text:
Multiple Survival Channels for Penang’s F&B Sector
By Lim Sok SwanNovember 2021 FEATURE
THE MCO HAS taught Penang’s services industry many lessons, for example pursuing the plethora of available consumer channels, to onboarding digitally and quickly for survival. But with the existing business model in Penang’s F&B industry, food operators are also discovering these are much easier said than done. Most are tied to a contract for a set time period, not to mention the finances already funnelled into the remodelling of their business premises.
Ong Seng Keat of Yin’s Sourdough Bakery tried, with his tech expertise, to sell its baked goods online. This was 10 years ago when the bakery first set up shop at Balik Pulau. But response from the local market was lukewarm. “People were not familiar with buying things online yet; they had no confidence in the online bank transfer system.” So, the traditional brick-and-mortar business model, with a proper kitchen and a dining space at a strategic location, was ultimately decided on.
Ong tried again at digitalising the business last year during Covid, with an app and an online store. This time, it was a success. “The purpose of moving Yin’s Bakery online and introducing Yin’s Mart is to diversify revenue streams, and to help keep our employees on the payroll and maintain daily operations."
Customers on the app can access all four branches of Yin’s Bakery, of which three are based in Penang and one in KL, with its own team of bakers. Only its signature jams and granola are produced in Penang; these are then delivered to KL regularly.
Familiarising themselves with the virtual platform took a while for Yin’s staff, accustomed as they were to in-person interactions. For marketing to be more impactful, Ong integrated his app with the delivery services of Lalamove, and strategised different delivery packages and discounts. “More offers like these encourage customers to use the app to make purchases,” he says.
The husband-and-wife duo Chow Kim Peng and Vivian Poh are third-generation owners of Super Star Koay Teow Soup on Lebuh Kimberley. They do not mind the fact that some delivery platforms charge vendors a 30% fee, not when competition is getting fiercer by the day. “The larger platforms like Grab and Foodpanda have more delivery riders; food gets to the customers faster to guarantee satisfaction.” But the couple is also grateful for platforms like ordie.my, whose primary purpose is to help out Penang’s struggling F&B sector.
Pre-Covid, Super Star Koay Teow Soup operated between 3pm and 12am, but has since moved its business hours earlier, to cater to the lunch and dinner crowds. Popular dishes of braised chicken feet, gizzard and pork intestine are now sold as complete meals, with a bowl of koay teow or rice. Beverages and tong sui (Chinese dessert soups) are sold separately.
With the encouragement of their foreign customers, some of whom were China Airlines pilots and crew members, Chow and Poh experimented selling their braised chicken in vacuum packaging three years ago. They have since added other herbal food products alongside it on online platforms such as Shopee and Lazada. During delivery and to avoid spoilage, ice packs are included in the food packages which must be dispatched within three days. For this reason, the couple only engages the service of trusted couriers.
For out-of-state deliveries, Chow and Poh have sales agents in Kedah and KL, and the food items are delivered in refrigerated containers. The couple is also in talks with an online platform to widen distribution of their products to other countries.
Owner of Baozige (包子哥), Leong Chee Yan, relies heavily on organic shops in Seberang Perai, Kedah and KL for distribution of his handmade organic vegetarian Chinese buns. “I have at least five permanent distributors now; they have helped in boosting my sales. When orders at each place are relatively stable, the transportation fee is lowered,” says Leong, who started Baozige last year. With his logistics arrangement, Leong also helps out local vendors to widen their customer and revenue pool within Malaysia.
Leong sees KL as the central location for expanding his business. "It’s the largest market in Malaysia. If I can make it there, I’d have even more of a chance to grow my business in Johor, Singapore and even beyond the Peninsula.” This promise anchors his focus to increase production as well as quality control. Observing how the tried-and-true F&B model folded during the pandemic, Leong prefers using social media, especially Facebook and WhatsApp, to promote his baos.
Lim Sok Swan
is currently focusing on heritage studies. She believes that more understanding among different groups and cultures can make Malaysia a better home for all.


text:
Tel Aviv-based startup Vidmind came out of stealth today and debuted its cloud-based TV solution, which lets operators, broadcasters and retailers essentially create a white labeled version of Netflix. The company provides an Android-based set top box that can be branded for any company, cloud infrastructure to build a streaming TV service, back-end management for operators, clients for multiple platforms including mobile tablet and PC, and built-in second screen and social features so viewers can interact around content.
Vidmind was started by Danny Peled, the founder of video company GooMe, which developed apps for broadcast providers and counted Vodafone and Orange as customers. ”At the end of our time at GooMe we decided that we wanted to create a platform for OTT [over-the-top content],” Peled said. “We thought that there is big potential for a fully hosted solution for TV services.” The company lets retailers, broadcasters or content creators create a cloud-based video-on-demand (VOD) and live streaming hub, which customers can access on a subscription basis.
More info : http://www.vidmind.com
Via Nicolas Weil

domain: news


text:
How Netflix went wrong: Qwikster was good for company, not the customer.
Netflix pulled the plug Monday on its DVD rental spin-off division Qwikster. Creation of the division was supposed to help Netflix prepare for the cyberfuture, but the move just angered its customers.
| Los Angeles
As a red-faced Netflix, the media delivery giant, reverses course and kills off its newly formed Qwikster DVD division, many observers are scratching their heads over how such a successful upstart company could make such a gaffe.
Netflix spun off Qwikster to handle what was clearly seen as a business on its last legs – the model of delivering physical DVDs in that familiar red-and-white packaging to people’s mailboxes.
The thinking behind the now defunct move? As total digital delivery of all entertainment loomed ever closer – and the US Postal Service rumbled about changes in its services and fees – Netflix was clearly banking on its cyberfuture.
The company’s mistake, says Fordham University Professor Paul Levinson, author of “New New Media,” was in making the best move for the company – not the consumer. “Splitting the two services may have been in the best interest of the company,” he says, “but it is less simple for the customer.”
Beyond that, he says the move to create two companies with separate log-ins and fees was surprisingly “ham-handed” following, as it did right, on the heels of a price hike in July.
“My advice at this point is for Netflix to consider rolling back those price hikes as well,” he says, adding, “in this day of such economic hardship, customers are angry at businesses trying to get more money for the same service.”
In defending the price hikes in his announcement Monday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said, “the last couple of weeks alone, we’ve added over 3,500 TV episodes from ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, USA, E!, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, TLC, SyFy, A&E, History, and PBS.”
Social media was alive with impassioned critique of Netflix in the wake of these two changes – the price hike and the creation of Qwikster, says Robert Thompson, founder of the Bleier Center of Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University in New York.
“Most of the students I heard talking about Netflix said they were going to drop it rather than pay more or go to two web sites,” he says with a laugh. The question of how Netflix could have stumbled so badly and so quickly is a cautionary tale in these digital times, he notes.
Clearly, the two business moves were in the firm’s best interest. But, somehow, the company seemed to have the notion that customers would happily support what was in the company’s best interest – without any pushback. “It’s a bit Shakespearean,” Professor Thompson says, explaining that leaders in any realm often ride the acclaim of their followers into power.
But, once there, “they forget who put them there,” he says. “They start thinking that their constituency cares about their self-preservation,” he notes, adding, “in this swiftly changing digital world where one day you can be up and the next day you are something to wrap yesterday’s fish in, nobody can afford to take their consumers for granted.”
This is not to suggest that such entitlement on the part of consumers is necessarily a good thing. “But just look at MySpace and Blockbuster,” he says. Their moment in the cultural zeitgeist was temporary, and now it’s over. Time will tell, but that could be the Netflix story as well, he adds.


text:
The popular television fire fighter will be on duty at Ashleaf Shopping Centre to pay all his friends a visit on Saturday 16th July.
Between 2pm and 5pm, at various intervals, children and their families will be able to come and see their screen idol and ‘hero next door’ at the busy shopping centre at the heart of Crumlin.
Ashleaf Shopping Centre is having a number of visits this summer which include Barney the Dinosaur, Fireman Sam and Angelina Ballerina.
Ashleaf Shopping Centre had a great turn out when Barney the Dinosaur called in to the centre at the start of July and expects a similar welcome for Fireman Sam, as we know how much our young shoppers enjoy meeting their screen idols.
This is a free event and gives all Fireman Sam’s friends and family a chance to spend time with the hero next door get their photo taken Free of Charge.
There are two hours free parking in Ashleaf Shopping Centre and a number of great stores to choose from in the Centre to include Dunnes Stores, McDonalds, Red Aoife Café, Peak, Health Matters, Lloyds Pharmacy, Cosgrave Butchers, Tuthills, Carphone warehouse, Eir and the recently opened Starbucks & Specsavers to make any visit complete.


text:
The world’s first 96-core blockchain dedicated acceleration chip was released in Beijing on the 10th. The chip has strong data privacy protection capabilities. At the same time, the “Changan Chain · Collaboration Network” was officially launched in Beijing today to build an information highway network to connect blockchain applications in all walks of life.
This is what the reporter learned from the Changan Chain Major Achievement Conference on the 10th.
On June 10, the Changan Chain Major Achievement Conference was held in Beijing, and the world’s first 96-core blockchain dedicated acceleration chip was released. The chip has strong data privacy protection capabilities. At the same time, the “Changan Chain · Collaboration Network” was officially launched in Beijing on the same day to build an information highway network to connect blockchain applications in all walks of life. Photo by China News Agency reporter Jia Tianyong
Blockchain is a new type of database software that integrates multiple technologies such as distributed networks, encryption technology, and smart contracts. It is expected to solve the trust and security issues in cyberspace through data transparency, resistance to tampering, and traceability.
On January 27 this year, the Changan Chain was released in Beijing. This is the first independent and controllable blockchain software and hardware technology system in China, with the characteristics of full independence, high performance, strong privacy, and wide collaboration. On the same day, 27 units including State Grid, China Construction Bank, and Beijing Microchip Research Institute jointly initiated the establishment of the Changan Chain Ecological Alliance.
With the dedicated acceleration chip for blockchain as the core, the ultra-high-performance blockchain dedicated acceleration board has been fully tested and can increase the speed of blockchain digital signature and verification by 20 times, and blockchain transfers The processing speed of similar smart contracts is increased by 50 times, providing hard technical support for breaking through the performance bottleneck of large-scale blockchain network transactions.
At the press conference, representatives of 23 units including Sinopec and China Telecom signed a collective agreement to announce their participation in the Chang’an Chain Ecological Alliance and jointly build the Chang’an Chain Ecosystem. At present, there are 50 members of the Changan Chain Ecological Alliance.
Dong Jin, Dean of Beijing Microchip Blockchain and Edge Computing Research Institute, said that Changan Chain is continuing to promote applications in major livelihood, economic, and social governance scenarios.
As representatives of the members of the Changan Chain Ecological Alliance, COFCO, China Huadian Group, China General Technology Group, and China Unicom Group respectively released application scenarios such as food safety, material procurement, medical health, and 5G information communication.
With the continuous growth of the Changan Chain Ecological Alliance and the continuous implementation of application scenarios, a cross-industry and cross-regional blockchain network has begun to take shape. At the press conference, the “Chang’an Chain · Collaboration Network” was officially launched, dedicated to breaking industry boundaries, transcending geographical restrictions, linking blockchain applications in all walks of life, and building an information highway network.
In order to effectively support the operation of the “Changan Chain · Collaboration Network”, the world’s leading blockchain advanced computing power platform has started construction in the northern district of Zhongguancun Science City.
It is reported that the platform has more than 200,000 blockchain computing units, and after completion, it can support more than 1 million nodes and process a super-large-scale blockchain network with a peak value of 1 million transactions per second. By supporting large-scale blockchain scenario applications, the platform also provides a real operating environment for the continuous sharpening of Changan Chain’s core technologies.
Author/ Translator: Jamie Kim
Bio: Jamie Kim is a technology journalist. Raised in Hong Kong and always vocal at heart. She aims to share her expertise with the readers at blockreview.net. Kim is a Bitcoin maximalist who believes with unwavering conviction that Bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency – in fact, currency – worth caring about.


text:
Lee vs Lee oppa battle! “Goblin” Grim Reaper Lee Dong Wook and “Sweet Stranger and Me” Lee Soo Hyuk wearing the same Wooyoungmi pants.
Back in February, Vogue Korea released their pictorial with oppa Lee Dong Wook wearing the Wooyoungmi pants for their “Actually, Finally, Seriously” themed shoot.
Meanwhile, Elle Korea released their “Before Sunset” pictorial theme with Lee Soo Hyuk just yesterday wearing the same Wooyoungmi pants.
Who do you think wore it better? Would you go for the topless Lee Dong Wook or for the pretty in white shirt Lee Soo Hyuk?
The oppas are wearing Wooyoungmi’s check print wide pants with long belt from Wooyoungmi’s Spring 2017 Menswear Collection.
Source: Elle Korea and Vogue Korea.


text:
Cobalt for Batteries
Cobalt is the rechargeable battery component that is most geopolitically risky to obtain.
November 11, 2018
1. Rechargeable battery technology has existed since 1859. Today, it is an increasingly critical component of consumer electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.
2. This transformation is dependent on the widespread availability of some specific raw materials.
3. Cobalt is the rechargeable battery component that is most geopolitically risky to obtain: By a wide margin, production and reserves of cobalt are centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
4. It is a byproduct of mining for copper there, which is also used in renewable energy technology.
5. The country supplies 65% of global cobalt currently. One-fifth of that production is mined by hand in “artisanal” mines.
6. This means the miners are subsistence contractors and the mine is not owned by a company with industrial equipment, unlike the byproduct mining at copper mines.
7. In a sign of the rapidly growing importance of this raw material, Germany’s VW Group, one of the world’s three largest automakers, solicited bids in 2017 for companies to supply 50 billion euros worth of cobalt over 10 years.
8. Cobalt was selling at around $30 per pound at the time on the open market. The company’s bid terms for cobalt supply specify that any bidders have to take measures to prevent the use of child labor in DRC.
9. Apple is taking similar steps to negotiate cobalt-mining contracts to supply its phone battery production.
10. DRC is the world’s 11th-largest country by land area and the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.
11. The government is headed by strongman Joseph Kabila. He recently triggered violent protests by delaying presidential elections indefinitely and aspiring to remain in power permanently.
12. Concern over the security of mines and safety of the miners in DRC will remain as cobalt production expands significantly there.
13. This could push cobalt suppliers to shift to other countries with byproduct cobalt at existing mines for other metals.
14. Automakers and battery developers also might decide it is safer and more cost-effective to find alternatives to cobalt entirely.
15. Since riskier cobalt is also sometimes associated with nickel mines as a byproduct, some nickel mines in safe countries might become more useful in battery production for their cobalt than for their nickel directly.
Sources: Investing News, Statista, Bloomberg, Daily Kanban, Reuters, The Globalist Research Center
Rechargeable battery technology has existed since 1859. Today, it is an increasingly critical component of consumer electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.
By a wide margin, production and reserves of cobalt are centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).


text:
One of the biggest trends right now in aquaculture is to achieve more sustainable and health-beneficial alternatives to feed than fish meal and fish oil. Consequently, this will improve the welfare of farmed fish.
Aquaculture companies and other agents are investigating and incorporating potential alternative ingredients. Such as soy, cottonseed, coconut, palm kernel, olive oil, insects, and algae among others. The fact that fish oil prices are rising and technology to produce other ingredients is improving, this new trend is progressing satisfactorily.
According to the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA), the European Union produces from 400.000 to 600.000 tonnes of fishmeal per year. Besides, from 120.000 to 200.000 tonnes of fish oil. This constitutes around 10-15% of global production. In more detail, Denmark is the largest producer in the EU, accounting for 40% to 50% of the total production.
The European production is mainly based on small pelagic species such as sprat, sand eel, blue whiting and herring. On the other side, quotas and the demand for human consumption limit the fisheries that produce fishmeal and fish oil.
The production of fishmeal and fish oil will grow moderately in the coming years. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the aquaculture industry will be one of the main actors in this task. If the trend continues, by 2029 aquaculture production will reach 105 million tonnes, 10 million more than the capture sector.
Also, we should keep in mind that fishmeal and fish oil are limited resources. Thereby, its use will end up being limited for specific stages in production and as strategic ingredients at lower concentrations.
Furthermore, the future of fishmeal and fish oil production will also depend on climate and environmental conditions, fisheries management, and trade policies. In addition to exceptional situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine.
More specifically, it is worth noting how numerous companies are investing in farmed seaweed processes. Through this method, important growth potential is achieved as a source of food and fiber, both for aquaculture and for human consumption.
In 2022, we have seen interesting collaborations such as The Seaweed Company and Colruyt Group. This agreement aims to expand the seaweed farms and bring more seaweed products to the European market. The Seaweed Company specializes in the development of high-quality, high-value seaweed products for people, animals, soil, and plants.
Moreover, BioMar announced in February the inclusion of microalgae in its portfolio of raw materials for its flagship products. "Adding microalgae paves the way for the upcoming developments on our sustainable feeds. Our farmers will directly benefit from this with a reduction in their on-farm footprint," Anders Brandt-Clausen, Managing Director, BioMar Baltics, said.
Last but not least, Cargill confirmed it will add algal oil into all feeds delivered to the Norwegian market. It is worth remembering that the American global food corporation delivered feed with algae oil before. To Norwegian salmon farming and harvesting giant Leroy Seafood, making the ingredient commercially viable.


text:
Fishbowl, a desktop manufacturing and warehouse management solution available through QuickBooks, wants to get its customers hooked on its inventory management solution by offering its basic service for free.
The company issued a press release Monday (June 18) announcing the launch of Boxstorm Forever Free, its digital inventory management platform aimed to eliminate manual intervention and spreadsheets for manufacturers. The company explained that Boxstorm Forever Free is the first tier of its inventory management tools, which become progressively more complex with added functionality designed to address changing demands of businesses as they grow.
“Many businesses may never need more than Boxstorm Forever Free — and we’re OK with that,” said Fishbowl CEO John David King in a statement. “We understand the challenges small business owners go through.”
The solution can be used as a standalone platform or can be integrated into existing computing platforms. The solution supports scanning with industry-standard scanners and with mobile devices like iOS and Android.
The company also offers Boxstorm Basic, which adds sales process automation; Boxstorm Premium, which broadens automation capabilities with purchase and payment features; and Boxstorm Ultimate, which adds enhanced automation for more holistic operations.
As Fishbowl targets smaller firms’ inventory management needs, this area is proving to be a top focus among executives of large retailers as they work to boost margins in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Earlier this year, Neiman Marcus announced it would implement technology by Sky I.T. Group to enhance inventory management and boost visibility into sales. Walmart also revealed a recent focus on inventory management when reports surfaced that the retail giant filed a patent related to inventory management technology. The patent pertains to in-store trackers to determine inventory levels in real time. Nordstrom has also taken measures to more strategically manage inventory in order to boost sales.


text:
A new Utah organization has been formed to provide manufacturers with resources to help them improve their bottom line. It’s called the Utah Industry Resource Alliance (UIRA) and its goal is to connect manufacturers with services offered by various partners across the state. These services include free and fee-based industry-specific training, mentoring, coaching, consulting and business advisory services.
UAMMI, along with other partners, have agreed to be part of the Alliance and provide services. Other providers include the University of Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership (UUMEP), Utah State University’s (USU) Manufacturing Extension Service and their Manufacturing & Outdoor Products SUPPORT HUB, iMpact Utah, Utah Manufacturers Association (UMA) and the World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah). These organizations will provide unparalleled access to manufacturing specialists, application engineers, and research professionals from the top organizations and universities in the state.
“Currently, each Alliance partner interacts with a unique cluster of Utah manufacturers that fit within their area of expertise,” said Dr. Tulinda Larsen, Executive Director of UAMMI. “However, the Alliance will coordinate efforts to expand partner trainings and other services to all of the various cluster members. Everyone will work together to bring more resources to Utah manufacturers, such as the new DOD self-certification requirements and hands-on training offered through the NIST Cybersecurity Training programs offered by UMEP and ImpactUtah.”
UIRA is already underway in its mission of assisting Utah manufacturers with its development of a $4.9 million plan and funding request from the State of Utah COVID-19 funds. The plan consists of three elements:
- Coordination of Utah manufacturing improvement resources
- Outreach to every Utah manufacturer affect by COVID-19, including expanding UAMMI’s CONNEX supply chain tool to include all manufacturers in Utah
- Continue participation and active outreach on many COVID-19 task forces
Regarding CONNEX, UAMMI’s manufacturing supply connection and exchange tool, UIRA will add to UAMMI’s hard work and investment and help expand the powerful tool to all manufacturers in Utah. CONNEX will now enter a phase of becoming a comprehensive and effective tool to assist all Utah manufacturers rather than just the “advanced materials” manufacturing sector that it currently serves.
With UAMMI’s focus being solely on Utah’s advanced materials and manufacturing sector, its participation in UIRA will ensure that this sector will be adequately integrated into the Utah manufacturing industry as a whole.


text:
GMC Hummer EV faces a supply chain bottleneck, only 12 units are built daily
General Motors has been forced to slow down the pace of manufacturing its Hummer EV. The electric variant of the iconic off-roader has hit a road bump due to the severe shortage of crucial components including microchips. The automaker is reportedly rolling out only 12 units of the electric pickup truck, as it is finding it difficult to ramp up the production of the EV, reports The Wall Street Journal. The automaker also said that the ramp-up of GMC Hummer EV production is slower than usual because it is dealing with a brand new vehicle being built on an equally new architecture.
The automaker also claims to be focusing on quality over quantity for its ambitious electric pickup truck project. It aims to increase the production of the Hummer EV from the second half of the year depending on the start of cell production at the new Ohio battery facility, which is a joint venture between GM and LG Chem. Currently, the US auto major uses imported batteries for the Hummer EV made by LG Chem.
General Motors has revealed that it has received more than 77,000 orders for the GMC Hummer EV so far. The slow ramp-up in production is hindering the delivery of the vehicle to the buyers. The report quotes a GM spokesperson who said that the automaker's ability to satisfy that demand is only going to improve as it will bring on vertical integration of battery cell production. “You can expect to see hundreds of deliveries grow to thousands later this year," he said.
Pickup trucks are lately finding a stronger footprint in the global market. With several automakers bringing their respective electric pickup trucks to the market, consumers' interest in these vehicles is growing. The GMC Hummer EV is one such vehicle and it competes with Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla Cybertruck.


text:
Want More Cash Get Playstation 5 Games
This is an efficient possibility should you shop at Walmart usually because you’ll get a Walmart gift card quite than cash to your console. Sony has not announced something, and the closer we get to that date, the less possible the occasion appears to be. It is predicted that every new PS3 game, developed by Sony or others, to expertise such protection, effectively killing the entire PS3 piracy downside. The Playstation restore guides go over every single PS3 error there is. This week’s episode of IGN’s weekly PlayStation present, Podcast Past! Lately, Sony has provided a wonderful PlayStation mobile app used on your mobile device, which straight connects to your account by which you can observe your folks and messages.
Then, a few weeks ago, Sony emailed PSN account holders to tell them that PS5 preorders will start quickly, without specifying any dates or pricing. This brings us to the latest developments in the trade, which seems to recommend the PS5 release might unfold out over a couple of weeks, and this nintendo eshop staggered launch may make it not possible for some individuals to score the console before Christmas. It was just a few months ago that we discovered Sony was going to keep on with the original PS5 launch schedule. Sony will send a verification code to your phone. Sony has yet to reveal the PS5 launch date and price; however, a rumor says the corporate would possibly hold a surprise occasion on September ninth, at which level it’s going to reveal all the PS5’s remaining secrets and techniques.
At the same time, reports mentioned that Sony would make up to 10 million PS5 units this year, which would be greater than preliminary estimates; however, nonetheless not sufficient to fulfill demand. What Sony made it clear was that the preliminary inventory is likely to be very low, and never everyone will be ready to purchase a console this year. Even when the pandemic has impacted the economy, and plenty of gamers postpone a new console buy to 2021, there’ll still be loads of patrons able to pay whatever Sony asks for the PS5 – the value is also an undisclosed thriller. Microsoft has moreover offered an up-date final week proclaiming that the mission Natal can be the next huge factor on their goal, and even Mark considers that is the title of the very subsequent generation X-Box gaming console.


text:
Warner Bros resurrecting Gauntlet on the PC
Warner Bros has announced a new reboot of Midway's venerable arcade RPG Gauntlet for PC.
The new Gauntlet is an action RPG based on the sensibilities of the original arcade game and is in development at Arrowhead Studios.
It will feature up to four player co-op multiplayer featuring the familiar Warrior, Wizard, Elf and Valkyrie characters slashing and blasting their way through hordes of enemies in procedurally generated dungeons.
"To us at Arrowhead, Gauntlet is one of the most defining games from our childhoods, and it's amazing to be able to work with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on a brand new version,” said Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios. “Gauntlet is one of the original and best known video game properties and we are looking forward to creating a fresh, yet true to the original, take on a multiplayer masterpiece.”
Gauntlet is set to release on PC with full support for Steam OS later this summer.
- Borderlands 2 writer leaving Gearbox to join Freddie Wong's RocketJump production company
- Bloodborne will be harder than Demon's Souls and features procedurally generated dungeons
- Hearthstone users pass the 75 million mark, new expansion on the way says new report
- Square Enix unveils the Final Fantasy Type-0 Collector's Edition
- Life Is Strange arrives today
- SEGA cuts jobs in the biggest strategic shift since they binned the Dreamcast
- Big new update arrives for Frozen Cortex
- Introversion's Prison Architect will see its full launch this year, mobile version announced
- Ken Levine's next game is a first-person sci-fi title


text:
From this Friday, August 29, medium and large companies that manufacture, import or sell processed food products, shall have their packaging displayed with the label that indicates the level of sugar, fat and salt using colors red (high), yellow (middle) and low (green).
In November 2013, the Government established by the Regulation on Labeling of Processed Foods, that medium and large companies had to meet this requirement since May 29, but after a reform the term was extended three months.
Carina Vance, Health Minister, said yesterday after participating in the International Conference on Labeling and Fiscal Policies, that they are happy with the level of compliance of labeling. “Until a few days ago we had 95% of the products wit reported labeling,” she said.
From next November 29, the colorful graphics system and other provisions of the Substitute Regulation shall be mandatory for micro and small enterprises.


text:
Skip to content
the Chinese cereal market still has a long way to go.
According to the insight report on 2020 online healthy grain consumption trend, the penetration rate of cereal in the overall healthy grain food population in China is increasing day by day. It is estimated that China’s cereal market will grow by 12billion year-on-year in 2024.
However, despite the predictable market growth, the market pattern of Chinese cereal tends to be stable, and several familiar head brands have occupied most of the market share for a long time. Effective production management, grid sales channels and mature consumer cultivation constitute the operating chassis of cereal manufacturers. Like “Jinwei”, a brand that has been working in the Chinese market for 30 years, it firmly grasps its own territory by relying on its solid ability to fight and resist risks.
However, there is no doubt that the impact of the epidemic on factory production, logistics and transportation, as well as the rise in the global price of wheat raw materials, has had a certain impact on the whole cereal industry. In addition, there are more and more food choices in front of consumers, so I’m afraid that if you don’t advance, you will fall back.
It can be observed that “big brother” like Jinwei has recently started to make efforts to restructure the strategic layout. Whether it is the innovation and upgrading of the product end or the all-round opening up of the sales channel, a self innovation is in full swing
Focus on the Chinese market for more than 30 years
Seeking new breakthroughs in tradition
When it comes to golden flavor, I believe many people will have memories of this sweet and smooth cereal, but the brand itself is relatively “low-key”.
In fact, behind Jinwei is viz
branz weichi food group (hereinafter referred to as weichi group), which was established in Singapore in 1988. Since entering the Chinese market in 1992, Jinwei series of nutritional cereals have been welcomed by many consumers for their health, nutrition and delicious characteristics. As the first industry leader to introduce cereal into the Chinese market, Mr. zhuangkunping, then chairman of Singapore weichi food group and former founder of Singapore Jinwei group, enjoyed the reputation of “father of Chinese cereal”.
Up to now, Jinwei has occupied about 30% of the market share in the top economically developed provinces in China. Its composite cereal products are the leader in hot ready to eat cereal and enjoy a good reputation in the domestic industry and consumers. In addition, it also has instant coffee, pure raw oatmeal and other products. In view of the overall market environment, the cereal industry has encountered difficulties to varying degrees in recent years, but golden oats still maintain effective growth in the Chinese market. The sales of cereal in the past nine months have increased by 13%.
You know, golden oatmeal has a 30-year heritage. It can still maintain the stability of business and brand popularity without large-scale brand expansion and not many market media. It mainly depends on the stickiness of consumers and product quality standards accumulated over the years.
However, in such a stable development, Jinwei cereal is actively seeking new breakthroughs in the market. Jinwei also has its own set of plans for incubating more high-end, younger products with unique brand genes and advantages. Especially for the new generation of consumers, Jinwei will upgrade its brand and develop a series of new products such as jinxiaowei. In addition, golden oatmeal will also focus more on the Chinese market in the future, continue to innovate in the changes and move towards new development with a stable industrial foundation.
Breaking the industry dilemma
Accelerate the layout of new online channels
As a Singapore brand, golden oatmeal has a natural geographical advantage in Southeast China because of its Southeast Asian gene. It is reported that about 90% of the golden oatmeal business in China is concentrated in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan provinces. In the next step, in addition to continuing the refined operation in the above four provinces, Jinwei plans to continue to expand its business market in another 13 provinces, focusing on Hubei, Guangxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Hunan and Jiangxi. In the next five years, Jinwei hopes to expand the business proportion outside the core four provinces from 10% to 30%.
However, the epidemic situation in recent years has brought challenges to the whole cereal industry. From processing and production, logistics and transportation to terminal supply, the industry is inevitably affected. Under the new situation, how to adjust the logistics supply chain and sales model has become very important. Many brands are taking urgent strategies to deal with it.
For a long time, the main sales battlefield of Jinwei cereal has been located in offline channels. This year, Jinwei began to vigorously build e-commerce business, including traditional e-commerce channels such as Taobao, as well as new social shopping platforms such as pinduoduo and Tiktok. In 2021, Jinwei’s online sales accounted for less than 2%, but this figure is expected to reach 5% by the end of this year.
Secondly, relying on the solid foundation of Jinwei’s offline business layout, the o2o community group purchase model has also been accelerated since the beginning of this year, and has achieved good results.
In order to adapt to different consumption scenarios, golden oatmeal has even made product packaging improvements for some special sales channels, such as the introduction of cup products suitable for convenience store sales and the separate packaging of hanging strips suitable for traditional small stores, so as to reach more consumers and consumption scenarios.
Golden nutritious cereal classic series original flavor – Cup
Golden flavor and ziziya seed nutritious oatmeal – Cup
Different from the disadvantages of weak offline sales and unstable foundation of some online popular brands, golden oatmeal has opened up the online and offline Omni channel layout, stabilized the foundation and made up for weaknesses, and ushered in considerable sales growth with a new distribution model and market strategy.
Product innovation and upgrading
Building younger consumption communication
According to the 2020 online insight report on the consumption trend of healthy cereals and foods, women and young people represented by the post-90s and post-95s are becoming the main consumers of online cereal. Facing the new demands of new consumer groups, how to reconstruct the consumption communication of cereal brands is a problem that the whole industry needs to face. In this regard, Jinwei has made a series of product improvements for its core products, focusing on nutrition and supplemented by new packaging design.
Since Jinwei entered the Chinese market, its classic series of cereals has occupied the channel of offline supermarkets, creating a brand representative product of “one product dominates the world”, which can be called a “sales myth”.
Golden nutritious cereal classic series original flavor
Now, in the face of the healthy demand of the market and the trend of youth, Jinwei boldly upgrades and improves the competitive disadvantages of old products, and upgrades a series of core products focusing on nutrition, increasing calcium, fiber and iron, and reducing fat and sugar, which is more in line with the dietary trend of the current population.
In April this year, Jinwei launched four new instant cereal products with black sesame, Qiya seeds and prebiotics as the main raw materials, providing more high-end nutritional formula choices; Younger and healthier visual elements are also used in the product packaging, which is fully refreshed and upgraded.
Golden nutritious oatmeal
On the basis of instant cereal, Jinwei has further extended its product matrix, launched fruit cereal, and built it as a cold food and snack series. For one thing, unlike cereals that need boiling water, fruit cereals are more popular in cold seasons. Instead, they can be eaten as snacks, yogurt and cold milk. They are more convenient and convenient to eat, and have a wider range of eating scenes. They can fill the off-season market for instant cereals; Second, the fresh taste and the sense of free snacks can be loved by young people.
Golden fruit cereal series
Although for Jinwei, there is already a strong support for the operation of the classic series of Cereals, if the brand wants to have the ability of long-term growth, it still has to rely on strong product power. From the improvement and upgrading of products to the continuous expansion of product matrix, it can be seen that Jinwei is actively adjusting its actions to follow the change of consumption trend of the times, so as to eliminate consumption communication barriers to a greater extent and meet the experience needs of young consumers. This is probably an indispensable spirit of exploration for a mature brand.
Over the past 30 years, Jinwei has been rooted in the domestic cereal market, adhered to the in-depth layout, gained public praise in product quality and won trust in production and sales. In the face of the recent changes in the environment, Jinwei actively launched a series of strategic measures to lead the brand to a new future. It seems that it is also proving with its own actions that the Chinese cereal market still has a long way to go
1. cbndata “2020 online healthy grain consumption trend insight report”
2. AVCJ《Portfolio：Investcorp and Viz Branz》
（ https://www.avcj.com/avcj/analysis/3026946/portfolio-investcorp-and-viz-branz ）
Source of cover image: Heho health reprint authorization and work: wechat: join the community: Cherry (wechat: 15262433826).


text:
Alex Zoghlin is finally taking a corporate gig.
Mr. Zoghlin, one of Chicago's top techies who's best-known for launching and running early-stage companies, has taken a job as global head of technology for Hyatt Hotels Corp.
For the past four years, he's been running VHT Inc., an online-marketing technology company for the real estate industry. He said goodbye Friday. (Co-founder and chairman Brian Balduf moves back into the corner office at VHT.)
“This is my first corporate gig,” laughed Mr. Zoghlin, who launched startups Neoglyphics Media Corp. and G2 Switchworks. “I've built up a lifetime of evidence running away from companies that get too big.”
So why join a behemoth like Hyatt, a public company with $4 billion in revenue and 45,000 employees?
“It's based in Chicago, and this is an industry with a ton of great data where technology can make things better,” said the 43-year-old University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign grad.
It doesn't hurt that Mr. Zoghlin was the founding chief technology officer at Orbitz, the role for which he's perhaps best-known.
He'll bring some very interesting perspective to Hyatt. Hotels are the primary focus for online travel agencies such as Orbitz. But Orbitz in danger of getting rolled by hotels the same way it did by airlines, who started their own e-commerce sites and eliminated the middleman.
Hyatt is arguably in the strongest position. Less than 5 percent of its bookings are done by OTAs. Hyatt books more than 80 percent own.
But e-commerce is just one part of the puzzle. Travel is one of the most dynamic, data-intensive businesses around. Few industries throw off more data. It's a highly personalized business (ground floor versus top floor), and highly dynamic (flight canceled, delayed). If airlines are tech companies with wings, as United CEO Jeff Smisek likes to say, hotels aren't far behind.
“It's going to be a really great ride no matter what happens,” Mr. Zoghlin said.


text:
Brewfest all grown up after 25 years
In the summer of 1990, Fort Collins' two craft brewers, Doug Odell and Brad Page, got together with Maggie Kunze of the Downtown Business Association. They set up booths in Old Town Square and they invited nine other brewers from around Colorado to bring some beers and join them.
Unlike the Great American Beer Festival, then 8 years old, the Colorado Brewers' Festival was social and noncompetitive. All of the brewers, including Odell and Page, stood behind their respective booths to greet customers, pour them a beer and tell them all about the craft, still new to Colorado.
"In the early days, it was really to let people know about craft beer and communicate what we were trying to do," said Dwight Hall, who was a brewer with CooperSmith's Pub & Brewing in 1990 and is now head brewer and co-owner of the business.
"We had all 11 Colorado craft breweries," he said with a laugh. "I don't remember the exact number of kegs, but it was in the dozens, and we thought it was a wild success."
Twenty-five years later, the success of the annual festival shows: more than 10,000 in attendance last year, around 400 kegs, and up to 50 breweries participating in 2014.
Its duration is also an indication of its success.
"For a festival to be 25, that's like 125 in craft beer years," said Marty Jones, Denver-based beer publicist and consultant, who is working with the DBA to promote the festival this year.
As Jones puts it, "it's hard to picture the Colorado beer landscape of 1990 when you see how much "beerly" splendor surrounds us now. I hope newcomers to craft beer will take a moment to appreciate all the work that's been done before they got on board."
Why so many beer weeks?
The beerscape of 2014 is lush and even wild. More than 230 breweries are open in the state, with countless festivals celebrating them, according to Steve Kurowski, operations manager at the Colorado Brewers Guild. On top of the festivals, as of this year there are at least four designated beer weeks that spread their cheer to Fort Collins.
The COBF beer week leading up to this weekend's Colorado Brewers' Festival is one of them. Fort Collins Beer Week in May is another. In March, it was Colorado Craft Beer Week, and starting again in September will be the weeklong build-up to Great American Beer Festival, a lineup of events hosted by Visit Denver.
"It's grassroots marketing at its finest," Kurowski said of all the events. "That's how craft beer has built itself, by putting a beer in someone's hand and talking about it. That's how we've marketed ourselves for 30 years in this state."
4 new breweries to try at the Colorado Brewers' Festival
The beer weeks, which often go hand-in-hand with larger events, such as GABF, COBF or the Craft Brewers' Conference in March), are also meant to stimulate local economies, to draw more and different people to the festivals.
"People are thirsty for both formats," Kurowski said of beer festivals and beer weeks. "They have somewhat different target audiences. Festivals pull people from out of town. (Beer weeks) are more geared towards locals. I wouldn't say (the events) are necessary, but they're highly functional."
But Jones said beer weeks work best in the brewers' and retailers' slow season, right after the winter holidays, in January and February. Before Visit Denver started a beer week in September, leading up to GABF, they consulted Jones on the matter.
"And I said that would be the last week that I would pick. You should do it when brewers can feel it ... Or if your goal is to help local retailers, you want to do it at a time conducive to them as well," he said.
Part of the difficulty of timing beer weeks and festivals has to do with the shift in control of the events, from brewers themselves to third parties.
"In the olden days it was brewers who put on beer festivals to market their product," Jones said. "It was an affordable way to get people to try their beer ... there was success in numbers."
Now, though, "A lot of beer festivals are put on by people who do this for a living. More and more charitable groups find that it's a way to raise money."
Peggy Lyle of the DBA said the Colorado Brewers' Festival is an important fundraiser for her organization. "It's one of only two each year that help us continue to provide activities and programs for the community," she said, mentioning downtown's First Night and Santa Claus. "It all comes back to the community. We're trying to make sure that downtown Fort Collins stays vibrant."
Lyle and Jones said the COBF beer week involves downtown businesses that might not otherwise reap the benefits of such a large economic draw to Fort Collins. Throughout the week, retailers from bars to clothing shops to massage businesses offer COBF discounts.
Meanwhile, that original intent, the beer, may be spilling a little farther.
"I'm sure if it seems like a lot (of beer weeks) to beer fans out there, it definitely seems like a lot to brewers, too," Hall said.
His favorite beer festival is one put on by the Brewers Guild every July in Salida. There, he and the other brewers still stand at their booths, pouring and talking craft with each other and with visitors.
For efficiency and to better cater to more than 10,000 customers, the Colorado Brewers' Fest now has volunteers, rather than brewers, working the beer stations.
"The festival has been a victim of its own success," Hall said. "It has changed from those early days, and there's something lost of that small, intimate contact. But what's gained is we're now 50-plus breweries ... there's more choices, more going on and more activities peripherally."
He will still volunteer this weekend, selling tickets, and he'll be one more "beer fan" in the crowd on Saturday.
"In the early days, it was really to let people know about craft beer and communicate what we were trying to do," he said. "And now, certainly in Fort Collins, people are very aware and have a fantastic knowledge base of craft beer. That job has been largely accomplished ... Now it's just an outlet to have a fun environment where we're being served side by side with other beers."
A year in review: Beer weeks and festivals
Colorado Brewers' Festival and beer week, June: Because the 25-year-old festival, highlighting more than 50 Colorado breweries, is organized by the Downtown Business Association, the 5-year-old beer week leading up to it is designed to promote downtown businesses. Restaurants, bars and retail stores offer COBF discounts throughout the week and in turn get visibility from the festival association.
Great American Beer Festival/Denver Beer Fest week, September-October: The festival and competition that brings more than 600 national breweries to Denver each year started in 1982. The beer week surrounding the festival was created in 2009 to showcase breweries and businesses around Denver. While most activity takes place there, Fort Collins beer tourism is abetted as well.
Colorado Craft Beer Week/CBC, March: The week of beer tappings and parties started in 2010 and was taken over by the Colorado Brewers' Guild in 2012. Last March it coincided with the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America in Denver. During the week's events, which mostly take place in Denver, breweries in Fort Collins also tap one-off or limited edition beers.
Fort Collins Beer Week (American Craft Beer Week), May: Fort Collins' first official beer week started this year and featured beer dinners, beer forums and other beer events designed to showcase the craft to the local community. Some events already in place for American Craft Beer Week, such as collaboration brewing and Brewers Olympics, overlapped with the new Fort Collins celebration.
25th anniversary collaboration beer
In honor of the first 25 years, COBF founders Doug Odell, Brad Page (previously of CooperSmith's, now of Colorado Cider Company) and Dwight Hall(CooperSmith's head brewer/co-owner), have brewed a collaboration apple ale. The pale, dry, tart-finishing ale is 5.5 percent ABV and will be on tap only at the Brewers' Fest, Odell's taproom and CooperSmith's while supplies last.
Want to go?
The Brewers' Fest attracts more than 50 brewers from around Colorado for two days of beer-tasting fun. The festival starts Friday with an "All Brewers' Eve" and continues through the weekend with the main events. An activity area will feature rock climbing, ziplining, bull riding and bungee trampolining. There are commemorative glasses, brats and a lineup of local bands. See a schedule at Coloradoan.com or www.downtownfortcollins.com.
WHEN: Main festival: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: Civic Center Park


text:
Consumers are quick to condemn brands that don’t do the right thing. In protest of President Trump’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries, New York taxi drivers stopped picking passengers up at JFK airport for an hour. But ride-hailing company Uber broke the strike, by continuing to service the airport and enforcing its surge pricing during the strike. Within minutes, the hashtag #DeleteUber began trending. The following day, competitor Lyft announced a $1 million donation to the American Civil Liberties Union in defense of the American constitution. By Monday of the following week, Lyft became the fourth most downloaded app, ahead of Uber at thirteenth.
In 2016, foreign actors used Facebook and other social media platforms to spread false information for the upcoming general election. In the meantime, data consulting firm Cambridge Analytica used some data it had improperly obtained from Facebook to build and maintain voters’ profiles. This led to the outrage of users worldwide. Among many other initiatives, Facebook responded by establishing a “war room” to fight disinformation ahead of the 2018 mid-term elections. Facebook’s “civic engagement team” detects and deters actors that attempt to spread fake information and de-legitimize an election. Dashboards monitor unusual spikes in activity and other indicators of a surge in false information.
Consumers increasingly expect brands to take sides. Edelman’s 2018 Earned Brand study reveals that 67 percent of consumers will buy or boycott a brand based on its position on an issue. 85 percent of participants won’t buy a brand if it stays mute on an issue they expect the brand to address. And brands are feeling the pressure: The 4As conducted a study on value-based marketing; 67 percent of participating advertising agencies reported that their advertiser clients are more interested in value-based marketing and corporate responsibilities, because of changing American values.
Nike: A Case Study
Nike In September 2018, Nike enlisted former NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who arguably lost his NFL career by kneeling for the national anthem in protest over police brutality. Nike’s campaign, released during the NFL season opener features Kaepernick’s voice and the tagline “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,” in reference to his protest. The campaign caused much political commotion, with some lighting their Nike sneakers on fire while others wore their Nike outfit as a mark of allegiance. We could argue that by taking a political stance against President Trump, Nike closed the door to a 150 million strong potential market, or half of the U.S. population. But Nike has been urging consumers to believe in themselves for 30 years, so this campaign is just its latest provocative iteration. A risky move, you would say? The reality is Nike was already a somewhat politically polarized brand. So are The New York Times, Starbucks, and CNN on the left and Trump hotels, Fox News, and Papa John’s on the right. In the end, Nike’s stance reinforced its brand purpose, increased its exposure through extensive press coverage and boosted its saliency.
A Word Of Caution On Implementing Brand Purpose
Purpose is not a one size fits all brand strategy. It only works for certain categories and companies that have the authenticity to back it up. Some brands, like National Geographic, were created around a strong purpose. NatGeo’s purpose rings true because it was founded on the fundamental belief that science, storytelling, and exploration can change the world. Other brands can adopt a purpose that is credible and believable. Walgreens is one of the nation’s largest pharmacies. It supports its local communities through supplier diversity, environmental responsibility, community service, and outreach. The last category is made of brands that cannot credibly adopt a purpose and/or are hypocritical. “You can’t reverse into a mission and values through marketing,” says Alex Weller, European Marketing Director for Patagonia. “The organizations that are struggling with this are probably the ones that are thinking about marketing first.”
Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider By: Dr. Emmanuel Probst. More techniques for building brands can be found in his book Brand Hacks: How to Grow your Brand by Fulfilling the Human Quest for Meaning.
The Blake Project can help you define and develop your brand purpose.
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education


text:
Mercedes-Benz and Heron Preston teamed up to make the most of recycled airbag materials and upcycled materials from the carmaker to create a stylish and sustainable capsule collection. There are designs for men and women in the capsule and they pay tribute to the functionality of the airbag with components that have the ability to inflate and deflate.
The designs help to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the airbag, as well as the 40th anniversary of the life-saving feature’s use in Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, specifically the S-Class from 1981.
The American fashion designer also created exclusive merch designs that will soon be up for grabs on the resale platform Goat. There's also a series of films and images shot by Thibaut Grevet that shows various auto models alongside the sustainable capsule.
Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz, Thibaut Grevet


text:
May 16, 2013 · Written by Andrew S
In a blog post I wrote back in January, I mentioned the launch of Vine, which at the time was a new social networking service launched by Twitter that allowed users to share six-second video clips without sound that operated similarly to animated GIFs. Since the video social network was launched in January, it has blown up in popularity, even though it still remains only available for iOS and Apple devices. It has consistently been among the top apps downloaded in Apple’s iTunes store.
In fact, after its launch, Vine’s users grew by 50% in a month and by the end of February, Vine was being used by 2.66% of all iOS devices in the United States. As Vine rose to the top, similar services such as Viddy, Cinemagram, and Socialcam began to rapidly decline in their user bases, even though they had all been launched months before the more popular Vine service.
One thing that has been holding Vine back a bit, at least thus far, is that it is currently only available on iOS and not available on platforms such as Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone. Well, that’s about to change, at least for Android, the platform that tends to receive support for major apps like this long before Blackberry or Windows Phone, due to having a much larger user base. According to Twitter, Vine will be coming to Android’s Google Play store soon.
Though the exact release date has not yet been announced, there is still an app that Android users can use in the meantime while they wait for Vine’s official Android launch. Vine Flow is a mobile app that allows users to browse and discover videos posted on Vine, though it does not allow users to upload their own videos like the eventual official Vine app will. Until Vine’s official launch, Vine Flow is about the best that Android-using hopefuls are going to get.
May 9, 2013 · Written by Andrew S
Facebook’s primary source for revenue has generally come from the enormous amounts of ad sales that they have made to countless companies that are looking for the incredible amount of exposure made possible through Facebook’s reported 1.11 billion active users. Though Facebook has certainly never been hurting for money and the majority of their services remain free, they have released a number of paid services over the past few months in order to generate additional revenue.
One of the earliest features that Facebook began to push out is the ability for users to ‘promote’ their Facebook posts. Essentially, promoting a post means that will increase the likelihood that one’s audience (people who like your Page) or Facebook friends will see a post by moving it up higher in their News Feed. The cost is based on one’s geographic location and how many people the post would be reaching. More recently, Facebook also added the ability to promote any of your friends’ posts, even without their permission, though these posts can only be viewed by anyone that your friend shared said post with in the first place.
Another new feature that Facebook is beginning to push through is an update to the social network’s messaging system. In the system’s current state, messages received from people that someone is not Facebook friends with will be filtered rather aggressively into an ‘Other’ folder that is often looked over. Facebook wants to offer the ability to pay to circumvent this filter. In other words, Facebook users will be able to pay a small fee – supposedly somewhere between $1 and $15 – to get messages more easily to people they aren’t Facebook friends with. In order to prevent abuse of this service, Facebook has said they will only be extending this service to people – rather than businesses – and users will only be able to receive one paid message in their inbox per week.red said post with in the first place.
Another much more bizarre feature that Facebook recently added was a similar messaging ability, albeit a much more expensive and specific version of that ability. Essentially, it works in the same way as the aforementioned messaging feature: Facebook users can pay a fee to get a message sent to someone and ensure that it won’t go into the ‘Other’ folder, only in this case, that someone is Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The price to get a message directly to Mark Zuckerberg is a cool $100, which has been mentioned as Facebook as an ‘extreme price point’ that is being used to see what works to filter spam.
May 2, 2013 · Written by Andrew S
Those without a depth of knowledge regarding social media may wonder where revenue is generated from for these multi-billion dollar companies, considering the services are free for anyone to use and so many people are taking advantage of these networks. Though there are a number of ways these companies generate revenue, the simplest route is through advertisements that are made on the networks from companies and corporations that are trying to get their own names out there through social media.
With social media becoming as prevalent as it is, companies like Facebook and Twitter are trying to get a little bit more creative with the way that advertisements are targeted to their users. For instance, Facebook has recently incorporated a system known as ‘Facebook Exchange’ to the ads in Facebook’s News Feed, which allows Facebook to pull from other websites that the user has visited in the past. Moving those advertisements from the right side of the page to the News Feed itself was major for business prospects, due to the ability to more easily view these advertisements on Facebook’s ever-growing mobile presence.
More recently, Twitter has chosen to take a page from Facebook, as ads from Twitter will appear based on keywords used in a Twitter user’s tweets. Twitter had initially categorized its users based on tweets, so that someone who tweeted about coffee would be put into a ‘coffee lover’ group, but Twitter will now respond directly to certain words in recent tweets and adapt its advertisements to suit the user’s possible interests. The service will even be using ‘natural language processing’ which will allow them to prevent from offering ads for something that someone is tweeting negatively about.
Certain reports have stated that Facebook is planning for yet another step in regards to updating their advertising options. This summer, they may be releasing auto-playing video advertisements. The videos would be 15-second spots that would come with a mighty price tag, supposedly costing $1 million per day per demographic, a move which could ultimately net billions for Facebook. How users react to auto-playing video ads on their Facebook, however, might be another story entirely.
April 25, 2013 · Written by Andrew S
It is beginning to be very apparent how much effect Twitter and social media in general is beginning to have on the real world. Twitter has led to many major changes in the real world; people have been fired because of posts on Twitter, diplomatic tensions have become created between the United States embassy in Cairo and the President of Egypt, revolutions have been fueled, and even lives have been saved. With real tweets having this level of power, t
On Tuesday, April 23, the Associated Press became victim to a recent cyberattack when it posted a tweet claiming that there had been explosions in the White House and that the President had been injured. Another Twitter account associated with the Associated Press quickly responded to the tweet to inform followers that the account had been compromised, but the damage had already been done. The Dow Jones industrial average quickly sank by more than 140 points. Generally, Twitter hacks have done little more than featured juvenile obscenities, but this is the first major case where a Twitter hack has led to serious real-world consequences.here can be genuine danger when fake tweets are made, something that has been occurring quite often recently through hacking.
Supposedly, this cyberattack was perpetrated by a group that refers to themselves as the Syrian Electronic Army, who has claimed credit for the Associated Press tweet that led to a plunge in the stock market. The group describes itself as an organization that intends to attack and deface websites in order to combat what they believe to be anti-Syrian media coverage. Personal information regarding the members of this group is currently unknown, so they could simply be activists or pranksters, or perhaps people who are affiliated with Syria’s al-Assad government itself.
Considering this is far from the first hack that a major Twitter account has had in recent months, Twitter has been pressed to respond to these exceeding security issues. It has been reported that Twitter hopes to launch a two-step verification system in the near future that will hopefully prevent future Twitter hacks from occurring, resulting in the same problems that were caused by the hack on the Associated Press’ Twitter account.
April 18, 2013 · Written by Andrew S
In my last blog post, I talked about Twitter’s recent acquisition of We Are Hunted and their eventual plans to launch a music application that would work alongside Twitter. Well, it appears that the time has come already, as today Twitter officially launched and unveiled what they’re referring to as Twitter #Music, its title referencing the usage of hashtags that has become popular in recent years due to Twitter.
Similarly to Twitter’s recently released video app Vine, Twitter #Music is not directly included with the browser or mobile versions of Twitter; it can instead be downloaded via its own dedicated mobile app or accessed directly at the Twitter #Music page. At the moment, the app is only available on iOS and has not yet been announced for Android or Windows Phone, though it is likely that in the weeks to come, there will be formal announcements or releases for those platforms.
What Twitter #Music essentially does is it helps users discover new songs based on Twitter activity. It relies on tweets to detect what songs and artists are popular and also allows users to follow their favorite artists to see what they are listening to and following. The app pulls music from iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio to allow users to listen to previews of the songs that Twitter #Music has determined they might be interested in.
The main interface is separated into three tabs, the first two tabs showing information based on Twitter’s trending data to show off Popular and Emerging artists, respectively, additionally making it easy to immediately access that artist’s Twitter profile in a single click. The third tab is where recommendations are offered based on the artists that you have decided to follow on your Twitter account. Twitter #Music users can also see what their friends are listening to and can easily share with their own followers what music they are currently listening to.
It’s likely that, in the coming months, Twitter #Music will be evolving a lot more, as we will likely see Android and Windows Phone releases for mobile apps, as well as fine-tuning on Twitter #Music itself. As Twitter continues to expand – via Vine and Twitter #Music – it is also likely it will find other areas to delve into, which is likely considering it was recently reported that Twitter is in final negotiations with Viacom and Comcast to distribute TV clips via Twitter as well. based on the artists that you have decided to follow on your Twitter account. Twitter #Music users can also see what their friends are listening to and can easily share with their own followers what music they are currently listening to.


text:
Consumer analytics firm Custora just released a report on this year’s Cyber Monday activity, which revealed it to be the largest single day of online spending in history. The report is based on Custora’s analysis of over 70 million online shoppers and over $10 billion in e-commerce revenue across over 100 US-based online retailers.
Here are the highlights:
Black Friday is big, but Cyber Monday is bigger:
This year’s holiday e-commerce season (starting November 1st) had 20% more sales over last year’s. Sales on Black Friday were up by 16.2%, but Cyber Monday sales increased by 18.2% over last year.
Cyber Monday is Mobile Monday:
Not only did online shopping increase, there was, not surprisingly, an increase in shopping through mobile. Nearly a third of all online purchases on Cyber Monday were made through a mobile or tablet, up from 20% of all purchases last year. iPhones and iPads were still dominant when it came to online shopping during the holidays, with 83% of mobile sales coming from the iOS operating system, and only 16% coming from Android devices.
Social media barely drove any sales:
Echoing IBM’s sentiments, Custora reported that social media drove less than 1% of online sales. Instead, it was still the old workhorses of organic search (24%) and email (18%) that drove most of the sales, which shows just how effective those two digital marketing channels still are. While social media might be great at managing brand reputation, customer service or even brand advocacy, it’s still got a long way to go before it starts directly driving online sales.


text:
Ford’s venerable and popular 5.0 liter “Coyote” V8 has been a strong link in Ford’s engine lineup. From seeing duty as a front line player in the Mustang’s quest to retain its top spot in the muscle car wars, to being a key offering in the current generation F-150, it’s flexibility is undisputed. However, according to a new report, the 5.0 liter’s days are numbered, and it could be replaced by a smaller eight cylinder offering in the next generation F-150.
The Coyote engine itself has already been a victim of recent shifts in consumer preference, with the eight cylinder being upstaged by both the 3.5 liter EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V6, and to a lesser degree by the smaller 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6. That has already forced Ford to alter its production allotments for the V8, and focus more factory resources into producing larger quantities of both EB engines.
However, this does not mean that the V8 is dead at Ford, with a report released by the folks at Ford Authority that appears to reveal that the 5.0 liter will instead be replaced by a smaller but more powerful 4.8 liter V8 for the next generation F-150. To help it stay competitive against turbocharged V6 offerings, the new engine will be more muscular, with rumors suggesting that it will make a balanced 420 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.
This is a modest increase of 25 horses and 20 lb-ft of torque respectively, but it is more than enough to not only push it ahead of its corporate stablemates, but also be beefier than both the ancient 5.7 liter Hemi V8 in the Ram 1500, and the Silverado’s 5.3 liter and 6.2 liter V8s. Fuel economy is also expected to go up slightly, which would be a welcome improvement from the 17 mpg city and 20 mpg highway ratings wielded by the 5.0 liter.
Ford for its part has neither confirmed nor denied the report, but look for the next generation F-150 to make its debut in time for the 2021 model year. The proposed V8 swap would most likely affect the next generation Mustang too, but the extra increase in power and the accompanying weight reduction would be welcome additions to its muscle car related ambitions.


text:
Vital Proteins is debuting a new campaign starring its chief creative officer, Jennifer Aniston.
The new initiative is designed to highlight the brand’s newest launch — protein and collagen bars, which Aniston helped create.
Told through the lens of mixed media, the campaign is a scrapbook of film, photography and personal never-before-seen photos that tell the story of Aniston’s wellness journey and how her daily routine with Vital Proteins supports her commitment to wellness every step of the way, the Chicago-based company said.
“The recent prioritization of health and wellness was an integral piece of the creative campaign strategy,” said Tracey Halama, CEO of Vital Proteins. “We believe Vital Proteins can unite people with a source of optimism and confidence no matter how you pursue your goals.”


text:
We make available to our site visitors and clients a collection of new rules, articles, and guides related to swimming pools and spa in the state of Florida and the USA
LATEST ARTICLE/NEWS ON POOL SPA SAFETY
Florida leads the country in drowning deaths of children ages 1-4.
Posted on Thursday, August 08, 2013
Congressional backers of a law designed to prevent deaths and injuries from pool and hot tub drains say the Consumer Product Safety Commission watered down the measure by siding with the pool industry.
Members of Congress and the parents of victims are hoping to persuade CPSC to reverse its position as public pools across the country open to throngs this holiday weekend.
Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2013
In May 1998, she left her 1-year-old daughter Brianna unattended for only a few minutes to take out the garbage. But that was all the time it took for the toddler to crawl into the backyard pool, which had no barriers.
Posted on Tuesday, May 07, 2013


text:
WELCOME TO The dataanalytics REPORT
Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
Modak | December 02, 2021
Modak, a leading provider of data engineering solutions, today announced they have joined the Starburst Orbit partner program. This partnership will empower organizations to manage their siloed data landscape, optimize cloud operating costs and accelerate the creation of domain-specific data products accessed through a data mesh architecture.
"The partnership will empower organizations to transition from centralized to decentralized data processing and de-couple...
BIG DATA MANAGEMENT
Amazon Web Services | December 02, 2020
Today at AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. organization (NASDAQ: AMZN), reported three new analytics abilities that drastically improve the exhibition of Amazon Redshift information stockrooms, make it altogether simpler for clients to move and join information across information stores, and make it a lot more straightforward for end-clients to get more an incentive from their business information utilizing machine learning.
AQUA for Amazon Redshi...
Actifio | June 30, 2020
Actifio, the pioneer of multi-cloud copy data management software, today announced that it has launched data protection services for Google Cloud's Bare Metal Solution (BMS). The announcement further strengthens Actifio's partnership with Google Cloud, under which Actifio has previously offered Google Cloud customers backup and DR services for various workloads like virtual machines and enterprise databases. Actifio enhances the BMS experience by offering data protection services to supp...
hitconsultant.net | January 16, 2020
Navigating the healthcare system is often a complex journey involving multiple physicians from hospitals, clinics, and general practices. At each junction, healthcare providers collect data that serve as pieces in a patient’s medical puzzle. When all of that data can be shared at each point, the puzzle is complete and practitioners can better diagnose, care for, and treat that patient. However, a lack of interoperability inhibits the sharing of data across providers, meaning pieces of the ...
Keep me plugged in with the best
Join thousands of your peers and receive our weekly newsletter with the latest news, industry events, customer insights, and market intelligence.
Put your news, events, company, and promotional content in front of thousands of your peers and potential customers.
Not a member yet? Not a problem, Sign Up
Sign up to contribute and publish your news, events, brand, and content with the community for FREE


text:
If your apartment is anything like mine, you’re constantly running out of toilet paper. FYI, three girls can apparently go through two rolls a day. But there’s an even better reason for you to start hoarding TP where only you have access to it – it can give your hair gorgeous curls. Read more on College Candy... … READ MORE »
Read more from College Candy
It looks like Shia LaBeouf has recovered from his three-day Shia LaBeoufmovie watching marathon from November and is currently performing his newest performance art project: Elevate.
Shia LaBeouf, Nastja Säde Rönkkö, and Luke Turner are spending 24 hours riding up and down in an elevator at EC English Oxford in Gloucester Green for… READ MORE »
Guess who won’t be falling into formation? The Miami police.
Huffington Post reports that a police union in Miami, Florida voted to boycott the Formation Tour stop in their town following her controversial Super Bowl halftime show performance. Read more on College Candy… … READ MORE »
Someone is following in her daughter’s footsteps! Kylie Jenner‘s Lip Kit is a crazy success – you probably can’t even get your hands on it – and it looks like Caitlyn Jenner might soon have a makeup and beauty line of her own.
Amy Schumer should probably know better than to comment on other women’s bodies…or piss off Taylor Swift fans.
We and the Internet agree that the 2016 Grammys wasn’t T. Swift’s best red carpet look ever, but Amy made a joke about Taylor’s body that fans aren’t finding very funny. Read more on College Candy… … READ MORE »
Believe it or not, the spawn of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West isn’t a fan of having her picture taken.
Samuel L. Jackson, Marine Biologist! READ MORE »
Uber is ready to deliver you some sexy lingerie for all your emergency Valentine’s Day needs. READ MORE »
University of Tennessee football player Drae Bowles was allegedly assaulted by his fellow teammates after helping a woman who claimed she was raped by former players A.J. Johnson and Mike Williams, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Nashville.
According to court documents, Bowles took the woman to a hospital the night of the rape… READ MORE »
People at the gym truly amaze me. From the grunting lifters to the people wearing hats (I really don’t understand why people do this…you’re inside), some weird stuff goes down during a workout. While I would personally never wear a sports bra sans top or hat at the gym, if that’s what other people want… READ MORE »
If you’re plagued with Resting Bitch Face – looking like someone just woke you up from a nap, when really all you’re thinking about is New Girl and pizza – life can be hard. Thankfully, a couple of guys from Noldus Information Technology deemed this topic so important, they decided to conduct research on it. What a… READ MORE »
Earlier this month, Beyonce performed alongside Channing Tatum who was dressed in full Beyonce drag on a segment of Lip… READ MORE »


text:
As the PF government is hit with a serious budget overrun, suppliers to some government ministries have stopped giving services on credit due to delayed payments.
Sources within the PF government have disclosed that disbursements to government ministries and departments are no longer regular as government has to wait for collections from Zambia Revenue Authority before they can decide which ministry can receive funding.
Among the key ministries heavily affected is the Ministry of Community Development Mother and Child Health under which District Medical Offices and Rural Health Centres fall but have not been receiving funding on time.
“Suppliers have stopped giving credit to us. The situation is pathetic and these ministers are busy on a crusade to promote subsidies when drugs and other logistics for smooth service delivery are not available,” sources said.
According to sources, even when funding is made to the ministries, priorities is always given to deputy ministers and ministers who for some reason have some pending travel requests all the time at the expense of service delivery.
“We are now back to a situation where supplies in various towns demand a cheque or cash before they can release or offer their goods and services to government ministries and departments. Companies and business people no longer trust our word. In fact, in some cases they wait for the cheques to clear before we can access the goods or services, something that was only common under the UNIP regime,” sources said.
Yesterday, FDD president Edith Nawakwi, who is a former finance minister challenge the PF to admit that they have exhausted all the money on unplanned projects such as by-elections, large cabinet, creation of districts, hence the removal of fuel and food subsidies.
There are reports on a serious budget overrun that may make it difficult for government to implement the revised conditions of service and increased salaries for civil servants in September this year.


text:
Welcome to T.E.N! Short for Transport Evolved News, T.E.N. is recorded every Friday to help your weekend get off to a flying start by making sure you haven’t missed the big future transport news stories of the week.
Weekly show about future cars and future car technology. This week news about: Hacked cars; Tesla Q4 2014 earnings; Chevrolet Bolt production plans; UK driverless car trial; French incentives for EVs; VW’s $10 million EV charging commitment; Nissan’s LEAF social media ad campaign; VW buys fuel cell patents; knock-on effects of driverless cars.
TEN is brought to you by FreeConference.co.uk, bringing you the latest in transportation news with the future of low-cost conference calls. Make conference calls anywhere in the world for the cost of just one local call. Visit www.freeconference.co.uk today to find out more.
Today, we’re trying something a little different. Instead of posting the entire text of the show below, we’re including links to the individual stories below as they appear in the show — and we’ve also added clickable links in the YouTube version of the show. If you’re subscribing to the Podcast version, links are in the description inside the episode.
You’ll find both versions of the show also include embedded subtitle tracks.
- Hacker Shock : Are automakers prepared and ready for the cyber threat from hackers?
- Q4, Model X, Home Batteries: Tesla Motors posts a loss, but promises the Model X and home battery packs within six months during its Q4 2014 earnings call.
- Bolting Forward: GM Confirms that the Chevrolet Bolt will enter production. (Note: this was confirmed between the recording and production of this show)
- Without a driver: The UK launches several new full-size and ‘city-sized’ autonomous drive projects.
- A Breath of Fresh Air: After years of promoting diesel fuel as clean and green, France is offering massive incentives to get oil-burners off the road in exchange for an EV.
- $10 Million Commitment: Volkswagen says it will spend $10 million on EV charging infrastructure in the U.S. over the next year.
- Break up: Nissan’s weird ad-campaign for Valentine’s day, encouraging people to dump the pump for an electric car.
- Fuel Cell Purchase: Volkswagen Group buys a number of fuel cell patents, enabling it to compete in the hydrogen fuel cell marketplace.
- Less Cars: A new study suggests that the age of the self-driving car could halve the number of cars owned by the average family.
Want to subscribe to the show? You can do so via YouTube, or iTunes. Those who want the raw feed to use with other podcasting clients can find it here.
You can also support us directly as a monthly supporting member by visiting Patreon.com.


text:
Cone Communications Reveals 2013 CSR Trends
(3BL Media/Justmeans) - As another year comes to a close, itâs time to look back on it, count blessings and learn from the lessons the year âhas taught us. Itâs a ritual that individuals, companies and organizations perform year in, year out. For all of us who promote CSR, Cone Communications offers some revealing insights into what happened in 2013 in that respect.
The company is hosting a webinar on January 16 to reveal some of the top âCSR âtrends in 2013. âCompanies and consumers alike were bold, even brazen, in their approaches to accelerating positive change. This year was marked by continued digital innovation, audacious goals, new industry support and unexpected partnerships that will continue to evolve in 2014,â Cone Communications says.
2013 saw several amazing marketing actions to raise awareness of CSR issuesâ and implement changesâ. âTake the example of âWhole Foods in Providence (RI)â, whichâ removed 52 percent of all its produce from store shelves to illustrate what would happen if the endangered bee population died off.
In the wake of the Bangladesh factory collapse in April, the focus was on the supply chain of all major manufacturers and retailers â. Mâany of them led new improvements and innovations to improve working conditions in their factories. H&M, for instance, announced it will become the sole customer of three factories to gain better control of working conditions. It also promised "living wages" to all textile workers by 2018.
Concerns over food safety and GMO has led many companies to provide consumers with clearer information about the source of their food. Whole Foods and Chipotle made GMO labeling commitments while McDonaldâs invited quality scouts to visit its farms throughout its supply chain in the UK. To âfind out more about the year in CSR, âregister for the webinar âby âfollowâingâ thâe âlink. â
Image credit: Cone Communicationsâ


text:
British supermarket Waitrose announced Friday that it will ban glitter from its own-brand products by Christmas 2020.
The upscale retailer said its labels, wrap, flowers, plants and other single-use items will either be glitter-free or use an environmentally friendly alternative.
By Imogen Calderwood
Glitter is great, right? Particularly now that it's getting dark and cold and a bit depressing outside.
But, as much as we love glitter for making everything look festive, a chain of children's nurseries in the UK might actually have a point.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Daniel Ross
All that glitters ain't gold, or so the old adage goes. And when it comes to the glitter used in everyday cosmetics, specialty make-up, hair products and party paraphernalia, the negative effects on human health and the environment are indeed far from golden.
"They really do get into everything, and despite their tiny size, they can have a devastating impact on humans and non-human animals," wrote Trisia Farrelly, a social anthropologist at Massey University in New Zealand and an expert in waste plastics, in an email to AlterNet.


text:
The Polish port saw general cargo volumes surge 31 percent year-over-year to 7.2 million metric tons.
The GPS tracking and fleet management solutions provider has launched its latest platform, DIRECTOR, which offers features like fuel use tracking, messaging and routing, driver behavior analysis and data reporting.
Major freight railroads in the United States employed 152,426 workers as of the middle of June 2016, down 0.2 percent from the previous month and 11.55 percent year-over-year, according to data from the Surface Transportation Board.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The Port of Ningbo has partnered with CargoSmart to simplify transmission of container weight data to carriers.
The agriculture shipper advocate praised container weighing methods recently outlined by the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association and G6 Alliance carriers, saying terminals nationwide should adopt similar methods.
The Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association said that a key benefit of the terminal weighing approach is that shippers will not be required to perform any additional actions in order to provide the verified gross mass of containers.


text:
Depending on the configuration of the user's computer, it can push the performance of "Death Stranding" way beyond what the PS4 can manage.
Industry insiders claim that Sony plans to develop two games based on the Silent Hill franchise and could possibly have Hideo Kojima as the producer.
In the game, players take control of Sam Porter Bridges, whose likeness and motion capture data was based on Norman Reedus.
Fans of Hideo Kojima are beginning to speculate that his next game after "Death Stranding" would be a horror title.
"Death Stranding" players should grab these upgrades as early as possible to help out with difficult quests later on.
Hideo Kojima expresses his opinion as to why gamers in the United States give "Death Stranding" mixed reviews.
Hideo Kojima is apparently happy with all the positive feedback "Death Stranding" has been getting.
Hideo Kojima's "Death Stranding" is now available on the PlayStation 4 and players are sharing their tips on how to enjoy the gameplay.
A new trailer for "Death Stranding" showcases "Rick and Morty" in an unlikely collaboration between Kojima Productions and Adult Swim.
In a recent interview, Norman Reedus discussed his thoughts about "Death Stranding" and how he feels about the cancelled "Silent Hills" game.
Only days away from its launch on the PS4, "Death Stranding" is reportedly getting a PC release while Hideo Kojima is teasing fans with a surprise.
Shortly after ending development a few days ago, Hideo Kojima confirms a new "Death Stranding" feature will use the DualShock 4.
During Sony's State of Play presentation, a short preview of "Death Stranding" ended with the announcement of a limited edition PlayStation 4 Pro bundle.
Sony's latest State of Play reveals new games, indie titles, a limited edition PS4 Pro and the release date of a highly-anticipated sequel.
Emily O'Brien and Troy Baker are the two latest additions to the cast of Hideo Kojima's next game Death Stranding.
Throat babies, rapid aging and Norman Reedus: Death Stranding's new trailer might be the strangest yet
What is legendary developer Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding? We're no closer to finding out after the latest, lengthy trailer was released during The Game Awards.
Perhaps the fog is... Konami?
'I personally think that if people are opposed to you, then you're on the right track,' Kojima said.
Kojima Production takes decision so it is "fully focused on development".
What we want to see from Sony at its E3 2017 press conference.
What we expect to see and hope to see at Sony's annual trade show press conference.
'I can't say anything about that,' Joosten says, while basically saying all she needs to.
'It's so elaborate that I got lost,' Hannibal actor Mads Mikkelsen said.
Kojima said he particularly liked the console's hybrid capabilities.
Death Stranding developer shares look inside its futuristic new studio in Japan.
This year saw the unveiling of some exciting reveals and visually stunning game trailers.
Kojima said Decima is a 'fantastic engine' that is appropriate for open world environments.
Kojima also accepted this year's Industry Icon Award at The Game Awards 2016.
'There is a movie called Akira, and it will be out before the year in which Akira is set,' Kojima said.
Hideo Kojima takes potentially revealing doodle to Sony's Tokyo Game Show press conference.


text:
The lines between digital, mobile, technology and apps are blurring in today’s world. We at Robosoft are keen followers of developments in this arena. Here’s a quick summary of what’s buzzing:
Google launches Android Things
With the growing smart-home industry it was only a matter of time before Google released its own IoT platform for the developers. To heat up the market, Google recently launched Android Things, an Android-based device OS for smart devices and IoT, although it is actually a rebranding of Google Brillo, which was announced in 2015. With the new OS the company hopes to make it easier for companies to develop better smart products. Even though the IoT platform market is quite crowded with RTI, Cisco, SalesForce, IBM BlueMix, AWS IoT, Azure IoT and more, there’s a chance that Android Things might gain more popularity. One of the major reasons for this is its tight integration with the rest of the Google services. This could just be the kickstart that IoT needed to reach masses.
Microsoft surprises with Cortana SDK
After Amazon Echo and Google Home, it was now Microsoft’s turn to develop a stand-alone digital assistant device. But, Microsoft chose to do it differently than its competitors by announcing a Skills Kit and a Cortana Devices SDK instead. This means that Cortana functionality can now be embedded into any device and the first device to do so is a Harman Kardon stand-alone speaker. The Cortana Device SDK is currently in private preview and will be available more widely from the next year. Developers and device manufacturers need to sign up to get access to the private preview.
Can Super Mario Run be the next Pokemon Go?
Beating the recent success of Pokemon Go, Super Mario Run, Nintendo’s first game on a mobile device, is the latest No.1 app on the iOS App Store now. According to a data from Apptopia, the game generated around 2.85 million downloads on the day of its launch. Interestingly, it didn’t gain the No. 1 spot in Japan, which is one of the world’s largest smartphone game markets. However, the price tag of $9.99 attached to the game is playing a crucial role in its domination over the app store and only time can tell if it will be able to beat the records set by Pokemon Go.
Resources that can help you start, build and support your digital journey.Find out more
Let's craft delightful digital experiences together.
Tell us more about your vision.