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Lord Burns, the chairman of Channel 4, recently reflected that when he joined the broadcaster he was told to expect a decline in TV ad revenues of 2% this year. The UK TV ad market has, in fact, turned out to be up 14% year on year and the two biggest commercial broadcasters – ITV and Channel 4 – are in line to do even better, which is proof that the recovery in TV advertising is one of the media stories of 2010.
With visibility on marketers' ad-spend commitments low, and the absence of a coffer-filling football World Cup, the prospects for the cyclical TV ad market in 2011 are less clear – although the forecast for January is encouraging, up by 7% to 10% year on year.
Internet display advertising surged ahead again in 2010 after the rate of growth stuttered during the recession. Online display advertising, the only element of the internet market to decline in the downturn, also bounced back – thanks largely to Facebook increasingly getting to grips with commercialising its operation. National newspaper publishers also benefited from the recovery in display advertising, but regional titles continue to struggle with declining classified income.
Variations in the strength of recovery in different world regions led advertising industry soothsayer Sir Martin Sorrell to grasp for ever stranger soundbites, with the idea of a "LuVVy"-shaped global recovery his most elaborate effort.
WPP recently said its third-quarter growth figures were the strongest in a decade, leading Sorrell, its chief executive, to raise forecasts for 2011 and consider a dividend boost. Sorrell's rivals, including Publicis, Aegis and Omnicom, saw double-digit falls in organic revenue growth in a number of quarters of 2009 transformed into gains this year. Acquisitions of scale were few: Aegis paid more than £200m for Mitchell in Australia and Publicis spent more than $100m (£63.5m) on Talent of Brazil as smaller scale targets continued to be scooped up. Analysts reckon 2011 could see a return to major action in acquisitions: Omnicom has raised £1bn already while competitors are either boosting cash levels or reducing debt, with consolidation among the big global marketing and advertising services players increasingly likely.


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Good Monday morning: the Giants are in first place, the Raiders won (and being in Chicago I suppose I am forced to acknowledge the Bears and Packers, too), so all is well -- at least until tonight when the 49ers get crushed by the Saints. Now it's back to work.
There was a time when the folks in classified were on top of the pyramid. In California, our classified association meetings were always in Monterey or Palm Springs, the national meetings were in places like Banff or Aspen, and all the other newspaper departments would be jealous of what classified managers could get away with. But, in the end, they knew who paid the bills, so life was a good as a CAM.
Now, no one seems to want to talk about classified advertising. The future of newspapers is now the future of journalism, and advertising is rarely part of the conversation. As a result, few media apps have been released that even give a nod towards those ads that appear in those back pages of the newspaper.
Luckily for newspapers, their nemesis, Craig's List, with its clunky web UI is not much of a threat to lead the way to smartphones and the iPad. But that is not stopping developers from seeing gold in those little ads. As of this morning, a search of the iTunes App Store brings up 39 apps for the iPhone and a half dozen for the iPad.
Among the many out there Craigslist Pro for iPad is certainly among the best -- but iPhone and iPad users can pick and choose their developers to see what they like best.
For traditional media companies the real issue here is that they are determined to be as behind the curve moving to mobile and tablet media devices as they were to move online. Even companies like CareerBuilder are not players in the new space, with only one iPhone app under their name, and even that one won't allow you to apply for a job you find right from the app. (Monster.com, too, has an iPhone app, though it has not been well received by iPhone owners either. Neither company has anything for the iPad.)
Is the problem that when it comes to new mobile publishing decisions that the ad departments are not part of the team making decisions?
It appears that Apple really is loosening their app restrictions. Two new apps have appeared for Google Voice, though both are from independent developers. GV Mobile + is from Sean Kovacs, and GV Connect is from Andreas Amann. Both are paid apps, though it is possible that Google will resubmit their own app and provide a free alternative.
I have not tested either app simply because of issues with multiple sign-in with the apps, but both apps have been enthusiastically received.
In case you are not a Google Voice users here is a brief explanation of it: Google Voice gives you a phone number that when called will ring on any phone you designate; GV gives the user voicemail, voicemail to text, and now you can call any number in the U.S, and Canada from G-Mail for free.
The bottom line is this: voice calls are moving to free -- that means the money in phone calls won't be in the charge for making them, but the charge for providing Internet connectivity.

domain: news


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After Amazon announced their newest device to dispense fashion advice (Amazon Echo Look), Drew wondered just how far these home personal assistants will go. It seems that the Amazon Echo Chamber is inevitable.
Does DeShawn Shead owe Seahawks a chance to match?
Originally aired: Thursday, March 16, 2017
If DeShawn Shead gets offered a contract, does he owe the Seahawks a chance to match? Would Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson make sense as a Seahawks draft pick? What are we learning from the mock draft world?


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Recently, Sony announced the ps5
VR headwear devices will support the latest hosts natively. Unlike the complex connection process of the headwear device, the next generation VR device can connect to the ps5 host with only one cable. In addition, the new VR controller is already in development, and will use the same technology as the dualsense handle in part. PS5
VR will not be available in 2021, and Sony plans to enhance its resolution to vision to tracking and input on the product.
Sony recently filed a new patent showing the company’s planned upgrade on the next generation PSVR. The patent is mainly about a technology that tracks the eye movement of users to enhance the rendering of VR devices.
The device’s built-in tracking system can monitor the eye movement of the player, and even predict the position the player will look at next, rendering the position at the fastest speed.
In the field of virtual reality, the whole scene will not render at the same level at the same time, especially for some very complex scenes, the pursuit of maximum resolution will eat too many functions, which will affect stability. Some areas are rendered at low resolution, and it may take a little time to render to the correct resolution if the player suddenly looks at a different area until the player pays attention to the area. If Sony patent comes into effect, players can get a smoother visual experience.


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China’s Dangdang Follows in Amazon’s Footsteps – is Determined to Lose Money on eBooks
Amazon is often maligned as only being interested in losing money on ebooks. That’s never actually been true (just ask the DOJ), but last week one ebook retailer in China decided to give the idea a try.
Dangdang.com ran a sale last week that defied the meaning of the word. According to China Daily, Dangdang put their entire ebook catalog on sale for free.
Much to the dismay of authors, publishers, and literati everywhere, Dangdang launched a 3-day sale last week that saw "almost all of its e-books being sold for free, from Wednesday to Friday". It’s not clear how many titles were included, exactly, but from what I can tell their catalog has over 100,000 Chinese-language titles in it. What’s more, rival ebookstore Jingdang decided to match the sale (to a limited degree) and announced they were giving away 50,000 titles.
Dangdang hasn’t released any details on the number of ebooks "sold" last week, but from the complaints of some Chinese authors and publishers it seems that one free copy is too many:
According to local media, Chinese writer Feng Tang has already delivered a lawyer’s letter to the retailers protesting about the giveaways, which he says is costing him a considerable amount in lost royalties.
Zhao Chen, from People’s Literature Publishing House, told Beijing News that the promotion will bring harm to companies.
In spite of the complaints I don’t think it’s such a bad idea as a one-time event, not if past reports on the Chinese ebook market are true.
Last September I reported on the Jingdong, one of the smaller ebook retailers. That company was launching a subscription offer for ebooks. Customers could get any of 1,000 titles for an exceptionally low price of of 30 yuan ($4.90) for three months. Jingdong offered this deal because at that time the ebook buying public was reportedly resistant to the average ebook price of 5-8 yuan.
I have no direct confirmation of that claim, just what is being reported, but I mention it because according to China Daily Dangdang "considers there are only a small number of regular e-book readers in China and encouraged publishers to invest more time and money in the future marketing and selling of e-books".
That’s not quite what Jingdong claimed last year, but one conclusion that we can reach is that both ebooksellers think the ebook market in China is small and not growing all that fast. This presents an opportunity for deep discount sales like the one that Dangdang just had.
Dangdang’s goal with last week’s sale was to grow their customer base so that it will be large enough that the losses from the sale will be made up by revenue from returning customers.All those free ebooks tie the customer’s to Dangdang, giving them a reason to come back and buy more content.
That is more or less what Amazon’s pricing policy was in the days before agency pricing was forced down their throat, and to a smaller degree that was also Amazon’s policy after agency pricing (they just had to focus more on indie and KDP titles).
It worked for Amazon, did it not? And in spite of the whining about Amazon’s pricing policy, it worked for the market as a whole. You can tell that by the triple digit growth rate in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
With luck, China might see similar growth.
Gary April 22, 2013 um 10:57 pm
Now if only some other store would do this for books in english…
I estimate that I could select and download about 30 books per hour, 14 hours per day, for 3 days, for a total of 1260 books.
That would certainly allow me to dispose of a number of paper books in my library; books that date from the time before ebooks became available.
Seriously, I would be interested to see how many titles each customer downloaded.
I am up to date on new releases. If I wanted a new release ebook, I have already bought it. There are, however, a lot of backlist titles that I bought years ago in paper that I would download if they were free. But coming up with a list of authors and titles on the spur of the moment would take time, which would limit how many books I could grab in three days.
I also wonder if the Chinese retailer put any technical constraints on the sale; things such as limiting the sale to 50 books per customer, or to one book per customer in every ten minutes.
Dangdang busca seguir en China los pasos de Amazon April 23, 2013 um 3:51 am
[…] Fuente – the-digital-reader […]
fjtorres April 23, 2013 um 6:37 am
Not unlike Marvel’s recent digicom giveaway.
Hopefully *their* infrastructure kept up with the traffic.
The complaint of lost royalties doesn’t jibe with the "selling" ebooks at a loss; either they were paying the publishers full freight (as Amazon does when *they* do a sale–versus price matching) or they were giving away somebody else’s property.
I’m inclined to believe the authors and publishers are misinformed but since it’s China, well…
Nate Hoffelder April 23, 2013 um 9:55 am
Marvel’s sale was on a much smaller scale. It also only covered first issues, leaving the rest of a series to make up the costs. But yes it did have the same idea.
Doug April 23, 2013 um 1:15 pm
The publishers and authors should hold a demonstration in Beijing, protesting this anti-capitalist action. Wait. What? Oh. Never mind.


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The logistics sector must be given access to PPE to ensure a successful return to work once the COVID-19 lockdown is ended, the FTA has warned.
The association is calling on the government and Public Health England to give all supply chain workers clear direction on what PPE they need and how it should be used.
Elizabeth de Jong, FTA’s policy director, said: “It is absolutely right and proper that the NHS is prioritised in the use of PPE, but supply chains also have a vital role to play in the economic recovery, and if the scientific evidence points to the use of PPE as a necessity in restarting business, then logistics must be given access to the supplies that it needs, so that critical services can start to move again.”
She warned that unless workers feel safe then the recovery could be threatened.
“Public debate and uncertainty about PPE, and in particular facemasks, has caused disquiet and unease about whether working in logistics environments is truly safe.
“There is also concern that this lack of clarity has also led to fewer workers making themselves available to work, and some businesses closing over staff welfare concerns.
“Government advice may be that business should be able to function safely, but without clear direction from either Public Health England or government to confirm that the use of PPE, particularly facemasks, is required or advantageous in non-healthcare workplaces or in public is creating more confusion and uncertainty.”
De Jong also called for an extension to furloughing. She said: “We are urging government to exercise caution in withdrawing all financial support including the option of furloughing from the industry – these have been challenging times, and the issues faced by our industry will not vanish overnight.
“We all want to return to normal, whatever that may now look like, as quickly as possible, but must not undo the good work done while we have faced such unprecedented challenges. For some businesses which have been hardest hit by the pandemic, support may be needed for a few months yet.”


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FRENCH SITE X86-Secret said that AMD will start its move to Socket 939 on the 29th March. According to the site, on that date AMD will roll out not only the Athlon 64 FX 53, but also Socket 939 chips with PR ratings of 3400+ and 3700+. If the dates given by the site are correct, that will put further pressure on Intel at the top end of its range.
But Intel is readying its Grantsdale chipset for round about then. Both it and AMD seem locked into mood swings based on the idea that megahertz is a valid measure of a PC's performance.
In other news, sources close to AMD in Taiwan say that it told hardware makers at the time of Computex it only expected to make 100,000 Athlon 64 chips during the fourth quarter of last year. "That they in fact shipped 170,000 is a victory of sorts," the source, who requested anonymity, said
News source: The Inq


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One of the juicy info found in a separate consumer advocacy lawsuit recorded Thursday is actually this one: The former Chief executive officer of a beneficial Midwest bank indeed named his vessel . “Overdraft.”
Listed here is as to the reasons: Like other smaller than average midsize financial institutions, Minnesota-oriented TCF National Financial is based greatly towards currency attained out of overdraft costs, with respect to the lawsuit recorded of the Individual Monetary Defense Agency. Actually, the financial institution estimated into 2009 these fees accounted for $182 million inside the money.
But TCF-which has more than 360 twigs in the Midwest-may have over more than just holder up money because of these charge. With respect to the consumer watchdog’s suit, previous financial Chief executive officer Statement Cooper or other TCF professional definitely advised group to help you dupe users to the joining this type of costly attributes.
“We believe TCF taught their professionals to utilize unlawful plans when you look at the its marketing to help you consumers. They produced overdraft seem mandatory whether it wasn’t,” CFPB Manager Richard Cordray told you Thursday.
Regarding 66% of TCF’s savings account consumers was in fact subscribed to the brand new overdraft program of the middle-2014-an increase 3 times greater than at other financial institutions, according to CFPB’s suit. The user watchdog states new higher rate are a “matter-of pride” to your lender, as well as Ceo Cooper.
Additionally the CFPB quotes you to thousands of TCF users paid down overdraft fees, hence at the lender can truly add around up to $185 a day. At the same time, Cooper-exactly who went off because the President inside the 2015-won nearly $thirteen billion inside the a year ago as head off TCF Bank.
To obtain individuals decide set for the overdraft services, which takes care of shortfalls that will take place in the savings account through the a purchase, TCF professionals was trained to not “over-explain” this new bank’s rules, the lawsuit states.
As to why Which Bank Exec’s Boat Name is Now Part of a good Federal Lawsuit
Rather, TCF presumably advised professionals to use psychological “can you imagine” scenarios-including providing trapped unofficially of your road inside the an excellent blizzard-to show the newest professionals of experiencing accessibility financing throughout an emergency. And in case you to just weren’t adequate to score consumers to sign up, the fresh choose-when you look at the notification with the overdraft provider is actually deliberately tucked into the bank’s sign-upwards files, the newest CFPB states. Of a lot people just featured the container in place of really being aware what they was basically joining.
Like Wells Fargo, TCF put large conversion needs to own department professionals; within TCF, pros were stressed hitting an 80% opt-in the price for the overdraft provider in the fresh new account. When you are you will find no official policy one to in depth outcomes getting perhaps not meeting the prospective, of several team they certainly were fearful to be composed upwards or getting discharged to have losing brief.
The latest rules doing TCF’s overdraft program were actually so successful you to the lending company tossed bashes once they hit goals, such bringing 500,000 men and women to signup, the new CFPB claims.
The financial institution said within the a statement Thursday it rejects the newest CFPB’s states, incorporating so it thinks they addressed people fairly. “I complied with all rules all the time, and you can the overdraft shelter program was a always payday Brentwood TN cherished tool in regards to our consumers,” TCF said, including that from 2010 so you can 2015, there are not many issues of 2.six mil consumers that opted into the bank’s overdraft provider.
TCF is not by yourself during the producing funds from overdraft charges. Full, banks made-over $11 billion regarding overdraft and insufficient financing charge recharged when you look at the examining and you can coupons account in the 2015, based on a study throughout the Individual Economic Coverage Bureau put out a year ago.
But users features an option for the whether to choose on the this type of applications — and this alternatives is anything TCF definitely attempted to cover up out-of customers, predicated on Thursday’s lawsuit.
Seeking to prevent higher overdraft charges? Here are a few Money’s listing of Most readily useful Finance companies, which has Lender of Internet sites, an on-line financial that will not charge overdraft costs toward the Benefits, Precious metal and you will Extremely important examining profile.


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BEIJING (Kyodo) — The Chinese government said Thursday preliminary tests carried out on samples of frozen dumplings linked to a food-poisoning outbreak in Japan have shown no traces of pesticide.
But the government has requested a Chinese producer of the dumplings to recall its products and is sending experts to Japan so the two countries can jointly investigate the issue, China's Foreign Ministry and the country's quality control watch dog said.
The government has studied samples from two batches of the product linked to the outbreak, made at a factory in the northern province of Hebei in October, but found no traces of harmful chemicals, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular press conference.
''We urge Japan to provide more details to help with the investigation. We also hope that the Japanese consumers who have fallen ill quickly recover,'' he said.
An official of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said the government has required Tianyang Food, the producer, to halt production and exports after China was alerted to the problem by the Japanese authorities on Wednesday.
Liu Deping, deputy director general of the administration's general office, said at a separate press conference the producer is also tasked with recalling all of its products, both domestically and internationally.
The samples tested were from dumplings produced on Oct. 1 and 20 last year, which were when the products consumed in Japan were made, according to the administration.
An investigator of the administration tested them in the early hours of Thursday and found no agricultural chemical that was believed to be the cause of the poisoning in Japan, the administration said.
At least 10 people have suffered food poisoning, with one of them temporarily in a serious condition, in Chiba and Hyogo prefectures after eating the dumplings, the Japanese health ministry and police said Wednesday.
The number of people who have complained of illness after eating gyoza dumplings or other products made by a Chinese producer has reached about 450 in Japan, according to a Kyodo News survey as of Thursday evening.
The police said they have begun an investigation suspecting that a pesticide detected in the products imported by JT Foods Co. had been mixed into them either during the production or packaging process.


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Households’ outlook for their finances is the weakest for almost two years amid heightened fears among young people.
he Markit Household Finance Index for February 2011 fell to its lowest level since March 2009, with around 34% of households seeing a worsening of their current finances. Just 5% reported an improvement.
Mortgage holders and public sector employees were particularly downbeat, with both categories seeing the fastest deterioration in finances since the survey began in February 2009.
Respondents in the 18-24 age category were also pessimistic, with expectations for their finances in the 12 months ahead the weakest, again, since the start of the survey. And cash available to spend generally declined at a survey record low.
Markit’s senior economist, Tim Moore, said: “Heightened pessimism among households threatens to subdue economic activity in early 2011 as rising job insecurity and worries about the financial outlook curtail consumer spending.
“An unhealthy combination of high inflation and job worries has caused households to report that their financial outlook has slumped back to the levels seen during the worst part of the recession in early 2009.
“With the pendulum swinging towards deeper government spending cuts, there are signs that people initially insulated from the downturn are now feeling the most strain.
“Lower income households have seen a particularly sharp squeeze on their disposable incomes,” he went on, “from the VAT rise and higher costs for basic items such as food and utilities, which typically represent a larger share of their expenditure than higher-earning households.
“With household necessities becoming increasingly expensive, the lowest income category saw the sharpest fall in their appetite for major purchases since the survey began in February 2009.”


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中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese
IFT Assistant Professor Dr. Ali Bavik was one of the keynote speakers at the 4th Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo. The 3-day event took place at the Venetian Macao integrated resort in September.
Dr. Bavik spoke about the growing phenomenon of independent travellers from Mainland China. His presentation was part of a seminar on the analysis of new trends among independent travellers in the Asia-Pacific region.
The 4th Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo was supported by the China National Tourism Administration. The expo was organised for the first time by the Macao Government Tourism Office, with the assistance of the Macau Travel Agency Association. The event took up 6,800 square metres of floor space, which was occupied by 370 booths representing nearly 200 enterprises and other entities from 28 countries and regions. The organisers say the latest expo attracted about 32,000 visitors, 6.7 percent more than one year earlier.


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Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) had its price target trimmed by Jefferies Group LLC from $5.50 to $4.50 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has an underperform rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock.
Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Macquarie reissued a hold rating and set a $6.50 price target on shares of Sprint Corporation in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a hold rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of Sprint Corporation in a research report on Tuesday. UBS AG reissued a buy rating and set a $7.50 price target (down from $9.00) on shares of Sprint Corporation in a research report on Monday, November 6th. KeyCorp downgraded Sprint Corporation from a sector weight rating to an underweight rating and set a $5.50 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, November 6th. Finally, Vetr downgraded Sprint Corporation from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating and set a $7.10 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $9.65.
Shares of Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) traded up $0.02 on Tuesday, hitting $6.19. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,845,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,775,172. Sprint Corporation has a one year low of $5.62 and a one year high of $9.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80.
Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The cell phone carrier reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.05 billion. Sprint Corporation had a negative return on equity of 3.19% and a negative net margin of 1.82%. Sprint Corporation’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.04) EPS. sell-side analysts expect that Sprint Corporation will post -0.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION NOTICE: This report was first posted by BBNS and is owned by of BBNS. If you are reading this report on another site, it was stolen and republished in violation of US & international trademark & copyright law. The original version of this report can be accessed at https://baseballnewssource.com/markets/jefferies-group-llc-cuts-sprint-corporation-s-price-target-to-4-50/1764307.html.
In other news, major shareholder Group Corp Softbank bought 6,484,367 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.92 per share, with a total value of $38,387,452.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Sprint Corporation during the second quarter valued at about $100,000. Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its stake in Sprint Corporation by 1.7% during the second quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 12,173 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank bought a new position in Sprint Corporation during the third quarter valued at about $100,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Sprint Corporation during the second quarter valued at about $108,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Sprint Corporation by 2.2% during the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,809 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. 13.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Sprint Corporation Company Profile
Sprint Corporation (Sprint) is a holding company. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is a communications company offering a range of wireless and wireline communications products and services that are designed to meet the needs of consumers, businesses, government subscribers and resellers. It operates through two segments: Wireless and Wireline.
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What Scarlett Johansson Really Looks Like Under All That Makeup08/20/2021
As an A-list Hollywood actress, Scarlett Johansson is rarely seen without a full face of makeup. That said, in her personal life, the mom of two prefers to keep her routine simple, telling Vogue in 2014, “I never really had a crazy beauty routine. I’m not one that goes out to spas and gets treatments” (via People). Still, the star admitted she is a big fan of a red lip and some mascara.
Indeed, we are used to Johansson’s pillowy lips being painted for the red carpet, paired with dramatic lashes and flawlessly-applied foundation. “Sometimes it’s nice just to be minimal and be fresh, and other times you can wear a red dress and red lipstick and it looks great,” the “Lost in Translation” star told Elle in 2014. But, Johansson added, “I always carry a red lipstick. You never know when you’ll need it.”
This movie star may have her fav product in her pocket, but photos of the star not wearing makeup prove she really doesn’t need that red lipstick to look beautiful.
Scarlett Johansson has a few tricks up her sleeve for looking amazing
Styles at Life published images of Johansson not wearing a shred of concealer or lipstick and it’s pretty clear she has gorgeous skin and stunning features even without a makeup artist in sight.
Commenting about the star sans products on Reddit, many fans were highly complimentary, with one joking, “The makeup industry hates her.” “Beautiful anyway,” noted another person, while someone else said, “This is really refreshing.” Finally, another fan of the no-filter Johansson said, “She’s actually adorable without makeup.”
So what is the star’s secret, other than keeping red lipstick on hand for emergencies? Perhaps a focus on skincare is the key. Consider that as Allure reported in June of 2021, Johansson is launching her own line. “I created this brand to elevate clean, essential skin care,” the 35-year-old told the outlet, adding, “This will be a brand for everyone who wants their skin to look its best with minimal effort.”
Judging from how great she looks under her makeup, we are sold!
Source: Read Full Article


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23 Nov Marketing Gala ’17
KIET City Student Council (KCSC of CoMS) organized a “Marketing Gala” on 13th November 2017 at City Campus. Event focused on the different domains of marketing in the present global perspective. The concept of this event was to polish student’s innovative and marketing skills.
Students from CoMS and ERP departments displayed and marketed their products on more than 20 different stalls. President KIET, AVM (R) Tubrez Asif, Director City Campus Gp. Capt (R) M Nasir Kazi, HoD Marketing, Dr. Tariq Jalees, and HoD finance, Mr. Arsalan Hashmi attended the ceremony. They along with Patron KCSC Ms. Rozina Imtiaz visited all stalls and after mutual discussion “Donut Chat” won the 1st position, whereas “Yogurt Juice” secured second, “Cupcake” 3rd, “Limcas” 4th and “Hand Made Jewelry” was awarded 5th Position.


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For several years, the computerized spectacles known as Google Glass have been available only to an exclusive, handpicked group through Google’s invitation-only “Explorer” program. Now, the barrier to entry is dropping: For just one day, Google is opening up the Explorer program to all. Now, you too can buy your very own pair of $1,500 nerd goggles.
But first, a word of warning: As gadget rollouts go, Google Glass’s public debut has fallen on the disaster index somewhere between New Coke and the Hindenburg. Only 30,000 people in the world own Glass, but it’s already become the most polarizing gadget in modern history. Here are seven reasons you might want to think twice before ponying up $1,500 to join the Glass brigade:
1. It’s a symbol of class division. Business Insider reporter Kyle Russell wrote last week about how his Google Glass were stolen off his face, and smashed into pieces on the ground, by a mugger in San Francisco’s Mission District. Russell was somewhat understanding about the incident — writing that “anything associated with Google has come to represent gentrification in the city,” and acknowledging that he should have taken off his Glass before walking down the streets of the Mission — but it still couldn’t have been fun.
2. Traffic laws aren’t established yet. Glass Explorer Cecilia Abadie was pulled over last year by the California Highway Patrol for wearing her Glass while driving. The ticket was subsequently thrown out in court, because it couldn’t be proven that Abadie’s Glass was in use while she was behind the wheel. But laws about using Glass in the driver’s seat vary by jurisdiction, and at least eight states are considering new regulations. Even if DWG is legal in your state, you probably should avoid it and save yourself the potential hassle.
3. Your favorite bar, pet store, or strip club might ban you. Among the establishments that have banned Google Glass on the grounds that they wish to maintain their customers’ privacy (and because the owners think Glass is creepy) are San Francisco’s Acquerello and the Animal House, Seattle’s 5 Point Cafe, and Las Vegas’s Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club. If you regularly patronize any of these places of business, you’ll have to go elsewhere to enjoy your Glass-augmented surroundings.
4. The Feds might think you’re a movie pirate. Unlike bars or restaurants, whose reasons for banning Google Glass are more aesthetic than legal, movie theaters have ostensible business reasons to kick your ass out for wearing Glass. (You could be recording the screen and making bootleg copies, after all.) Federal authorities questioned an Ohio man who wore his Glass to a showing of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and released him only once they’d been unable to prove his device was turned off during the movie.
5. The apps are mediocre. One of the selling points of Google Glass, when it was first released to beta testers, was that developers would soon be building all kinds of amazing apps for Glass. So far, though, the offerings have been less than impressive. This comprehensive list of Glass apps includes apps that allow you to check on Bitcoin’s price, see a scrolling ticket of WhatsApp messages, and play blackjack. Glass’s built-in apps — Google Maps, Google Now, and support for calls and text messages when paired with an Android phone — are more appealing, but the promised wave of third-party awesomeness hasn’t exactly materialized yet. (And no, the sex app doesn’t count as a milestone.)
6. You’ll become a walking spectacle. When I attended a meetup of Glass Explorers at this year’s SXSW Interactive, one of the main things I learned was that wearing Glass is tantamount to being a human in-store demo. The Explorers talked about how, during the course of an average day, dozens of people approach them, wanting to ask questions about Glass, try on their pair, and otherwise make a big deal of their special status. That’s fine if you’re an extrovert, but, for most people, it would become annoying after about the 50th day of nonstop interactions with puzzled strangers, asking to borrow the computer on your face for an Instagram selfie.
7. You’ll have to navigate a social minefield. It’s not just adoring strangers who will stop you while wearing a pair of Glass. As the tech industry backlash has grown, wearing a $1,500 face computer has become a version of taking sides. Given the privacy concerns Americans have about Glass, awkward interactions are commonplace among early Glass adopters. Google has published a manual of Glass etiquette — which should tell you something, both about the technology itself and the psychological profile of the average Explorer — but you’ll still have to answer questions like “Do I take off my Glass when headed into a public bathroom?” Every day becomes exponentially more complicated when you’re a Glasshole, with thousands of micro-decisions about how to avoid pissing people off with your ostentatious headgear.
In short, it’s going to take a few more iterations (and a better design) for Google Glass to become the kind of device that normal people can wear without feeling like silly cyborgs. Wearable computing in general is still suffering from a lack of aesthetic sensibility, and Glass represents the ultimate in function over form. And for now, the main benefits to be had from it are functional — for surgeons who want to access medical records while in the OR, for example — and it’s true that Glass is opening the door for others kinds of wearable computing experiments.
But there is one other benefit to getting Google Glass now: By wearing it, you’ll likely be increasing the average social aptitude of the Glass user by a smidgen. And if enough people adopt it, it won’t look so weird anymore. Like Macklemore haircuts or Pharrell hats, there’s strength in numbers.


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Polyphony Digital head tells car-enthusiast magazine 140 full-time staffers are putting the finishing touches on the long-delayed $60 million PS3 racer.
Nearly five years ago, Gran Turismo 5 was teased as part of the the PlayStation 3 unveiling at Sony's 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo press briefing. Two years ago, the public got its first taste of Polyphony Digital's $60 million game in the form of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Then, three and a half months ago, the racing game's planned March launch in Japan was scrapped, pushing back its US and EU launch indefinitely. Last week, Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi offered some public reassurance that the game is on track. "Gran Turismo 5 is about 90 percent finished," he told the UK racing magazine Inside Line. "There are currently around 140 people working on the project." To date, the Gran Turismo series has sold over 55 million copies.
Yamauchi offered his comments while speaking at the final race of the GT Academy, a program that trains European racing-game enthusiasts to drive real-life race cars. Cosponsored by Sony and Nissan, the competition will send French-born Jordan Tresson to the 2010 European GT Cup Series behind the wheel of a 420-horsepower Nissan 370Z GT4.
"Normally, video games are a closed genre," Yamauchi told the finalists. "If you are good at a golf or soccer game, it does not mean you can be a pro golfer or soccer player, but Gran Turismo is different. If you are really good at Gran Turismo, you can be a really good race car driver."
According to Inside Line, the Polyphony Digital chief is himself training for a race, next week's 24 Hours Nürburgring. In preparation, he recently completed a four-hour heat in a Lexus IS-F at the titular track in southern Germany. Yamauchi also revealed the cars that are in his own garage at home in Japan: a R35 Nissan GT-R, a Honda S2000, and a Ford GT.
Gran Turismo 5 on PS3 has a rumored release date on November 2010. It is 201 days left until you can play Gran Turismo 5 on your PS3 in the USA. View below for more Gran Turismo 5 release date details.
The years-in-the-making Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed. The game was slated for release this March in Japan, but publisher Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that the game's release date is now TBA. In an official release, Sony stated the release date will be announced at a later date. The company also apologized for any trouble that this delay has caused. GT5 was first announced at the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles back in 2006. According to GT series creator Kazunori Yamauchi, Gran Turismo 5 has cost $60 million to make. The game will feature over 1,000 automobiles and 20 different locations. The game was playable in 3D at the recent CES show in Las Vegas. Sony previously announced it was shooting for "Summer 2010" for a Western release. No word on how this delay will impact those plans.


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By Nadia Ramlagan
Public press service
Households benefiting from the special supplementary nutrition program for women, infants and children could start buying infant formula online, perhaps within months.
The federal government has said states can apply for grants to improve their programs for people receiving WIC benefits. WIC participants buy nearly half of the country’s infant formula, but so far have been unable to use their benefits to get it from online retailers.
Geri Henchy, director of nutrition policy and early childhood programs at the Food Research and Action Center, said the government began testing online programs for WIC recipients last year.
“And this year, earlier, they’re saying they’re going to fund states to move forward with online ordering,” Henchy noted. “They invite them to apply for this funding, and it’s part of a larger effort to improve purchasing options for WIC customers.”
With the continued shortage of infant formula, she argued that better access is especially important for new parents in rural areas. Monthly WIC benefits are paid to low-income people who are pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding or have children up to age five, to help ensure these families have access to nutritious food. .
More than 100,000 Kentucky households receive WIC benefits.
Henchy explained that before the national shortage, WIC attendees could only purchase one brand of formula. But the US Department of Agriculture lifted purchase restrictions and Henchy stressed the change would remain in effect.
“Now all of the Southeast states have expanded the types of formulas that WIC parents can buy, basically, with their benefits,” Henchy observed.
Henchy added that the WIC has been a lifeline for families at a time of unprecedented food inflation.
“Families have a guarantee on the amount of formula, they have a guarantee on the amount of cereal, juice and eggs,” Henchy pointed out. “They are guaranteed to get that as part of their benefits. And I think that’s really important, and people are counting on it.
The Biden administration has also said it will work with states to implement contingency plans to ensure households have access to formula and improve distribution of specialized formula for infants with issues. healthcare, in the event of a future supply chain disruption or emergency declaration.


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Uber Aims to Open Research Hub for Autonomous Car Tech in Toronto
【Summary】Uber has set its sights on the north as its new location for a research hub, which will be led by a computer science professor at the University of Toronto.
Uber is focused on the future with plans to come out with flying cars and driverless automobiles. The ride-hailing company, like many others, is trying to test its driverless cars in California and, despite a few set backs, in Arizona as well. The majority of Uber's testing, researching, and development have taken place in the United States, but that's going to change soon with a new driverless hub in Toronto.
Uber Expands In A New Direction
According to The Star, Uber is planning on opening a new research group solely devoted to self-driving technology in Toronto. The research hub will be the company's third in total and the first one that's located outside of the U.S. Uber's new Advanced Technologies Group will be led by Raquel Urtasun, reports The Star, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto.
Urtasun, as the outlet claims, holds a Canada Research Chair in machine learning and computer vision. The professor, according to the report, utilizes artificial intelligence to allow cars to accurately and efficiently perceive their surroundings. Urtasun, then, is the ideal individual to be put in charge of Uber's new Advanced Technologies Group.
The company claims that it will hire "dozens" of engineers and researchers in the near future, reports The Star. And while that would seem like enough to get the Advanced Technologies Group up and running, Uber is also entering into a commitment with Vector Institute.
As the outlet reports, Uber will also start a multi-year, multimillion-dollar with Vector Institute. The artificial intelligence institute that launched earlier this year in Toronto has received investments from private, as well as government sources. Technology companies, including Nvidia, Google, and Shopify have all invested in Vector Institute. Urtasun, who will continue to teach classes at the University of Toronto while working at Uber's new research, is one of Vector Institute's founding members, reports the outlet.
"Toronto has emerged as an important hub of artificial intelligence research, which is critical to the future of transportation," wrote Uber CEO Travis Kalanick in a blog on the company's website. In the blog post, Kalanick praised Ontario and federal governments for their investments, claims The Star.
Canada's Becoming The Epicenter For Autonomous Cars
Uber isn't the only company that's planning a driverless future in Canada. Late last year, BlackBerry announced that it would be launching a pilot licensing program for self-driving vehicles on public roads in Ontario. Blackberry also joined other groups in the program, including the University of Waterloo's Centre of Automotive Research and Erwin Hymer Group.
Canada is quickly becoming another place where companies and automakers test autonomous vehicles because of its harsh winters and densely-populated cities, which pose challenges for driverless cars. The country also has a lot of space on offer for companies to gather data with.
With Uber heading to Canada, it's only a matter of time until other companies follow suit, setting Canada up to become another mega center for driverless tech.
via: The Star
Vineeth Joel Patel
Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods
Toyota Patents Autonomous Workhorse That Can Help You Shop
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Uber’s Self-Driving Cars Return to San Francisco
- Self-Driving Startup Pony.ai Launches Autonomous Robotaxi Pilot with the City of Fremont, California
- Luxury Electric Automaker Lucid Motors Opens Up Reservations for its Air Sedan
- Tesla Stock Hits A Record High as the Company Beats 2019 Delivery Targets
- Self-Driving Truck Startup TuSimple Announced Partnership with Auto Supplier ZF for the Production of Autonomous Trucks
- Honda Augmented Driving Concept Looks to Reinvent the Steering Wheel
- Tesla Announces it Will Use Baidu Maps in its China-Made Vehicles
- Electrify America to Open its 400th EV Charging Station in the U.S. This Week
- The NHTSA Will Review a Petition to Investigate Sudden Acceleration Complaints on Tesla Vehicles
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Nikon’s new mirrorless cameras are already getting new features, thanks to firmware. During CES 2019, Nikon shared a trio of new features that are currently under development for the Z7 and Z6, including CFexpress support, Eye AF, and ProRes RAW. The firmware doesn’t yet have a launch date.
Eye AF, Nikon says, will make capturing sharp eyes easier when photographing portraits as well as street and event photography. The software helps automatically detect the eyes to help avoid misplaced focal points. Eye AF, if done right, could be a welcome addition to the series — since options like the Sony a7R III already includes Eye AF.
The Z6 and Z7’s XQD memory card slot will also be able to accommodate CFexpress cards with the firmware update. CFexpress and XQD are both similar formats larger than the traditional SD card, with a few notable differences. CFexpress cards limit out at certain speeds and capacities, while XQD cards are fast and could be even faster in the future.
Nikon lists that speed along with a handful of other reasons like capacity, transfer rates, and durability as reasons why the company went with the XQD instead of the older CFexpress format. However, Sony is the only major manufacturer producing XQD cards and they can sell for nearly $ 150 for a 64GB card. The firmware update will open up more options — and allow photographers who already had CFexpress cards to put those cards back to use.
Finally, the upcoming firmware will allow support for the ProRes RAW codec, in addition to Nikon’s own N-Log format. ProRes recording will require the ATOMOS Ninja V in order to output that format, however.
While the firmware doesn’t yet have a launch date, models with the updated firmware were on display during CES. Nikon says the firmware update is based on user feedback.
At CES, Nikon also launched the NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens, the widest lens yet for the Z series. The lens is also unique in that, despite the ultra-wide angle, the lens still accepts filters at the front, because the front element isn’t as rounded as most full frame ultra-wide-angle lenses. Nikon also says that the lens is lighter and more compact than the similar F-mount lens. A filmmakers’ kit for the Nikon Z6 was also part of Nikon’s CES announcements.
Nikon’s live presentations and discussions are being livestreamed from CES through January 11 at nikonusa.com/live.


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via Imperial College London
Researchers have developed environmentally friendly materials that could harvest enough energy from indoor light to power wireless smart devices.
We are increasingly using more smart devices like smartphones, smart speakers, and wearable health and wellness sensors in our homes, offices, and public buildings. However, the batteries they use can deplete quickly and contain toxic and rare environmentally damaging chemicals, so researchers are looking for better ways to power the devices.
The materials can turn light into electricity with an efficiency already in the range of commercial technologies. Dr Robert Hoye, Department of Materials
One way to power them is by converting indoor light from ordinary bulbs into energy, in a similar way to how solar panels harvest energy from sunlight, known as solar photovoltaics. However, due to the different properties of the light sources, the materials used for solar panels are not suitable for harvesting indoor light.
Now, researchers from Imperial College London, Soochow University in China, and the University of Cambridge have discovered that new green materials currently being developed for next-generation solar panels could be useful for indoor light harvesting. They report their findings in Advanced Energy Materials.
Co-author Dr Robert Hoye, from the Department of Materials at Imperial, said: “By efficiently absorbing the light coming from lamps commonly found in homes and buildings, the materials can turn light into electricity with an efficiency already in the range of commercial technologies. We have also already identified several possible improvements, which would allow these materials to surpass the performance of current indoor photovoltaic technologies in the near future.”
Our discovery opens up a whole new direction in the search for green, easy-to-make materials to sustainably power our smart devices. Professor Vincenzo Pecunia – Soochow University, China
The team investigated ‘perovskite-inspired materials’, which were created to circumvent problems with materials called perovskites, which were developed for next-generation solar cells. Although perovskites are cheaper to make than traditional silicon-based solar panels and deliver similar efficiency, perovskites contain toxic lead substances. This drove the development of perovskite-inspired materials, which are instead based on safer elements like bismuth and antimony.
Despite being more environmentally friendly, these perovskite-inspired materials are not as efficient at absorbing sunlight. However, the team found that the materials are much more effective at absorbing indoor light, with efficiencies that are promising for commercial applications. Crucially, the researchers demonstrated that the power provided by these materials under indoor illumination is already sufficient to operate electronic circuits.
Co-author Professor Vincenzo Pecunia from Soochow University said: “Our discovery opens up a whole new direction in the search for green, easy-to-make materials to sustainably power our smart devices.
“In addition to their eco-friendly nature, these materials could potentially be processed onto unconventional substrates such as plastics and fabric, which are incompatible with conventional technologies. Therefore, lead-free perovskite-inspired materials could soon enable battery-free devices for wearables, healthcare monitoring, smart homes, and smart cities.”
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What’s trending? Distrust in the Internet.
BBC News recently reported that people have little faith in the worldwide Web. Expert Neelie Kroes, the European Commission’s vice present, said few people across the world have full trust in the Internet, and that could hurt the way the Web grows in the future, BBC reported.
"The next phase of the Internet will be data-centred and connectivity-driven. Cloud computing, big data, the internet of things; tools which support manufacturing, education, energy, our cars and more. The internet is no longer about emails,” Kroes said. "To make the 'leap of faith' into this new world, reliability and trust is a pre-condition. But when even the phone of the chancellor is not sacred, that trust can never again be taken for granted. Not only that, it is clear that for millions of Germans, and billions around the world, that trust is now missing.”
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Innovation is the currency of the fourth industrial revolution. Companies that can innovate faster and more effectively will be best positioned as technology dominates our lives to an ever greater extent.
According to Forbes magazine, Tesla electric cars, SalesForce, the cloud-based database company, and biopharmaceutical company Regeneron are the three most innovative companies in the world.
Nine of Forbes' top 10 innovators are from the United States.
Forbes ranks companies by what it calls an "innovation premium." This is the difference between a company's market valuation – the value of all its shares, plus total debt – and the net present value of the cash being generated by the company's existing businesses. This "premium" is a measure of how much investors think the company's future innovations will be worth.
To get onto the list companies need to have over US$10 billion in market capitalization as well as at least 7 years worth of financial data. This cuts out a large number of smaller and newer companies.
Tesla loses money on every car sold. But investors believe this won't last forever. The company's market capitalisation of more than $30 billion is wholly down to a very high innovation premium.
Tesla is young but already has a solid track-record of innovation. The issue, says Forbes, is whether it can deliver on the huge innovation premium its investors have already priced in.
At number two, SalesForce, the collaborative software company, is making a big push into artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, third-placed Regeneron has a string of innovative drug treatments to its name.
A look at the full list of 100 companies shows a less US-dominated picture. The US has 49 of the top 100, while Asia has 24 and Europe 23. Within Asia, Japan (8) beats China (7) and India (5). Latin America has two positions and there's one company from the Middle East -- Saudi Arabia's Almarai at number 40.


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Apple iPhone X sells out quickly in South Korea30
In South Korea, the 64GB Apple iPhone X is priced at the equivalent of $1,237 versus the $999 the phone costs in the states. That makes the quick sell out in South Korea even more interesting. While we have no idea how many units of the iPhone X SK Telecom had to sell, analysts estimate that Apple had shipped 150,000 iPhone X handsets to the country. And all of this has taken place right in Samsung and LG's backyard.
With iPhone X shipping times dropping in many countries to 2 to 3 weeks, whatever issues Apple had with the production of the phone appear to have been solved. Analysts say that Apple sold 9 million to 12 million units of the iPhone X during the launch weekend earlier this month.


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Jun 11, 2022
JS Nelson, Visiting Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, discusses modern business ethics. Corporate misconduct is on the rise and in the news...and business leaders are increasingly worried that their actions could cross lines that put their reputations and their revenue at risk. Listen as we explore what ethical lines are being crossed and how can businesses avoid today's ethical pitfalls.
Host, Kevin Craine


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Ken Block's newest ride is this absolutely sick Fox-body Mustang
The "Hoonifox" – designed by the stylist behind the latest Batmobile – channels wide-body IMSA racers to hit us right in the nostalgia
Here comes Ken Block, the Gymkhana whiz, with another wild vehicle, ready to tear up the streets in a sideways fashion with reckless abandon and zero remorse for rubber, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
As a Ford guy, Ken’s love for the brand is on proud display in this new build, based on the third-generation “Fox-body” Mustang platform.
For now, the “Hoonifox” is unfortunately just a rendering, but it does look good, doesn’t it? Mustangs have a long history with racing, and the Fox-body gen, which was manufactured from 1979 to 1993, was a formidable contender in IMSA racing.
With the wide-body kit it wear in that motorsports series, the vehicle was hardly recognizable but looked fantastic, and we’re getting a similar vibe with Block’s new car. That isn’t accidental, either. The designer (who, by the way, also designed the new Batmobile) referenced period photos of Mustangs with body kits and special edition models to get the look just right.
Because it’s just a render, we’re not given a good look at what engine is going to power the beast. When new, the Fox-body would have been available with a turbocharged four-cylinder; a V6; or a V8. Those engines are too ancient for Ken, so a modern powerplant will certainly take their place.
Our guesses’d include Ford’s Ecoboost V6; a Roush Yates-built V8; or possibly even an electric drivetrain sourced from the upcoming Mustang Mach E. Whatever powers it, all four-wheels will receive the fury.


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Get ready to pay more for movies. At an industry conference on Thursday, Regal Cinemas CEO Amy Miles told investors that it was “crucial” for the industry to invest in premium experiences at movies going forward.
Premium? What exactly does that mean? In a nutshell, the theater industry is going to find a way to extract more money from its existing customers.
It’s a bit like what the airlines have been doing. You know that stuff you used to get for free, like the ability to, say, carry a bag onboard without shelling out $25? Or the privilege of having a cup of water sans charge?
Much of the theater industry’s “premium” initiative revolves around special, upgraded single theaters in multiplexes. Regal has one called RPX that supposedly gives viewers a better experience. The Cinemark chain has something similar called X-D. AMC has ETX.
Catching a flick at the RPX screen at the E-Walk on 42nd Street will set you back $20, $5 more than a seat at a “regular” theater in the same complex.
Is it worth it? Let’s look at some of the so-called premium amenities that might be coming to more theaters soon, and whether you should shell out the extra cash.
There doesn’t seem to be any standard for what constitutes a premium screen size, but the projected image on the RPX screen at the E-Walk measures 60 feet wide. That’s roughly comparable to IMAX. But even IMAX has come under fire during the past few years for offering IMAX-branded theaters in which the screens weren’t all that much bigger than those found in standard theaters.
So you’re probably getting a bigger screen, but by how much? And is that necessarily better?
The RPX theaters claim to have “ultimate sound.” At the E-Walk, that means a 100,000-watt system.
It may very well sound better than standard theaters, but the question here is, is that worth $5 more of your money? Isn’t the best sound supposed to be what we get anyway? Shouldn’t this be included in the price?
As a customer, don’t you assume that the theater is periodically upgraded? How can Regal and the other chains be in a (partially) tech-driven industry and not just consider upgrades as the cost of doing business?
It’s not like you show up at the cinema, buy a ticket to see “Edge of Tomorrow” and they hand you a Mutoscope from 1894. “If you’d like to see that movie projected digitally on a screen instead of presented in flip-book format, that will be an extra $15.”
Technology upgrades should just be part of the package.
Many of the premium theaters offer recliners. Careful, fellas. If you start to make the experience of going to the theater too much like being in my living room, I’m just gonna stay home in my living room.
A Regal complex in Atlanta has VIP theaters that serve food and booze and allow customers to select a seat when buying a ticket. For that privilege, you can pay 46 percent more than a regular ticket — $17.50. Seems a bit steep, but might be worth it.
If the theater industry really wants to rope in customers and force them to pay for things that they should be getting for free, how about holding “No talking, no texting” screenings? I’d easily pay $5 more to watch a movie in an auditorium policed by staff who would enforce the rules. Think about it, Regal.


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Apple’s next version of the iPhone, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be released on September 16th, suggest new reports.
The news comes from serial tech leaker and normally well placed source Evan Blass who shared the release date of the iPhone 7 on his Twitter account on Sunday.
While this is far from being official confirmation of the release date of the iPhone, Blass normally gets it right with his predictions and leaks on new release of new smartphones.
Just to clarify, this refers to the retail release, not the launch event. To be even more specific, it should happen on Friday, Sept. 16th.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 23, 2016
Blass claims that the iPhone 7 will be released on September 16th tie in with previous iPhone releases in that it is a similar time period when Apple normally releases a new device and it’s also a Friday – Apple’s usual day for releasing new iPhones.
The iPhone 6 was released on September 9th, while the iPhone 6S was released on September 25th, for example.
Blass suggests that the iPhone will be officially unveiled on September 12th before the September 16 release.
As for what we can expect in terms of specs and features is anyone’s guess as there have been some many rumours and leaks surrounding the device.
What is likely is that the iPhone 7 will look relatively similar to the iPhone 6 and 6s.
Other rumours suggest that Apple could be about to remove the headphone jack from the upcoming model, as well as make big improvements to the camera, which is expected to include a dual lens.
Major changes to the iPhone lineup are said to come with the release of the iPhone 8 in 2017 but users can expect a wealth of software and hardware improvements when the iPhone 7 is finally unveiled.


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Exchange controls could be harmful for Costa Rica
Whenever markets are restricted, the intermediaries seek loopholes. And that is what could happen in Costa Rica with the central bank’s most recent restrictions on currency exchange.
The new rules were introduced by the central bank on December 22. They oblige financial institutions to buy or sell dollars when they are reluctant to do so because of the risk involved.
Full story in Spanish


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Sony Announces NEX-5R With Wi-Fi
Sony’s latest mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, the NEX-5R, includes built-in wi-fi and a new hybrid autofocus system. The lightweight model supersedes last year’s NEX-5N and features a 16.1-megapixel APS-sized sensor and a 3in (76mm) touchscreen LCD.
With 'Fast Hybrid AF' the camera uses contrast and phase detection systems with 99 focus points to improve focussing speed and accuracy. At launch there will be just four lenses that can take advantage of the new focusing system – the E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS; E 55-210mm F4-6.3 OSS; E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS; and E 24mm F1.8ZA Sonnar T*. Sony says it plans to roll out firmware upgrades that will steadily expand the range of lenses that offer Fast Hybrid AF support.
Built-in Wi-Fi lets users transfer files to smartphones or post images and movies directly to websites such as Facebook and Youtube. You can also control the NEX-5R remotely using an Android smartphone, with plans to launch an app for iOS devices soon.
Sony has also introducing PlayMemories Camera Apps, an app store dedicated to Sony cameras. Launch applications include “Picture Effect+” and “Bracket Pro”.
Other key features include: 10 frames per second continuous shooting, Full HD movies, 180° tilting (up-down) LCD, touchscreen shutter function, and a digital level gauge.
The NEX-5R will be available in early November. The body-only kit will retail for $799, while the single-lens kit is expected to carry an RRP of $999.


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ICBC Annual National Convention 2017 – Thank you to our esteemed partners and sponsors!
ICBC Annual National Convention 2017
Theme: Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Digitization
November 13, 2017
Over 300 participants consisting of close to 100 Canadian companies, several Indian and Canadian government officials, bureaucrats and corporates under one roof discussed, engaged, networked and exchanged knowledge and ideas to boost investment and trade between Canada and India
Impressive attendance at the convention that brought the following leading people from both the govts and the industry –
- 2 secretaries from Government of India – Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, DIPP, and Vijay Gokhale, Secretary, Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs
- 2 Canadian Federal Ministers from Canada – Hon’ble Francois- Philippe Champagne,Federal Minister of International Trade, Govt of Canada and Hon’ble Minister Navdeep Bains, Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Govt of Canada
- Representatives from Indian states of West Bengal and Gujarat – Mr. Aninda Chatterjee, Executive Director (Webel), representing State Government of West Bengal, IT & Electronics Department and Mr. Rajkumar Beniwal, Managing Director, Industrial Extension Bureau, Government of Gujarat
- Representatives from Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia – Ms. Terrie Romano, Counselor (Commercial – Ontario) and Mr. Henry Han, Executive Director, International Markets – Ministry of International Trade, British Columbia
- Joint Secretary from Govt of India – Mr. Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, DIPP
- Honourable Steven Bonk – Minister of Economy, Minister Responsible for Tourism Saskatchewan, Minister Responsible for Innovation and Trade
Indo-Canadian Business Chamber’s Annual National Convention in association with the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt of India and the High Commission of Canada successfully concluded this year’s Convention with over 300 attendees from Canada, India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
The Convention featured 17 sponsors & partners, and 3 panel sessions that covered topics on Current policies and reforms – Ease of doing business in India, Opportunities in key Indian states & Canadian Provinces, India’s innovative approach to business environments – synergies in innovation & startup ecosystems.
Air Canada became the leading Platinum sponsor for the Convention. Air Canada is the flag carrier and is Canada’s largest airline Air Canada’s corporate headquarters are located in Montreal, while its largest hub is at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a four-star ranking.
Key highlights included:
- Opening Keynotes delivered by Hon’ble Francois- Philippe Champagne ,Federal Minister of International Trade, Govt of Canada, Mr. Vijay Gokhale, Secretary, Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, and Ms. Margaret Skinner, Director Sales EMEAI, Air Canada
Minister Champagne said that the fact that the visiting delegation from Canada is the largest ever delegation to India and the presence of 2nd largest diplomatic staff and mission is in India, makes all the sense for the trade relations to take a huge leap in the coming years and the future of the business relations with India looks brighter than ever before. His goal will be to position Canada as a top destination for global investment and promote Canada’s economic brand. He also emphasised the crucial role of ICBC in facilitating discussions and partnerships and congratulated the tremendous success Chamber has achieved in ensuring the increase in the traction between the two countries.
- A Fireside Chat session was conducted between Hon’ble Minister Navdeep Bains, Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Govt of Canada and Ms. Nadira Hamid, CEO, ICBC.
Questions asked by Nadira Hamid –
Question 1 – fundamental foundations of India –Canada relationship – how do both come out as winners – his vision
Question 2 – It was just about this time last year, in Nov. 2016, when you made your first visit to India as a Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development. What has been happening in Canada since then?
Question 3 – Given that CA-India’s deepening business relationship, India has a lot to gain from your vision. What do you see as the fundamental foundations of the growing Canada India relationship?
Question 4 Can we both come out winners?
Question 5 What comes next – what are your priorities?
Minister Bains answered, “the Innovation and Skills Plan, is our comprehensive strategy to turn more promising ideas into market-ready innovations. We have made, and continue to make, strategic investments. One key initiative is the Superclusters program. We are focusing on dense areas of activity that have high concentrations of talent that drive the innovation activities. Global Skills Strategy – we want to attract the best and brightest; provides our businesses in Canada with a faster way to scale-up and grow. My department also launched the Economic Strategy Tables, chaired by Canadian industry leaders. These tables will set ambitious growth targets, identify sector-specific challenges, and lay out an actionable roadmap to achieve their goals. I’m pleased to note that we have some shared objectives with the Digital India program, including rolling out broadband to unserved area, and working to support IT skills development in the workforce. First and foremost, I guess my broad goal is for innovation to become one of our Canadian values – what we are known for around the world. Secondly, technology really has the potential to be an equalizer. It can enable women entrepreneurs to succeed and to grow their business at the same rate as their male counterparts.”
- Vijay Gokhale said that India and Canada trade relations go much beyond diplomacy and the transformation in this relation in the recent years have been exceptionally rewarding to both the countries.
- 20 speakers shared their insights, addressed current industry challenges and presented concepts and ideas for the future. Each session was filled with a two-way Q&A, where delegates could ask questions from the panellists. Amongst other two special addresses were from Benoit Daignault, President & CEO , Export Development Canada and Margaret Skinner, Director Sales EMEAI, Air Canada.
- Benoit Daignault, President & CEO , Export Development Canada said – Canada and India are two very different countries, with great and different histories. And though we are also on opposite sides of the globe, ours is a strong and enduring relationship.
- Margaret Skinner said –Air Canada has successfully connected the two countries culturally, politically and commercially
- ICBC signed an MoU with Canada Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CanCham) during the Convention. Mr. Masud Rahman, President, CanCham and Ms. Nadira Hamid, CEO, ICBC, signed the MoU and committed to work towards the enhancement of bilateral trade with Canada through delegation exchange, business forums and flagship events of both the Chambers.
“ICBC’s Convention aims to deliver a compelling platform for India and Canada to exchange ideas, expertise, knowledge and partnerships that are closely aligned with current pressing economy trends and industry developments in both the countries. Its an honour and a privilege for ICBC today to have Minister Champagne and Minister Bains at this Convention for facilitating trade and investment between the two countries and taking India-Canada trade relation to a new height through this important forum. ”said Nadira Hamid, CEO, ICBC.
About Annual National Convention
ICBC’s Annual National Convention is the flagship event where the leaders of the goverments of India and Canada as well as from the industry talk about programs, inititatives, and challenges thereby creating a policy environment to enable the industry to fulfil its goals of doing business in these two countries. It is the ultimate marketplace for discussing the latest and current policies and reforms introduced by the government, opportunities available to do business in India and Canada that help industry professionals to tap these growing opportunities while showcasing their expertise, products, services and their enterprising, influential and thought-provoking thinkers and leaders in India-Canada business space.
For Convention Photos Click here


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The FDA announced today that it has received more than 90,000 reports of problems — including 260 mentioning deaths — in Philips’ massive respiratory devices recall.
It’s important to note that FDA’s Medical Device Reporting (MDR) system is a passive system with limitations. Still, today’s update from the FDA is but another reminder of the seriousness of the Philips recall. The previous update in late summer listed 69,000 MDR entries since April 2021, including 168 reports of death.
New Philips CEO Roy Jakobs publicly apologized for the Philips Respironics recalls last month. The recalls involve 5.5 million CPAP and BiPAP ventilators and other respiratory devices.
In addition to consent decree talks with the DOJ and FDA, Philips also faces lawsuits.
The recall involves potential health risks caused by polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam breaking down. Foam particles could enter a device’s air pathway. The particles could cause a range of potential health problems and toxic, carcinogenic effects for the user.
The company recently announced that it has produced roughly 4 million replacement devices and repair kits for the sound abatement foam recall. Philips Respironics said at the time that the goal is to complete about 90% of the production and shipments to customers this year.
However, the Dutch medtech giant is facing additional problems. For example, it recently reported two new potential issues with some reworked Philips Respironics Trilogy ventilators, about 3% of the devices in the original recall. There’s new silicone sound abatement foam that could separate from the plastic backing. Plus, the company reported trace amounts of particulate matter in the air pathway of some corrected ventilators in the U.S.


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Sesame Workshop has launched a new Sesame Street streaming app for Vewd-enabled connected TV devices.
The app features content from 48 seasons of Sesame Street and includes sections dedicated to Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Bert and Ernie, among other characters. The new app, which was built in partnership with Vewd and Kaltura, is available on connected TV devices from Sony, Samsung, HiSense, TiVo, Vestel and more.
Kaltura added compatibility with Vewd Snap, an app creation and distribution tool. Vewd Snap brings to life a full HTML5 TV app complete with a turnkey user experience and light customization options, and the app is distributed through the Vewd App Store.
“We’re excited to team with Kaltura and Vewd to accelerate our multiplatform distribution strategy,” said Jenny Gioia, the VP of multiplatform programming at Sesame Workshop. “Working together, we can make Sesame Street content available on millions of devices helping kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder.”
“We’re excited that Sesame Workshop chose Vewd and Kaltura to further expand its digital presence,” said Gideon Gilboa, the VP of product and marketing, media and telecom at Kaltura. “We’re also pleased to collaborate with Vewd—together we solve the technical and commercial challenges of creating, distributing and managing an app on a massive scale, which is critical to ensuring a successful OTT deployment.”
“Sesame Workshop is a cultural icon, having created the stories and characters that generations have grown up to love,” said Aneesh Rajaram, the CEO of Vewd. “We’re proud to add them to the Vewd family and equally proud to have done this with Kaltura. Their fantastic team pulled everything together in record time. Together, we provide an easy, efficient path for content owners to add their app to the world’s largest connected TV ecosystem, fulfilling the mission of Vewd Snap—to accelerate development and distribution of OTT services everywhere.”


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fiid, the Irish plant-based range of nourishing lunch bowls announce a significant step in the growth of the business as they secure a listing with supermarket giant, Sainsbury’s. From January 19th 2020, FIID will be available in Brands of the Future bays in selected Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.* fiid will launch initially with three SKUs; Hearty Moroccan Chickpea Tagine; Italian Sundried Tomato & Lentil Ragu and Smoky Mexican Black Bean Chilli (RRP: £3.50)
Launched in December 2018, by young entrepreneur, Shane Ryan, fiid has achieved phenomenal success with national listings across his native Ireland, and over 200,00 meals sold; and is now set to make a lot of noise here in the UK.
fiid combines vegetables, legumes and spices, to create truly delicious, plant-based meals. Ready in just three minutes, the premise of the range is to offer real convenience without any compromise on taste or quality. The range is natural with no additives or preservatives, and each bowl is high in protein and fibre and are made using 50% vegetables, making up 3 of your 5 a day. Ryan said: “We’re incredibly excited to be working with Sainsbury’s to introduce fiid to UK retail for the first time, marking a landmark milestone for us exactly one year since we first launched our range of comforting lunch bowls. We’re on a mission to make eating
real food as convenient as possible for as many people as possible without compromise, and by partnering with Sainsbury’s as part of the Future Brands program, we’re one step closer to achieving that goal. We’ve had a big impact already in a very short period of time and we’re excited to take that to the next level through this new partnership”
The innovation of the products is that they are served in a flexible pouch affording each meal a year long shelf life meaning they can be kept in your kitchen cupboard, office desk or locker at work. Ryan adds that “we want people to have access to real nourishing food all the time so finding a cooking method that gave us the shelf life without compromising on quality was the number one priority”. The company now prepares its meals using the sous vide method which locks in the freshness, cooking each meal to perfection and preserving without the need for any additives or preservatives.
*Full store list available at www.eatfiid.com


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CBB star Chloe Goodman has got one of the best figures in reality TV.
So it’s no surprise that the flame-haired star is working what her mama gave her.
The gorgeous reality star is the new face of So In Fashion, and has just released her promo shots for their new collection.
The busty babe shows off her ample cleavage, long legs and toned tum in the shots as she poses in a range of bodycon dresses, crop tops and skirts.
One snap shows the star modelling a sassy red bodycon dress, while another shows the star working a hot pink cut-out number.
As well as sexy dresses and sassy outfits, the reality star poses in a number of trendy hats too.
Speaking about her new collection, Chloe said: “I’m really excited to be launching my first ever fashion collection. I had a fantastic time choosing the items and I think it’s a really good reflection of my own style.
“There’s not only clothes but accessories too and the quality is amazing.


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In a first for the company, Opera is launching new browser software that has a built-in cryptocurrency wallet.
The browser maker said Wednesday that its "new version of the Opera browser for Android… combines easy-to-use crypto wallet functionality with support for the Ethereum Web3 API." The browser is currently in private beta, which the company is now inviting new users to join.
This means users no longer have to open a new web browser or download a separate extension to send, receive and pay in cryptocurrency – now they can do so directly from a toggle on their browsers on mobile Android devices.
It is an especially useful announcement for developers of decentralized web applications – more commonly known as dapps – given that the new browser functionality indicates users can now more easily interact with dapps being built on the ethereum network.
Charles Hamel, the product lead on Opera Crypto, explained in a statement:
"We believe the web of today will be the interface to the decentralized web of tomorrow…By becoming the the first major browser to open up to Web 3.0, we would like to contribute to making the internet of the future more accessible."
That term "Web 3.0" refers to the vision of a decentralized Internet built on top of the ethereum blockchain that connects users to various dapps and peer-to-peer networks.
As previously reported, some dapps such WeiFund have already been developed for the express purpose of being used on Web 3.0-enabled browsers equipped with embedded wallets.
In effect, the newly released browser with built-in crypto wallet functionality by Opera boasts a "simple" user interface that builds on "existing browser wallets/dapp browsers...with a default WebView."
As such, the company expects to lower "the entry barrier to Web 3.0 for users" and offer the path for those wanting to "venture into the world of dapps and cryptocurrencies."
Wednesday's launch follows an announcement in January, when the company introduced cryptocurrency miner protection for users of mobile Android devices as part of the browser's native ad-blocker functionality.
Interface image courtesy of Opera
The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.
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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has slapped taxes on imported agricultural products.
In the 2020/21 budget, Matia Kasaija, the Minister of Finance said he seeks to promote import substitution and develop local industries.
He said the government has increased import duties on goods that are produced or can be produced locally. The import duty on agricultural products has been increased to 60 percent and other products to 35 percent.
There have been reports of restaurants importing irish potatoes, milk, and oranges instead of consuming those produced locally.
Kasaija said, “we have been importing refined industrial sugar yet we are a surplus producer of sugar.”
He added that the government has agreed with sugar manufacturers to produce refined industrial sugar locally and “we shall protect them from imports.”
To further support agriculture, Kasaija removed Value Added Tax (VAT) on the supply of agricultural equipment.
Also, the supply of processed milk will be VAT free to enhance the price competitiveness of milk produced in Uganda.
For the businesses that have been affected by a coronavirus, Kasaija put a whopping 1.4 trillion shillings in Uganda Development Bank. Companies in agriculture and manufacturing are expected to go to the institution and borrow at affordable rates to be able to recover from coronavirus disruption.
Meanwhile, Kasaija has reported an increment in the kilometres of roads paved to 5,600 kilometres, up from 4,300 kilometres in 2015.
However, the increment is just 500 kilometres from the 5,111 kilometres that the same minister reported in the previous budget as having been paved.
It should also be noted that it is lower than 6,000 kilometres that Kasaija pledged would be reached when he read the budget for the financial year the country is concluding.


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Since the COVID-19 pandemic has struck Canada, many hospitals are in need of protective equipment. IKEA Canada came to the rescue on Thursday after discovering 66,000 N95 masks in their Vaughan location. The furniture chain was quick to donate them to a nearby hospital.
IKEA states that the masks were discovered after they decided to take a look around their stores to see what they could find to help with the PPE shortage.
"Upon learning about the potential PPE shortage in Canada, many of our stores looked to see what we could donate," Kristin Newbigging, IKEA Canada's public relations director told Narcity.
"We were amazed to discover this huge quantity of masks in our Vaughan store and immediately contacted local authorities to see if they could be of use and how we could best donate them."
The Vaughan location quickly packed them up and delivered them to North York General Hospital.
The furniture company later took to Twitter to share the hopeful news and to encourage all organizations to look for extra PPE supplies.
"We're thrilled to be able to support our frontline health care providers! If your organization has extra PPE, please contact local health authorities to see how you can help," read a tweet from the group.
We’re thrilled to be able to support our frontline health care providers! If your organization has extra PPE, pleas… https://t.co/CNzlxqvN4L— IKEA Canada (@IKEA Canada) 1585255090.0
According to Global News, at least two Toronto hospitals are now limiting face masks for frontline health care workers due to a widespread PPE shortage.
The PPE Drive has been set up to encourage companies and residents who have medical equipment to donate it to their local hospitals.
Thanks to our friends at @IKEACanada for donating 60,000 N95 masks to @NYGH_News. Your donation will make a huge di… https://t.co/zNJjBdggkp— thePPEdrive (@thePPEdrive) 1585252243.0
It was reported yesterday that Toronto sidewalks and parking lots are becoming littered with plastic gloves and face masks as residents take every precaution to protect themselves.
Discarded gloves are being found on sidewalks and parking lots across the city.
Toronto's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eileen de Villa made a statement asking residents to dispose of their garbage properly.


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U.S. consumer confidence dropped at the end of November, suggesting retailers could face a challenging holiday season.
The University of Michigan final consumer sentiment index for November fell to 91.3 from a midmonth reading of 93.1. The final October reading stood at 90.0. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had predicted the final November index would edge down slightly to 93.0.
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