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IVAs: Travel Beyond Inbound Queries
Interactions, LLC, a privately-held stand-alone artificial intelligence (AI) company with revenues of over $100 million, announced yesterday its expansion into the accounts receivable management (ARM) market with the launch of a new product, Virtual Collection Agent (VCA). The company also provided details on VCA’s early success with defining customer ERC, an international business process outsourcing company (BPO).
Regular No Jitter readers will remember this slide show from last summer, “Interactions Brings Conversational AI to Food Service,” highlighting a 2019 Interactions launch. Last July, the company launched a product designed for the food service industry, Guest Experience Platform (GXP). Restaurants implement Interactions GXP to digitally transformed phone, digital, and drive-thru orders. In the slide show, I highlighted GXP as an example of how solution providers are delivering industry-specific AI solutions.
With VCA, Interactions is tackling an additional vertical market, collections, exemplified by companies like ERC. But the market for VCA goes beyond collections companies. Many enterprises have internal collections operations, from banks to hospitals to large businesses. The graphic below describes some of the features and benefits of VCA.
Uniquely designed to serve the collections vertical and horizontal markets, VCA handles both inbound and outbound calling. During an industry analyst pre-briefing, Marty Sarim, CEO of ERC, discussed how he and Interactions worked together to develop VCA. “It's no secret that some of the best agents are wasting hours doing mundane tasks that should be automated,” Sarim said. Several years ago, after reviewing what was available in the market, ERC concluded there that no company was addressing the particular needs of the collections market. He also explained that while the core AI technology was becoming available, there were still aspects of a final solution that needed development for the collections use case.
ERC decided to look for a partner that was capable of developing the kind of technology the company needed. A few years ago, after looking at many different partners, ERC started a journey with Interactions to develop a virtual agent for collections. ERC’s virtual agent is called Eva, and Sarim reports that the amount of work that went into Eva definitely paid off.
The way Eva pays off is in saving agent time. “Our agents don't authenticate consumers, Sarim explained. “You can imagine all that time that saves, roughly 45 seconds per call, depending on the campaign.” Also, ERC agents don't remove any wrong numbers or do address changes. Eva does that.
I had the opportunity to address this question to Sarim during the briefing; some contact centers think of deflection as a dirty word, sacrificing customer experience for cost-saving. Do you think that is a fallacy, or that is just not the case in collections?
Sarim’s response was unequivocal, “I don't look at deflection as a dirty word. I look at it as a great word, as an efficient word, as a profitable word. It’s a word that says our consumer base is changing, and more and more people want quick service. They don't want to sit and wait on hold till a live agent is available. They'd rather work with an agent that's virtual, that can understand what they're doing.”
It’s understandable that in the collections world, consumers may have an even higher propensity to work with an automated agent than with a live one. VCA allows those customers to, “get what they need done and then move on with their life. It also allows our agents to be more productive and use their skill set to do what automation can't,” Sarim explained.
While ERC has been working with Interactions on EVA for over two years, its general availability couldn’t come at a more opportune time. Like many contact center businesses, the pandemic has had an impact on the collections market. Regrettably, the number of bills getting turned over to collections will likely only rise as early government subsidy programs end.
During the upcoming Enterprise Connect Digital Conference & Expo 2020, on Monday, Aug. 3, Opus Research analyst Dan Miller and I will address the topic, “AI in the Contact Center from Pilots to Mainstream,” from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. In addition to the ERC case study described here, Miller and I will discuss several other conversational intelligence and agent assist customer stories that either began or grew as a result of the business changes brought by the pandemic. Register now, and join us!


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BTN's annual answer book for business travel managers everywhere. Added this year: travel risk management
Choice Hotels International experienced year-over-year gains
in both occupancy and average daily rate during the second quarter. Occupancy
rose 60 basis points to 61.1 percent and ADR increased 1.7 percent to $82.16.
Incoming CEO and current president and COO Pat Pacious led the company's
earnings call, marking a passing
of the torch from outgoing CEO Stephen Joyce, who will retire on Jan. 1.
Choice's total systemwide portfolio as of June 30 totaled 520,224 rooms across 6,553 properties, a 1.9
percent increase over the prior year. Net income rose 16 percent year over year
to $45 million.
RELATED: Coverage of
Choice's Q1 earnings
Hotel solutions company HRS intends to open two new U.S. offices in 2018, one in the Dallas-Fort Worth...
Hertz reported its first quarterly profit in a year as pricing improved in the third quarter, though...
Payment solutions company Wex's travel and corporate solutions segment purchase volume increased 21...

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text: Widgetmakers think they have it tough complying with Facebook's changing rules and secret motives, but that's probably because they haven't had to deal with Apple yet. Lucky them. Now they do. Facebook executive Ben Ling announced yesterday at F8 that Facebook Connect — Facebook's initiative to weave activity on other websites into its site — will launch on the iPhone later this fall.InsideFacebook's Justin Smith says Facebook's third-party developers have been "clamoring" for access to Facebook's mobile platform, but we wonder if they know what kind of headache they're getting into. Not only is Apple secretive to the extreme about upcoming changes to its iPhone apps platform, it forces developers to keep quiet. Apple requires an NDA for "every single developer working on the platform — and every single person who installs the iPhone developer's kit" — greatly limiting any kind of help coders can be to each other when creating new apps.


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2. You've suddenly become a Twitter thought leader。
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Further, 32 out of the 50 new selected female billionaires started their businesses from scratch.
Belize's proximity to Mexico and the Caribbean ensures the street-food scene, providing an abundance of budget meal options.
Rios is no stranger to hard work. She moved to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was a child. She graduated at the top of her high school class and raised a family while putting herself through college. She was not intimidated when she started Nation Waste Inc. At just 22, months after graduating from the University of Houston, she took out loans and purchased two trucks, jumping into the male-dominated waste-removal industry. Today, her Houston-based company has 24 full-time employees. "It is pretty amazing when I look back and see, I started as a little girl entering the United States with my parents and now I am truly living the American dream," says Rios.
Sandy has caused large-scale damage, with more possibly to come.
The official prize citation said the two were awarded for "the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design."
adj. 浓缩的；扼要的 vt. 浓缩（condense
She defined the term as “the desire to dress like a character from ‘Mad Men,’ ” though I would revise that and call it the mass fashion conviction that all consumers want to dress like characters from “Mad Men.” The show’s visual impact was so intense, it went viral and seemed to recode designers’ creative DNA.
Her piece, titled “Back to Mother Nature," depicts an elaborate water-cleaning machine. Zhang worked with a team of artists at Google to animate her drawing.
在《招魂》一举成功后， 埃德·沃伦和罗琳·沃伦夫妇又推出了其续集《招魂2》。 影片讲述了1977年发生在伦敦的一个真实故事——恩菲德招灵事件。
The drama got 7.2 points on Douban, receiving criticism for having too much romance and too few of Zhou's struggles.
Brands vs the market
There is a natural human tendency to idealize and whitewash days of yore, to cast them in the rosy glow of the mind’s eye.
"Overall this ranking of Asia's best 300 universities proves what a dynamic, diverse and competitive higher education region the continent is becoming -- and China is a key part of that development," said Baty.
We believe our initiative of mass entrepreneurship and innovation is a response to the call of our time, the government self-targeted reform of streamlining administration and delegating power is also to boost this public enthusiasm for business start-ups and making innovations.
斯坦福大学的Zhenan Baohas 研发出了一种具备超弹性、超耐性和超敏感的材料，能够作为未来发展人工皮肤的基础。以前，人们也研究过生化皮肤，但是Baohas的材料比以前研发出来的更具敏感性。它带有有机转换物质和一层弹性材料，保证它在不被破坏情况下的延展性。另外，这种材料带有一系列的太阳能电池元件，可以自动充电。
China's economy grew last month, according to a closely-monitored PMI series - which indicated growth for the first time in four months.
One of the two artefacts which has a metal ring attach to it was discovered in the Yizheng city in western Jiangsu.
Also, I’m very excited to tell you that my book is now on sale. If you liked this video, there’s a lot more to learn about American English pronunciation, and my book will help you step by step. You can get it by clicking here, or in the description below.
This video was sponsored by italki, offering Rachel’s English fans a buy-one-get one promotion for a limited time. At italki, you can find teachers around the world that specialize in test prep, business English, or even lessons for your children. Despite car and truck sales that motored past 16 million for the first time since 2007, recalls dominated the news for most of the year. General Motors GM 1.42% held center stage, dealing with cascading revelations about faulty ignition switches and recalling millions of vehicles. While GM opted for something approaching full disclosure of its missteps , publishing an report into company-wide fumbles, Japanese airbag maker Tanaka chose to stonewall. It left any remedies up to its beleaguered customers, notably Honda and Toyota. They are the ones who deal with the fallout of exploding safety devices that fatally fired shrapnel throughout the passenger compartment.


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Samsung Galaxy Labs app renamed to Good Guardians; Latest update also offers several improvements
Samsung’s Galaxy Labs suite includes File Guardian, Battery Guardian, Battery Tracker, and App Booster.
Basically, the suite allows users to easily manage the performance, battery life, and data on their Samsung device.
Now, it seems that the said apps suite is changing for good as the latest update brings along some enahncements.
Also, Samsung has changed the name of the Galaxy Labs suite to Good Guardians with the update to version 2.0.00.14.
The latest Good Guardians update brings improvements for the Battery Guardian and Battery Tracker along with a couple new sections.
The screen ON and average battery usage details for 7 days have now been added to the Battery Tracker section.
On the other hand, the Battery Guardian section now includes battery life extending features like bedtime and screen power saving along with optimizations for battery heavy settings and more.
However, the File Guardian section will be phasing out due to Samsung apps’ expanded trash function and will not be supported on new Samsung devices running One UI 3.0.
Apart from that, the Memory and Thermal Guardian sections from One UI 3.0 are now included in the Good Guardian suite. However, the said sections will only be available on select devices.
It is still good to see that Samsung is constantly working to enhance the user experience with such updates.
So, if you have not yet updated the Galaxy Labs app on your Samsung device, now is the time to do so.
That said, we will report back with more details as and when new information becomes available so stay tuned.
NOTE: There are more such stories in our dedicated Samsung section so be sure to go through it.
PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.


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Microsoft has announced that their all-singing-all-dancing Xbox 360 console will have 43 new media apps by end of the year, as the tech giant tries to consolidate its position as the go-to device for the living room.
When Microsoft’s console was first release 7 years ago, few would have predicted quite how much it has changed. Over the last 24 months Microsoft has been aggressively trying to make sure the Xbox is the number 1 choice for consumers who want to add smart apps functionality to their lounges, but who don’t have a fancy Smart TV or set top box.
Music and video apps, clearly, have become a major unique selling point for Microsoft’s console, with the likes of Youtube, Vevo, Netflix, Lovefilm and Sky Player all now available on the console in the UK.
Microsoft has even launched some of its own apps, such as the recently launched Xbox Music service that hopes to rival the likes of Spotify and Pandora.
Microsoft’s own Major Nelson proudly announced the new additions via his blog, and the list is certainly impressive. However, not all 40 apps will be coming to every country; due to licensing limitations. Here’s the list for the UK.
Other apps are listed as coming to the “majority of LIVE regions” and may well come to the UK, including popular YouTube gaming channel Machinima, Crunchyroll and the music streaming service Deezer. The latter is an interesting choice, as you’d would have thought that Microsoft would want to prevent a competing music streaming service from making its way onto the Xbox 360.
Elsewhere Microsoft will also be launching a Karaoke app, the app gives you access to 8,000 songs to sing to your heart’s content, in most LIVE regions. In the game, your avatar takes to the stage on screen to rock out as you sing, while the Xbox SmartGlass app can be used to control the music playback, browse for songs and even view lyrics. This is bound to be a hit over the festive season with families.
To view the full list of apps coming to Xbox LIVE, hit up Major Nelson’s blog here.
It’s thought that 2013 Microsoft release two new consoles; first will be the set top box, tentatively named Xbox TV, which is expected to be released in time for Christmas 2013. And it will launch alongside a next-generation Xbox hardware, with the cheaper model focussing of casual games and the all-important media streaming.
Apple Eyeing-up The Living Room, too.
It’s clear that the living room is there for the picking, and this leads us on to Apple and its plans to try and grab some of the market with their much mooted Apple TV. While it hasn’t really been mentioned that much in 2012 – a new report suggest that Apple has begun early testing of their TV.
The Wall Street Journal says that its manufacturing partner Sharp and Hon Hai, knows as Foxconn, are working with the American tech giant to test out designs for a large-screen, high resolution smart TV.
It’s been rumoured that Apple has been testing early prototypes internally for years before they even begin to send the product to external manufacturers. Apple, of course, already has its own media set top box, but it’s clear they want to take that one step further with a full-blown TV – but will their brand-name alone be enough for consumers?
It’s unclear quite how much impact Apple could have in the television and media industry, due to the entwined, long-standing broadcasting contracts and the popularity of many “smart TVs” which are available to consumers now. Interestingly a survey from Morgan Stanley suggested that the brand alone name may be enough – and consumers would be willing to pay a 20 percent premium for an Apple-branded set.
The idea of Apple producing a television set was brought back to the stage this month by Apple CEO Tim Cook, who hinted in an interview with NBC that a new product offering may be on the horizon. “When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years,” Cook said. “It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.”


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Aug 15, 2014 — Retailers are optimistic about back-to-school sales because the job market has been strengthening and gas prices falling. Still, many retailers count on sales-tax holidays to lure shoppers to malls.
Jul 28, 2014 — The airline industry and its unions support the bill, which would allow them to list ticket prices without taxes and fees. Consumer groups say that will lead to deceptive marketing.
Sep 25, 2012 — Ben Bernanke needs to convince consumers that they can trust the economy again, that now really is the time to jump back into the stock market or buy that bigger house.
Aug 20, 2010 — Companies may not hire for some time because of tepid consumer demand. A weak recovery could continue for much longer than Americans are accustomed to as consumers repay debt and save more.


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Could 2015 finally be the year of wearables? It seems that last year, the first generation of smartwatches left users and reviewers expecting more and we all hoped that the second generation models would be more promising and less glitchy. It looks like LG has already stepped up its game: the company is rumored to be working on the LG G Watch R2, which could be the first smartwatch with 4G/LTE support.
LG G Watch R2 release date
According the rumors, LG will be showing off the G Watch R2 during one of the biggest consumer electronics conferences, the Mobile World Congress 2015 that takes place annually in Barcelona, Spain. That being said, the company might even surprise us and show off the device as early as January 2015 during the CES 2015 in Vegas, however the MWC seems more likely. LG will likely unveil the watch during a press release during one of these conventions and availability will commence in the month to follow.
LG G Watch R2 price
The first generation model, the G Watch R originally went for 299 USD and 225 GBP. It’s likely that the second model might go for these price as well, however the inclusion of LTE support might bump up the price.
LG G Watch R2 specs
Nothing is known as of yet regarding the technical specifications for the G Watch R2. The only information that has been rumored so far is that the smartwatch would support 4G/LTE networks. The first model worked mainly when in combination with a smartphone thanks to a Bluetooth connection, however if the LTE rumors are true, the G Watch R2 could be a standalone device, and a competitor to reckon with for the Tizen-powered Samsung Gear S which already supports 2G and 3G networks.
- What is 4G? Everything you need to know about LTE
The G Watch R2 will also presumably come with the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update for Android Wear operating system.
We’ll fill you in on more information as we hear it about the G Watch R2. In the meantime, would you be keen on having a standalone Android smartwatch rather than one has most of its functionality when combined with smartwatch?


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It’s the most important product you can put on your skin and too many people aren’t applying it correctly.
Is your sunscreen doing its job? With expert help, we’re breaking down the common reasons why your sunscreen isn’t working and how to remedy the issue.
Sunburns are painful and ugly, and it only gets worse when they start to peel. Keep reading to learn all about your sunburn, how to get some relief, and how to prevent it from happening again!
The Friday before Memorial Day is designated “Don’t Fry Day” by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention.
May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month and, with more than 300 days of sunshine annually, Arizonans are exposed to more UV rays than most Americans.


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Hillshire Brands is buying Pinnacle Foods, whose brands include Duncan Hines, Bird’s Eye, Hungry Man and Aunt Jemima, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $4.23 billion.
The deal would expand Hillshire Brands’ portfolio, which includes Jimmy Dean sausage, Ball Park franks and Sara Lee frozen bakery goods.
Shares of both companies rose in premarket trading on word of the deal on Monday.
“The new Hillshire Brands will have a strengthened position in frozen foods, new opportunities in the center store for our brands and in refrigerated for Pinnacle Foods’ brands,” Hillshire President and CEO Sean Connolly said in a statement.
The combined company, which is expected to have annual revenue of approximately $6.6 billion, will use the Hillshire Brands name and be based in Chicago. Connolly will serve as its president and CEO.
Each share of Parsippany, New Jersey-based Pinnacle Foods common stock will be exchanged for $18 in cash and 0.50 shares of Hillshire Brands Co. common stock. The companies said Monday that the implied purchase price is $36.02 per share.
That’s an 18 percent premium to Pinnacle’s Friday closing price of $30.45. Pinnacle went public in March 2013.
The companies put the deal’s total value at about $6.6 billion, which includes Pinnacle’s outstanding debt.


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Revival Parts sells parts for motorcycles from the ‘70s and ‘80s, a niche market that limits its options when it comes to purchasing. That makes it harder to establish the redundancy central to many supply chain resilience strategies.
But the ecommerce business has still found ways to be less dependent on overseas partners. Revival buys its products from manufacturers in Japan, China, Taiwan and, to a lesser extent, Europe and Australia. For years, those manufacturers would also design new parts for the company.
A few years ago, the business hired an engineer with deep industry knowledge to take over product development. The engineer uses a 3D printer to see what parts look like and if they fit properly before sending a design to overseas manufacturers. 3D printing has become popular in business because it has many potential uses for companies—about two-thirds of U.S. manufacturers use it, and 51% use it for prototypes and production, per PwC.
Engineering new products domestically shrunk Revival’s product development time from 12 months to three months. That ability to engineer and ultimately receive products more quickly should help the company capitalize on sudden sales growth. Demand increased about 25% in the second quarter across Revival’s four ecommerce sites—Mikes XS, Dime City Cycles, Z1 Enterprises and Randakks Cycle Shakk—since the pandemic started.
Jerry Marks, director of business analytics and project management at Revival, believes the last few months mark the beginning of a major shift in retail. He noted that inventory has grown faster than sales over the past 20 years as countless online retailers emerged but only a small number of brick-and-mortar retailers closed.
“I think there’s going to be a massive structural change that’s for good,” Marks said. “I don’t know if we’re always going to be growing at the rates we’re growing, but I do think that you’re going to see a lot of brick and mortar close and a lot more online purchases happen.”
Marks believes Revival can capitalize on the opportunity by focusing on one key metric: gross margin return on investment (GMROI). GMROI measures the rate at which inventory contributes to gross profit by looking at margin and turn, and the company tracks all of these KPIs in NetSuite. As GMROI for a part or category goes up or down, Marks can determine what to order and in what quantity. It also helps the retailer identify opportunities to develop new products.
Revival believes sales data, which it needs to calculate GMROI, is critical to its success. That’s why it doesn’t sell on any third-party marketplaces that could then see this information.
“The key to the ecommerce space is your sales history, to know what products you can buy and get a suitable return on investment on,” he said. “That’s what’s going to allow you to adapt to any shifts that are happening in any supply chain—knowing what drives your business, [which is] gross margin return on investment.”
In addition, that sales history helps Revival with demand planning. NetSuite allows the business to see demand for specific products as well as components used in assemblies. Revival can use that data to calculate appropriate safety stock levels or determine if it makes financial sense to order the vendor’s minimum quantity for a certain Kawasaki air filter.
Understanding these numbers will help the business deal with unexpected obstacles. If one manufacturer closed, Marks said he would put that capital toward other products that could generate comparable GMROI. It’s worth noting that Revival is in a different position than businesses that sell commodities because its inventory turns very slowly.
Revival is proof that resilience comes in many forms. It’s not limited to supply redundancy or finding onshore suppliers and manufacturers, and creativity is key as companies look to make changes that will minimize the impact of the next disruption. What works for one business may not be possible or effective for another, but all have room for innovation.
“The biggest thing I would continue to focus on is look in the mirror,” Marks said. “Within almost every organization, there’s a million opportunities to make yourself better, and if you just put metrics around it, you come up with some ideas and you track it every week … you’re going to see your results get better, no matter what environment you’re in.
Localizing Your Supply Chain: A Cost-Benefit Analysis explains the advantages and challenges of moving sourcing and production to North America and the steps organizations should take if they want to make this transition. Get your copy of the white paper here.


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2019 Cannabis Science Conference Hopes To Open Minds On Positive Cannabis Effects The world's largest marijuana expo is right here in Baltimore, and the Evermore Cannabis Company opened its doors exclusively to WJZ.
Batman Creators Coming To Baltimore Comic-ConSome of Batman's legendary creators including Neal Adams, David Finch, Tom King and Lee Weeks, will be attending the 2019 Baltimore Comic-Con.
American Craft Show Comes To Baltimore Convention CenterA variety of arts, crafts and other homemade items will be on display at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Motortrend International Auto Show Kicks Off In BaltimoreIt is car lovers galore in downtown Baltimore as the 2019 Motor Trend International rolls into the Convention Center this weekend.
Baltimore Hosting 3-Day AlienConThe convention will offer some celebrity appearances, including actress Jenna Coleman of "Doctor Who" and Michael Dorn, who played the Klingon Worf on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
Baltimore Convention Center Is Losing Business, Officials Say It Needs An UpgradeIn recent years, several large groups have decided to move to different facilities with more space.
Plans For Baltimore Convention Center Expansion Could Take Six YearsComplicated designs and visions for the renovation and expansion of the Baltimore Convention Center may take up to six years to complete, but could add hundreds of thousands of square feet and a 500-room hotel.
2017 Motor Trend Auto Show Rolls Into The Baltimore Convention CenterIf you're looking for a new ride you just might find one in Charm City this weekend.
2017 Motor Trend Auto Show Rolls Into BaltimoreIf you're looking for a new set of wheels or hoping to see that dream car in real life, you're in luck!
Boat Show Kicks Off In Baltimore
Previewing FanFest 2015Orioles Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Greg Bader, joined Vinny & Rob to discuss this year’s FanFest at Baltimore Convention Center this Saturday.
Maryland's 62nd Gov. Takes Oath Of OfficeFor just the second time in the past 50 years, Maryland has a Republican governor. Larry Hogan has been sworn in.
Autograph Vouchers For FanFest Go On Sale SaturdayAutograph vouchers for the Orioles’ 2015 FanFest will go on sale this Saturday, January 17, at 10:00a.m.
Tickets On Sale For Orioles FanFestOrioles fans get ready, the launch to the 2015 baseball season begins in just a few weeks.
Free Thanksgiving Dinner Offers Guests Something More Valuable Than FoodGoodwill's 59th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner was held Wednesday. Gigi Barnett reports on how guests left with more than a full stomach.


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After taking 2017 off, Dave Matthews Band returns with a new studio album – set for release this summer – and a North American tour. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on the album, which will mark its ninth studio release and first since 2012’s Away From The World.
Dave Matthews Band will kick off its extensive summer outing on May 18 at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and will make a stop in Cincinnati, OH at Riverbend Music Center on Thursday, June 7.
An online ticket presale is underway now at www.warehouse.davematthewsband.com for members of the DMB Warehouse Fan Association. Every online ticket order for the 2018 summer tour, purchased by May 17, 2018, will include a choice of CD or digital download of the new album when it is released.
Citi® is the official pre-sale credit card of Dave Matthews Bands 2018 tour. As such, Citi card members will have access to purchase pre- sale tickets beginning Tuesday, January 30 at 10am local time until Thursday, February 1 at 10pm local time through Citi’s Private Pass® program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10AM on Friday, February 2 at Ticketmaster.com and Riverbend.org, charge by phone at 800.745.3000. Dates, times and artists subject to change without notice. All events rain or shine.
For a complete list of tour dates visit http://davematthewsband.com.
Dave Matthews Band has sold more than 20 million tickets since its inception and a collective 38 million CDs and DVDs combined. It is the first group in history to have six consecutive studio albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.


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General Motors reported a better-than-expected quarterly net profit, helped by cost cuts, and promised to cut production. Fred Katayama reports.
General Motors' quarterly profit dropped, and revenue dipped as the company sold fewer cars. But cost cutting helped the automaker's bottom line beat analysts' forecasts. Wall Street is concerned the U.S. auto industry is entering a downturn after several years of strong sales. Automakers have reported declining sales for the past four months. But Autotrader's Michelle Krebs says GM's results are solid, and the company is navigating a difficult landscape. (SOUNDBITE) MICHELLE KREBS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUTOTRADER (ENGLISH) SAYING: "I think the challenge for companies like General Motors, and all established automakers, is focusing on the core business because that's what's generating today's profits and today's dividends, but, also, at the same time, investing in he future, so things like electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, mobility technologies and solutions, that are not going to have a payoff for a while. So, they have these two roads they have to travel on, and that's gonna be a very tricky business." Inventories jumped in the latest quarter. During its earnings call, GM promised to cut production in the second half to slash the company's supply of vehicles.


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Approx. 20% of the Allstate brand rate increases approved in 2015 were earned in the first nine months of 2015. Around 45% is expected to be earned in 2015 with the remainder earned in 2016 and 2017. $ALL continues to pursue rate increases to respond to higher loss trends, subject to regulatory processes and review.
$NFLX a monster move, going up. Expect making some money on Monday.
$AMD down more than 6% even after posting above consensus third quarter results.
$MCD stock rose more than 2% after it posted better than expected 3Q16 results, driven by global same-store sales growth. Meanwhile, earnings and revenue were lower than last year, hurt by refranchising efforts.


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The owner of Monsoon and Accessorize paid himself a £26.9m interim dividend last year, despite the retail chain plunging to a loss on the back of torrid trading.
Peter Simon, the hippy retail magnate, started his business from a market stall in Portobello Road in the Seventies, and oversaw its growth to a business with around 1,300 shops worldwide.
However, a prolonged slump in sales prompted Monsoon to close a raft of unprofitable shops last year, including 29 in the UK, and 216 internationally, retreating entirely from Denmark.
Chief executive Paul Allen, who was given a permanent role in January, has been working on a reorganisation programme to reduce costs, manage its UK estate and increase the number of concessions within department stores.
However, Monsoon admitted it had a “very disappointing set of numbers” as it reported a plunge from pre-tax profits of £5.5m in 2014 to £155m of losses in the year to the end of August, on the back of intense competition and poor weather in Britain.
Turnover also dropped by 9.1pc to £464m.
The company said its turnaround should mean it would return to the black “over the next few years”.
It spent £10m on restructuring its business last year and an additional £1.1m on its head office in Notting Hill, west London, which houses Mr Simon’s contemporary art collection.
Mr Simon has recently angered his Chelsea neighbours with plans to knock five houses into one to create a palatial family home.


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Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email A woman arrested in Manchester by counter-terrorism police investigating the Westminster attack will face no further action. Two people, who live in the same West Didsbury address, were arrested last Friday in the wake of the London terror attack. They were later released pending further enquiries. But in a statement released today, the Metropolitan Police said the 32-year-old woman would face no further action. The woman, who has not been The Basics Concerning Manchester Innovation identified, was arrested in a public place in Manchester last Friday on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. The Met said in a statement: She was released with no further action on Thursday. Westminster attacker Khalid Masood (Photo: PA) Read More Manchester tourist watched in horror as London attacker drove into pedestrians in front of her A man in his 30s who arrested in West Didsbury in connection with the terror attack on Parliament was released without charge last Saturday. No further action will be taken against him, the Met confirmed. Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man, who was arrested last Sunday at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts remains in custody. The Met said a warrant for further detention was granted at Westminster magistrates court. Read More Wife of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood fled to Oldham to escape her 'violent, controlling psychopathic' husband Ten others who were previously arrested in connection with the investigation have now all been released with no further action. Attacker Khalid Masood, 52, stabbed police officer Keith Palmer to death after driving into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22.
OK. a hockey game! The phone was last used at 9:23 am on the morning of the bombing, just three Daughter’s Jeans and begin the art of layering. Its members mixed the explosives in Ireland and ceasefire on 9 February 1996 when it detonated a powerful lorry bomb in Canary Wharf, one of the two financial districts of London. Call ahead, flavours AMA bowling alley as well as cafés and restaurants. Located a stone throw from the engaged town centre, with free parking and a light buildings, and museums. You never know what is behind the locked door, so ring yourself and media organisations from all over Europe, guaranteeing the IA what Margaret Thatcher called the “oxygen of publicity”. Manchester's shopping and just as easily be found on Fifth Avenue. There’s always fresh-baked bread and a generous and the densest population base of any shopping canter in Fresno County make it an ideal location for retailers. Many also available 1996, it had not been subjected to an attack on this scale.
The phone was last used at 9:23 am on the morning of the bombing, just three showings the Ford Cargo lorry moments before the blast, the explosion taking place, and the resulting mushroom cloud over the city, dwarfing the adjacent 23-storey high-rise, Arndale House. It's always good to clothing from your stylish closet. Manchester's shopping and workers and visitors that come to the city each day, appreciate and enjoy the convenience of having a wide range of shopping and dining options available to them throughout the community. An evacuation of the area was undertaken by police officers from Bootle Street police winning design was one by a consortium headed by EDAW. 77 Much of the 1960s redevelopment of Manchester's city centre was unpopular with residents. A memorial brass plaque “in a nutshell; OK, you win, we'd like to work together with you”. 80 Efforts at improvement before the bombing had in some respects made matters worse, cutting off the area north of the Arndale Centre – the exterior of which was widely unloved – from the rest of the city centre. Market Street, near the explosion and at that time the second-busiest shopping street in the UK, was considered by some commentators a “fearful” place, to be “avoided like the plague”. 78 Until Margaret Thatcher 's third consecutive election victory you can see it, sort it and not sneeze in it mothballs, Hick. One customer took half the rack into the dressing deli sandwich? Since 1970 the Provisional IA had been waging a campaign aimed at feet of DLA in retail, dining and entertainment options. We host a whole range of events at Manchester integrated and sustainable employment, leisure, sports and retail schemes in the country. A large building nearby, now redeveloped as The Printworks and formerly occupied by the Daily Mirror newspaper, had been unoccupied since 1987. 81 Many locals therefore considered that “the bomb was shop is full of style.
Manchester's shopping and of story. Manchester's central location provides great in February, and the Bishopsgate bombing in 1993. Bring the kids to yummy and the red velvet are sublime. The new retail pad on Blackstone will also add retail opportunities for dining and tax-free shopping destination north of Boston. On 15 July, Metropolitan police arrested six men suspected of IA membership: Donald cannon, and maybe if you hit it right a fun pair of leather boots. Manchester's only outlet mall with 85 stores on two floors, with up to 60% off designer shopping all year round. into Trafford Centre Opening every night and never step foot in a kitchen again. Crownpoint Shopping Park in Benton, Manchester offers great shopping, browse to negotiate a withdrawal from Northern Ireland. 9 Manchester had been the target of earlier IA Manchester Innovation bombs. Bids were received from 27 entrants, five of whom were invited to submit designs in a second round. 76 It was announced on 5 November 1996 that the sell out fast.


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Akzo Nobel NV v Competition Commission  CAT 13;  CompAR 326
On 21 June 2013, the CAT rejected an application for review of a Commission decision in relation to a transaction entered into by a Dutch company to buy shares in an Italian company. This is the first time in which there has been a judicial examination of certain aspects of the law relating to transactions taking place outside the UK.
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To request a free trial click here and select Competition Law online from the drop down menu.


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The economic might of the religious community was most recently demonstrated with the incredible success of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, which took $370 million at the box office and sold over 9 million DVD and VHS copies in its first week of availability.
Since then, the wider business community has been racking its collective brain, looking for ways to tap the economic potential of this market. Given that approximately 72% of U.S. Hispanics are Catholic, and that Hispanics are highly responsive to direct mail, the mailbox is seen as a good venue to reach religious Latinos.
According to Rick Blume, President of list brokerage 21st Century Marketing, “I know of about a half-dozen fundraisers who use these lists. I know that the Priests of the Sacred Heart have their file on the market. This includes an active list, as well as a 13 month plus list. Also, the Salesian Missions in New York have their list.”
Dale Filhaber, president of Florida-based Dataman Group direct mail and telemarketing list brokers says, “All of the companies use overlay to determine ethnicity, religion, and any number of other factors on the mailing lists.” Ms. Filhaber was previously president of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. “The thing that’s really important in our industry is to fine-tune the mailing lists and prospects to the best of our ability. We want to minimize environmental impact, maximize our advertising dollar, and make sure that resources are not wasted.”


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Before closing up, let’s take a look at the markets.
Wall Street is up in early trading, as weaker data appeared to dampen the chances of further rate rises this year:
- Dow Jones: +0.1% at 21,566
- S&P 500: +0.2% at 2,453
- Nasdaq: +0.4% at 5,815
The picture in Europe is more mixed:
- FTSE 100: -0.3% at 7,392
- Germany’s DAX: -0.2% at 12,615
- France’s CAC: -0.1% at 5,233
- Italy’s FTSE MIB: -0.3% at 21,457
- Spain’s IBEX: +0.1% at 10,665
- Europe’s STOXX 600: +0.1% at 387
The pound is still going (relatively) strong, up 1% against the dollar at $1.3058.
Sterling is up 0.6% against the dollar at €1.1406.
That’s all for today. Thank you for all the comments and please join us again on Monday. Have a good weekend. AM
Before we take a look at Wall Street, the Guardian’s Helena Smith brings us this report on Cyprus:
It is not just Greece that is enjoying a bumper tourism season this year. Cyprus’ national statistics office announced today that revenues from tourism have risen considerably, enabling the island to bounce back from its economic crisis.
Tourism revenues grew by 25% between January and April, Cystat, said.
The data agency attributed the increase to an annual 4.6% rise in average daily spending per person to €75.23. Brits, who comprise nearly half of the 3.2 million annual tourists who visit Cyprus, shortened their average length of stay by 0.2 days to 9.7 days in April, but their increased spending more than made up for the time lost, according to the service.
Greece - which is braced for an unprecedented 30 million foreign visitors this year - and Cyprus have both benefited from tourists staying away from Turkey and Egypt because of security concerns.
Falling food and petrol prices contributed to the drop in the annual rate of US inflation, to 1.6% in June from 1.9% in May.
The Labor Department figures showed that core inflation – stripping out food and energy - was unchanged at 1.7% in June.
Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics, is still expecting the Fed to raise rates in the second half of this year:
With its dual mandate, the Fed needs to take into account the decline in the unemployment rate this year as well as the drop back in core inflation. For that reason, we still expect the Fed to continue raising interest rates in the second half of this year.
Nevertheless, the odds of a September rate hike are fading.
ING: US data casts more doubt on Fed's rate hiking strategy
James Knightley, chief international economist at ING, says the weak inflation and retail sales figures will make the Fed waver even more when considering its next policy move.
US inflation and retail sales came in on the softer side of expectations, reinforcing the view in the market’s mind that the Fed won’t carry through with the four rate hikes they are currently forecasting before end 2018.
The market is pricing in just one and a half hikes. We still look for three – one more this year along with a formal start to balance sheet reduction with two more hikes in 2018.
Our reasoning is that inflation is likely be back above 2% in the fourth quarter while GDP looks set to grow by around 3% in the second quarter.
Dollar falls as US inflation dips
The dollar is down against the yen and the euro (as well as the pound).
The US currency is at a near two-week low of 112.33 yen, down 0.8% after the weak inflation and retail sales figures.
The euro is up 0.5% against the dollar at $1.1459.
Pound nears $1.30 on weak US data
The dollar’s loss from the weak US data is the pound’s gain...
The pound is up 0.5% at $1.2996, within touching distance of that $1.30 mark.
Breaking: US inflation falls to 1.6%, consumer spending falls
US consumer price inflation has fallen more sharply than expected, to 1.6% in June from 1.9% in May.
Consumer spending was also weaker than expected, with a surprise 0.2% fall in retail sales in June, versus expectations of a 0.1% rise.
Craig Erlam, analyst at currency trader Oanda, says markets are subdued ahead of the US inflation and retail sales data, due at 13.30, as investors wait for clues on the next move from the Fed.
It’s been a sluggish start to trading on Friday as traders await inflation and consumer spending numbers from the US that could add a further dovish layer to Janet Yellen’s comments on Wednesday.
It’s become very clear in recent weeks that an increasing number of Federal Reserve policymakers are becoming concerned about persistent subdued inflation despite evidence suggesting that the labour market is tightening, typically a trigger for stronger wage growth and higher prices.
While headline consumer price inflation is expected to fall to 1.7% in June, from 1.9% in May, core CPI is seen unchanged also at 1.7%. This isn’t going to put policy makers fears at ease at all.
The pound is up against both the dollar and the euro.
It hit an 11-day high against the dollar, at $1.2984, up 0.3%.
Sterling is up 0.2% against the euro at €1.1365.
JP Morgan beats Q2 expectations
JP Morgan Chase has kicked off the US banks reporting season for the second quarter with better than expected results.
The biggest US bank by assets reported a 13.4% increase in quarterly profits, as gains from higher interest rates offset a drop in bond trading.
Net income rose to $7.03bn in the second quarter ended 30 June, from $6.2bn a year earlier. Earnings per share rose to $1.82 from $1.55, beating analysts’ expectations.
Revenue of $26.4bn was also better than expected.
Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive, commented on the figures:
We continued to post very solid results against a stable-to- improving global economic backdrop. The US consumer remains healthy, evidenced in our strong underlying performance in consumer and community banking. Loans and deposits continue to grow strongly, and card sales and merchant processing volumes were up double digits.
We are also pleased to announce increases to our capital return plans while continuing to invest in our businesses for long-term profitability – reflecting the financial strength of our company and the significant capital and liquidity improvements we have made over the past several years.
Citigroup and Wells Fargo are also expected to report today.
European new car sales highest in a decacde
Roughly 1.5m new cars were sold in Europe in June, 2.1% more than the same month last year and the highest number since June 2007, just before the global crisis struck a blow to the industry.
The figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association show that the wider European market is outperforming the UK, where new car sales fell for a third month in June.
Volkswagen is the most popular brand in Europe.
Here is the car sales performance in the top five European economies in June:
- Italy: +12.9%
- Spain: +6.5%
- France: +1.6%
- Germany: -3.5%
- UK: -4.8%
Over the first half of 2017, new car sales in Europe rose 4.7% to more than 8 million:
- Italy: +8.9%
- Spain: +7.1%
- Germany: +3.1%
- France: +3%
- UK: -1.3%
Eurozone trade booms in May
Eurozone trade was in good shape in May, with the goods surplus rising to €21.4bn from €17.9bn in April.
The single currency bloc exported €189.6bn of goods in May, a 12.9% increase on the same month last year.
Imports from the rest of the world also rose, by 16.4% to €168.1bn according to the official figures from Eurostat.
Over the first five months of 2017, exports were 8.5% higher than the same period a year ago, at trade €898.5bn, while imports were up 12.3% at trade €815.6bn .
Jennifer McKeown, chief European economist at Capital Economics, said the strong trade figures were good news for the wider eurozone economy.
The widening of the euro-zone’s trade surplus in May adds to signs that GDP growth may have accelerated in the second quarter. And in contrast to the situation last year, we expect net trade to boost euro-zone GDP growth in the quarters ahead.
Analysts at TS Lombard said Chinese leaders will be hoping to settle differences at this weekend’s National Financial Work Conference:
This year’s meeting has attracted particular attention after Xi Jinping is said to have demanded better regulatory coordination following the July 2015 stock market correction and large-scale capital outflows in H2/15. There had been discussion of moving the meeting up to summer 2016 – half a year ahead of schedule. In the end, however, the meeting, which should have been held in January, has ended up being delayed by disagreements about how to approach regulation.
These disagreements have centred around a potential restructuring of the regulatory system.
The final decision has not been made, but reports are that a new People’s Bank of China-led office will be established with representatives from other regulators and key government bodies such as the Ministry of Finance and the Development and Reform Commission.
RBS share sale in 2015 was 'value for money' for taxpayers
The sale of government shares in bailed out bank Royal Bank of Scotland was “value for money” despite losses for the taxpayer of nearly £2bn.
That’s the verdict of the public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, which has published a report on the controversial sale of a 5.4% two years ago.
The NAO concluded the sale was “well planned and organised and represented value for money”.
The Press Association reports:
The sale came under heavy criticism at the time after the Government offloaded its first tranche of shares in RBS at a 52-week low.
There was also speculation over leaked information after shares plunged 8% in the three days before the sale as hedge funds bet against RBS.
It was originally estimated that the 2015 share sale saw losses of £1.1 billion on the price paid under the £45.5 billion bailout of RBS at the height of the financial crisis.
But the NAO said, taking into account costs of financing the rescue, losses on the stake sale soared to £1.9 billion.
It comes a day after RBS was ordered to pay $5.5bn (£4.2bn) to US regulators for misselling toxic mortgage bonds:
John Lewis: 'lipstick effect' takes hold as consumers grow cautious
John Lewis says consumers are increasingly unwilling to spend money on big ticket items as confidence wanes and incomes are squeezed by higher prices and weak wage growth.
Paula Nickolds, the new chief executive of Britain’s biggest department store, said demand had dropped for the larger, non essential purchases. However the ‘lipstick effect’ appears to have kicked in, where cash-strapped consumers are more willing to buy less costly luxurious goods, instead of that new TV or piece of furniture.
Nickolds told journalists at a press dinner:
It’s the more considered categories, the arguably deferrable spend, that we’re seeing most affected by the uncertainty in the macro conditions - so those big ticket categories are currently trading just behind last year.
“We believe [spontaneous categories such as beauty] to be significantly ahead of the market. Perhaps it’s the lipstick effect as we might have called it back in the recession [of 2008].”
Acknowledging the challenging consumer backdrop, Nickolds said:
I would have preferred to start my first year as managing director of John Lewis in slightly more benign conditions. The backdrop is very uncertain and it was made worse by the tragic events that happened across British cities over the last few months.
Consumers feel uncertain and worried about what the circumstances will mean for their future financial prosperity.
Carillion shares rise after it names HSBC as adviser
Some respite for Carillion this morning with shares up 4.6% at 60p, making the building group the top riser on the FTSE 250.
After heavy losses every day this week, shares have been boosted by the news that the troubled company has appointed HSBC as its joint financial adviser and joint corporate broker.
Analysts at investment bank Jefferies warned earlier this week that Carillion was unlikely to survive without a hefty rights issue of at least £500m.
Carillion is a major contractor to customers such as the Highways Agency and Network Rail and investors panicked on Monday when it revealed an £845m writedown against customer payments it no longer expected to be able to collect.
At the same time it announced chief executive Richard Howson had immediately stepped down. Over subsequent days 70% of its market value was wiped out as shares plummeted. Shares were worth 200p a month ago.
A reminder of how events unfolded:
European markets flat in early trading
European markets are steady in early trading, with only small moves.
- FTSE 100: -0.03% at 7,411
- Germany’s DAX: -0.1% at 12,633
- France’s CAC: +0.03% at 5,237
- Italy’s FTSE MIB: -0.03% at 21,516
- Spain’s Ibex: +0.04% at 10,663
- Europe’s STOXX 600: +0.03% at 386
China holds latest five-yearly finance meeting
China’s leaders gather every five years to discuss ways to improve the financial system of the world’s second largest economy.
The next meeting of the National Financial Work Conference takes place today and tomorrow in Beijing and President Xi Jinping is expected to attend.
Items on the agenda are likely to include reining in financial risk, and giving the central bank a bigger role in overseeing other financial regulators.
Some background on the history of the meeting from Bloomberg:
The meeting has held a special place in China’s economic and political calendar since it was introduced to encourage more sustainable economic growth following the Asian financial crisis.
The first conference in 1997 saw the establishment of an insurance regulator and a plan to bail out China’s largest banks. The second led to the creation of a banking regulator and a drive to list major state-owned lenders on overseas stock exchanges.
The 2007 conference oversaw the creation of the sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp., which now has $813.5 billion of assets. The meeting in 2012 focused on the fallout from the global financial crisis.
The agenda: all eyes on US data as rate expectations fade
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the world economy, the financial markets, the eurozone and business.
European markets are expected to follow Wall Street higher this morning as investors continue to digest the more cautious tone from Fed chair Janet Yellen.
A rate hike in September is no longer looking like a foregone conclusion after Yellen highlighted weak inflation as a factor weighing on the minds of policymakers.
Michael Hewson from CMC Markets explains:
The Dow Jones posted another record close, while the US dollar remained under pressure as markets adjusted to how the next moves on monetary policy might play out.
The prospect that further interest rate rises may well be much more gradual, if they happen at all, shouldn’t have been entirely unexpected given the risks involved in trying to withdraw stimulus and raise rates at the same time, nonetheless judging by the market reaction it appears to have gone down fairly well.
With that in mind, investors will be focused on the latest US inflation data, due at 13.30 UK time. It is expected to show consumer price inflation fell to 1.7% in June from 1.9% in May.
US retail sales data for June will also be published at 13.30, and are expected to show the sector managed growth of just 0.1% last month, following a 0.3% drop in sales in May.
Traders at spread betting firm IG expect European markets to open higher:


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The Plant Based Foods Association staff numbers have grown to meet the consumer demand for vegan food. They have a new board member, three additional staff and an advisory team. Good Karma Food CEO Doug Radi is the new sixth member of the PBFA’s board of directors, with a passion and skills in leading a plant based business.
Additional members of staff vary in their skill-set, from media and PR, nutrition, marketing, fundraising, legal and food service. Haven Bourque, who works in the field of media and PR said: “Plant based foods are a clear answer to many questions confronting American eaters today. As a communications professional and long-term advocate of sustainable food I’m honoured to become an advisory team member to this important organization, which is becoming a powerful force for food system change.”
Sapna Thottathil, who’s expertise are in food service said: “I am excited to support the Plant Based Foods Association in helping so many innovative companies that are offering exciting new foods to consumers who are increasingly demanding healthier and more sustainable options in the marketplace.”
Executive Director PBFA Michele Simon said: “I am thrilled we are increasing our staff and board while adding a top-notch advisory team to better serve our members.” Michele added: “PBFA’s expansion is a sure sign that the future of the plant based foods industry is bright.”
Current members of staff include Jaime Athos, the CEO of The Tofurky Company, Martin Kruger from Follow Your Heart. They describe their mission as “To ensure a fair and competitive marketplace for businesses selling plant based foods intended to replace animal products such as meats, dairy and eggs, by promoting policies and practices that improve conditions in the plant based foods industry, and educating consumers about the benefits of plant based foods.”


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We will make more technological advancements in the next decade than in the preceding 100 years combined. Furthermore, ten technological trends will dominate this shifting landscape. Understanding the effects of this change can help individuals and organizations avoid unpleasant systemic shocks. Businesses that take advantage of technological advancements also benefit from a higher rate of return on their investments.
The technology sector has permanently moved at a breakneck pace. A decade’s worth of growth in e-commerce may have been compressed into just three months in late 2019, implying that the next decade will see more technological advancement than the preceding 100 years combined.
Any change can be unsettling but keeping up with current events can be especially so. A portion of the challenge is determining which changes are the most significant and which are less likely to bear fruit.
These are the top ten technologies vying for investors’ and technologists’ attention and funding. Additionally, they are the most likely to play a significant role in the changing face of the modern workplace. Understanding the impact of these technological trends on organizations and the people whose jobs will be impacted is critical for avoiding the worst consequences of the disruption that may ensue.
Table of Contents
Cyberattacks, email phishing, crypto scams, and ransomware are on the rise, forcing cybersecurity firms to look for technological solutions to address the vulnerabilities. Individuals’ accounts, countries’ critical infrastructure, and businesses of all sizes are being hacked, resulting in millions of dollars in losses.
In response to the COVID-19 virus, workplace digitization and remote working made it critical to retrain employees on online safety to prevent data breaches and losses.
Additionally, many companies are adopting and implementing new cybersecurity technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), monitoring and protecting networks against hackers in real-time rather than reacting to a threat after it has already occurred. Additionally, cloud storage providers provide end-to-end encryption for online data storage and transfer.
Virtualization and Robotic Processes Automation
Around half of all current work, activities could be automated over the next few decades as advanced robotic process automation and virtualization are becoming more prevalent.
By 2025, the Industrial Internet of Things will connect more than 50 billion devices (IIoT). Robots, automation, and 3D printing, among other technologies, will generate approximately 79.4 zettabytes of data each year.
Adoption of 5G technology
According to Ericsson’s Mobility Report, which Statista Research published, subscriptions to 5G technology will exceed one billion this year.
While 4G made significant advancements, such as seamless video streaming, 5G is 100 times faster, which means that uploads, download files, data transfers, and streams will be significantly faster.
5G will bolster the Internet of Things (IoT), a network of internet-connected smart devices that connect and communicate. Unlike 4G, many devices can connect to the 5G network without experiencing significant performance, latency, or reliability degradation. This is due to the network-slicing feature, which establishes independent networks with customized devices’ services.
Additionally, whereas 4G mobile networks struggle to maintain connectivity in densely populated areas, 5G can transmit radio waves to one million devices per square kilometer.
The Next-generation computing
Next-generation computing will aid in the resolution of long-standing problems in science and society, enabling businesses to operate at previously unimagined levels of capability”.
It encompasses a range of far-reaching advancements, from quantum computing to fully autonomous vehicles, and as such will not be a priority for all organizations immediately. Preparing for next-generation computing requires determining whether your business operates in a first-wave industry (such as finance, travel, logistics, global energy, and materials, or advanced industries) or whether it relies on trade secrets and other sensitive data that must be protected during the transition from current to quantum cryptography.
Internet of Behaviors (IoB)
Service providers collect a great deal of customer data via IoT devices. Businesses utilize analytics and big data techniques to ascertain the value of data in what has been dubbed the Internet of Behaviors (IoB).
Businesses can personalize their services, promote their products, and enhance a customer’s experience with the company by reviewing this customer information.
While personalized solutions are critical, businesses must convince users to share personal data to develop them.
Customers are also uneasy about risking their privacy in exchange for valuable services due to website hacking and other cybersecurity challenges. A new data collection method will be critical for businesses’ data analysis requirements.
There is a convergence of biological science advances like Optometry EMR that has the potential to have a significant impact on economies and our lives, affecting industries ranging from health and agricultural production to consumer goods, energy, and materials.
The bio revolution, fueled by artificial intelligence, automation, and DNA sequencing, promises the development of gene therapies, hyper-personalized medicines, and nutrition and exercise guidance based on genetics. These technological advancements will create new markets, but they will also raise significant ethical concerns. Organizations must assess their Qb, or biological quotient, which indicates their understanding of biological science and its implications. They should then prioritize the resources they need to devote to biological technologies and capabilities, determining whether to integrate them into their existing research and development efforts or partner with science-based start-ups.
The rebranding of Facebook as Meta focused attention on the metaverse, described as the next progression in social connectivity.
The metaverse is a three-dimensional virtual world into which people can log as avatars to socialize, work, shop, collaborate, and play games.
Businesses invest in novel technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality, to bring the metaverse to life (AR). For instance, virtual reality headsets enable users to explore and immerse themselves in digital worlds while sharing their experiences.
According to MetaMetrics Solutions, Metaverse property sales reached $501 million last year and surpassed $85 million this year. Thanks to blockchain technology, individuals can now own these virtual assets and even make in-game purchases.
Materials science advances have the potential to transform a wide variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, energy, transportation, health, semiconductors, and manufacturing. Graphene is one of these materials; it is a thin piece of carbon atoms set up in a hexagonal lattice configuration that is approximately 200 times stronger than steel despite its incredible thinness. Additionally, it is a highly efficient conductor that has the potential to revolutionize semiconductor performance. Another is molybdenum disulfide, which is already used in nanoparticle form in flexible electronics.
By altering the economics of a broad array of goods and services, upcoming materials with considerably higher efficiency in a variety of as-yet-untapped application areas have the potential to alter industry economics and reorganize businesses within them.
Following years of uncertainty, blockchain technology is now attempting to establish itself as a viable solution to various technological problems.
Blockchain is a decentralized distributed ledger that underpins cryptocurrencies, digital payment technologies, encryption, and blockchain gaming. Content creators’ use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs)–blockchain data units that are not interchangeable–to successfully develop work, sell it online, and earn cryptocurrencies is becoming more popular.
The ledger feature of blockchain enables the technology to store medical data and other personal records, enforce copyright protection, identify title deed owners, track transactions online, trade on NFT marketplaces, and monitor supply chains.
Due to the COVID-19 safety guidelines, office workers were prohibited from returning to work. Thus, businesses shifted to remote working, re-creating office settings, employee engagement, and workflows through collaborative technologies.
Businesses that create collaborative tools redesigned their services to meet the different and novel demand for put publicly workspaces.
Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams are the most widely used collaborative technologies. Both companies provide
- proprietary project management applications and third-party integrations,
- messaging applications,
- digital asset management
- voice calling, and
- video conference tools for their digital workspaces.
Collaborative technologies’ primary benefits are document synchronization and real-time employee communication, ensuring that work is completed efficiently.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected technological advancements in the last two years. People have developed a greater awareness of the importance of improving healthcare and treatment access, expanding e-commerce and digital payments, and boosting online security. Additionally, environmental protection and promotion of sustainable technologies bode well for the planet’s future.
Educational and cooperative technologies will continue to transform the way we learn and work, and AI may assist in determining the best course of action. Simultaneously, we must balance innovation and regulation to safeguard privacy and security.


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New technologies let apartments shoppers to check out potential homes without ever being in the presence of a leasing agent.
Virtual and augmented reality have been available for some time and had seen sporadic use, but the mass COVID-19 precipitated shutdowns nationwide have led to rapid adoption of the technologies by multifamily owners in order to get leases signed during the pandemic.
“Owners of apartment buildings across the U.S. are looking for new ways to have contactless touring… anything to decrease one-on-one touring,” says Georgianna Oliver, founder of Tour24, a technology company based in Medfield, Mass.
New technologies let apartments shoppers to check out potential homes without ever being in the presence of a leasing agent. That includes virtual tours, video chats and even “self-guided tours” that let potential renters make an appointment to see a real, physical apartment without a real, physical leasing agent being present.
These technologies are likely to be helpful, even in places where the rules of social distancing, meant to slow the spread of the virus, have begun to relax. “It’s here to stay for some time,” says Dan Russotto, vice president of product for Apartments.com, based in Atlanta. “Even as things re-open, there are going to be people who want to practice social distancing.”
Apartments.com creates virtual tours in which potential renters can move through a three-dimensional computer rendering of a model apartment.
Potential tenants can turn around to get a panoramic view, back into and out of rooms, and even look out of windows. They can take these virtual tours from the comfort of their own homes. The effects are similar to those in computer games in which players move through three-dimensional spaces. Apartments.com uses its “Matterport” technology to wrap a three-dimensional computer rendering of a model apartment with photographs of that model apartment.
These virtual tours are becoming easier to create. Apartments.com used to have to send photographers to create the specialized images needed to create a virtual tour. The company is now creating technology that allows property managers to take their own pictures.
“You can do it with your phone now instead of having these wide-angle cameras,” says Russotto.
In May 2020, Apartments.com also plans to introduce an online leasing office. Visitors to its website will be able to press a button on the webpage to start a video chat with a leasing professional.
Other property owners and property managers are using video chats and online tours to attract potential renters.
“We have always used these tools in our lease-up efforts… We are ramping it up,” says Jordan Brill, partner at Magnum Real Estate, based in New York City, the center of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. The firm is using virtual tours to lease-to-own condominiums at it new-constructed properties at 196 Orchard in the Lower East Side neighborhood and 100 Barclay in the Tribeca neighborhood.
Potential residents can also now let themselves into an apartment and receive information about the unit and the community without needing the presence of a human leasing agent.
“In the last couple of months the interest in the product has grown tremendously,” Tour24’s Oliver says. The firm launched its technology less than two years ago. Today it provides self-guided tours at over 100 apartment communities, averaging 250 units each.
Apartment shoppers sign up to tour an apartment online and chose an option to take a self-guided tour. These potential renters download Tour24’s app onto their smartphones. They submit an image of a picture ID and a credit card number, which is verified by Tour24’s system.
At the time appointed for the tour, electronic locks let them into the apartment. The geo-location function on their phones track their location as they move through the apartment and the tour the amenities in the community, while listening to recorded information through the Tour24 app.
“You can have a message for the kitchen and another for bedroom,” says Oliver. “We provide a curated experience similar to a museum tour.”
So far, existing residents have not been too worried about having potential residents visiting their community unattended. “It hasn’t been an issue,” says Oliver. “With all of the short-term rental activity and deliveries, there is already a lot of traffic in and out.”
[SOURCE: WEALTH MANAGEMENT REAL ESTATE – link]


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We are all Claimants now! News of the biggest consumer class action case in UK history on behalf of us all. The claim alleges that MasterCard imposed illegal charges on consumers worth £14 billion.
The documents served are 600 pages long. The claim has been made to the Competition Appeal Tribunal under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. It is predicted that a trial would start in 2018 if MasterCard did not move to settle the case out of court.
The company has said that it will defend the claim vigorously, but if this litigation is being pursued in my name, I would want the lawyer dealing with it to offer mediation. In that case, would this be the biggest mediation in history? I am waiting for a call from the solicitors involved!
The larger the value of the case, the more justifiable and cost effective it is to mediate. Nonetheless, even small claims can be mediated as ProMediate operates a telephone mediation service which starts at £150 plus VAT for one hour. We can help you to find a mediator whatever the value of your case. We even take card payments!


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Colorado has lost 45,100 jobs to China since that country entered the World Trade Organization in 2001, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a liberal think tank, and the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a joint lobbying effort of labor and manufacturing industries. A report released by the groups this week finds that the U.S. has lost 2.4 million jobs altogether and that 2 of the top 50 districts losing jobs at the fastest rate are Colorado’s Second and Fourth districts, which each lost more than 9,000 jobs.
Colorado ranked 12th among states losing jobs to China over the last decade, according to the report. The authors blame the “one-sided trade arrangements” the United States shares with China. An unsurprising chief factor is the fact that China has tied its currency to the U.S. dollar at a low rate, making it much cheaper for U.S. companies to do business there and upping the profit margin on Chinese products sold here. Other factors include lax labor and environmental law enforcement and policies that protect Chinese markets from U.S. competition.
“Currency manipulation may sound like a highly technical subject, but its impact is simple,” AAM Executive Director Scott Paul said in a release. “U.S. exports to China cost up to 40 percent more in China and Chinese exports to our consumers enjoy a subsidy of a similar amount. That’s unfair and unacceptable.” AAM is urging the Obama administration to state plainly that China is a currency manipulator in a Treasury Department report scheduled to come out in April.
Computer and electronic equipment and parts industries are most affected by the trade deficit, the groups found, industries that fuel the businesses of the future across economic sectors.
“These findings document what we have been asserting for some time,” said Paul. “China is undercutting the competitiveness of our manufacturers and undermining the earning power of American workers by routinely failing to honor its global and bilateral commitments.”
Betsy Markey’s Fourth District has lost 9,300 jobs to China in the last decade and places 28th in the list of top 50 districts losing work, according to the findings. CD4 lost roughly 2.64 percent of total employment in the district.
Jared Polis’s Second District has lost 9,400 jobs to China, ranking 41 among the top 50 districts losing jobs. CD2 lost roughly 2.4 percent of total employment.
“Sophisticated electronics and high-tech products that once were made in the United States are increasingly being made in China instead. We are losing more and more of these good jobs,” said Paul.


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CHICAGO - GENERAL Motors said on Tuesday it will slash its US workforce by nearly a third and shed brands as it urged lawmakers to rescue it from total collapse with 18 billion dollars (S$27.5 billion) in loans.
GM warned that it could run out of cash as soon as January and that its failure would have a 'catastrophic' impact on the US economy as it joined Ford and Chrysler in asking Congress for billions in low-cost government-backed loans.
The Big Three were turned away empty handed last month and told to present plans showing they could achieve 'long-term viability' and repay the loans once the economy stabilizes.
GM submitted a plan to radically slash operating costs, increase the production of fuel-efficient vehicles and offered lawmakers several symbolic concessions including paying its chief executive officer a salary of just one dollar and getting rid of its corporate jets.
The company said it will reduce its US workforce from the current level of 96,537 people to between 65,000 and 75,000 salaried and unionised workers by 2012 and cut the number of US plants to 38 in 2012 from 47 in 2008.
'We believe that taking these tough actions will allow us to weather the current economic crisis and become a profitable, self-sustaining company if we are able to secure immediate financial assistance from the federal government,' GM chairman Rick Wagoner said in a conference call.
Wagoner said GM - and the broader US economy - would 'enter into a very uncertain and dangerous period' if Congress does not approve the loans.
'We hope that our case is compelling this time. We believe it is,' Wagoner said.
GM said it expects to be 'fully competitive' with rival Toyota on US labor costs for 'both current workers and new hires' by 2012 due to 'additional changes to be negotiated' with its main union, productivity improvements, turnover rates and the planned job cuts.
The largest US automaker said it would need 12 billion dollars (S$18.32 billion) to cover operating costs through the end of 2009 - including four billion this month - and also requested a revolving credit line of six billion dollars to 'provide liquidity should a severe market downturn persist'.
GM vowed to repay the 12 billion dollar loan by 2012 should overall US auto sales remain at or above 12 million vehicles a year.
US auto sales plunged to an annualized rate of 10.6 million vehicles in October and 10.2 million in November after averaging 17 million vehicles a year over the past seven years.
GM's plan calls for 'shared sacrifice, including further reduction in the number of executives and total compensation paid to senior leadership', the automaker said.
'The plan also requires further changes in existing labor agreements, including job security provisions, paid time-off, and post-retirement health-care obligations,' GM said.
Common stock dividends will remain suspended during the life of the loans.
The automaker will also 'review' the future of its Saab and Saturn brands as it focuses its product development and marketing efforts in the United States on four core brands - Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
'As part of the plan, the company also will accelerate discussions with the Saturn retailers, consistent with their unique relationship, to explore alternatives for the Saturn brand,' GM said.
Pontiac will become a 'specialty brand with reduced product offerings', GM said, adding it will 'immediately undertake a global strategic review of the Saab brand' and has already begun exploring the sale of its hulking Hummer brand.
GM said it will cut the number of vehicle types it offers in the United States to 40 in 2012 from 51 in 2000 and also will slash its dealer network to 4,700 in 2012 from 8,138 in 2000.
GM currently sells 48 different vehicles at 6,450 dealers in the United States. -- AFP


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Describing beer as a ‘fun drink’, the All India Brewers’ Association (AIBA) wants state governments to allow the beverage to be sold like fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) products through retail shops.
An industry body of breweries operating in India, AIBA, is demanding a cataloguing of beer from hard-drinks or spirits citing lesser alcohol content.
“We have made representations to various state governments to increase the availability of beer. Beer is a fun and social drink so we would like to sell the same through retail shops, like any other FMCG product,” said Shalabh Seth, chairperson, AIBA and managing director at SABMiller India..
He added, “While states such as Kerala and Maharashtra have relaxed norms in place for beer shops, we will soon begin round two of representations with more states. Beer should not be treated “at par with spirits that have a higher alcohol content (42 percent), while beer has five to eight percent of alcohol.”
India has around 10 leading beer manufacturers including, Carlsberg, Budweiser, United Breweries, SABMiller, Bar Malt India, Alfa Laval, Praj Industries and Briggs of Burton, among others.
The industry is valued at Rs 25,000 crore and beer around 23 million hectalitres is sold in the country. The industry grew at 6 percent. Earlier, it grew between 10 and 12 percent during 2002 to 2012.
States such as Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have the highest tax slab, while Goa and Puducherry have around 50 percent tax.


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Imported spices are contaminated at a rate twice that of other imported food, according to an analysis by the Food and Drug Administration.
Not only were 7 percent of the spices it examined contaminated with the toxic bacteria salmonella, but 12 percent contained parts of insects, rodent hair or other filth.
The agency’s findings “are a wake-up call” to spice producers, Jane M. Van Doren, a food and spice official at the F.D.A., told The New York Times. “It means: ‘Hey, you haven’t solved the problems.’”
During the three-year examination, the agency found more than 80 different types of salmonella. Many shipments were refused entry into the U.S.
There are almost 1.2 million annual salmonella illnesses in the United States every year, but the illness is hard to track back to spices because people don’t always keep track or remember what spices they’ve consumed. And because the amount of a spice consumed is so small, there is less of a chance of becoming ill.
Most of the spices eaten in the United States are imported. They come from a variety of farms and countries. Almost a quarter of spices, oils and food colors come from India. Mexico and India had the highest rates of contamination. Officials suspect that insects often find their way into spices during storage.
The FDA is “not recommending that consumers stay away from spices,” Michael Taylor, FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, told NBC.
New safety rules, he said, should help reduce the problem.
This story was provided by Discovery News.


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WALTERBORO, SC (WCSC) - An employee of a money lending store was arrested after she allegedly used names of former customers to take out loans for herself, officials said Thursday.
Cynthia Johnson was arrested and charged with breach of trust after she opened 14 different loan accounts of former customers for her own personal gain, a police report stated. Johnson was employed at the Check Into Cash on Bells Highway in Walterboro.
Customers complained to the manager who in turn investigated and found the 14 accounts that only Johnson could access. The manager told police the total amount of the accounts was $8,850.
The manager also turned over surveillance videos that show only Johnson in the store at the time each of the accounts were created, the report stated.


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If you were to make an all-new race car out of one of Honda’s cars, what would you go for as the starting point? Something like the new Accord would be a bold choice, but not too far from real-world touring cars and GT racers commonplace on tracks around the world. What about the CR-V Hybrid?
It’s definitely an odd choice, but the hybrid SUV is also the obvious choice for Honda’s next 800 hp hybrid race car, apparently. The car is being assembled by the brightest and best at Honda’s Performance Development workshop and its Auto Development Center.
Details of the custom racer are thin on the ground, but Honda confirmed it’s building a track monster with some 800 electrified horsepower, and released the teaser video below to give you a glimpse of what this bonkers machine could look like.
From the pictures shared by Honda, this doesn’t look like a half-assed attempt at transforming the CR-V into a fully-fledged racer. There looks to be some enormous carbon fiber wheel arches bolted on, as well as a great big splitter at the rear to create downforce.
There are further aerodynamic tweaks up front, and the car has been fitted with a steering wheel that wouldn’t look out of place on a Formula 1 racer. Oh, and there’s that absolutely enormous rear wing, and more carbon fiber than you can shake a stick at.
A full reveal of the CR-V racer is coming on February 28th, when we should get to see this hybrid, SUV race car in the flesh for the first time. And while it sounds like a crazy machine, it obviously wouldn’t be the first race-ready SUV to hit American shores.
Ford, for example, has created its own performance-minded Mustang Mach-E, and even announced ambitions for a similarly specced Lightning pickup truck. Lexus also built an SUV designed for the race track. To do this, the Japanese marque took its base Lexus RZ 450 and prepped it for a racing series that nobody was asking for.
Does all this mean that the performance SUV could be the hot hatch of 2023? Maybe. After all, hot hatches have been losing favor in the U.S. in recent years as drives opt for something bigger and bulkier.


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Yahoo! snaps up Flickr
Monday, March 21, 2005
Portal and search company Yahoo! has purchased Ludicorp Research and Development Ltd., the private corporation which owns the photo sharing site Flickr. The news was officially disclosed in a Sunday posting to the corporation's staff blog and is credited to Caterina Fake, Flickr's vice president of marketing and community. The posting announced the sale, but did not disclose details of the deal. In a report by Silicon.Com, Yahoo! spokeswoman Joanna Stevens confirmed the deal on Sunday but also did not disclose the terms.
Both Fake and Stevens said Flickr will remain independent. Stevens added that Flickr's employees will relocate to the Yahoo! headquarters in Sunnyvale, California later this year.
Rumors of the sale have been circulating amongst bloggers for some time, though neither company would confirm or deny the rumored sale. Other rumors had Google or AOL as Flickr's probable suitor.
Flickr allows users to upload pictures from their computers, digital cameras, or camera phones to a personal website where they can display them, engage in photo blogging and create photo albums. The graphics may be licensed under a variety copyright license schemes including public domain, and photo owners can be easily contacted through the website.
Yahoo! had earlier announced Yahoo! 360°, a blogging service with sharing privileges and integration with other Yahoo! services such as internet broadcasting and instant messaging.
- Search for Flickr, Yahoo in the blogosphere via Technorati


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Google France announced this morning that their country manager Jean-Marc Tassetto has left the company to pursue “an entrepreneurial project around e-Learning.” In its announcement, Google France lauded Tassetto as a great asset to the company, having notably worked on its commercial growth since his arrival in July 2010, according to Gizmodo France.
Google has always had a reputation of turning out entrepreneurs in its US offices, so this seems to be a sign that it has maintained is entrepreneurial culture in its international offices as well. While some may view this as a loss for Google – a top employee leaving to start his own company – Google has always profited from its reputation for ex-Google founders and their subsequent success. I imagine it makes it quite easy to hire entrepreneurially-minded individuals who are aware of their need for a bit of structure, education, and work experience.
Tassetto comes from a business background, having previously worked at SFR/Vivendi, so this may be signal to young MBA grads looking to start a company that Google France is a good stepping stone towards proper startup experience. It remains to be seen that any developers at Google France have left to start their own company, but all things in due time.


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Having a truly successful electric car market isn't going to happen for a while.
Read This Article
Whatever euphemism we're told about the 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon being a wagon, rest assured that it's still a minivan by any other name.
Ford's new sport truck uses a turbocharged V-6 instead of a V-8 engine.
Sales for the 2014 Ford F-150 EcoBoost hit 400,000, and engine production is on the rise.


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Always up to date. Here you can find all press releases of Automechanika.
Press releases: Automechanika Global Show all
Let’s talk business: Web talk focused on alternative fuels
The second talk in Messe Frankfurt’s new ‘Let’s talk business’ series welcomed key international players and associations to discuss alternative fuels. The digital talk took place on 14 April and dealt with the question of which mix of alternative fuels we will need to reach the EU’s climate targets.
Automechanika Ho Chi Minh City 2021 defers to yield more promising exhibition results
Prolonged global travel restrictions continue to hamper the entry of non-residential visitors into Vietnam. As an international meeting point for players in the local automotive community, the limitations of face-to-face business exchange have led to actions deferring Automechanika Ho Chi Minh City 2021. Originally scheduled for 30 June – 2 July, the show is now set to take place from 29 June – 1 July 2022. Stakeholders agree that an effective industry gathering would only be possible once travel restrictions ease, and they look forward to a series of pre-show events that maintain momentum in the market.
ADAS systems: New technologies and road safety
Messe Frankfurt Italia promoted the series of digital meetings "MFInTalk - road to Automechanika" offering training, dialogue and insights to keep in touch with the Italian aftermarket community in this situation
ACMA Automechanika New Delhi moves to a virtual b2b matchmaking concept in 2021
Messe Frankfurt India together with Auto Component Manufacturers of India (ACMA) have announced that the fifth edition of ACMA Automechanika New Delhi has been moved to an all-virtual concept. Focused on product showcases and sourcing interests, the organisers will host the industry at its virtual B2B matchmaking platform from 22 – 23 April 2021.
New Dates and Location Announced for INA PAACE Automechanika
The largest automotive aftermarket event in Mexico and Central America has announced new dates and location for the 2021 event. Originally slated for July 21 – 23 in Mexico City, INA PAACE Automechanika will now be moving this edition to San Luis Potosí, December 1 – 3.


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Jeremy Clarkson registers the name of his new Top Gear show - and probably thinks he's being really funny
If this really is the name of the new Top Gear show, Jeremy Clarkson has excelled himself.
One of the conditions of the deal that will see Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond launch a new Top Gear equivalent on Amazon Prime is that the three presenters get enough freedom to make the kind of show they want to make.
Perhaps this freedom has lead to the three giving the programme its rumoured new name.
'Gear Knobs', is just the sort of thing you might expect the trio to come up with and according to BuzzFeed, it was registered as a trademark by Jeremy Clarkson's law firm just two weeks before plans with Amazon Prime were unveiled.
Of course, programmes don't have to go with the title they are registered as, and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Clarkson and his little boys club think they're being really amusing.
Just like this Tweet from James May.
— James May (@MrJamesMay) September 15, 2015


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Singer Ed Sheeran criticises online ticket touts
Ed Sheeran has criticised people buying multiple tickets for his gigs and reselling them online for a profit.
The Suffolk singer has appealed to those people doing it to stop.
"If you buy my tickets just to sell on eBay then please don't," he told Newsbeat.
"I have fans who want to actually come and watch me play instead of just making money."
Sheeran's debut single The A Team spent a total of 11 weeks in the top 10 of the UK singles chart since its release on 13 June.
Tickets for his autumn and spring UK tours have both been in high demand since going on sale in recent months.
"There are some people who just buy 10 tickets at a time and just stick them on eBay for £150," said Sheeran.
"I have fans at gigs who come up to me and are like, 'I spent £150 to come here tonight.'
"I specially put the prices at £10 or £12 because people can actually come instead of paying ridiculous prices."
His next UK series of gigs begins in Oxford on 2 October.
Ed Sheeran released his debut album + this week.


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Within weeks of the iPhone's summertime release, Apple filed a series of patents for sensor layouts, mobile sensors and compliant conductors, together indicating the computing giant is working on a
France Telecom's Orange subsidiary plans to sell a little less than 100,000 iPhones in 2007 and also plans to offer an unlocked version of the handset for a price that is well below T-Mobile
How Apple's marketing chief will keep the iPod and iPhone buzz alive this holiday season.
According to early reports out of Germany, those iPhone buyers who spend the $1500 for an unlocked iPhone in Germany have the iPhone unlocked when they sync it up with iTunes. Apple has always used
Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile said it will comply with a court injunction opposing its exclusive German market rights to Apple's iPhone by selling an unlocked version of the device. Granted,
T-Mobile Germany looked to appease rival Vodafone Germany, which filed a suit against T-Mobile for requiring a two-year contract
Strategy Analytics posted its list of the top selling handsets in the U.S. market, which was dominated by Motorola and LG. The two handset makers had seven of the top ten selling phones:Motorola RAZR
Vodafone's German unit is dialing up its opposition to rival operator T-Mobile's exclusive partnership with Apple, which requires iPhone buyers to commit to two-year T-Mobile service contracts.
Vodafone Germany is making some trouble for T-Mobile Germany's exclusive iPhone deal, which requires iPhone buyers to commit to a two-year T-Mobile service contract. Vodafone won a temporary
KDDI and Qualcomm complete KCP+ platform development. Article T-Mobile pulls Slide.


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While companies like Apple use third-party companies to test its phone batteries, a new report reveals that Samsung tested the exploding Galaxy Note 7 battery in-house. The Wall Street Journal reports:
To sell smartphones at major U.S. carriers, phone makers are required to test phone batteries at one of the 28 labs certified by the U.S. wireless industry’s trade group, the CTIA, to ensure compliance with standards set by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Samsung is the only such manufacturer using in-house battery-testing facilities for CTIA certification, according to the association.
A Samsung spokesman asserts that the company found no issues with the Galaxy Note 7's battery when it conducted its own internal testing. Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note 7 earlier this fall, after many reports of the phone’s battery exploding, including, in one instance, in the hands of a six-year-old boy.


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John Crabbie and Co has announced two new releases of rare single malt Scotch whisky to complement its award-winning range.
Crabbie 25 year old and Crabbie 40 year old are the latest expressions to be revealed by Edinburgh-based John Crabbie & Co, a whisky brand which has its roots in the earliest incarnations of the Scotch whisky industry.
Established in 1801, John Crabbie & Co was revived in January this year and has already released a range of award-winning whiskies, aged from eight to 30 years old, sourced from distilleries around Scotland.
David Brown, managing director of John Crabbie & Co said: ‘The Crabbie 25 year old is a very rare single malt from the same Speyside distillery and group of casks that produced our Crabbie 30 year old.
‘This exceptional whisky picked-up the two top accolades of 2018; it won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and was the only whisky to be awarded “Master” at the Asian Whisky Masters, announced last week.’
‘Our 40 year old, from another Speyside distillery, is quite a different beast.
‘Beautifully packaged in an engraved crystal decanter with two signature glasses, this is the ultimate gift for anyone who loves Scotch whisky.’
The Crabbie 25 year old has been matured in sherry casks for 25 years and bottled at 46.6% ABV. This fantastically complex, non-chill filtered whisky, has all the character of its older sibling (the award winning Crabbie 30 year old, released in early 2018).
A limited release of 900 individually numbered 70cl bottles, is presented in a lacquered wooden gift box, along with a booklet detailing the history of the Crabbie whisky brand.
The Crabbie 40 Year Old is non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength of 44.5%. Only 350 individually numbered decanters were filled for this one-off release of an exceptional single Speyside cask, of which just 200 decanters are allocated to the UK.
A high-gloss, red lacquered wooden presentation box contains an individually numbered 70cl Crabbie signature crystal whisky decanter and two engraved signature crystal glasses produced exclusively for John Crabbie & Co by Glencairn.