2007, according to data tracker Kantar Retail.
Target’s fourth-quarter results came in at the bottom end of forecasts the company provided last month, which represented cuts from its original earnings guidance. Profit was $1.45 a share, trailing analysts’ $1.51 average estimate. Same-store sales slid 1.5 per cent, missing projections for a 1.3 per cent decline.
“What they are doing is not working,” said Amy Koo, an analyst at Kantar. “They need to fix their trip problem. They have to get more shoppers in the door, or get them to shop more often.”
Profit in the current fiscal year will be $3.80 to $4.20 a share, excluding some items, Minneapolis-based Target said. Analysts estimated $5.34, on average.
Dollar-store stocks fell on the prospect of a bigger price war among discount chains. Dollar General Corp. slipped as much as 5.1 per cent to $72.85, and Dollar Tree Inc. retreated 4.3 per cent to $76.14.
Even as it cuts prices on everyday goods, Target still wants to cultivate its own products. One of the major components of the updated strategy is rolling out more than 12 new brands, Cornell said. The product lines could represent $10 billion in sales, Target said, and would follow the successful introduction of home decor label Pillowfort and kids’ apparel line Cat & Jack.
Still, the new items were overshadowed by Target’s decision to reduce prices in the face of disappointing sales. Target said it expects a low to-mid-single digit decline in first-quarter comparable sales. The company also scrapped its long-term guidance for annual comparable-store sales increase of 3 per cent.
“While the transition to this new model will present headwinds to our sales and profit performance in the short term, we are confident that these changes will best-position Target for continued success over the long term,” Cornell said.


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Phuket Model 2021
Minister of Tourism and Sport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn on Friday (Mar 26) said the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, approved a three-stage roadmap to reopen six major tourism provinces – Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Surat Thani (Koh Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai – to vaccinated foreign visitors.
From April to June, inoculated foreign visitors arriving in these provinces will only be required to undergo quarantine in hotels or other designated facilities for seven days, he said.
From July to September, vaccinated tourists can visit Phuket without having to undergo quarantine under the “Phuket Tourism Sandbox” campaign, which is touted as a model for the reopening of the country’s tourism industry, Mr. Phiphat said.
Despite the quarantine waiver, the travel activities of tourists will be restricted to “sealed routes” on Phuket for seven days before they are allowed to visit other locations, he said. Tourists are still required to use contact tracing apps, Mr. Phiphat added.
He said that between October and December, Phuket’s sandbox model will be applied to five other tourism provinces. A full reopening of the country is expected to take place in January, Mr. Phiphat said.
“The CESA approved in the reopening plan in principle to allow foreign tourists who have received two vaccine doses to visit Phuket from July 1 without having to undergo quarantine, as proposed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand,” Mr. Phiphat said.
“Phuket is better-equipped to serve as the sandbox model to accommodate tourists first as the government will expedite the two-dose vaccination [process] for at least 70% of the population in Phuket before July 1,” Mr. Yuthasak said.
About 100,000 foreign tourists are expected to arrive in Phuket between April and June and more foreign arrivals are expected from July onward, he said. In total, about 6.5 million foreign visitors are expected to arrive this year after the reopening of the country, Mr. Yuthasak said, adding that an early


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Microsoft reports record Q4 and full year revenueBy Hanleigh Daniels 20 July 2012 | Categories: news
Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has announced its Q4 and full year financial results, which saw the company posting a record quarterly revenue of $18.06 billion. This is up from Q4 2011’s $17.37 billion, but operating income for the quarter was just $192 million, compared to $6.2 billion the previous year.
Microsoft did suffer a significant net loss of $492 million over the last three months as a result of a massive write-off charge of $6.19 billion. This charge was made for “the impairment of goodwill”, as the firm wrote off the $6.3 billion value of aQuantive, an online advertising agency it acquired in 2007.
Another factor for the disappointing operating income figure was the deferral of $540 million of revenue relating to the Windows Upgrade Offer, as customers who buys a new Windows 7-operating PC before February 2013 have the option to upgrade to the upcoming Windows 8 OS at a heavily reduced price ($14.99, around R125).
When it comes to the fiscal full year 2012 results, Microsoft’s revenue amounted to $73.72 billion, whilst the firm’s operating income was $21.76 billion.
A few prominent division highlights
Redmond’s server and tools business revenue increased by 13% for Q4 and 12% for the full year. It is expected to grow as Windows Server 2012 becomes available during September.
The Microsoft Business Division revenue grew 7% for Q4 and 7% for the full year on the back of strong Office 2010 sales. Microsoft revealed that Office is now installed on over one billion PCs around the world. Earlier this week, the firm also unveiled the next iteration of its productivity suite, Microsoft Office 2013.
Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live Division revenue declined by 13% within Q4 and 3% for the full year. Windows 7’s adoption continued to increase amongst Redmond’s corporate clientele, with more than 50% of global enterprise desktop PCs now operating on Windows 7. The company revealed that its Windows 8 desktop and tablet operating system will release to manufacturing (RTM) during August of this year and will then become generally available on 26 October 2012.
After the Xbox 360 gaming console held the title of top-selling gaming console Stateside for 18 consecutive months, Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division’s revenue increased by 20% for the quarter and 8% for the full year.
“We delivered record fourth quarter and annual revenue, and we’re fast approaching the most exciting launch season in Microsoft history,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. “Over the coming year, we’ll release the next versions of Windows, Office, Windows Server, Windows Phone, and many other products and services that will drive our business forward and provide unprecedented opportunity to our customers and partners.”
Peter Klein, CFO of Microsoft added: “The combination of solid revenue growth and rigorous cost discipline drove double-digit operating income growth for the quarter, adjusting for the goodwill impairment and deferred revenue. We are focusing our resources in strategic areas that will deliver shareholder value and long-term growth opportunities.”
In related news, Nokia recently released its interim financial report for Q2 2012, revealing improved net sales of €7.5 billion for the quarter, but an operating loss of €826 million.
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A recent article heralded the halo effect of advertising, but the almost impossible task of measuring the effectiveness of traditional advertising means any probable halo effect is more attributable to marketing.
This is because marketing is a blend of various communication activities, only one of which is advertising, and less and less of that is traditional advertising which experts now find has an overall negative return on investment.
It is this blend, when customized to each organization, that creates a synergy transcendent of any of its elements.
Unfortunately, a survey released this month shows that less than a third of marketers (32%) put data and metrics “at the heart of their strategic decision-making.
What is disturbing about that finding is that data-driven marketing is nothing new. By the early 1980s, it had found its way to the core of a small nonprofit community marketing organization I led.
Granted, I was an “early adopter,” as I still was in 1989 with similar startup with which I was involved.
But seeing how quickly this approach enabled early adopters to leapfrog more established competitors, one would expect it to be more mainstream by now.
Studies pinpoint that the reason so many marketers remain mired so far in the past is because of they lack a strategic mindset even though recruiters for top marketing positions now find that attribute, along with analytic skills, more important for marketing leadership than creativity.
A study conducted in 2012, long after I retired from four decades in the field of community marketing, showed that the nonprofit sector in the U.S. had grown 3.5 times the rate of the for-profit sector.
Top are data-savvy skills. Next come design skills.
Those, along with technology were at the core of my last non-profit startup 26 years ago. I don’t say that to gloat but out of puzzlement. We couldn’t have been three decades ahead. Really!
If I stumbled into those competitive advantages so long ago, how is it that so many of my former peers across the country apparently still don’t get it or is it? Or maybe its that their governing boards don’t get it?
Survey results show that 96% of marketers today know that data is important or very important including 9-out-of-10 in senior management but as the authors point out, that is very different than knowing how to collect, manage, analyze and utilize it.
Telling is that fewer than half of marketing organizations give more than half of their own employees access to their data.
This is why so many go to the trouble of contracting analysis to show how effective their marketing strategies are, known as the “turn-on” ratio.
However, they nearly always fail to measure the equally significant “turn-off” ratio such as when their ads are merely a form of yelling or placed in the wrong context such as on billboards where they are associated with desecration.
Even Super Bowl ads have a 5-to-1 turn-off to turn-on ratio, further illustrating that less than a third of marketers have data and analytics at the heart of strategic decisions.
Marketers will be in high demand if they have a strategic mindset, understand analytics and design and recognize that marketing is not only about “turning-on” consumers but minimizing “turn-off.”
The president of the Rockefeller Foundation is quoted as saying that nonprofits in general are projected to continue to hire more talent than the for-profit sector over at least the next five years.
Silverpop, an IBM company, has just published an ebook entitled, The New CMO Guide – A Handbook for Marketing Leaders. This is also an example of content marketing, a form of advertising that has replaced traditional advertising.
The authors note research showing that 82% of marketers feel unprepared to deal with the data explosion. In part, this is why the average tenure for chief marketing officers is now only 48 months.
Even more so, this may also explain why, according to Spencer Stuart, this tenure was less than 24 months just a decade ago when the importance of data belatedly began to dawn on marketers.
But especially in the field of community marketing, hiring a chief executive with a strategic mindset who understands analytics isn’t enough.
It is an organization’s culture that makes all the difference and sets the tone for “innovation, growth, market leadership, ethical behavior and customer satisfaction,” according to a new white paper published by Spencer Stuart, also a form of content marketing.
It was management guru Peter Drucker who originally discussed that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” later modified by others as “Culture eats strategy for lunch.”
But Drucker wasn’t referring to a document as much as the strategic mindset.
Culture in the organizational sense is what Dr. Kelly Page of NativeHQ refers to as “an iterative process over time that we enact, guided by vision and values forged through conversation and collaboration…our individual and collective voice over time.”
He continues that “Cultural cannot be manufactured; It has to be genuinely nurtured by everyone from the CEO down. Ignoring the health of your culture is like letting aquarium water get dirty.
A shared culture creates critical alignment. And that alignment must also include each and every member of an organization’s governing board.


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Since 2014, Ukraine has significantly enhanced its anti-corruption and trade sanctions legislation and enforcement practices to align with US and EU standards. Now companies face the risk of criminal liability for corruption-related actions of their employees and full suspension of all operations in Ukraine for violating trade sanctions and restrictions, including trade restrictions introduced in relation to Russia and the Crimea.
To address new compliance risks, multinational companies with operations in Ukraine need to implement and enforce new compliance policies, and revise and audit their business practices in interactions with customers, distributors, agents and government authorities.
The webinar is scheduled to run for approximately 90 minutes and will cover:
• Risks of the Ukrainian business environment in the past and now
• Ensuring your anti-corruption, ethics and other policies are enforceable in Ukraine
• Investigating and terminating your staff for non-compliance in a compliant way
• Update on Ukrainian Sanctions and Trade Restrictions against Russia
• Update on restrictions on operations in the Crimea and Occupied Territories in the East of Ukraine
• Risks for multinational companies doing business in Ukraine and Russia
• How to ensure compliance through your distribution chain in Ukraine and Russia
• What steps should be taken to prevent and mitigate potential risks and liability


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I wonder how much of our wine in this country is bought in from abroad without paying duty. It makes life difficult for the legal importers who compete against these illegal imports. According to a report in the paper recently the amount the revenue losses in duty each year is £1.2 billion. Thats a heck of […]
Wine Blog – black market booze
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Last week’s ETHDenver conference highlighted a worrying trend in the crypto industry. While not unique to blockchain, the trend of not using products created by our industry is something the crypto community has to contend with. In more mature industries this “dogfooding” is enforced. Microsoft employees need to use Outlook, Word, and so on. But in early industries like blockchain, those dynamics are still being worked through.
Why isn’t the Web3 community talking to us about using our own technology? We say we’re creating better versions of existing online experiences with value propositions for privacy, transparency, and more compelling, connected experiences for users, and we do. However, I still see projects across the ecosystem that rely on the technologies we want (and have already) replaced.
This problem accompanied us at every step of this journey. We value decentralization, but most crypto financial transactions take place on centralized exchanges. We value transparency but entrust assets to opaque companies like FTX. While we value innovation, most upcoming ETHDenver events support ticketing through legacy systems such as Eventbrite – when better Web3 ticketing options are available.
Related: Most blockchain supporters haven’t even used Bitcoin
There are many reasons for this dynamic, and many of them are legitimate and a natural part of the building and adoption process. However, I think as a community we should remind ourselves that we must be the first users of the exciting new technology we are creating. If not us, then who? It’s our responsibility to show the world that these things work and are a better choice over Web2 alternatives. This trend is not unique to blockchain and even seems to be a regularly growing problem for almost every industry at some point in its maturation.
Cryptocurrency events and conferences are ideal venues for non-fungible token (NFT) ticketing use cases, however Web2 platforms such as Eventbrite remain the backbone of most of our ticketing needs. The explosion of Eventbrite links to the many (amazing) side events at ETHDenver has been truly astounding, but also disappointing. Our community has created better versions of this technology that has the values we all care about so much in its DNA, so why can’t we builders of these things use it?
#ETHDenver this year was bigger than ever before. We couldn’t do it without you! pic.twitter.com/a6sSd9doQ4
— ETHDenver (@EthereumDenver) March 5, 2023
Another obvious place to eat our dog food is to replace the endless stream of business cards exchanged at booths and events. Instead of exchanging pieces of paper that will inevitably be lost, people can simply scan QR codes, punch out NFTs that can remind each other of when and where that interaction took place, creating an additional permanent touchpoint for future interactions. Using NFT’s “link trees”, you can also share social media handles and lots of other information. For example, when a potential customer interacts with a business by scanning their QR code, that interaction can be recorded as an NFT and then used for promotions, coupons, emails, Telegram handles, and more. This is certainly a more valuable experience than a paper business card.
As industry firsts, it’s our responsibility to follow the paths we’ve built and pave the way for others. It is our responsibility to show that it not only works, but works better than the existing paradigm. In order for us to do our best work, we need to feed what we build. This is how we find friction points and areas where we can iterate. We set the wheels in motion to invent new and better ways to implement technology or create new features and use cases. It is our responsibility to show the world a new way forward, so walking that way is something we all need to constantly remind ourselves of.
Related: Regulation stole the show at the European Blockchain Convention in Barcelona
It’s new, you have to learn, old habits are hard to break, etc. But at some point, we as a community have to draw the line and make a change – just like many industries have done before us. The progress this technology has made even in the last few months has been tremendous, so perhaps people are waiting for it to be fully baked and hassle-free. That makes sense, but let’s be clear on those standards and make a conscious effort as a community to choose when, where and how we want to start showing the world that we’ve created new ways of doing things that align with our values.
It’s no secret that this technology exists, but it seems our community is stuck with the old habits of using the tools we as an industry are working on. It seems that if there was ever an audience that wanted to use this technology, it would be a group of participants in one of the largest cryptocurrency conferences in the world, right? This is a natural part of any new technology and it won’t happen overnight, but you have to start somewhere. So let’s take a walk by actually using the solutions we ask others to use. Anything less is hypocrisy.
Julien Genestoux is the founder and CEO of Unlock Protocol. He previously founded SuperFeedr, which has become one of the leading real-time web APIs, received funding from Mark Cuban and Betaworks, and was later acquired by Medium. At Medium, Julien led the company’s SEO efforts and quadrupled the share of Medium’s search traffic. Already at school, he created his first company, Jobetudiant.
This article is for information purposes only and is not intended to be and should not be construed as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.


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Adamson Industries Corp. is offering a new product from SoundOff Signal, the company's new nForce series of LED perimeter lighting for police vehicles. According to Adamson, the LED lights provide intense forward and off-angle illumination using Nexus Technology. The lights offer single, split, and tri-color capability.
This first full-line of tri-color perimeter lighting integrates with the styling of the new police vehicles on the market, according to Adamson. The nForce series comes in 6, 9, 12, and 18 LED counts in single, split, and tri-color capability with 12 single color and 24 dual- and tri-color flash patterns.
The nForce series of lighting is currently available in single or dual stacked surface, single or dual deck/grille and permanent or suction cup windshield, according to Adamson. Coming soon is the dual side-by-side windshield and recess mount.


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Panther Warehousing, the two-man, white glove delivery specialist, is perfectly placed to support business and consumers as UK shopping habits are forever changed by COVID-19.
The recent spike in online shopping sparked by the lockdown imposed to fight the epidemic is predicted to carry on even after the British high street finally opens for business.
A total of two in five (42%) people say they will shop online more frequently after Britons return to work, according to a survey by e-commerce platform ChannelAdvisor and research firm Dynata. The survey of 1,033 UK consumers also found that 40% of shoppers were purchasing luxury items such as fashion items or electronics online.
With its specialist knowledge and experience in the sector, Panther is ideally placed to support retailers thanks to its premium delivery options, weekend delivery and nominated day delivery options. It can also offer next day delivery if the customer specifies it.
Gary McKelvey, Commercial Director, Panther, said: “Online sales numbers are going to stay higher than before coronavirus and flexible deliveries are going to be key as people return to work.
“If people have only just gone back to the office, they are not going to want to take time off for deliveries.
“This is where Panther excels – we place the customer at the forefront of everything we do.
“Panther provides total flexibility in its service, enabling customers to nominate their day of delivery as well as have their goods delivered to their choice of room.
“Our premium two-man delivery offering includes recovery of recyclable goods and disposal, seven day a week collections, warehousing and storage, and guaranteed pre-10am and post-6pm delivery.”
With its headquarters at Northampton, Panther covers the UK via a network of nine strategically located regional hubs, employs a workforce of over 1000 and offers an end to end e-fulfilment service.


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Reddit on Monday announced that it’s testing its new Reddit Public Access Network (RPAN) until Friday, giving users the opportunity to live stream on…
Sony has now sold 100-million PS4 consoles, the company confirmed in its first quarter earnings for 2019.
According to the report, 3.2-million PS4 consoles were bought in the first quarter, bringing the total number sold in a five-year and seven-month period up to 100-million.
The company took three years to reach the milestone since hitting the halfway million mark in 2016.
More worrying is Sony’s smartphone sales in Q1 2019. It sold just 900 000 Sony Xperias during this period — its lowest quarterly figure in more than a year.
Feature image: Sony PlayStation


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EXCLUSIVE: What if being active on social media could earn you cryptocurrency?
AdvertisementEver since the Cambridge Analytica massacre opened our eyes to the perils of
No, this is not a story on influencer marketing. Rather, it's a story about a comparatively lesser-known platform, called
Now, the platform is shedding a little more light on how it plans to do so. The answer is in something that's as much of a buzzword today as social media itself -
The platform, which is two million users strong at the moment, is going to announce its own cryptocurrency, called
While Vollar is similar to any cryptocurrency out there, it differs in two important aspects. For one, the first 50 million adopters of Vollar can earn the currency simply by being active on VoxWeb, though there will be an upper limit. That essentially means your social behaviour acts as a miner for earning the currency. VoxWeb's Founder and CEO, Yash Mishra, says they might even consider increasing the number to 100 million users later.
Second, Mishra says Vollar is different in how its currency/monetary policy has been formulated. The currency policy is how a crypto provider manages the volatility of his/her currency. Mishra says VoxWeb's policies can ensure that Vollar doesn't fluctuate as much as
Vollar will initially be part of the VoxWeb platform, where it will be used to "build e-commerce and fintech based revenue streams". However, it will eventually be sold on coin exchanges etc. So, users will one day be able to buy Vollar for cash or perhaps exchange other cryptocurrencies for Vollar.
While Mishra doesn't explicitly say so, the move is obviously an effort at providing a hook. VoxWeb plans to disseminate the currency to 50 million early adopters. With two million users on the platform, that theoretically means all of VoxWeb's current users will have the chance to make some crypto cash. And more users might come onboard because they are essentially being paid for it.
As a platform, VoxWeb is similar to Instagram. But instead of photos only, it lets you add a voice clip to the pictures.
Being the creator of the currency, VoxWeb will create the
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Press Releases (New)
January 13, 2021 BellRock Brands Confirms Previous 2020 Financial Guidance of Merged Companies; Issues 2021 Guidance
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August will be here before we know it. So, it’s a good idea to consider making necessary diet tweaks to ensure you’ll stay healthy for the rest of the summer. The amazing part? You can start implementing these small changes right away to have a lasting impact. Here are five nutrition news updates for August 2022 that demonstrate ways to adjust your mealtime habits.
When it’s safe to save money.
Deciding when to buy organic produce just got easier: The Environmental Working Group released its new “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists, which outline the levels of pesticides in produce to help you avoid chemicals that may raise the risk of health concerns. Mangoes and watermelon are new additions to the Clean Fifteen list. The Dirty Dozen stayed the same, with strawberries and leafy greens at the top (90 percent of samples tested positive for pesticides), so opting for organic varieties of these is best. Find the full list at EWG.org.
An easy way to stay slim.
Here’s a good reason to reach for glass food-storage containers: Plastic packaging may cause weight gain. That’s the word from researchers reporting in Environmental Science & Technology, who found that chemicals in plastic containers can leach into the food and drink inside them, and many of those chemicals disrupt metabolism and contribute to the development of fat cells. To avoid chemicals, purchase sauces and dressings packaged in glass instead of plastic, opt for glass or steel water bottles and store your leftovers in glass containers.
The pasta that curbs blood-sugar spikes.
Keeping your blood sugar steady is as easy as picking the right shape of pasta, according to a study in The Journal of Nutrition. Researchers gave participants spaghetti, penne, or couscous and found that those who ate spaghetti had the lowest blood-glucose levels after eating. Why? Subjects chewed spaghetti the least, so they swallowed larger bites that weren’t broken down as much by digestive enzymes in the GI tract, resulting in less sugar going into the bloodstream.
The ‘memory’ vitamin for women over 60.
Your multivitamin may protect your memory. A study in Evidence Based Mental Health looked at data from more than 27,000 subjects and found that those with adequate levels of the B vitamin folate were 47 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who were deficient. Folate aids brain cell repair, and the investigators say a deficiency can lead to brain aging. The recommended daily dose: 400 micrograms, the amount in most multis.
Avoiding these foods can add 8 healthy years.
It’s never too late to help yourself live longer! Researchers reporting in PLOS Medicine uncovered that women over 60 who ate foods like legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and avoided the red meat and refined grains found in a Western diet, lived an extra eight healthy years. The reason? These foods often contain saturated fat and refined sugars, which are known to increase the risk of conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.


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After a series of scandals and the exit of founder Travis Kalanick as the CEO, Uber is now facing a US federal probe into whether it broke laws against overseas bribery. This has prompted the company to review its operations in India, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia. Watch the video to know how Uber is seeking to control the damage to its business and its corporate image.
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sydney - An Australian man has a week before the official release already been sent home, the new Pixel phone from Google. The cause is probably an error in the delivery, reports The Telegraph.
The device will be available from October 20 at the store, but the man had already ordered the Pixel to his telephone so he could have it right at home on the day of release. The phone was faster than his expectations and plopped this week on his doormat.
On Reddit Australian shares now his experience with the Pixel. Dozens of tech fans overloaded him now with questions over the phone.
The Pixel is the first official Google phone. The tech giant to compete with other major phone manufacturers.


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No, Staffordshire University students aren’t driving around with twelve inch rims and state-of-the-art sound systems in every orifice of their ’92 Renault Clio’s. They didn’t even get to meet Xzibit. Even better, Epic Games have delivered 85 cutting edge computers to the University of Staffordshire with all the firepower necessary to run their latest Unreal Developer Kit.
Luckiest students alive? Yeah, without a doubt.
Over the next two years, games design students will be able to correspond with various personnel over at Epic Games, creators of the Unreal Engine and the popular Gears of War and Unreal Tournament series.
Not only that, but Epic will be popping back in a few years to put some new GPU’s and the like into the computers to keep them up to date. You know, as you do.
Dr Bobbie Fletcher over at the university’s Arts and Creative Technologies faculty has said that some of the indie and developer seminars that Epic Games host will take place at the University of Staffordshire too, and that students will be able to socialise with people in the industry in hopes of getting that vital foot in the door.
If I can look past my jealousy (and believe me, it’s difficult), this is fantastic news for young British developers. Getting yourself known in an industry this vast is madness, I’m sure, so kudos to the University of Staffordshire for giving their games design students the best possible start.


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Just how does Santa know exactly which toys kids in California want to find under the Christmas tree? Perhaps he powers up the computer at the North Pole and consults Google. That could explain how he knows American kids are just wild about Power Wheels, the riding toy from Fisher-Price that allows kids to rev around their yards and parks like aspiring Nascar drivers.
But that’s not the case in California, where an analysis of Google searches by Review.org, an internet company that reviews all kinds of home devices and products. Kids in our state are asking for a hula hoop in their letters to Santa.
Read the full story on Patch.com.


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Grocery rebranding welcomes Amazon
Tom Dougherty, CEO – Stealing Share
31 October 2016
Even the grocery stores are being threatened by Amazon
Recently, I wrote in Supermarket News that grocery stores have landed in a trap. It’s a trap of their own making, by having grocery rebranding messages focused on price and fresh food. Everyone uses those same messages and they are just definitions of a grocery store. You have low prices and fresh food.
Now comes news of a new competitor that actually responds quickly to change: Amazon.
The online retail giant announced that it will open 20 brick and mortar grocery stores over the next few years, with the stated goal of swarming the country with up to 2,000 eventually. That’s four times more than Walmart owns now.
Grocery stores such as Kroger, Albertson’s and others have reason to be worried. Walmart owns low price. The local chains own fresh (although all grocery stores should own it). And now Amazon will own new and exclusivity.
Amazon will have true grocery stores, where you push a cart (or a buggy, as we say in the South) and shop aisle by aisle. But it will also have a click and collect drive-up component in which shoppers shop online and pick up at the store.
Now, many groceries offer that, so that part won’t be all that different. Although, it should be noted, that Amazon’s brand gives it greater permission to do it.
Amazon is better at grocery rebranding
No, the real Amazon advantage is that it will know its customers. It already has a handful of Amazon Fresh customers who pay $15 monthly fee. More importantly, it has millions of Amazon Prime customers, meaning that Amazon could make its grocery stores exclusive to those members.
There are two advantages to that approach. One, we humans believe that exclusivity means better quality. The clubs we can’t get into are the ones we want to enter the most. (Or, as Groucho Marx said, he wouldn’t want to be a member of any club that accepted him as a member.)
Secondly, Amazon has more data on its customers than probably just about any company in the country (maybe the world), with the possible exception of Google and Apple. That means Amazon can tailor its stores to its specific customers.
Grocery rebranding has been a wasteland for chains, both regionally and nationally. If there is more than one grocery store in your area (and that’s true for most Americans), you end up buying at the store that’s most convenient on the way home. Or you buy on price (Walmart). Or you have a tiered system in which you buy basic supplies at the cheapest store and produce & meats at a more high-end store, like Fresh Market.
Amazon entering the market, though, tells grocery stores that they better get serious about grocery rebranding or they are going to be looking from the outside at more successful efforts that respond to change.
HBO Max arrives Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 28 May 2020 HBO Max finally arrives, and what it says about streaming’s future Because we're all being shut in to prevent the spread of COVID-19, streaming TV is booming. And new services are popping up...
Universities post Covid-19 Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 27 May 2020 New positioning for universities post Covid-19 Higher education is upside down. What was a given just five months ago is no longer certain. Universities post COVID-19 are facing...
Auto sales Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 26 May 2020 COVID-19 speeds up auto sales evolution The COVID-19 virus has certainly changed the way we shop and how retailers react. But what changes will stay, evolve or simply go away? If one thing’s...


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“We’ve got roses, we’ve got lilies, we’ve got carns, we’ve got sunflowers…” said Christine Vasconcelo as she shows us around her Tampa flower shop, Bloomingdays Flowers.
What You Need To Know
- Valentine's Day usually lucrative for floral shops, but panedmic has changed that
- One business owner says her business is about a quarter of last year's
- More Coronavirus headlines
Lack of product is no issue, but lack of customers is.
“It’s down. It’s not where I expected to be,” said Vasconcelo.
Vasconcelo says Valentine’s Day is usually the biggest day of the year, but a pandemic year has proved otherwise.
“I need to sell whatever is in the cooler, so it’s scary. But we didn’t have school deliveries this year, teacher deliveries, work deliveries. Everything is down,” said Vasconcelo.
Last year, she says she had roughly 900 orders.
This year, it’s been about a quarter of that.
So she and her staff are working all hours to try and make up for it.
“I thank God for the internet which allows you to find open florists at 10 a.m. on Valentine’s Day,” said customer Kieran Mahoney.
Which is exactly Vasconcelo’s goal— be there when the customer needs you, and they will support you in return.
“We gotta keep chugging. We gotta move forward. We gotta be here for the customer,” said Vasconcelo.
So while you spread the love this Valentine’s Day, Vasconcelo asks that you consider showing some love to small businesses, too.


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US Agency Warns of Lung Illness Epidemic among Young People, Attributed to E-Cigarettes
HEALTH, 16 Sep 2019
9 Sep 2019 – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public warning of a rapidly developing epidemic of severe lung illnesses associated with the smoking of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), also known as “vaping.” In just a few weeks, 450 cases have been confirmed spanning 33 states. As of this writing the death toll has increased to five.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) issued an urgent preliminary report on September 6, 2019, “Pulmonary Illness Related to E-cigarette Use in Illinois and Wisconsin,” describing their findings on a cluster of 53 cases recently afflicting the two states.
In July, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) received multiple reports from physicians and hospitals of several severe cases of pulmonary sickness not associated with any infectious etiology. All have in common the recent use of e-cigarettes and its associated products. Concern over a growing epidemic prompted a coordinated effort by the two states along with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Many of those affected are otherwise young and healthy without any prior medical conditions. They present with severe “air hunger,” or shortness of breath. They also experience fevers, nausea and vomiting, as well as intense fatigue.
The median age of these patients was 19. They were predominately white males. Almost all required admission to the hospital, with many admitted to the intensive care units. Eighty-seven percent required supplemental oxygen, and one third were intubated and received mechanical ventilation. One patient in this cluster has died. Nearly all the patients received intravenous or oral steroids, with improvement once therapy was initiated. This would suggest an inflammatory mediated immune response has triggered the disease. Universally, chest x-rays or CT scans of these patients showed both lungs were affected.
All these patients had reported a history of having vaped within 90 days before their symptoms started, with most reporting heavy daily e-cigarette use. A significant number used both nicotine and THC or CBD products.
The CDC is warning consumers to stop buying bootleg products and mixing street cannabis with e-cigarette products. They also strongly urge them to stop modifying the devices to vape adulterated substances. Investigators and medical doctors have not elucidated the cause of this epidemic. The vaping process works by heating coils turning liquid containing oils and nicotine or THC, a psychoactive component of cannabis, into an aerosolized vapor. The vapor is inhaled, imitating the smoke from traditional tobacco products.
E-cigs were first introduced on the market in 2004 as a supposedly non-addictive nicotine replacement therapy to help tobacco users quit their habit. Since then, e-cigarettes have rapidly burgeoned in the tobacco markets and are expected to surpass traditional tobacco products in the next decade.
A report issued by the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) drug abuse section highlights the dramatic rise in vaping among teenagers, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting they had vaped in the past 12 months. The prevalence of vaping among teenagers in 2011 was near zero. By 2017 it has become the most common use of any tobacco-like product in this age group.
The vaping of nicotine among seniors in high school has climbed from 11 percent to 21 percent in the years 2017 to 2018. Marijuana vaping has risen from 9.5 percent to 13.1 percent over the same time period. This translates to an estimated additional 1.3 million adolescents who have started vaping.
As Dr. Richard Miech, PhD, wrote in his letter to the NEJM, “Put in historical context, the absolute increases in the prevalence of nicotine vaping among 12th graders and 10th graders are the largest ever recorded by Monitoring the Future in the 44 years that it has continuously tracked dozens of substances.”
The attraction to the technology and flavoring of these electronic cigarettes among teenagers is quite alluring and one not missed on the markets. Teenagers surveyed say that access to these devices and their products is readily available. Interestingly, teenagers who vape are at increased risk of turning to conventional tobacco.
Currently, Juul e-cigarettes are the most popular brand name on the market and among teenagers. The term Juuling has been incorporated into the common lexicon by those who use the products. One Juul pod, the nicotine cartridge inserted into the vaping device, reportedly delivers about 200 puffs, containing as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.
Juuls come in a multitude of designs, and the pods are available in varied flavors, such as mango, bubble gum, and crème brûlée. Online shopping makes it easy to circumvent the age-verification process.
The electronic cigarette market is valued at nearly $12 billion, with an estimated continuous annual growth rate of 21.6 percent over the next five years. The top three corporations that own 60 percent of the market are Imperial Brands PLC, British American Tobacco PLC and Japan Tobacco. Fierce competition is pushing traditional tobacco manufacturers into focusing their investments in new technology and innovations to include new flavors, compact designs, efficient and more secure battery packs. The online market and social media channels propel these products into the handheld devices of consumers, making it readily available and tantalizing.
According to the 2018 study published in BMJ, Juul lab has been transformed in three short years (2015–2017) from a little-known name brand into the largest retail e-cigarette brand in the US. It registered $150 million in retail sales in the last quarter of 2017, accounting for about 40 percent of the e-cigarette market share, accountable to their “wide-reaching campaigns on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.” They are also extending their reach into Canada, Russia, South Korea and Southeast Asia.
The anti-vaping campaign launched by the FDA is attempting to use scare tactics to convince teenagers and adolescents to stop using e-cigarettes. Mitch Zeller at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products said, “We got to breakthrough. We got to shake these at-risk kids and take them by their figurative lapels to say, ‘this is not cost-free. This is not without risk.’”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) of Michigan has ordered a ban on flavored e-cigarettes to go into effect in the next 30 days pending the health department issuing rules. The ban will last for six months and could be renewed for another six months. The ban does not cover tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.
It is clear politicians in other states and cities are maneuvering to use these political ploys for their careers. Consumer groups and vaping advocates are threatening these legislations with lawsuits against these prohibition tactics.
The use of nicotine products is highest in rural and urban areas and tied to a deeper social crisis that young people face, which includes a politically and culturally fractured society and abysmal financial prospects in their futures. The vaping phenomenon is not without its Mephistophelian logic tied to the use of technology to create super consumer markets. It is not a chance occurrence that we see a new disease arise out of this new technology.
These young people are caught between the social dead ends presented them in life, and the right-wing attacks assaulting them. They are being squeezed into a hopeless quagmire. They literally can’t breathe.
Tags: Cigarette, E-cigarettes, Health, Public Health, Vaping
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By CoinWeek Staff Reports …. With the beginning of the second quarter of calendar year 2018 just a few days away, we thought we’d take a look at how the year’s major U.S. Mint Releases are faring. We take a look at sales figures as reported by the Mint (3/25) and, when applicable, population reports […]
The post A Look at Sales and Grades of 1st Quarter 2018 Major U.S. Mint Releases: Numismatic Precious Metals appeared first on CoinWeek.
By CoinWeek Staff Reports …. According to their latest sales figure update, the United States Mint has sold 226,506 2018-W Proof American Silver Eagles as of Sunday, January 14. But that doesn’t take into account the 166 bulk boxes it has sold as part of its second year of a new bulk packaging program. […]
The post Sales of 2018 Proof Silver Eagle Coins Show Idiosyncrasies of Mint Figures appeared first on CoinWeek.


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TURIN, Italy (BRAIN)—3T has signed up Vittoria Industries North America as its distributor for the United States.
The agreement gives 3T access to Bikemine’s expertise and extensive market coverage, and takes 3T’s range of high-end racing products into retail stores throughout the U.S. As in the case of the other brands imported by Bikemine, the products will also be made available through QBP for significantly improved availability and quicker response to customer orders.
"This is a crucial move for us," said 3T president and chief executive officer René Wiertz. "North America is the biggest market for high-end cycling components, and nobody knows this market better than Vittoria. There’s a lot of pent-up demand from bike riders who’ve been following the racing season and seen the pros winning on 3T, but haven’t been able to get a hold of the product yet. We’re looking to Vittoria North America to help us put that right!"