text:
With China’s stock market turmoil and Greece’s debt issues, it’s easy to miss out the woes that are befalling Singapore’s southern neighbour, Indonesia. The rupiah, Indonesia’s currency, has crashed by around 50% against the Singapore dollar since the start of 2010. In fact, the rupiah has tumbled in recent times to levels that were last seen during the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s, some 17 years ago. Indonesia’s currency issues have heaped pressure on Indonesia-based but Singapore-listed companies and investment trusts. One good example is Indonesian retail malls owner Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust (SGX: D5IU); the real estate…
With China’s stock market turmoil and Greece’s debt issues, it’s easy to miss out the woes that are befalling Singapore’s southern neighbour, Indonesia.
The rupiah, Indonesia’s currency, has crashed by around 50% against the Singapore dollar since the start of 2010. In fact, the rupiah has tumbled in recent times to levels that were last seen during the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s, some 17 years ago.
Indonesia’s currency issues have heaped pressure on Indonesia-based but Singapore-listed companies and investment trusts.
One good example is Indonesian retail malls owner Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust (SGX: D5IU); the real estate investment trust has seen its units fall by 30% in price since the start of 2010 even as the broader market, represented by the SPDR STI ETF (SGX: ES3), a tracker for the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), has climbed by 12%.
Can things ever turn around for the REIT? Here are three reasons why it may.
Hedging in place
Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust is well aware of the risk which can come with a falling rupiah and as a result, the REIT mentioned in its 2014 annual report that it “has entered into foreign exchange hedges to hedge its estimated quarterly cash flows in Indonesian Rupiah until the end of 2016.”
These hedges can help to cushion any negative impacts from adverse currency swings which may affect the REIT’s bottom-line and distributions.
Growth by acquisitions
My colleague Stanley Lim had noted only two weeks ago that Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust has made two new acquisitions of the Indonesian malls Lippo Plaza Batu and Palembang Icon and the purchases are accretive to the REIT’s distributions on a per unit basis.
The REIT may also have a healthy pipeline of assets to acquire given the reach of its sponsor, PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk, Indonesia’s largest listed company by total assets.
Undemanding valuation and juicy yield
At its current unit price of S$0.35, Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust has a very high trailing-12-months dividend yield of 8.2%.
In the first quarter of 2015, the REIT’s distributions per unit (DPU) for the quarter had jumped by 16% year over year from 0.68 Singapore cents to 0.79 cents. Based on the REIT’s reading of its own micro-economics, it’d appear that brighter days are ahead. Here’re the REIT’s comments from its first quarter earnings release:
“As the shopping centre moratorium continues, the near term retail space supply in Jakarta will be limited. This will create a favourable market condition for existing shopping mall owners as retail space in Jakarta will be keenly sought after in the next few years.
The outlook for quality retail spaces looks promising in the next 12 months as both local and foreign retail players continue to remain active. Higher disposable income, lower inflation, coupled with an emerging trend of lifestyle shopping malls are expected to drive the demand for retail space.”
While currency woes may still plague the REIT, it’s worth noting, as I mentioned earlier, that currency hedges have already been put in place till the end of 2016.
In the meantime, Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust is also selling for just 0.8 times its latest book value. These low valuations could potentially give some downside protection for investors.
While there may be things to like about Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust, it’s important to note that its history with its DPU has been less than impressive.
The REIT’s first annual distribution was in 2008 and it had doled out a DPU of 4.96 Singapore cents. But in 2014, its annual DPU was just 2.76 cents, a fall of some 44%.
This undesirable track record is a source of risk, in the sense that while a weak rupiah may have played a part in the REIT’s shrinking distributions (this is something not within the REIT’s control), it could also be a sign that the REIT may not be the best operators of retail malls around.
Investors would have to weigh the risks and rewards with Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust before any investing decision can be reached.
For more (free!) stock analyses and investing tips, sign up here for your FREE subscription to The Motley Fool's weekly investing newsletter, Take Stock Singapore. It will teach you how you can grow your wealth in the years ahead.
Like us on Facebook to follow our latest hot articles.
The Motley Fool's purpose is to help the world invest, better.
The information provided is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be personalised investment or financial advice. Motley Fool Singapore contributor James Yeo doesn’t own shares in any companies mentioned.


text:
realsilly writes: "I found this article linked to KETV 7 out of Omaha, Nebraska. The original link that took me to http://www.ketv.com/news/14133442/detail.html came from http://www.cnn.com/.
Basically, a senator from Nebraska wanted to prove how frivolous many lawsuits are. As if we didn't know already. This is not only funny, but quite sad, that this senator feels like he needs to prove this with further wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars."
realsilly writes: "In a CNN.com article reports that Prince is giving away his new album for Free. Although, it's not quite free, you still have to buy a tabloid. While I don't really like Prince's music, I am impressed by his bold step forward to provide a little Fan Appreciation.
LONDON, England (AP) — Prince has angered the music industry and stirred up trouble among British retailers by giving away his new album with a tabloid newspaper this weekend.
Prince's new album "Planet Earth" will be packaged with a British Sunday newspaper this weekend.
"Planet Earth" will be packaged with the Mail on Sunday at a price of $2.80.
The giveaway has been roundly criticized as a major blow for an industry already facing rapidly declining CD sales. It has led Sony BMG UK, Prince's local label, to pull the plug on its own sales release of the CD in Britain.
International sales launch for "Planet Earth" is July 16; the U.S. launch is July 24....
The full artile is here at CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/13/prince .newspaper.ap/index.html"

domain: news


text:
Main / Personalization / Crowdhoster
22 Aug Or, for those who are in the tinkering business, because Crowdhoster is completely open source (the code is available on GitHub right wait for it hold NOW), developers can improve, modify and customize the platform until the cows come home. And those not flying the old red, white and blue will be. Crowdtilt Launches Crowdhoster To Let Anyone Create, Customize And Host Their Own Crowdfunding Campaigns. Aug 22, Rip Empson. Crowdtilt is today launching the first public version of Crowdhoster — its full-featured, open- source, customizable crowdfunding tool that will allow anyone to launch their own. Crowdhoster. Crowdhoster index. "Launch your own crowdfunding site without touching a line of code". But if you're here—well, maybe you want to touch some code. Demo. You can play with a complete working demo at demo. Use these credentials to log in.
22 Feb Crowdtilt made a big announcement this week when they dragged their white label crowdfunding solution out of beta and rebranded it as CrowdtiltOpen. Before moving on, Crowdtilt took a look back at the top ten campaigns to run on Crowdhoster while it was in beta, and some of the successes on the. 20 Feb Crowdtilt has announced the rebranding of Crowdhoster as CrowdtiltOpen today, and it packs what the platform is calling the "most robust feature set of any crowdfunding tool in the world." A statement from Crowdtilt CEO James Bashara makes it clear both why the platform was released and what solutions. 22 Aug Crowdtilt CEO James Beshara has a radical vision for crowdfunding, and its a lot bigger than Kickstarter. Today the Y Combinator startup publicly debuted its open source crowdfunding tool called Crowdhoster that lets any person or organization integrate crowdfunding into their site, without using any code.
18 Nov The company Crowdtilt recently launched a free and ready to use crowdfunding platform, which presents itself as the "WordPress of crowdfunding" to stress its ease of use. Crowdhoster is an open source application developed in Ruby language to create fundraising campaigns that are not associated with. Crowdhoster, a Rails app built on the Crowdtilt API, started as an experimental showcase for our API (in beta). But now, it's starting to take on a life of its own It's a free, self-hostable, themeable, international, and customizable crowdfunding platform. We think of it as a WordPress for crowdfunding. You may have unwittingly. Crowdhoster. A self-hosted crowd funding website. Crowdhoster is self-hosted crowd funding website that aims to lower the barrier to entry for group fundraising campaigns. It is a fork of Selfstarter.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO – The family of a man killed in a fiery wreck last year while driving his Tesla along U.S. route 101 in California is suing the electric vehicle maker, alleging wrongful death and negligence stemming from failures and false promises of its Autopilot driver-assistance system.
Walter Huang, a 38-year-old Apple engineer, was driving his Tesla Model X SUV in Mountain View, Calif. on Autopilot mode in March 2018 when it sped up to 71 mph and crashed into a safety barrier, killing Huang and leaving behind a heap of charred wreckage.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
In a statement early Wednesday, the family alleges that Autopilot was at fault. Tesla has been gradually increasing the sophistication of the driver-assistance system-and has promised “full self-driving” capabilities for its vehicles by the end of the year-but some critics say the Autopilot software gives drivers a false sense of security.
“Mrs. Huang lost her husband, and two children lost their father because Tesla is beta testing its Autopilot software on live drivers,” B. Mark Fong, a partner at Minami Tamaki LLP, one of the firms representing the family, said in a statement. “The Huang family wants to help prevent this tragedy from happening to other drivers using Tesla vehicles or any semi-autonomous vehicles.”
Autopilot is an advanced driver-assistance system with features such as traffic-aware cruise control and lane keeping assistance that are meant to keep the car at speed, maintain a safe distance from traffic and follow road markings. But the family alleged Tesla’s marketing of Autopilot left Huang with an inflated impression of the technology’s capabilities.
Huang “believed the 2017 Tesla Model X vehicle was safer than a human-operated vehicle,” the complaint filed in court said. The suit accuses Tesla of defective product design, intentional and negligent misrepresentation and false advertising, among other allegations.
“The navigation system of Huang’s Tesla misread the lane lines on the roadway, failed to detect the concrete median, and failed to brake the car, but instead accelerated the car into the median,” the statement from attorneys said Wednesday.
The family is also suing the state of California, alleging the state department of transportation failed to replace a crash attenuator guard after a crash of a Toyota Prius 11 days earlier, a component that would have better absorbed the impact of the high-speed collision. Tesla attributed the severe damage, which it described as unprecedented for the Model X, to the lack of an attenuator guard.
A Tesla spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit. Caltrans said it does not comment on pending litigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board in June issued a preliminary report on the crash, concluding that the car was in Autopilot mode and Huang’s hands were detected on the wheel three times, for 34 seconds total, in the minute before the crash. Huang’s hands were not detected in the last six seconds. Autopilot issues intermittent warning cues to ensure drivers are paying attention, and the last such alert came more than 15 minutes before the crash, said NTSB.
The suit further alleged that while Tesla advertised the Model X as “state-of-the-art,” it lacked an automatic emergency braking system that could have prevented a crash into the highway barrier, despite that technology already being deployed on vehicles from other automakers, such as Chrysler, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Subaru.
The family argues Tesla and Caltrans are liable in Huang’s death and are seeking medical and hospital, funeral and burial expenses and other compensation in California Superior court.


text:
If you can recall it, last year in November CI Games released Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts, and less than a year later we already the sequel has been announced: Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is coming this spring to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC .
There's not a bunch of other info available from an announcement on Twitter, but it's expected it'll again be a Hitman- style sandbox game. In addition, it would be set in current time, but likely in an alternative reality Here we leave you the official statement of CI Games:
“CI Games is proud to announce that Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 will be out in the spring of 2020. In the first Contracts, the CI team delivered an experience built on a new gameplay system that places players on open worlds designed to be a sniper's paradise. Contracts 2 will be set today, and we'll reveal more details about the game in the coming months."


text:
Giroptic has unveiled a portable attachment that turns the iPhone or iPad into a 360-degree virtual reality camera.
Giroptic, which is based in San Francisco and Lille, France, said the Giroptic iO enables people to capture, share, and livestream experiences in fully immersive 360-degree imagery, seamlessly. The company’s product fits with the larger plans of social networks like Facebook, which is rolling out live 360-degree streaming next year.
The device leverages the company’s patented, real-time stitching technology. And it uses direct smartphone connectivity to provide a capture-to-playback experience with minimal delays. When connected through the lightning port, the companion app lets users capture and post videos to compatible social platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube. Or you can broadcast live through YouTube’s livestreaming platform.
“Giroptic iO simultaneously provides a user-friendly camera and a new platform of services,” said Richard Ollier, cofounder and CEO of Giroptic, in a statement. “We’re creating a simple social sharing service and removing previous barriers, such as complex editing, lag time, cumbersome processing, and unoptimized compatibility with major social networks. By combining sleek, compact product design, advanced 360 imaging technology, and a seamless software interface, the Giroptic iO provides an affordable, consumer-friendly user experience for capturing, sharing, and livestreaming what’s happening all around them in full 360 degrees.”
GamesBeat Summit 2023
Join the GamesBeat community in Los Angeles this May 22-23. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry to share their updates on the latest developments.
“Our exclusive focus on 360-degree imaging has taught us a lot over the last eight years,” said Pascal Brochier, president and chief operating officer of Giroptic, in a statement. “We are excited to leverage that experience to bring to market a very user-friendly solution to power user-generated content around the globe.”
The Giroptic iO will begin shipping on January 17, 2017. It is now available for preorder via the Giroptic website for $250.
Founded in 2008, Giroptic has 50 employees. It raised $1.4 million in 2014 in a Kickstarter campaign, and it raised another $4.3 million in 2015. The company has focused solely on the 360-degree space – even before the arrival of Google Street View. Over the years, Giroptic has applied its imaging experience and R&D to reinvent the imaging pipe, develop patented real-time stitching technology, and build a software interface for shooting and sharing 360 immersive content. Investors include Partech Ventures, 360 Capital Partners, SOS Ventures, C4 Ventures, the Finorpa Group, recording artist Aloe Blacc, and more.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
SeaChange International is looking to capitalize on cable's shift to IP-delivered video with the acquisition of VividLogic, a privately held developer of middleware for set-top boxes and consumer electronics, in a deal worth at least $12 million in cash.
The deal brings to SeaChange the VividLogic portfolio of software products that include tru2way, Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) and Globally Executable MHP (GEM) middleware. SeaChange chief strategy officer Yvette Kanouff said the idea is to bring a "hardware-agnostic" solution to service providers.
"As the operators are looking forward toward this next generation of tru2way and home gateways, one of the interesting things is VividLogic is actively participating in that," Kanouff said.
About 30 million set-top boxes worldwide currently run SeaChange software, which includes TV Navigator middleware and VODLink navigational tool. In 2010, SeaChange is no longer restricted from selling TV Navigator in North America, as it had been under the terms of its 2005 deal with Liberate Technologies, which originally developed TV Navigator.
At the International Consumer Electronics Show here, SeaChange and VividLogic plan to demonstrate VividLogic's tru2way software stack and multiroom DVR, along with SeaChange's Intelligent Video Platform for place-shifting across PCs, mobile phones and set-top boxes.
VividLogic had an estimated $7 million in revenue for calendar 2009 and expects to have generated a small profit for the year, SeaChange said.
VividLogic's customers include Cisco Systems, Pace, HP, Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung and Mitsubishi. One of its competitors is Alticast, which also sells tru2way and MHP middleware software.
The Fremont, Calif.-based company was founded in December 1999 and has about 40 employees. VividLogic chairman and CEO Shiva S. Patibanda is also the chairman of Home Audio Video interoperability (HAVi) consortium and a board member of the IEEE 1394 Trade Association, which oversees the FireWire specification.
Under the terms of the definitive agreement, SeaChange will pay $12 million in cash upon the closing of the transaction, of which $1.2 million will be deposited in escrow with respect to specified indemnification matters. In addition, VividLogic shareholders will be entitled to the working capital on its balance sheet prior to closing, an amount estimated to be $8.6 million that will be paid out over the next 12 months.
In addition, SeaChange is obligated to pay $1 million in cash to shareholders of VividLogic on each of the first three anniversary dates following the acquisition. The purchase price will also include undisclosed earnout payments based on the operating performance of VividLogic over the three-year period ending January 31, 2013.
Blackstone Advisory Partners L.P. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to SeaChange in the deal.
SeaChange last fall acquired eventIS Group B.V., a Dutch provider of linear broadcast and VOD software, in a deal worth at least $36.6 million.
The smarter way to stay on top of the multichannel video marketplace. Sign up below.


text:
Ive seen in lots of sites saying the Sony Playstation 3's debut in the UK went really well. In other countries not so well. Does this mean the attention will be mutual? Do you think the UK will now have first dibs on all of the latest technology from Sony? It kind of makes sence, now that theres a market place for Sony PS3's.
I know a lot of people who were turned off the ps3 because of the negative press in the states. Seeing it do poorly there has left a worry for a lot of people here that we just won't get the games? We've always been second to the US in terms of gaming hardware/software. The majority of gamers in the UK could own a PS3 - but if the majority of gamers in the US own a 360 then thats where the great games will go.


text:
Tolaram and Kellogg’s looked towards this country of just over one million people for its expansion in Africa. Formely known as Swaziland it has positioned itself as a production hub and able to provide strategic access to the whole continent
THE King of Eswatini HM Mswati III led a high level delegation of government and business leaders from the African nation to Singapore in June 2022 and met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 30th June 2022 at the Istana where the Prime Minister said they had a good discussion about the two countries’ friendly ties, regional developments, and areas where they can deepen bilateral cooperation. The King last visited Singapore more than six years ago.
One of the highlights of the visit by the 30-strong delegation that consisted of princes, princesses and ministers from Eswatini was the Business Seminar organised by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Enterprise Singapore on 28th June 2022 on the occasion of the visit by King Mswati III.
Potential opportunities for business collaborations between the African nation and Singapore were presented by Senator Mancoba Khumalo, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade as well as the CEO of the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority, Mr Sibani Mngomezulu. Senator Khumalo highlighted plans to attract more investments into the country and that Eswatini is eager to work with Singapore companies to develop a US$1.2 billion integrated power project
The Keynote Address was presented by the King himself.
From Singapore, the Welcome Address was delivered by Mr Ranveer Chauhan, the Chairman of the SBF African Business Group and Mr Haresh Aswani, Managing Director of the Tolaram Group shared experiences of the investment journey of Tolaram in Eswatini. Tolaram opened a US$34 million noodle factory in Eswatini in 2021 in partnership with US multinational Kellogg’s.
Mr Chauhan noted that this was a very “momentus occasion” as this was the first time that such a delegation had visited Singapore.
Mr Aswani attributed the successful launch of the noodle manufacturing facility which employs 220 people to the support of the Eswatini government: “The support we received from the government was fantastic. Their frameworks are easy to navigate, and generous incentives are provided to encourage investments into the country.”
King Mswati III in his address paid tribute to Singapore’s successful development to a First World nation and said the island nation is a model for other emerging economies. He said just like Singapore, Eswatini is a small country that could serve as a lunching pad for the vast oppportunities into Africa especially in light of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The continent has received a boost in intra-African trade since the start of the AfCFTA in 2021 and the World Bank has estimated that it has the potential to raise the living standards of tens of millions of people out from poverty by 2035. The King said ““The Kingdom of Eswatini continues to position herself as a production hub in the region to take advantage of the ever-widening strategic markets for our goods in the trading bloc we are actively part of.”


text:
Crypto gaming has been around since 2017 and has gained wide popularity over the years. Crypto games enable players to earn cryptocurrencies or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by playing and performing various in-game activities. These digital assets then become the property of the player. They can be exchanged for other digital assets.
Crypto gaming has attracted much attention during the bullish market, but what is the state of crypto gaming nowadays?
Overview of Crypto Gaming and its Challenges in 2022
It is no secret that blockchain technology has revolutionized many sectors, including gaming. Besides cryptocurrencies, blockchain gaming and the metaverse are the next big things in the blockchain. There has particularly been a rise in play-to-earn (P2E) non-fungible token (NFT) games.
Let’s look at the blockchain gaming statistics:
1. Blockchain-based game-playing accounted for 52% of all blockchain activity
According to a report by DappRadar titled “DappRadar x BGA Games report,” blockchain game playing has surged by more than 2,000% since the beginning of 2021. Current blockchain gaming activity accounts for 52% of all blockchain activities.
2. Challenging period for Axie Infinity
The Ronin bridge exploit has caused a serious drop in activity in both the Axie Infinity game and the corresponding NFT marketplace. It's an important Ethereum sidechain built for Axie Infinity. As a result, the game saw an 11% decrease in active players during the next 24 hours after the hack. Its native marketplace lost 17% of its user base compared to the day before.
3. Market Volatility influenced Sandbox and other top first-era games like Crabada and Pegax
Metaverse-related assets have not performed well in this volatile and uncertain environment over the past few months due to various events in the industry.
The tokens of top first-era blockchain games have declined by up to 80%.
4. Downtrends across game-related assets
When it comes to market volatility, NFT games do not make an exception. Many such projects have dropped in value significantly in less than a year. Moreover, some have struggled to maintain their user bases and drowned in a sea of obscurity.
Let’s look at the example of Planet IX, an NFT-based game on the Polygon chain. The game was launched in November 2021 with great success. Nonetheless, the Planet IX token decreased by around 20% during the last several months.
Crypto Games by Chain
Binance dominates the crypto gaming landscape with a total of 36.6% of overall games derived from the network, with Ethereum at a close second at 20.2%. Thetan Arena and CryptoBlades are among the most popular BSC-based games.
Among the top 3 leading chains, Ethereum and Polygon are also counted. All three currently account for around 70% of all Web3 games.
Top 6 games by the number of active users
Crypto gaming will continue to evolve despite market volatility. In the next era of crypto games, developers will incorporate various scalability solutions and sidestep the most significant economic flaws. As of now, here are the top games by their active number of users within the last 30 days:
1. Alien Worlds: Innovative Metaverse where everything is tokenized. It is an NFT-driven game in which users collect and trade unique digital items minted primarily on the WAX blockchain. Alien Worlds was created in 2020 and has been nominated as the top 1 by its active members in 2022.
2. Splinterlands: A collectible trading card game created in 2018. It leverages cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to enhance online collectible card tournaments. Splinterlands run on the Hive chain.
3. Farmers World: The first farming game to function on the NFTs platform. It was founded in 2021. Currently, it has 66.82K active users. Farmers' world runs on the WAX blockchain.
4. Planet IX: It is an NFT-based strategy and play-to-earn game. Players contribute to building a better planet by acquiring and cultivating land in the form of NFTs. Planet IX was created in mid-2020 and runs on the Polygon chain.
5. Benji Bananas: Allows holders to receive rewards for playing the Benji Bananas game. The game was launched in 2013 but transferred as play to earn a crypto game in 2022. Currently, Benji Bananas is on the Ethereum and Polygon blockchains.
Despite the sharp correction in blockchain gaming-related altcoins, this market segment has proven to be one of the more resilient sectors in terms of retaining active users. This fact, combined with the rising popularity of the gaming industry, suggests that this sector has the potential to lead the way into the next bull market.
Crypto Games Funding in 2022
Gaming blockchains continue to gather financial support to enhance the crypto gaming growth. The industry seems to be doing relatively well even during the hardest times, as more than $2.5 billion in investments was raised in Q1 alone this year, adding that developers could see this figure balloon to $10 billion by the end of the year.
Blockchain games and metaverse projects raised a cumulative $1.3 billion in venture capital between July and September, according to DappRadar’s latest BGA Games Report. While this figure was down 48% compared to the second quarter, it was nearly double the total amount raised in 2022.
Though crypto gaming has had its ups and downs, it remains a beloved component of the blockchain gaming puzzle. While only 32.7% of total blockchain games are live, we have not yet seen the full extent of what developers are planning for the genre.
In the next year or two, we’ll likely see a surge in crypto games that will catalyze active wallets, engagement, and transactions to new highs. Let's see if crypto games change the whole future of the industry.
🔥 Buy PXP tokens on Bittrex: https://bit.ly/32VWsci
🔥 Buy PXP tokens on Bitrue: https://bit.ly/3JEreHu
🔥 Buy PXP tokens on BitHumb: https://bit.ly/3qOK6e9
🔥 Buy PXP tokens on WhiteBIT: https://bit.ly/3qJrjRH
🔥 Buy PXP tokens on CoinTiger: https://bit.ly/3pnv6ny
💰 Earn up to 7% yearly with PXP staking program in PointPay Bank: https://bank.pointpay.io/staking
💡 Check PointPay Live-Roadmap (PointPay development in real-time): https://pointpay.io/live-roadmap/
🏦 Remember, we are PointPay, and we are beyond banking!


text:
Lockdowns haven’t meant UK consumers have taken their eyes off personal hygiene issues. If anything, Covid-19 has actually seen them up their game as sales of soap doubled in 2020 to £392m, according to Mintel research.
Burberry is continuing to focus on tech in the all-important Asia market and has just announced a new digital project. It has worked with Elle Digital Japan to create an “interactive virtual replica of its Ginza store”.
There are some mixed signals coming out of the latest consumer research suggesting that the retail bounce-back could be delayed until late summer. But fashion and beauty should still get a boost from next month.
The Scottish government has unveiled a new timetable to exit lockdown with non-essential stores to reopen on 26 April. Click and collect facilities are to resume and salons are to reopen earlier than expected on 5 April.
Pent-up shopper enthusiasm continues to grow. With the countdown to non-essential retail opening in the UK next month, weekly footfall rose for the seventh time in eight consecutive weeks, according to Springboard.


text:
JOHN MCCAIN CITIZENS UNITED
This week was a tumultuous one around the world. U.S. officials condemned a "deplorable" video showing Marines urinating on the corpses of suspected Taliban fighters in Afghanistan -- and categorically denied any U.S. involvement in the car bomb killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran. In Europe, Standard & Poor's stripped France of its AAA credit rating (sacre bleu!) and downgraded eight other countries. In China, Apple halted sales of the iPhone 4S after a near-riot outside the company's flagship store in Beijing (what does Siri have to say about that?). Meanwhile, here at home, Rick Perry condemned "vulture capitalism," a Gingrich-aligned super PAC released a long Romney-as-rapacious-capitalist video that looked like it had been produced by Occupy, and John McCain called Citizens United "one of the worst decisions I have ever seen." Welcome to 2012's beyond left and right politics.
Do you have info to share with HuffPost reporters? Here’s how.


text:
Standard Lithium Ltd is trying to become the first new U.S. source of lithium for electric vehicle batteries in decades, a bullish target fueled in part by technical and engineering changes the company is making in response to accusations that its technology does not work.
Vancouver, British Columbia-based Standard is among a wave of companies, including mining major Rio Tinto Ltd, trying to use direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/new-lithium-technology-can-help-world-go-green-if-it-works-2022-04-07 to supply the battery metal to the EV industry.
But no DLE technology has worked at commercial scale, and a prominent short seller https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/short-seller-alleges-standard-lithium-technology-does-not-work-2022-02-03 alleged in February that Standard’s plan to produce lithium in Arkansas was based on faulty processes.
The allegation from Hindenburg Research set in motion a selling spree that wiped out more than $300 million from Standard Lithium’s market value. The stock has yet to recover. Standard pushed back against Hindenburg’s claims and defended its lithium extraction technology, but it also made some changes.
For the rest of this article: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/standard-lithium-retools-operations-short-100849031.html


text:
Work pressures cause small business owners to miss social and family time
A fifth of British entrepreneurs say they can't afford to take a single day off of work this summer, while a quarter take fewer than 10 days off a year
The pressures of running a business are forcing Britain’s small business owners to sacrifice social and family time, according to research by Simply Business.
The report found that a fifth of respondents “can’t afford” to take a single day off of work this summer, with a further 30% only able to holiday at home or within the UK to make sure they can still look after their business.
The survey also estimated that over 750,000 small business owners are unable to take their children on holiday during the summer break due to work commitments.
Despite being entitled to 20 days holiday, 25% of entrepreneurs surveyed admitted they take fewer than 10 holiday days a year, including bank holidays.
50% of the business owners surveyed also admitted to cancelling plans with friends and family at least once a week because of work, and many said they make no social plans at all because they know they will be too busy with work to commit.
Rather surprisingly two thirds of the survey respondents said they were happy with their work/life balance but added that being overworked and stressed had caused them to fall ill in the past
Jason Stockwood, CEO of Simply Business, commented on the research: “Setting up and running your own business demands a huge commitment that many employees would never want to undertake. It requires more than your expert skill and knowledge in your field and unending perseverance to get your business off the ground.
“Microbusiness owners and sole traders have to be more than the CEO of their company-they have to play every important role from finance director to chief marketing officer.
“The time and effort needed to survive can be punishing so it is all the more important for small business owners to ensure they balance their work with a social life to prevent getting run down and ultimately putting their business in jeopardy.”
Simply Business is headline sponsor of the Startups Awards 2015. If you think you have an award winning start-up business, enter here.


text:
Five in custody, up to five more at large after another iPhone heist
Police in California are looking for more suspects after arresting five who allegedly startled shoppers while fleeing an apparent organized theft with 38 iPhones at the Apple store at the Fashion Island shopping center in Newport Beach on Tuesday evening, Aug 21. The iPhones are valued at $32,000, said Jennifer Manzella, a spokeswoman for Newport Beach police. The five were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and burglary.
At about 8:30 p.m., five to 10 young men were seen running through Fashion Island toward parking lots, according to witnesses. Manzella said the men fled in two vehicles: a Dodge Challenger and a Mercedes sedan. “We were near the Apple store and, all of a sudden, we see these people running at the speed of lightning right past us,” said Realtor Andrew Karigan. “They came in waves, one group of about four, and then another wave of four.”
One group managed to get into a car and drive as far as Westminster, where they were stopped by police on a surface street near the I-405 freeway overpass and Springdale Street, said Newport Beach Lt. Rachel Johnson. Johnson said the occupants of the vehicle were in possession of stolen electronics, and added that they did not resist arrest and were taken into custody by about 9 p.m. Twenty-two iPhones were recovered.
They were identified as Deavon Justice Guillory, 20, of Long Beach; Kenyae Emil Buyard, 18, Compton; Dejon Amere Sanders, 20, Los Angeles; Kovey Le James, 18, Los Angeles; and Hysanii Kiesean Rice, 18, Los Angeles. However, another vehicle full of people may have gotten away, and as many as five other suspects may still be at large, Johnson said. Johnson speculated that the people involved in Tuesday’s burglary may be a retail-theft crew possibly connected to a rash of similar crimes. “You don’t expect theft at Fashion Island,” said Karigan.”You never see it happen here.” [Source: The Orange County Register]
Task force nabs three in high-dollar ORC Ring
An Oklahoma City police task force and local mall investigators took down three suspects associated with an organized retail theft ring. The women were arrested Tuesday morning. Police said the task force had been tracking Shatori McNack, 23, Chamiah Daniels, 25, and Kernisha Meadows, 27, for months. They are believed to have stolen $80,000 worth of merchandise from stores at Penn Square Mall over a span of three months. “Three of the people thought to be involved in this ring were at these stores yesterday,” said Officer Megan Morgan, Oklahoma City Police Department.
Court documents indicate one woman acted as a lookout, while the other two went into the store. They grabbed large amounts of women’s clothing and undergarments, then stuffed merchandise in bags. They were out of the store in about 30 seconds. Police caught up with two of the suspects in the mall parking lot, and the police helicopter located the third woman in her car. The female suspects were arrested on multiple complaints including grand larceny, conspiracy to commit a felony and committing a pattern of criminal offenses.
This is not their first run-in with the law. “Each of these individuals have been arrested with Oklahoma City Police Department,” said Morgan. “At least once for shoplifting.” Task force investigators believe the arrested suspects are part of a larger organized theft ring but may have been responsible for the bulk of the loot.
“The unit will continue to investigate,” said Morgan. “They will continue working with local loss prevention and hopefully be able to get more suspect information now that they’ve got three of them in custody.” One of the suspects also admitted to carrying 90 counterfeit $100 bills in her car. [Source: News9]
Employee, boyfriend stole $5K from store
A Home Depot employee and her boyfriend have been indicted on felony theft charges after the two reportedly collaborated to steal more than $5,000 in merchandise from the Beaumont, Texas, business. Samone Smith, 22, and Latroy Gable, 24, were indicted Wednesday on state jail felony theft.
According to probable cause affidavits, Smith, of Port Arthur, worked at Home Depot in Beaumont between March and May when the thefts occurred. Gable, also of Port Arthur, would act as a customer and bring items to her register. Smith would ring up the smaller items and “let the larger, more expensive items pass without ringing them up,” the documents say. The two allegedly sold the stolen items on Facebook Marketplace. The stolen merchandise totaled $5,308.16. [Source: Beaumont Enterprise]
Watch thief will wind up doing time
Time has run out for the man behind a series of daytime smash-and-grab robberies in Southern California targeting high-end wristwatches. Keith Walton, 47, of South Los Angeles, a senior member of the Inglewood Family Gangster Bloods, was sentenced this month to 55 years in federal prison for his role as ringleader of a crew that netted $6 million worth of Rolex and other high-end watches from jewelry stores in Thousand Oaks, Woodland Hills, Canoga Park and Malibu between August 2015 and April of this year.
At Walton’s Aug. 3 sentencing in Los Angeles federal court, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney said he factored in the nature of the thefts—carried out during the daytime in malls filled with shoppers—when rendering his judgment. “(These crimes) terrified people and traumatized them for the rest of their lives,” Carney said.
During the gang’s robbery of the Ben Bridge Jeweler store at The Oaks mall on Feb. 7 this year, the sound of breaking glass caused some shoppers to suspect a shooting was taking place, leading to chaos. The Oaks robbery netted 35 Rolex watches with an approximate retail value of $298,000.
Walton is “likely the most dangerous, prolific and incorrigible criminal who has ever appeared before the court for sentencing,” prosecutors said in a memorandum filed with the court. The gang leader was one of five men convicted for their roles in the heists following a five-week trial held in the summer of 2017. The verdict against one defendant has since been overturned in the court of appeals, but prosecutors are challenging that ruling, according to the release.
In Walton’s case, the jury convicted him of conspiring to violate the Hobbs Act—a federal law covering crimes that affect interstate or foreign commerce— by planning the jewelry store robberies as well as participating in three of the robberies, two of which involved firearms. It was not the man’s first conviction: Walton’s extensive criminal record, prosecutors said, includes a 1995 federal conviction for participating in the armed robbery of a Texas drugstore. “Walton is dangerous, violent and manipulative,” the prosecution’s memorandum states. “He knows little else but crime and violence.” [Source: The Acorn]
Police officer catches woman shoplifting kids’ school clothes… and does the most unexpected thing
A Connecticut police officer did perhaps the exact opposite of what some people might’ve thought he’d do when he discovered a woman purportedly shoplifting kids’ clothes from a local store. Loss prevention associates at a Fairfield, Connecticut, Kohl’s called the police on a woman that they suspected was stealing from the store in July. In early August, the officer’s story began making its rounds on the Internet.
Sgt. Hector Irizarry was the officer who responded to the Kohl’s shoplifting call, and once on the scene, arrested a 27-year-old woman who had allegedly been shoplifting at the clothing retailer. After Irizarry arrested the unnamed 27-year-old woman, he peeked inside her bag to see what could be so important that the woman — who was in the store with two young children — would risk stealing in the presence of minors. When Irizarry looked into the woman’s bag, he discovered that it was a whole lot of kids’ clothes — and as a father, immediately understood. “As I’m going through the bag, I notice that it’s a lot of children’s clothing,” Irizarry said, according to WABC-TV. Irizarry decided to help out the woman he’d just arrested.
“I took the clothes over to the cash register, I decided to pay for them myself and she didn’t know what I was doing,” Irizarry said. “Of course, she got emotional, the person with her got emotional and she asked ‘What can I do to pay you back?’” Irizarry’s responding request was for the woman to pay it forward, and help out someone in a tough situation when she’s able. Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara told the outlet, “This is just another example of officers doing their job, and at the end of the day, saying, ‘I’m a dad, I care about your kids and I’m going to help you put clothes on your daughter.’”
Irizarry said that helping the woman out by purchasing the clothes she was so desperate to have just made sense to him. “It was just something I felt compelled to do, and it really came from the heart,” Irizarry explained. “I just wanted to show law enforcement in a positive light.” According to the Fairfield Citizen, the suspect — whom they later identified as Dannella Scarlett of Bridgeport, Connecticut — was charged with sixth-degree larceny. She was released and promised to appear in court on Aug. 29. [Source: The Blaze]
Rutgers football players facing charges in alleged $11K credit-card scam
Wednesday was payback day for eight Rutgers football players accused in an $11,000 credit-card fraud scheme, according to a published report. The eight — four of whom have already left the team — planned to turn themselves in to Middlesex County, NJ, authorities on Wednesday to face a variety of charges, NJ Advance Media reported. The report quoted Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey as saying that sophomore linebacker Brendan DeVera and defensive back K.J. Gray were the ringleaders of the scam — in which credit-card numbers were stolen and funds were lifted from Rutgers “Express Accounts” for personal use. The Express Accounts enable students to use their school IDs as debit cards.
DeVera and Gray — who have both been booted from the team for violating team rules — were charged with promoting organized street crime and money laundering. DeVera is already jailed on the charges, the report said. Facing charges of money laundering and fraudulent use of credit cards, according to the report, are redshirt junior linebacker Malik Dixon, redshirt freshman defensive back Edwin Lopez, senior defensive back Kobe Marfo and redshirt freshman linebacker Syhiem Simmons. Facing charges of credit-card fraud, the report said, are sophomore linebacker C.J. Onyechi and redshirt freshman defensive back Naijee Jones.
None of those players was listed on Rutgers’ online roster as of Wednesday. “We are very disappointed and frustrated,’’ Pat Hobbs, Rutgers’ director of intercollegiate athletics, told NJ Advance Media. “We have been working extremely hard to build a culture of excellence across the department and this news detracts from the great strides we have made. We will continue that work.” [Source: New York Post]


text:
Sixty percent of all social media time is spent on mobile devices.
Google earned 49.3 percent of overall mobile advertising revenues, which is much higher than time spent by consumers using Google’s mobile products. Facebook’s 17.5 percent of earned mobile advertising revenue, on the other hand, is proportional to its share of consumer time-spent
Born from the idea of a physical time capsule, Time Appsule lets you send notes, videos, voice recordings and other thoughtful gifts to your friends.
Imagine if your video brand content could stand on its own merits, and deliver the message it was supposed to.
Echoing popular sentiment of the day, Cloaq says it will lesson the burden of living out loud on social media and being judged by others.
Anonymous sharing apps like Whisper push back against hyper-focusing on the details of one’s offline life in order to craft positive, public impressions online.
Vine is testing editorially-curated video lists based on specific categories and has banned “explicit sexual content.”
Scientists are developing an online lie detector for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to determine the veracity of online rumors.
A few days before Valentine’s Day, a new app caught the attention — and secrets — of Silicon Valley. Secret reflects a trend toward more intimate, personal forms of communication in much the same way as its predecessors.
Five Vine clips are shared every second on Twitter and branded Vines are four times more likely to be shared than branded online videos.


text:
Sony has decided not to waste any time and push the freshly announced Android 4.3 Jelly Bean as part of its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for the Xperia Tablet Z.
Sony Community manager Marcus Hansson says that Sony developers began work only after Google made its Android announcement at the event yesterday just to get the latest Jelly Bean version running on the Tablet Z. As a result, not all of the Android 4.3 functionality works just yet.
However, while the official post says it’s pretty unstable, the build seems to run just fine on the tablet. The enhanced multi-profile support works just fine, so does Wi-Fi, as you can see from the video below. With time, more of the cool Android 4.3 Jelly Bean features will be made available through the AOSP program, so stay tuned.
If you’re an advanced Sony Xperia Tablet Z user, head up to the company’s GitHub repository from the source link below to get your hands on the beta Android 4.3 Jelly Bean ROM.


text:
Positioning campaign to establish York as a must-visit city break option through press trips, media relations and news generation.
Driving incremental visitors to Frome by dialling up the Somerset town’s inspiring array of one-off artisan retailers and producers of fine food and drink
Creative campaign to support the reveal of Visit Scotland’s biggest ever UK ad campaign including the stunning Waterloo station advertising site which depicted a panoramic view of the Scottish Highlands
Carefully supporting Vinopolis as it decommissioned its Southwark Wine Museum and event space after 15 years of success
Creating a constant presence in UK trade and consumer media for Daytona. Leveraging the iconic Florida racetrack and drawing new visitors into the destination by promoting its broad array of activity and adventure
Sarasota & Bradenton
Universal Parks and Resorts
Supporting this exciting theme park and resort in Florida in building greater awareness and understanding of their on-resort holiday experiences, offering an alternative holiday option to The Mouse!
Ripley’s Believe it or Not! London
Ongoing media relations to drive bookings and handling of all crisis comms for this central London attraction. News hacking and media events featured heavily throughout the two year contract
Beefeater Gin Distillery
Commissioned to develop a strategic plan for turning the London Beefeater Gin distillery into a destination
Landal GreenParks UK
Orlando Flex Ticket
Positioning work to boost awareness and understanding of its value for money delivering trade and consumer media coverage through news generation and exclusive interview placement.
Northside Surf School
Raising the profile of the surf school as fun for the whole family among locals and holidaymakers alike


text:
It's amazing how the vision of one individual can materialize as a concrete solution to global economic problems. Shai Agassi, founder of Better Place, has contracts in place to build prototype battery-changing stations for electric cars in Israel, Denmark, Japan and Canada. He also has agreements with Hawaii and with a nine-city alliance of communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first 50 stations will be built in Israel and will open in 2012.
In a recent New York Times article, Agassi explained that in order to convince consumers to purchase all-electric cars, they have to be able to recharge their cars. Much like we go to gas stations to get oil, we will go to battery- exchange stations to replace the batteries for our electric cars. And under Agassi's vision we won't even have to own the batteries but we can lease them as we do cell phone minutes. And if all of that convenience isn't enough good news, how about the fact that Agassi estimates that the cost in kilowatt hours to drive 100 miles in an electric car is less than half the current price of gas.
Who is this visionary? Born in Israel, he and his father started several software companies, the last of which they sold to SAP in 2001. Agassi, 40, was the chief technology officer at SAP before leaving two years ago to create Better Place in Palo Alto, Calif., with $200 million from venture capitalists in Israel and the United States.


text:
India-US trade: Despite a personal chemistry between the leaders of the two countries, India's bilateral trade remained below $150 billion last year.
Indo-US free trade agreement: India and the US are close to finalising a bilateral trade deal that will help both the countries to achieve bilateral trade target of $500 billion a year. India-US will soon have a trade deal said US President Donald Trump after a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is second meeting between the leaders during this visit of Prime Minister Modi to the country following a joint public rally Howdy, Modi in Houston, Texas.
“I think very soon we’ll have a trade deal. We’ll have the larger deal down the road a little bit, but we will have a trade deal very soon,” Trump told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly.
Despite a lot of potential, the bilateral trade between the countries has been below the potential. India’s share in the US’ global trade remained below $150 billion last year, which is just one-fifth of China’s bilateral trade with the country.
President Trump’s latest statement indicates a reversal of policy towards India as he has often described Indian tariff rates as ‘very high’. In June this year, President Trump also withdrew the preferential treatment given to Indian exporters under the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) benefits. These GSP benefits are unilaterally given by the US to developing countries so that they can diversify their trade with the US.
It was estimated that benefits worth $6 billion accrued to Indian exporters per year due to GSP benefits. In response, India also announced retaliatory measures.
However, the Union government was quietly working for several months to improve the bilateral relations ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit this month.
Talking about the agenda of Prime Modi’s US visit, commerce minister Piyush Goyal had said that India should not aim for bilateral trade of less than $500 billion with the US. Experts believe that a bilateral trade deal with the US will help India to achieve the bilateral trade target of $500 billion.


text:
UN food body cites sharp fall in export prices of vegetable oils, partly driven by coronavirus fears, for drop
World food prices fell in February due to a sharp fall in the export prices of vegetable oils, partly driven by coronavirus fears slowing the global demand, the UN food body said on Thursday.
For the first time in last four months, food prices dropped 1% on a monthly basis, averaging 180.5 points last month, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
The figure was still up 8.1% year-on-year.
Vegetable oil prices declined 10.3% from the previous month, with international palm oil prices falling more due to higher-than-expected output in Malaysia, a temporary drop in India’s import demand and concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
“Sugar prices were up 4.5% amid prospects of lower production in India as well as in Thailand, combined with a strong global import demand,” according to the FAO.
Last month, cereal prices slightly dropped and wheat prices were lower, reflecting well-supplied markets, while maize prices retreated as demand from the livestock feed sector dipped amid expectations of a weakening global economy.
“By contrast, international rice prices rose, buoyed by strong demand from Far Eastern and East African buyers,” it added.
The FAO dairy price index posted a 4.6% rise while the meat price index was down 2.0% from January, influenced by reduced imports by China, affected by delays in cargo handling in ports.
The FAO food price index is a trade weighted index that tracks international market prices of five major food commodity groups.


text:
Exo Labs, the Seattle startup that developed a microscope camera that can link to your iPad, just raised another $1.25 million in fresh cash to close a series A round and bring total funding up to $2 million for the company.
Exo Labs is all about connecting your iPad to a microscope for a more interactive scientific viewing experience. There are similar devices in the market but they use the built-in camera on iPhones to look through eyepieces.
“This makes it very difficult to interact with what you are viewing and also causes optical distortion since the lenses built into iOS devices are not optimized for this kind of use,” co-founder and CEO Michael Baum said.
Baum told us that the new money, which comes from “mostly local angel investors,” will be used to push sales and marketing. Exo Labs is also working on new products both in the hardware and software realm, Baum said.
The company also just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to put its product in the hands of students and teachers at no cost to them. Those cameras are being shipped to schools now.
In just the last couple of months, Exo Labs has added 50 more customers ranging from the education to engineering industries and now has upwards of 100 customers since debuting its product in April.
“We’ve come a long way and learned a lot,” Baum said. “We’re happy that everybody is excited and happy as we are about the product.”
Exo Labs currently has eight full-timers and works out of its office in the Northwest Work Lofts in downtown Seattle.
Previously on GeekWire: iPad-enabled microscope camera takes first place at NWEN First Look Forum


text:
Friends of Pato Loco, a non-profit organization in Playas del Coco, will prepare for the annual Christmas party with a silent auction fundraiser Dec. 3.
The items for auction include deals from local restaurants and businesses. Condo owners are also giving away lodgings and artists have made some of their works available.
“We are getting a lot of responses and generosity,” said Patricia Dijkgraaf, former owner of Pato Loco Inn.
All the proceeds will go toward a Christmas party for 30 underprivileged children from Bambú and the La Islita region of Filadelfia. These children will receive toys, clothes and educational materials such as notebooks, delivered from a dressed up Santa Claus.
“It is the first time in the lives of these kids that they will have new toys and clothes,” Ms. Dijkgraaf said.
This is the fifth year that Mary Ramona Cox, owner and manager of Pato Loco Inn, and, Ms. Dijkgraaf have offered this event.
This year Dave Reynolds of the Papagayo Golf and Country Club has made his facility, which includes a pool, available for the children. They will enjoy pizza and fruit drinks by the poolside, the organization said.
“It is a unique experience for them and will create positive memories,” a release said.
Also, the Friends of Pato Loco will prepare large food packets for the families, to ensure they will have at least a decent Christmas.
The silent auction will be held at the Pato Loco Inn from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Items for the auction will be at the Pato Loco Friday.


text:
Amid privacy concerns, RealNetworks has released a patch to let its 12 million RealJukebox users block the transmission of some of their personal data and music-listening habits to the company, such as the tracks they collect.
In addition, RealNetworks is disabling a "Globally Unique Identifier" (GUID) that was assigned to its RealJukebox software when users downloaded it to copy or play digital music via their computers.
"Obviously there were concerns over this; we take the privacy of our consumers extremely seriously, and we wanted to be responsive and decisive rather than waiting for a full internal review," Tom Frank, the company's chief operating officer, said today.
Privacy advocates warned that the user IDs could have been used to build profiles on Net users, combining their surfing habits with personal information such as the home addresses and credit card numbers gathered by RealNetworks in its licensing agreement with RealJukebox users.
RealNetworks contended today that it was not using the identifier to track unique users.
"It was intended for aggregate purposes only," Frank said.
The company also apologized for its inadequate data-collection policy, which was updated this weekend to disclose the GUID and its uses.
"We made a mistake in not being clear enough to our users about what kinds of data was being generated and transmitted by the use of RealJukebox," Rob Glaser, RealNetworks' chief executive, said in a statement.
RealNetworks said it will review all of its data-collection and privacy practices and will bring in outside experts to confirm that it is following its posted policies.
In the meantime, the privacy seal program Truste, which monitors whether its licensees are in compliance with their data-collection policies, said today that it will investigate RealNetworks' practices.
Truste could revoke RealNetworks' seal or file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. But observers say that is unlikely considering RealNetworks' scramble today to remedy the problem.
In a case involving a Microsoft Hotmail security hole, Truste and the software giant commissioned an auditor to review Microsoft's fixes, but the company was not reprimanded by the voluntary program.
"This will be just another illustration of how the Truste seal isn't worth the pixels it's printed on," said Jason Catlett, founder of Junkbusters, a clearinghouse for privacy-protection measures.
But Truste says it's on the case.
"We're going to investigate it thoroughly," said Dave Steer, Truste's communications manager.


text:
India's well-known automobile manufacturer TVS Motor recently acquired British motorcycle brand Norton Motorcycles for GBP 16 million (around Rs 153 crore) in a full cash deal. However, the company has no plans to shift the manufacturing of Norton motorcycles to India. According to media reports, TVS Motor Company will continue manufacturing Norton motorcycles in the UK. In addition, the company will retain the same design and assembly team, even though the British brand is still owned by TVS.
For your information, tell us tell you that TVS is now the exclusive owner of Norton Motorcycle and the headquarters of the British motorcycle brand will be shifted from Donington Hall to a new address in the same vicinity. TVS is trying to leverage the expertise of the existing design and engineering team as it prepares to re-establish Norton as a global motorcycle brand. The TVS statement said that it would be one of the most interesting acquisitions of the historic motorcycle brand in recent times and would reflect India's rapidly growing prominence in TVS Motor Company and the international two-wheeler market.
Commenting on this acquisition, Sudarshan Venu, joint managing director of TVS Motor Company, said, "This is an important time for us at TVS Motor Company. Norton is a reputed British brand known worldwide and we Provides opportunities on a large scale globally. This transaction is in line with our effort to fulfill the aspirations of discerning motorcycle customers "We will extend our full support to Norton to achieve its full glory in the international motorcycle scene."


text:
Casey ranked 456th in state in lottery ticket sales for March 2016
The per capita lottery ticket sales in Casey was $19.51 per person.
Based on monthly sales records obtained by the East Central Reporter, Casey generated $52,851.50 in net sales from its four lottery retailers in March 2016, compared to $66,141.50 in March 2015.
The City of Casey is in Clark County, and has a population of 2,709, according to 2010 census data.
Average sales for municipalities in the region in March 2016 was $13,655.50.
Casey's top lottery retailer is Circle K #1306 located at 504 N Central Ave, Casey, IL 62420.
Circle K #1306 generated 55 percent of Casey's March 2016 lottery ticket sales and 21 percent of Clark County's sales that month, which was $136,555.
A close look at sales by city shows that the top three cities with the highest lottery revenue per capita in Clark County in 2015 were Casey, Martinsville and Marshall.
Statewide, the top five cities with the highest lottery revenue per capita were Forest View, Burnt Prairie, McCook, Mapleton and Merrionette Park.
The top five cities in the state generated $5,496,719 in net sales -- 1 percent of the state's 2015 net sales amounting to $2,793,271,709.50.


text:
[Funding alert] Deeptech startup Slang Labs gets investment from Google Assistant Investments program and others
Slang Labs, the In-App Voice Assistant tech startup, has raised an undisclosed round of funding from Google Assistant Investments Program along with 100x Entrepreneurs. Existing investor Endiya Partners along with angel investors – Velu Murugan and Thomas George also participated.
Founded in 2017, Slang Labs said it has become one of the first player in the In-App Voice Assistant space globally to be backed by Google.
“We are glad to be part of the Google Assistant Investments program. This investment by Google emphasises the importance of Voice inside Apps, and highlights the most significant technology trend for this decade – Voice,” said Kumar Rangarajan, Slang Labs Co-Founder.
Slang Labs co-founder Kumar Rangarajan
According to Kumar, there is an increased demand for this technology during the pandemic. The startup believes through this technology, consumers will be able to do online transactions in their apps through voice and in their preferred language.
Slang In-App Voice Assistant is the flagship product of the startup, and it claims that it is pre-trained to understand the needs of several domains, and can be consumed inside existing apps using its voice assistant as a service platform.
Slang Labs said this delivery model reduces the time-to-market by up to 90 percent for brands to embed a highly accurate, multilingual voice assistant inside their mobile and web apps. The platform has been integrated with leading apps by P&G, Udaan, BigBasket, Redbus, Shine and SpiceJet.
According to Slang Labs, enabling multilingual voice-based interactions inside their apps, even if the visual language of the app continues to be in English, is an opportunity for businesses to easily solve these problems, and quickly reach the 400+ million users in Tier 2 markets and beyond.
Launched in 2018, the Google Assistant Investment Program supports early-stage companies that are moving the voice and assistance ecosystem forward across a diverse range of fields, from travel to games. The program provides access to Google engineers, product managers, and design experts to share technical guidance and product development feedback, as well as features and tools so startups can bring their product to market as quickly as possible.


text:
The restaurant scene is growing in Orange County. But unlike past years, the county is seeing fewer national chains coming to malls and neighborhood centers. Instead, several regional concepts and chef-driven indie establishments are popping up in retail centers.
That’s forcing large chains to rethink their concepts. Dave & Buster’s unveiled a major makeover at its Irvine and Orange locations. Take a look at the new foods places across the county:
PIZZA BY DESIGN
Pieology, whose key investor is former tennis star Michael Chang, opened a second “build-your-own” pizza concept at the Irvine Spectrum Center on Tuesday.
The fast-casual eatery is part of a string of thin-crust pizza restaurants opening in Orange County. When the first Pieology opened last year near Cal State Fullerton, it was quickly dubbed the “Chipotle of Pizzerias” because of its assembly-line ordering system.
College students flocked to the concept, where hearty 12-inch pies with endless toppings cost $7.50.
The question: Will the people of South Orange County embrace Pieology’s Subway-style ordering system?
You bet, says Pieology founder Carl Chang, Michael’s older brother.
Chang said the Fullerton restaurant saw plenty of “working professionals and soccer moms” over the summer when CSUF students were on break.
Still, the Irvine site is smaller than he’d like it to be. With patio seating, it’s about 2,000 square feet – about 1,000 square feet smaller than Fullerton.
“I think we’re going to have to set up stroller parking outside,” he said, referring to the mall’s young family demographic.
Dave & Buster’s, a haven for loud arcade-driven birthday parties, is trying to lure more sports fans to its entertainment centers. The company recently unveiled a major makeover of its two game centers in Irvine and Orange. The $4 million facelift modernized the dining room and lounge areas with new furniture, lighting and TVs.
The newly dubbed D&B Sports Lounge and Bar features a 15-foot-tall HD projection screen. The rest of the center has added about 25 flat-screen TVs. The menu has been upgraded with a handful of new items, including a Black & Bleu Burger made with an Angus patty and Poppin’ Potatoes – puffy fried potato balls tossed with Parmesan cheese and garlic butter.
Addresses: 20 City Boulevard West, Orange and 71 Fortune Drive, Irvine.
CHICAGO PIZZA INVASION
Rance’s Chicago Pizza is hoping to create a following for its authentic deep-dish pies. Owners Rance Ruiz and Aaron Tofani have modeled their recipes after two Chicago biggies: The stuffed pies at Giordano’s Pizza and the pan-style pizzas at Lou Malnati’s.
Northern California’s Zachary’s Chicago Pizza was another inspiration, said Tofani. He and Ruiz graduated from Mission Viejo High School.
“At the age of 16, (Rance) discovered Chicago pizza in Berkeley at Zachary’s and was instantly bitten by the Chicago pizza bug,” Tofani said.
Rance’s opened in mid-September, but the owners are hosting a grand opening event Dec. 1. Tofani said everything on the menu, including beer and wine, will be half off from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Address: 1420 Baker St., Costa Mesa
One of Orange County’s hottest food retailers, Portola Coffee Lab, is expanding again at the eclectic OC Mart Mix in Costa Mesa. Portola owners Jeff and Christa Duggan announced plans last week to launch Seventh Tea Bar, a beverage concept that will deliver 100 types of teas.
Some teas will be served on taps. The shop, next to Portola, also plans to serve tea sandwiches, scones and pastries.
OC Mart Mix is a sub-section of the South Coast Collection, a home design center in Costa Mesa. The center is earning a reputation for launching ground-breaking food concepts. Other destination food retailers and restaurants include The Iron Press (waffle sandwiches and craft beer), Shuck Oyster Bar, Cheese Shop, Christopher Garren’s and N’ice Cream.
Contact the writer: Got a tip on a new restaurant in Orange County? Email Register restaurant writer Nancy Luna at firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
China to have 200 million vehicles by 2020: state media
Monday 06 September 2010
The number of vehicles on China's roads will more than double to at least 200 million by 2020, a top official was quoted Monday as saying, further straining the nation's environment and energy supply.
China must make it a top priority to develop fuel-efficient and alternative energy cars, the China Securities Journal said, citing Wang Fuchang, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
China's auto sales hit 13.64 million units last year, overtaking the United States as the world's top car market, while sales this year are forecast to hit 15 million units.
As of the end of 2009, there were 76.2 million vehicles in the country, according to government figures.
China's auto sales have slowed in recent months, partially due to seasonal factors, but August saw a surprising 55.7 percent year on year jump, boosted by Beijing's new subsidies for energy-saving vehicles.
The surging car use has brought mounting concerns over pollution, soaring energy demand, and traffic gridlock.
A top official with the country's environment minister, Liu Ziquan, was quoted Monday as saying vehicle exhausts had overtaken other major sources as the top cause of air pollution in cities.
Road congestion has also worsened, highlighted by a recurring traffic jam dozens of kilometres (miles) long on a major highway leading into Beijing from the northwest.
Life & Style blogs
Google Maps hides image of Android robot urinating on Apple in surprisingly insolent Easter egg
KickassTorrents down: new Isle of Man domain taken offline just hours after launch
Company breaks open Apple Watch to discover what it says is 'planned obsolescence'
The confessions of men who ordered mail-order brides
What do the emoji on Snapchat mean?
General Election 2015: Chuka Umunna on the benefits of immigration, humility – and his leader Ed Miliband
The sickening truth about food banks that the Tories don't want you to know
Migrant boat disaster: Ukip candidate mocks victims in sickening Twitter post
Nigel Farage wants the BBC to stop making programmes like Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing, and Top Gear
Global warming: Scientists say temperatures could rise by 6C by 2100 and call for action ahead of UN meeting in Paris
General Election 2015: Britain would become a 'communist dictatorship' under Ed Miliband and Nicola Sturgeon, claims wife of Michael Gove
- 1 I've been called an abusive and dangerous parent, when all I did was listen to my transgender child
- 2 Migrant crisis: Greek soldier saved 20 people singlehandedly off Rhodes beach
- 3 Sofyen Belamouadden murder: The inside story of a crime that horrified Britain
- 4 Company breaks open Apple Watch to discover what it says is 'planned obsolescence'
- 5 UK weather: Britain braced for snow to replace sun as arctic air mass moves in
£18000 - £20000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: This design and print company a...
£38000 - £45000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: An exciting opportunity has ari...
£25000 - £40000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: A Sales Engineer is required to...
£30000 - £32000 per annum + £4200 car allowance: Ashdown Group: 3rd Line Suppo...


text:
(Yicai Global) Aug. 19 -- Electric car startup Lixiang Automotive has raked in USD530 million in C-round financing, some USD300 million of which came from Wang Xing, founder and chief executive of lifestyle service provider Meituan-Dianping.
The Beijing-based unicorn has raised over USD1.57 billion since it was founded in 2015, driving up its market valuation to USD2.9 billion, sci-tech innovation site Lieyunwang reported. Other investors this time included Matrix Partners China, Future Capital and Bluerun Ventures.
The latest injection of funds will allow Lixiang's first electric sport utility vehicle, Leading Ideal One, to start mass production in October with deliveries expected to begin in November. The media will be able to test drive the vehicles from this month, and consumers from next month in 13 cities, the firm said.
Formerly known as CHJ Automotive, Lixiang debuted the SUV last October. With an 800-kilometer range, it retails for CNY328,000 (USD46,552). The firm has dedicated retail outlets in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Tianjin.
Founder Li Xiang, once dubbed China's Elon Musk, also set up auto sales platform Autohome in 2005. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2013.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Georgia-Pacific GP, +0.00% on Tuesday named Thomas Bell, vice chairman, president and CEO of Cousins Properties CUZ, -0.24% and Jon Boscia, chairman and CEO of Lincoln National LNC, -0.30% to its board. The company also re-elected Chairman and CEO A.D. Correll, as well as James Balloun and John Zeglis to the board. Georgia-Pacific said that James Williams retired from the board, due to the company's corporate regulations.
Have breaking news sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Bulletin emails. Sign up here.


text:
New Ranger R402 Sizes
May 23, 2018
American Omni is pleased to announce the development of three new key sizes to the Thunderer Ranger R402 series! With production beginning in July, customers will now be able to round out ...
Strengthening tire wholesalers by importing brands that deliver.
Delivering the Best
We are an experienced TEAM of Import Professionals that source high-quality tires and related products from around the globe and seamlessly deliver them to your desired destinations.


text:
Media Release 4th May 2013
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi: India Warehousing Show 2013, India’s biggest event on logistics industry run by Reed Manch Exhibitions, concluded on May 4 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Spanning an exhibition area over 8937 sqm and hosting over 170 exhibitors including participants from India and represented companies from China, Italy, Germany, Japan, Middle East, Taiwan and US, together with 8937 trade visitors from over the world, IWS 2013 received applauds from the industry. More than 250 products and equipments were displayed. These figures reinforce the global influence and brand strength of India Warehousing Show.
“IWS is a key platform to promote brands, display products and equipments. Many exhibitors brought their most advanced equipment and technology to the exhibition. Among these were Godrej & Boyce, AUTOMHA, Motorola, Maini Materials Movements, Hi-Tech Robotics, PARI, Techpack, Nilkamal, Action Construction Equipments, Avasarala, Falcon Autotech, Intermec, Softeon, DSM Soft, SSI Schaefer, Avery India, and Watrana. The launch of new equipment to the market, together with the live demos, generated keen interest among visitors and reinstated that India Warehousing Show is an effective way for people to learn about the newest machineries for seamless operation in a warehouse”, said Anuj Mathur, Managing Director, Reed Manch Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd.
The diversity of the sector was noticed in the event through exhibiting companies from Automation, Packaging, Materials Handling, Automation, Construction Equipments, Commercial Vehicle and Storage Solutions
On-site, exhibitors and buyers conducted negotiations and shared valuable information. Energy conservation and environmental sustainability were also seen on the agenda and many participants proactively promoted it.
Several of the attending international trade associations and partners have supported India Warehousing Show over the years and speak highly of the event. “Visiting IWS was a wonderful experience. I had sent over 10 patrons and associates over three days of the event and the experience remained unaltered. I wish Reed Manch Exhibitions many more successful events in the years to come and AITWA will surely be a part of the upcoming shows”, stated Shri Ramesh Agarwal, National President – AITWA and Chairman & Managing Worker, Agarwal Packers & Movers Ltd.
Ramit Chopra, Vice President, Realterm Everstone Development Management Pvt. Ltd. said, “I’d like to extend my most sincere congratulations to Reed Manch Exhibitions for this splendid show. IndoSpace has been associated with IWS for the past few years and we look forward to continue our partnership.”
India Warehousing Conference was a series of highly engaging panels and discussion sessions where the latest technology standards, effective supply chain processes, containerization for industrial needs and various methods to mitigate risks involved in a warehouse were disseminated to industry practitioners. These sessions allowed participants to share best managerial practice, operational standards and cost reduction methods.
The conference was well attended by professionals from various sectors including Logistics, Retail, Energy Conservation, Agri Business, Consultants and Brokers.
A new addition to the conference was a complimentary site-visit to MJ Logistics facility in Palwal, Haryana, which was highly appreciated by the participants.
“We put in a lot of forethinking and effort into India Warehousing Show and co-located activities to open up new horizons for the members of the warehousing and logistics sector. A targeted VAP Program also took place to focus on nearly 500 senior professionals across the industry to create business opportunities. An on-site lounging area, Spiritz cafe – hosted by IndoArya, was also created for VAP members to carry out business match-making in a more relaxed environment”, said Mathur.
“The success of IWS 2013 has laid a solid foundation for future editions and we are confident that as India’s economy grows, the country’s logistics industry will also continue to develop at a rapid pace. India Warehousing Show is more than just domestic demand, it shows international trends too, which is why the show holds such an important position in the entire warehousing community. We thank each and every partner for their invaluable and continued support”, concluded Mathur.
The team is now gearing up for the regional version of the show which will take place in Chennai Trade Centre, Tamil Nadu, on 7-8-9 November 2013.
For more information/ media queries, contact Siddharth | +91 9971600355 email@example.com


text:
Steam reseller Green Man Gaming is holding a Winter Sale that began Thursday. A combination of discounts plus a 20 percent off coupon makes games like Batman: Arkham Origins even cheaper for the PC game deal hunters out there.
Batman: Arkham Origins is marked down to $24.99 at GMG but using the 20 percent off coupon "GMG20-ZB5D1-93X49" at checkout brings the final price down to $19.99 with the Season Pass going for just $7.99. This deal along with Godus will only be available until approximately 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 21.
The coupon is good for most every game at the online retailer including new Winter Sale additions The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: 400 Days and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive which will be up to 75 percent off through Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.
There are also special deals on various Sega titles including the Sonic & All-Stars Racing series for less than $5, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise, the Battlefield series, the Paradox strategy games, and more.
Purchasing any game from Green Man Gaming results in a code for the game that can be redeemed on Steam.
You can follow Scott via Facebook, Twitter, RSS feedor email alerts for all the latest game news and deals as well as the weekly Furious Fourcast podcast/videocast. All game news on Examiner can be followed at the Game On Facebook page and Twitter feed.


text:
Dolla dolla bills, ya’ll! Blizzard just announced the first ever Heroes of the Storm worldwide tournament, set to conclude when the grand finals take place at BlizzCon this November. With $1 million in cash and prizes will be given out to the most formidable Heroes of the Storm teams, and the last team standing earning themselves a $200,000 pay check with which to ride off into the sunset, players are set to experience not too shabby a pay day, eh?
Regional competition for America, Latin America, Europe, Korea, China, Taiwan, South Asia, Australia, and New Zealand will commence later this month. Only eight teams from the total pool of competitors will move on to the final showdown in Anaheim later this year, where that sweet, sweet cash will be theirs for the taking. Get ready, future champions.
The eSports support for Heroes of the Storm has been immensely strong up to now, which is astounding when you consider that the game hasn’t officially launched yet. With the success of the Heroes of the Dorm event–which was the first ever televised collegiate eSports event–it only makes since that Blizzard has decided to cranks things up a notch at their annual community event.
You can start your journey to Heroes of the Storm supremacy when the game goes into open beta next Tuesday, or when it officially releases on June 2. Does this sound like the competition for you? Do you plan on attending BlizzCon regardless? Let us know in the comments below.


text:
Jan 25, 2018
Electric and autonomous cars get a thumbs-up from the Trump administration, and from the DC policy wonks.
Nov 18, 2017
After a visit to the Guangzhou International Auto Show and a test-track drive of popular models, I'm convinced that China is getting serious about becoming a global player. A passion for SUVs combines with an equal determination to plug them in.
Jun 22, 2017
VW isn't confirming it, but there's growing evidence that a battery Microbus along the lines of the ID Buzz shown in Detroit in January is headed for production.
Jun 20, 2016
May 27, 2016
Mar 14, 2016
Jan 18, 2016
Volkswagen announced the BUDD-e concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It's supposed to be the modern Microbus, but that's really not what it is.


text:
has released an update to version 1.3
for its iPhone app, which is, of course, great! Software updates are always well-received by users, especially if they bring some major improvements. If you are wondering if this is the case with Skype 1.3 for the iPhone, the answer is both yes and no. Yes, because you can now use the app as an IM in landscape mode, which is definitely a feature you shouldn’t miss, and no, because there is still no support for push notifications. This is really sad for those users who enjoy Skype’s goodies on a daily basis through their iPhones. Still, at least the developer has also managed to optimize the app some more, so that it should run even smoother now. Any impressions from the new update? Share them in the comments below!


text:
Bethesda clearly knows that Starfield is a big deal, because it has worked hard to generate a lot of hype for upcoming reveals. In a Reddit AMA from last year, Starfield game director and Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard mentioned plans to discuss Starfield more explicitly during summer 2022, so the wait for new announcements seems like it's almost over. Bethesda's reputation suggests that the hype for Starfield will likely pay off, but with so many questions unanswered about the game so far, there are still a lot of ways that Starfield could surprise fans. Bethesda has a lot of expectations to live up to.
So far, Bethesda's ways of discussing Starfield have gone a long way to create an air of mystery around the game that keeps RPG fans interested. For instance, Bethesda has revealed a lot of Starfield concept art in the last year or so, giving fans tantalizing glimpses into the game's new world. While Bethesda has revealed lore for certain Starfield screenshots, others have been presented without comment, leaving fans to wait with bated breath for proper details on the game's various characters, planets, and alien creatures.
Some recent Bethesda videos have made a major impact on Starfield hype as well. Bethesda has started releasing some clips in which Todd Howard sits down with fellow Starfield developers in order to discuss the game's design philosophy, inspiration, and the importance of the video game experience. The internal enthusiasm that Howard and his peers show while waxing lyrical about Starfield serves as great motivation for fans to stay excited as well. While they generally discuss gameplay in vague terms, it also doesn't hurt that fans have learned a couple new gameplay details through these conversations, such as how Starfield borrows from Oblivion's persuasion mechanics and NPC companion concepts.
While they're certainly not sanctioned by Bethesda, Starfield leaks can't be discredited for their role in building hype for the game. Screenshots of early Starfield builds have come to light a couple different times now, and each of these leaks gives Starfield fans cause to speculate about the game's core concepts. None of these leaks have revealed major tenets of Starfield, however, instead offering only abstract looks at the game. In that way, Starfield leaks have built up a lot of hype for the game, but they've also raised plenty of new questions that the leaks simply don't answer. Fans will have to wait for proper summer 2022 reveals instead.
With all this Starfield hype in mind, there's a lot of pressure on Bethesda to deliver a summer presentation that satisfies fans. The studio needs to pull together trailers and presentations that highlight all aspects of the game that it has teased. Fans are ready for a mountain of information about Starfield's planets, factions, characters, story, combat, and much more. Bethesda has previously reaffirmed that Starfield will meet its November release date, so with that confidence in a fall release in mind, the fog of mystery around Starfield needs to clear during this summer.
The mysterious reputation that Bethesda has woven under the last few years does put a lot of pressure on Starfield to impress during summer. Starfield fans have had many years to dream about a spacebound Bethesda RPG, imagining their ideal version of the game, and now Starfield has to compete with everything that Bethesda has encouraged fans to dream about. Fans are bound to get restless or frustrated if Bethesda handles Starfield too delicately or shows off less-than-ambitious features this summer. Instead, Starfield needs bold, highly detailed reveals that show how the game has motivated Bethesda to go out of its comfort zone and try new things.
Even if Starfield is under a lot of pressure, there's still plenty of hope that it'll live up to the hype. After all, the mere premise of Starfield demands creativity and growth from Bethesda, thanks to potential mechanics like space flight, as well as the wealth of new storytelling opportunities that come with creating a new IP in a genre that Bethesda hasn't touched in years. Bethesda's history of crafting compelling RPGs means that Starfield having an enthralling presence throughout summer 2022 seems more likely than the game failing to impress.
While Bethesda says summer will be the time for Starfield reveals, there's no clearer window than that just yet. Unfortunately, E3 2022 is off the table now, meaning Microsoft and Bethesda will need to find a new venue for the game. That shouldn't be a problem in the long run, though. Whether the game finds time to appear at 2022's Summer Game Fest or whether Microsoft and Bethesda simply arrange an independent Starfield presentation, there are plenty of ways to get information about the game out into the world without E3 2022's help.
Ultimately, as long as Bethesda fulfills its promise to discuss the game in summer, the content of Starfield's upcoming reveals matters more than the exact timing. The time for mystery around Starfield is coming to an end; this summer, fans want clarity around Starfield, rather than a trickle of information leading up to the game's release. Leaving fans in doubt about the quality of Starfield's new ideas will only hurt it. Starfield has the chance to dominate the last few months of 2022 as long as Bethesda supports the game as enthusiastically as possible. If Bethesda plays its cards right and delivers plenty of reasons to get excited about Starfield, then it can multiply hype while cutting away mystery.
Starfield releases November 11, 2022 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.


text:
Tesla's newest Supercharger gives jolts to mountain-bound drivers
By Andy Giegerich
Digital Managing Editor
Tesla's Superchargers claim to provide 200 miles of driving range after 30 minutes of charge time.
Another so-called “supercharger” could help hikers and skiers more easily make their way to Central Oregon.
Tesla Motors has opened a new Supercharger Station in Detroit Lake, along Oregon 22 OR. The Detroit Lake Supercharger Station aims to help drivers get a solid charge on the road that links Salem with Bend.
The Supercharger can deliver charges, in between 20 to 30 minutes, that last for about three hours.
The Detroit Lake Superchargers are located at 210 D St., near The Cedar’s Restaurant. The six charging stalls are available all day.
Tesla had unveiled its first Oregon Supercharger last August in Woodburn. The company has 19 Superchargers nationwide.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.


text: You’ve just won an Oscar for best supporting actor, so whatcha gonna do next? Paris Fashion Week was Jared Leto‘s plan today as he joined his bromantic partner Terry Richardson at Miu Miu on the final day of shows. Miu Miu had one of the most impressive front rows of the season with Lupita Nyong’o, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Olsen, Elle Fanning, and PFW staple Rihanna catching the show. Leto was later spotted Hermès, the final show of fashion decade, eh, month. That’s a wrap for now, folks.


text:
Three-quarters of payment service providers (PSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) intend to implement open banking at some point during the next two years, according to new research.
In a survey of senior decision-makers at PSPs and ISVs, Nuapay found that more than 75% of PSPs and 80% of ISVs were already enabling their customers to accept open banking payments – an umbrella term for methods like instant payments and account-to-account (A2A) payments that involve a shopper granting access to their bank account.
Over the next five years, both PSPs and ISVs expect open banking to become one of the most popular ways that consumers pay for goods or services, Nuapay says.
On average, of the PSPs whose merchants have gone live with open banking, 28% of payment flows have already converted to open banking-based payments, compared to 20% of ISVs. A fifth of PSPs have already seen more than 41% of payment flows convert to open banking.
‘Clear appetite’ for open banking payments
Brian Hanrahan, CEO at Nuapay, says: “There’s never been a better time for PSPs and ISVs to offer account-to-account (A2A) payments and facilitate even more widespread adoption of open banking.
“It’s clear that there is appetite for open banking payments and it will likely surpass traditional payment methods. However, what is hindering the implementation of new payment technologies is the lack of customer understanding, time and cost requirements and lack of skills.”
Over the next five years, both PSPs and ISVs expect open banking to become one of the most popular ways for consumers to pay – but this will mean the industry faces an influx from other payment methods, with the volume of open banking-based payments increasing significantly. It will be the industry’s job to ensure it’s in a position to accept this level of new volume.
Indeed, 40% of the PSPs and ISVs surveyed by Nuapay say they expect to see greater demand for new payments technologies as merchants try to differentiate themselves from the competition.
Ruwani Hewa, Product and Propositions Director at Nuapay, says: “Amid ongoing economic uncertainty and the cost-of-living crisis, the majority of PSPs, ISVs and merchants recognise that enhanced payments technology can not only provide a competitive advantage but help to build loyalty and protect their bottom line. It’s important that we support them to take advantage of technology available to adhere to demands for open banking-based payments from consumers, merchants and PSPs/ISVs.”
Please also take a look at our upcoming virtual event, FinTech LIVE London, coming on 8-9 November 2023.
BizClik is a global provider of B2B digital media platforms that provides executive communities for CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, Sustainability Leaders, Procurement & Supply Chain Leaders, Technology & AI Leaders, Cyber Leaders, FinTech & InsurTech Leaders as well as covering industries such as Manufacturing, Mining, Energy, EV, Construction, Healthcare, and Food & Drink.
BizClik – based in London, Dubai, and New York – offers services such as Content Creation, Advertising & Sponsorship Solutions, Webinars & Events.
- A2A payments firm Brite Payments gets $60m in fresh backingDigital Payments
- Trustly acquires recurring payment provider SlimPay for €70mFinancial Services (FinServ)
- Top 10 open banking platform providers in fintech 2023Banking
- Is open banking a lifeline in the cost-of-living crisis?Banking


text:
The photo above depicts what is claimed to be the 2GB Elpida RAM module Apple is using in the iPad Air 2. The origin of the part in the image, which was posted to Weibo last night, is unknown, but it appears fairly similar to the 1GB Elpida RAM found in the first generation Air.
Reports suggesting that the new full-sized iPad may feature 2GB of RAM have been bouncing around since mid-August. Many pundits believe that Apple is planning to add greater functionality to its iPad line, in an effort to better differentiate its tablets from its larger smartphones.
And according to clues found hidden within developer betas of iOS 8 and 8.1, that greater functionality could come in the form of Touch ID support, higher resolution displays, and a new split-screen multitasking feature—the latter of which would really benefit from the added RAM.
Additionally, the iPad Air 2 is expected to feature a thinner casing, with recessed volume buttons and other minor tweaks, anti-reflective coating, and a new gold colorway option. It’ll also likely feature the A8 processor and M8 co-processor found in the iPhone 6, or a variation of them.
On Wednesday, Apple sent out media invitations for an October 16 event, where it will likely unveil new iPads, Macs and more.


text:
After being officially unveiled and announced months back at WWDC, Apple has finally disclosed the release date for its new iMac Pro. Tech enthusiasts can look forward to the computer arriving this week on December 14, starting at a cool $4,999 USD.
For the hefty price tag, you’ll get up to an 18-core Xeon processor, 128GB of memory and 4TB of storage. The all-new iMac Pro is then geared towards creative use, capable of editing 4K video and 3D graphics.
A number of key influencers have had their hands on the computer for a short while now, as photographer Vincent LaForet insists, “I found a very consistent set of results: a 2X to 3X boost in speed (relative to my current iMac and MacBook Pro 15”) a noticeable leap from most generational jumps that are generally ten times smaller.”
Craig A. Hunter, a mechanical/aerospace engineer, then noted, “The nearest comparable shipping 27-inch iMac I configured was $3699 but with a greatly inferior CPU and graphics chipset, four fewer cores, and other disadvantages across the board. So in that context, spending another $1300 to get into an iMac Pro is a no brainer.”
“I was able to put iMac Pro through its paces early, so I tried out my most complex Logic sessions and everything is much faster and smoother,” added record producer Greg Kurstin.
And as Apple is finally ready to hop onboard the VR train, the iMac Pro will appropriately support VR playback. “With the new Vega GPU, iMac Pro lets you do more than just immerse yourself in VR worlds,” Apple stated. “It lets you create them from scratch.”
So, who’s about to drop $5k USD on Apple’s new iMac Pro?
In other news, Apple has acquired Shazam for a reported $400 million USD.
- Source: TechCrunch
- Main / Featured Images: YouTube