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Amazon opens up Alexa chatbot tools to developers
The company also unveils new AWS functions and Redshift search capabilities
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled a host of new tools and partnerships designed to boost its enterprise offering and expand its foothold in the AI market by placing Alexa's brainpower in the hands of developers.
Amazon Lex, the AI technology that powers the Echo's Alexa smart home assistant, has been made generally available for developers wishing to build chatbot features into their own apps.
The service, which has been in preview since late 2016, will allow creators to build speech recognition functions into apps, including conversational features that are able to monitor the weather, check the latest news, order food, or get the latest marketing data for businesses in much the same way as Alexa currently works.
"Thousands of machine learning and deep learning experts across Amazon have been developing AI technologies for years, and Amazon Alexa includes some of the most sophisticated and powerful deep learning technologies in existence," said Raju Gulabani, VP of databases, analytics and AI at AWS.
"We thought customers might be excited to use the same technology that powers Alexa to build conversational apps, but we've been blown away by the customer response to our preview."
The move signals Amazon's intent to become one of the leading players in chat-based AI, having dominated the smart home assistant race with Alexa. However with estimated sales of 10 million or more, Amazon is still far behind the numbers achieved by Apple devices with the Siri AI built in.
Processing a speech request in Amazon Lex
In order to make use of the service, developers are required to provide sample phrases to indicate the actions a user might take, for example "Book a Flight", as well as the corresponding data Lex will need to source. This essentially removes the need for training and sophisticated algorithms on the developer's side, as Amazon Lex is able to do all the heavy lifting required to run and test the applications.
Once Lex has an understanding of the desired functions of a chat application, the system then builds a machine learning model that is able to manage the conversations and understand user intent. At this point the app is functional and can be published to smartphones or installed into IoT devices, with all the authentication procedures secured and managed entirely by Amazon.
Multiple pricing options are available based on the number of requests to be processed. The first year is free, in which you are able to process 10,000 text requests and 5,000 speech requests. Full pricing options are available here, with speech requests charged at $0.004 each.
Focus on the enterprise
AWS is clearly eying the enterprise as one of its largest potential customers of chat-based AI, as Lex has been built with AWS Lambda integration from the ground up. This system allows developers to run application code without the need for servers, and create apps that can retrieve data from other enterprise apps, including Salesforce and Zendesk, or AWS services including Amazon DynamoDB.
Alongside the announcement on Wednesday, Amazon revealed that HERE, a maps and location services company formerly part of Nokia, would be exclusively building its latest business extensions on AWS. The new tools will grant businesses access to real time sensor data on traffic conditions and hazards, in a bid to reduce congestion and improve safety, as well as logistical data covering infrastructure and the transportation of goods.
AWS also unveiled its new Redshift Spectrum feature that allows its customers to run SQL against their data hosted in Amazon's Simple Storage service (S3), allowing users to make use of analytical queries on data stored outside of local disks. Given the price drop of storing data, many customers have turned to hosting data inside S3 data lakes, according to Amazon, including unstructured data that is unlikely to make it to a data warehouse. The new tools promise to make it easier for customers to run Redshift SQL queries, regardless of where their data is stored.
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University of Limerick spinout firm Powervation has raised an additional US$10m in venture capital to develop power cooling chips for the comms business. Antoin Russell is chief executive
How much venture capital has Powervation raised at this stage?
We’ve raised US$20m in funding from an A-list of venture capital firms such as Intel Capital, the Venture Tech Alliance, 4th Level Ventures and Europe’s largest semiconductor venture fund, SEP.
What are the company’s origins and can you describe the market you are targeting?
The company was formed in 2006 and grew out of the Circuits and Systems Research Centre at the University of Limerick and benefited from the Enterprise Ireland-backed Power Electronics Industry Group.
We are a fab-less chip maker in that we don’t fabricate our own chips but outsource that to manufacturers elsewhere. We concentrate on the design and integration of these chips into future communications and networking platforms to help these systems to increase their energy efficiency by up to 30pc.
We are fortunate in that today broadband has an infinite future and with services like YouTube and Facebook increasing pressure on systems, there is a need for technologies to help communications equipment manufacturers make eco-friendly products.
We have signed deals with three of the world’s top communications equipment manufacturers and we’re due to go into production shortly.
Ireland needs to create indigenous companies of scale. Do you think this is realistic?
Absolutely, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to build indigenous companies that create well-paying jobs. We employ 35 people worldwide, with 25 in Limerick and the remainder in Cork, California and China.
It will take us another year or two to scale up the business but it would not be inconceivable that we would have 150 people in about two or three years.
Is there a disconnect between the academic world and the business of getting companies up and running?
The problem with the science infrastructure in Ireland is that research outputs are just published by the PhDs; there doesn’t appear to be any goal to demonstrate the product in real application.
There’s an obvious gap in funding, knowledge and skillsets to drive technology or science from research to a real commercial environment.
That gap could typically be a vital two-year period between where founders invest in the company themselves and access venture capital or their first commercial win.
Are we in danger of missing opportunities in a world where speed to market is critical?
There is no doubt in my mind that serious opportunities are falling through the cracks. In Powervation’s case, it was down to the commitment of the individuals and founders.
It was a collection of individuals in the research community in Limerick who were able to work together and blend their creation into something that was truly unique.
That research goes back seven years, so there’s no such thing as an overnight success.
What does the future hold for Powervation?
The applications for Powervation’s technology are very broad. We are very fortunate in the fact that broadband isn’t going to go away and the appetite for bandwidth and interconnectivity, thanks to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, is going up.
There will be a growing need to improve the energy efficiency of the systems they run on.
Pictured: Antoin Russell, chief executive, Powervation

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Navigating his transition into the role of CEO at a critical time – just as Monaco Telecom acquired Vodafone Malta and the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020 – Támas Bányai was dealt what he terms ‘a triple change’ situation. But, together with his team, his focus has remained unwavering: leading a telecommunications operator that can deliver great quality and service, together with great value.
Today, Tamas Banyai describes his role at Epic as “mainly to drive and support the team to deliver on our mission, and helping people and businesses unlock their full potential through our telecommunications services,” and his journey to get here has been an interesting, albeit not straightforward, one.
After studying various subjects at university, including mathematics, English literature and philosophy, Tamas embarked on his first pivot: entering the world of retail banking in Budapest. Moving through the ranks, he was appointed Branch Manager before making his next major move, and joining the telecommunications sector when Vodafone launched its service in Hungary in 1999. “I started on the frontline, working in customer-facing roles and going on to work in various marketing and sales roles, until I moved to Malta seven years ago,” he recalls of those early years.
Here, he was responsible for marketing activities and customer operations within the consumer business unit. He took care of product development, brand communications and serving customers, before eventually securing the CEO role when Monaco Telecom acquired the business at the end of March 2020.
“The takeover with Monaco Telecom brought about a very new culture and re-energised the business, along with new challenges for me,” Tamas maintains, describing the integration of the Monaco Telecom team in March and the rebranding in November 2020 as landmarks that reflect a new vision, and focused on Malta’s need for an operator that could deliver great quality and service, together with great value.
Outlining Epic’s commitment to that vision, the CEO explains that “during the first year and beyond, everything we’ve done has been in service of this. We’ve launched new value propositions and expanded our roaming footprint; we’ve started to build our own fibre infrastructure and are now providing the fastest internet – in Mosta – at 2,000 megabits per second; we started rolling out a brand new mobile network and have upgraded a number of services. So, our vision is really to build a better future and help people and businesses unlock their potential.”
Looking back on his experience within the local telecommunications sector so far, Tamas says that much has changed in the seven years he’s been in Malta, with digital acceleration really skyrocketing in the past couple of years. “Data usage has increased, and people are living their lives, using services, working and studying in very different ways – and we need to adapt to this,” he maintains, adding that “as an industry, we have to have a robust infrastructure and understand our customers’ changing needs. We need to keep up, stretch ourselves and keep investing, bringing better products to market, and staying close to customers, so we not only cater for the present but also foresee what is coming in the future.”
Drawing on the company’s global expertise and how this is brought to bear on the Maltese market, the CEO highlights the benefits of forming part of a strong international network. “Through Monaco Telecom, we are not only linked with Monaco and Cyprus as a Mediterranean triangle, but we’ve got presence through our shareholders in Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, France, and other countries outside of Europe,” he explains, describing this as a unique and closely cooperative model that focuses not on creating recipes for the market so as to drive it in any one direction, but rather on always being focused on what the local market needs.
“This way, we can create products in a more innovative and efficient way. For example, the new Epic fibre box, which is providing 2,000-megabit internet speed, is a joint product that we are using in multiple markets, creating best-in- class technology coupled with an environmentally friendly design. These are the types of products that we can create in an international Group that collaborates so closely,” Tamas says.
Shifting focus to the pandemic, the onset of which coincided with his appointment as CEO, Tamas reveals that it affected the business in multiple ways, chiefly by proving its resilience. “The fact that everyone realised how critical the telecommunications infrastructure really is exposed the responsibility of our teams, and I’m really proud of how they handled it, while of course going through the same experience as everyone else on a personal level. That was our number one priority: to keep our people safe and to maintain the operation of the network,” he explains.
Meanwhile, Tamas continues, “with people travelling less, it did put our revenues under pressure. International roaming has decreased and that has impacted the revenues of telecommunications operators.”
Yet, perhaps, most impactful was the fact that the pandemic pushed people to use their services differently – both at home and on their mobiles. “There are new use cases both in voice and in data, therefore people’s needs for connectivity have increased and have become more demanding. Because of this, we have needed to invest more in our network, train our people better and employ new customer service processes – upping our game both in terms of infrastructure and customer service so as to keep up with the increased demand from consumers and businesses,” he reveals.
And, at a time of much change for the company, factoring in the new shareholders and dealing with the pandemic, Tamas also needed to navigate a personal change – his transition into the role of CEO. “It was a triple change, but I’m lucky to be surrounded by great people who I had known and worked with, so there was already trust there. For me personally, building on transparency is one of my core values and, even if it was challenging, this made it easier, all things considered. One of the lessons that we all learned is how important it is to stay in close contact and tighten communication lines so we can go through whatever we have to go through.”
Another way in which Tamas actively worked on bringing people together and combating the effects of COVID-19 was by setting up Charity Run Malta in 2021. Outside of work, the CEO is an avid runner, and the virtual run brings together hundreds of athletes for a good cause.
Delving into this project and the aims behind it, he explains, “it’s a digital project that encourages people to complete sporting challenges in real life – through these challenges, people can get motivated, form part of a team and even receive a medal at the end. It’s also an opportunity to contribute to a different cause each time they complete the challenge and, so far, more than 400 people in Malta have participated, overall contributing more than €4,000 to two charity partners,” Tamas smiles, hinting at more projects coming up in the next year.
As for prospects created for the business as a result of the pandemic, the CEO believes that opportunities have really arisen from our different ways of living and of consuming telecommunications services. “The fact that businesses have become more digital means that they need different services, so we have to understand how they are shifting and changing in serving their own customers or meeting their own business purposes. And that has brought about more complex strategies on how we can support businesses going through this transformation,” he says, describing it as a challenge and opportunity rolled into one.
Against this backdrop, the team at Epic, the CEO maintains, is now on a journey to take the business to the next level and raise the bar. “Our customers’ expectations are really high, and our plan is to keep delivering. In 2022, we will focus on the continued rollout of the brand-new mobile network with the fastest 5G speeds, which we launched in late 2021. We will continue to invest in our fixed fibre internet service and to expand the footprint, also giving people gigabit speeds at affordable rates. Our mission will continue to bring together great technology and great service, and make it affordable to everyone.
“After 2020 brought about the surprises of the pandemic, 2021 was more of a consolidation year – in that it was the first year of adaptation to a new situation. In the second year of the new business, the brand is stronger and people know what to expect from us,” Tamas continues, looking ahead. “We are still bringing about change and challenging the market to move towards more customer-oriented propositions and better technology, and that’s where I see Epic’s role moving forward.”
This article is part of the serialisation of 50 interviews featured in MaltaCEOs 2022 – an annual high-end publication bringing together some of the country’s most influential business leaders.
MaltaCEOs 2022 serialisation: For seven years, WES Trade has helped an expansive range of clients internationalise their products and services.
MaltaCEOs 2022 serialisation: Unsurprisingly, given his technical background, Joseph’s approach is very hands-on.
MaltaCEOs 2022 serialisation: CEO Paul Magro counts building successful teams and opening an office in London among his achievement.
MaltaCEOs 2022 serialisation: CEO David Magro is keenly aware of the responsibility his position carries.


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Calgary’s Online Marketing launches service in Calgary
Calgary’s online marketing has launched a new website dedicated helping local businesses get found online.
Calgary, Alberta (Apil 9, 2012) -- Too many local Calgary companies are still relying on old school marketing methods such as the Yellow Pages or flyers in the mail, or some are not advertising at all. Norm Paradis, the owner of Calgary’s online marketing says that these businesses don’t even realize that they are letting their competitors get all the new customers. He stresses that with the right online marketing strategy any business can significantly increase their business and make more money.
So how does Paradis help local Calgary businesses be found on the internet? Well he says, you have to start with an overall strategy that lays out what you are going to do. It all depends on the person’s budget, but he says that the ideal campaign would start with a good simple website that gives a potential customer exactly what they are looking for. This includes a mobile optimized version of the website that only has the necessary information such as phone number, address with a map listing, and maybe a description of services and a few reviews. That is it. Anything else is overkill for a mobile website. Paradis insists that more and more people are using their smart phones to search online for services and products from local businesses.
Next, those websites have to be found by the search engines or else no one will ever see them. This is where Pay per Click may be an option as it is something that can be implemented virtually overnight and the client can be at the top of Google and getting some business right away. PPC as it is otherwise known can get expensive though, so Paradis would also recommend a long term strategy of getting to the top of the free Google results which also includes a Google Places listing. This is called search engine optimization or SEO. This is much more difficult to achieve and usually takes a lot more time to get the desired results of a first page Google placement. It all depends on the competition. Paradis says some businesses could be on the first page in a month, while others could take up to four or five months.
Increasingly, social networks are becoming a critical part of the SEO strategy, so clients must have a Facebook business page, a twitter page, and a Google plus page. In addition they must have customers that visit their website click like or tweet, or Google plus their page as an indication that they liked what they found and would like to share it with their friends. Google and the other search engines see this as a vote of confidence and will give the website a higher ranking because of it.
Paradis recommends visiting his website at CalgarysOnlineMarketing.ca for a detailed explanation
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VAN NUYS, Calif., May 10, 2022 — Eco Innovation Group, Inc. (ECOX) an innovative company developing green energy solutions, announces that ECOX Spruce Construction, Eco Innovation Group’s California-based green construction subsidiary, has been issued an official General Contractor’s License by the State of California (License no. 1091210).
The RE100 (www.there100.org) is a group of more than 360 companies worth more than $2.75 trillion in revenues that have pledged to fully transition to renewable energy. Starbucks is one of many participants in the group that has already achieved this milestone, along with Microsoft, Clif Bar & Company, and SAP.
Otey-Raudes continued, “We believe the trend toward green construction is only in its very early innings and has the potential to become one of the most powerful growth opportunities over coming years for the application of new capital and resources. Now that we have our GC License in California, we can aggressively attack this market opportunity with the objective of becoming one of its true leaders in the decade ahead.”
ECOX Spruce Construction, Inc., was founded as a California corporation in January 2022. It is ECOX’s second green construction subsidiary, following the 2021 establishment of the Company’s Canadian construction company, Spruce Engineering and Construction of Alberta.
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4 Hemp Club was Inspired by Steven Smith’s vision to “Have an older generation 4H Club, where an older community of adults could carry on what the younger 4H Club envisioned. Our 4H Platform Uses HEMP as an Agricultural Focal Point, deserving of research, development and with the 4 Hemp key points being Health Hope and Happiness, thru Hemp”. Cannabis CBD and Me
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I’ve chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Every little bit will help me reach my goal. I’ve included information about Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation, Help Fight RA below.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation, Help Fight RA is dedicated to helping those that have RA and cannot afford treatment, a doctor and medication.
Our mission is guided by a relentless focus to Help Fight RA. We strive to bring inspiration, sustainability and motivation to those who suffers with Rheumatoid Arthritis. We promote healthy lifestyle to patients with RA through education, research and support. We are committed to maintaining respect and integrity in all aspects of our mission.
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Los Angeles, California May 3, 2022, Cannabis Global, Inc. (CBGL), Cannabis Global, Inc., a licensed Los Angeles-based manufacturer and distributor in the cannabis sector, today announced an important supply agreement to solidify the Company’s position in the solventless cannabis product sector.
Under the terms of an agreement, Sugarmade, Inc. (SGMD) will cultivate cannabis specifically for Cannabis Global. The initial contract calls for the supply of 25,000 pounds of “Fresh Frozen” cannabis, which will be cultivated specifically to Cannabis Global’s specifications.
Mr. Tabatabaei continued, “We plan to process a significant amount of this material at our Lynwood California location. In addition, we will enter the wholesale space to supply up to 10 separate strains of Fresh Frozen Cannabis to other solventless manufacturers in the Los Angeles area. With the market for solventless products growing rapidly, we believe this agreement will be an important component of our future success.“
Cannabis Global plans to launch its premium rosin line under the Wolfgang Wax brand name by way of its recent acquisition of the Caliwanna, LLC brands. In addition, Cannabis Global will utilize the rosin concentrates produced from the biomass to enhance its rosin preroll and edible lines, and in the future for inclusion in cannabis beverages and tinctures, we are currently in development.
Well, it is the crop of the future (and the past), it will soon be in high demand and it has the potential to be an economic genie in a bottle. Hemp takes half the water that wheat does, and provides four times the income. Hemp is giving farming families in the climate change era.—
Twenty-three states have now enacted pro-industrial hemp legislation (Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie signed the latest bill this past week), making the cousin crop to marijuana a national phenomenon. Since the beginning of the year, more than 70 bills related to hemp have been introduced in more than half of the country’s states. Passage of the recent Farm Bill, which legalized the crop for research purposes, further cleared the way for industrial hemp production.
Hemp, which is the same species as marijuana (Cannabis sativa) but contains little to no THC, was grown widely in America before anti-drug sentiment helped make it unpopular in the 1950s. Today, however, the nation’s turning tide on marijuana means its “sober cousin“ is also making a comeback.
So what’s with America’s new obsession with hemp? Below, 9 reasons this wonder crop is sweeping the nation, almost all of which are rooted in the crop’s sustainable and environmentally-friendly characteristics:
1. It’s a farmer’s best friend
Not only does hemp grow in a variety of climates and soil types, it also grows very tightly spaced (decreasing land use) and has a fast growing rate (which leads to high yields). Farmers in Canada are reportedly making $300-per-acre profits from growing hemp. Moreover, because the crop improves soil health (see below), farmers can grow food crops immediately after a hemp harvest without a fallow period.
2. It’s an environmentalist’s best friend
Ever wonder where the nickname “weed” comes from? The hemp plant grows like one, obviating the need for most pesticides (it is naturally resistant to most pests), herbicides, fungicides and thriving on less water than most crops. Because of its resiliency, it has also been flagged as a natural way to clean up soil pollution. Using a process called phyto-remediation, hemp was used at Chernobyl to harmlessly extract toxins and pollutants from the soil and groundwater. Hemp actually absorbs CO2 while it grows through natural photosynthesis, making it carbon-negative from the get-go.
4. It’s a “superfood”
Hemp seeds are used in a variety of health foods, including hemp seed butters, hemp seed energy bars, hemp oil and even hemp seed milks. The seeds have a nutty flavor and are regarded as a superfood since they are high in omega-3 fatty acids and complete protein.
5. It could save the trees
Hemp pulp has been used to create paper for at least 2,000 years, including a draft of the Declaration of Independence, but it is currently significantly pricier to process than wood pulp. If processing costs come down, however, hemp pulp could conceivably replace wood pulp, creating a more durable, sustainable and recyclable paper. Moreover, hemp’s low lignin content and naturally light color mean that fewer chemicals and less bleach would be needed to pulp and color hemp paper.
6. It can be made into bio-fuel
A 2009 study from the University of Connecticut’s Biofuel Consortium found that hemp seed oil made a “viable and even attractive“ feedstock for producing biodiesel. Hemp biodiesel proved to be high efficiency (97 percent of the hemp oil was converted to biodiesel) and could even be used at lower temperatures than other biodiesels.
7. We can make carbon-neutral buildings with it
Lovingly called “hempcrete,” hemp fiber can be mixed with lime to create carbon-neutral building supplies, including insulation, pressboard, flooring and wall construction. Hempcrete is energy-efficient, non-toxic and resistant to mold, insects and fire. Moreover, it is easier to work with than concrete and just as strong.
9. It could make America a lot of money
Currently, America imports most of its hemp seed and hemp oil from China and Canada. In 2011, the U.S. imported $11.5 million worth of hemp products, up from $1.4 million in 2000. With the laws against industrial hemp changing, however, the U.S. has a chance to create domestic jobs and capitalize on the growing market. Some estimates value the U.S. industrial hemp market at $500 million per year; Canada’s hemp industry is reportedly going to break a billion dollars this year in earnings.
Congressional Democrats Elevate Marijuana Equity Issues At Retreat Panel Focused On Legalization
Democratic congressional lawmakers convened for a policy retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday that featured a panel on advancing marijuana reform with a focus on promoting equity.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) moderated the cannabis panel, which largely centered on the need to ensure that those most impacted by prohibition can benefit from federal legalization. The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), was specifically discussed as advocates push for a floor vote on the proposal this month.
A Democratic congressional staffer familiar with the panel told that “the congresswoman’s feeling is still that racial justice and restorative justice needs to be at the centerpiece of any cannabis legislation that we put forward,” referring to Lee.
Notably, the event took place the day after the Democratic-controlled House approved a large-scale spending bill that continues a long-standing appropriations rider blocking Washington, D.C. from allowing cannabis commerce despite local voters’ approval of legalization at the ballot in 2014.
Despite that legislative setback for reform, sources emphasized that the panel discussion at the retreat focused on ensuring that equity is a focal point of any broader legalization legislation that advances on Capitol Hill.
Supernova Women Executive Director Amber Senter, who is a constituent of Lee’s and participated on the panel, told Marijuana Moment that there was extensive discussion about equity programs and clearing up misconceptions about who would qualify for equity benefits under proposed legalization legislation.
“I’m an operator and owner of a cannabis business in Oakland. And I wanted the lawmakers to understand the difference between social equity and black business,” she said, “because a lot of the lawmakers believe that they’re all the same—that if you’re a black person, you qualify for social equity, and that’s simply not true.”
“They were shocked. They were very intrigued, very engaged and want to follow up to learn how to protect black business,” Senter said.
Attendees seemed “very willing and open to learning more information about what’s happening from the operators’ perspective,” she said. “That was very encouraging. Lots of times in these types of settings, it’s policymakers that are speaking to the legislators, and they rarely get to hear from the operators on the ground who are affected by all these policies.”
Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) Executive Director Amber Littlejohn, who also participated in the session, told Marijuana Moment that “it is encouraging to see House Democrats continue to consider this issue—important enough to dedicate this type of time and thought to it” at the retreat.
“It’s particularly encouraging that the panelists that there were folks that are really centered on equity and ensuring that, as we legalize, it will be rooted in equity,” she said.
That point was echoed by Maritza Perez, another were panelist who serves as director of the office of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance. She told Marijuana Moment that the MORE Act “continues to be the most far-reaching bill that addresses social equity in marijuana in Congress.”
Also speaking on the panel was the Brookings Institution’s John Hudak.
This isn’t the first time that congressional Democrats have put marijuana reform on the agenda for similar closed-door retreats. In 2019, Lee and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)—who are both co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus—also moderated a panel raising the issue to colleagues.
The agenda for that event touched on everything from the consequences of cannabis criminalization to frameworks that states have established as they’ve moved to enact legalization.
While it remains to be seen whether House leadership will put the MORE Act back on the floor this month, as advocates are pushing for, the bill did clear the Judiciary Committee in September. It passed the full chamber last session in a historic vote in 2020.
Ahead of Thursday’s Democratic caucus retreat, a GOP congressman, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), made a dismissive comment about the opposite party’s legislative priorities.
As questions were being raised about the timeline for the Democratic retreat amid negotiations over omnibus legislation, he made a sarcastic comment on Twitter: “Oh no! Will this delay the drag show or the discussion on racial equity in the cannabis industry?”
Las Vegas, NV, March 15, 2022 Better clothing, better food, better gadgets. .is there anything hemp can’t do?
Today, the benefits of hemp-based batteries and how a group of American and Canadian researchers used hemp bast fiber (the inner bark of the plant that usually ends up in landfill) to develop a battery that has been used in cars and power tools.
According to Return to Now, the researchers “cooked the woody pulp and processed them into carbon nanosheets, which they used to build supercapacitors on a par with or better than graphene which is the industry gold standard.”


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Maltese Firm Plans Limited Production Luxury Electric Car
Silex Power, a small firm from the island nation of Malta, has cooked up a rather unique upper-market electric vehicle concept which, if it actually hits production in 2015, could rival the likes of Tesla Motors for performance and range.
Dubbed the Chreos, a limited run of 300 models are planned according to Technologic Vehicles, so one can expect this car to be rather expensive.
Figures on the Chreos, as far as Silex spins them anyhow [PDF], are very impressive. Driven by four electric motors, one in each wheel, the car is capable of 640bhp of power and 4400Nm of torque.
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A grant of €4,000 will be given to persons registering an electric car and €1,500 to those registering an electric quadricyle.
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Microsoft loses last appeal in i4i patent case
Microsoft on Thursday lost its final appeal in i4i's patent lawsuit against it over patents. The US Supreme Court upheld the verdict that Microsoft had copied i4i technology for XML code in Office and owed about $290 million. Microsoft said the ruling was "not what we had hoped for" but instead reinterpreted the loss as a proof of its call for patent defense improvement.
Supreme Court hearing tech patent validity case
The US Supreme Court at a session on Monday will hear Microsoft call to change patent law in a way that could help both the Windows developer and many other technology firms fend off patent troll lawsuits. The motion will attempt to change a rule that requires a defending company provide absolute, definitive evidence that a patent is invalid in order to avoid a guilty verdict. Under Microsoft's proposal, courts could invalidate patents only by requiring that the majority of evidence supports rejecting the patent.
Solicitor General files amicus brief
Although the Supreme Court has yet to hear formal arguments in the patent infringement dispute between Microsoft and Canadian developer i4i, the government appears to be supporting earlier rulings against the Redmond-based software giant. Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal has filed an amicus brief that backs the lower court's decision.
Microsoft granted appeal in $290m i4i patent case
The Supreme Court may hear an appeal by Microsoft in its long-running patent dispute with Canadian software company i4i. According to a Monday report, the software giant may not have to pay the $290 million it was ordered to do so earlier in the year. Back in April, an appeal was ruled out. The case dates back to 2007.
Wi-LAN still trying to use lawsuits as business
Wi-LAN on Thursday continued its practices of using lawsuits in place of business by filing a new complaint against a large portion of the technology industry. The suit alleges that major electronics manufacturers, including Acer, Apple, Dell, LG, Sony, Toshiba and 12 other distinct companies, are violating a patent relating to Bluetooth use. Their cellphones, computers and network devices all copy the technology, the Canadian-based accuser said.
MS may be forced to pay i4i after failed appeal
Microsoft in a US federal court today was denied an appeal against the $290 million verdict against it following i4i's patent lawsuit. The decision forces Microsoft to either pay the promised damages or else take its case to the Supreme Court. Representatives haven't said if the company plans to follow this route.
MS told Win 7, Win Server 2008 also infringing
Microsoft suffered its second legal setback in as many days on Friday with word of a second patent lawsuit from VirnetX. The accuser hopes to expand on the $105.8 million fine against Microsoft by claiming that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 also infringe on the same patents for VPN networking that were the subject of the prior lawsuit. VirnetX didn't specify what it hoped for in damages but characterized the second complaint as plugging a gap that would otherwise exempt newer versions of Windows.
VirnetX wins claim against Microsoft suit
Microsoft has suffered its second legal blow this year with a loss in a patent infringement lawsuit. Judge Leonard Davis ordered the Windows developer to pay $105.8 million for allegedly violating two VirnetX patents for VPN networks, including "transparently" creating a computer-to-computer connection and using a secure DNS server to create a link. The technology had supposedly been used in platforms from Windows XP through to Vista as well as Office and services like Windows Messenger.
Microsoft found to have willfully infringed patent
The Federal Court of Appeals has upheld a jury verdict against Microsoft in the patent infringement case filed by i4i, according to The Inquirer. Despite Microsoft's confidence that it would win the appeal, judges reaffirmed the earlier decision.
Follows patch for Windows systems
Word for the Mac will soon be patched in order to comply with a recent court ruling, says Microsoft. In an unusual turn the update will actually remove functionality, specifically some custom XML support. "While Office for Mac products were not accused of infringement, we are changing the product to allay any potential concerns about compliance with the [court] injunction," explains Microsoft spokesman Kevin Kutz.
MS requires new Office fix to obey ruling
Microsoft has acted quickly on its promise to keep Office on shelves by pushing an Office update to computer builders. The supplement, intended for an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) version of Office 2007 from October, removes the support for reading custom-generated XML within DOCX, DOCM and pure XML files. It should continue to open files with the code inside but will no longer show the code to comply with patent infringement claims.
MS must pay i4i and take Office off shelves
Microsoft on Tuesday lost its appeal against a $290 million infringement verdict that threatens to remove Word and the Office suite from the market. The US Court of Appeals has upheld a verdict that claims XML code in Word 2003 and 2007 violates patents developed by Toronto, Canada-based i4i for XML plugins. It also removes a temporary stay and would ban all sales of infringing copies of Word as of January 11th unless changes are made by Microsoft.
Microsoft, i4i appeal heard, both confident
Microsoft and i4i are once again squaring off in court in their ongoing legal battle over a patent regarding custom XML used in Microsoft Word is continuing, with both sides confident of their eventual victory. At a recent appeal, i4i made a statement that said Microsoft used the same arguments it has made unsuccessfully at the original trial.
Court says MS can sell Word until appeal is done
The US federal Court of Appeals today granted Microsoft a temporary stay on an injunction that would have banned sales of Word until the conclusion of an appeal against the successful lawsuit filed by Canadian firm i4i. Originally, the developer would have had to stop sales on October 10th and would have forced Microsoft to shut down sales of virtually all copies of Office unless it could plead its case.
Dell, HP join Word fight
PC makers Dell and HP have joined Microsoft in its fight against i4i, a Canadian software developer that was responsible for an injunction of sales of the Microsoft Word. Dell and HP are among Microsoft's biggest customers, and are helping Microsoft to overturn the injunction in front of an Eastern District Court of Texas judge. In a brief that was joined by HP, Dell asked the judge to reconsider its order or at least delay the injunction by 120 days. The injunction is scheduled to take place in mid-October.
Microsoft loses $200M case
A Texas federal jury has ordered Microsoft Corp to pay out $200 million in damages to Toronto-based software maker i4i Limited for allegedly infringing a patent, the software giant announced on Wednesday. Microsoft, which is regularly at the receiving end of such lawsuits, went on to say it is planning on appealing the verdict, as it believes the award is unsupported by the evidence.


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León, 28 of January of 2016.
Virtual Reality is an immersive experience that takes the person that experiences it to a world that we can design and build at our discretion. It’s a change on the way we consume and generate information.
Making the most of the biggest Agricultural Machinery Expo in Spain, FIMA, we want to showcase all the advantages that this technology can bring in the agricultural and livestock sector.
Virtual Reality will be even more real this year. Multinational companies like Google, Facebook or Samsung are already manufacturing devices to make it more accessible to the people. This technique is not just a gaming platform anymore, it is now a tool to generate live content. Analysts expect big changes in this sector for this year 2016.
AGRONET Group with their ever evolving spirit, will also present on FIMA the complete redesign of their web platform for new agricultural machinery www.agromaquinaria.es.
“Times in agriculture change and so do we” said Juan Bautista Gonzalez Marcos, CEO of AGRONET.
The main characteristics of the new platform are a complete adaptation to mobile devices, a better presentation for the products on the website and an easier access for users of the website. A new feature is the NOVELTIES section of the website, a new way of checking out the latest products on the agricultural sector.
And that is connected to the virtual reality presentation in the AGRONET Group exhibition stand, where farmers will be able to experience the feeling of driving their favourite tractor, inside the cabin.
Virtual reality is already the present, the big corporations are already exploring this world and offering the users and potential clients new and attractive sensations.
DO YOU DARE TO TRY IT OUT?
AGRONET Group invites you from the 16th to the 20th of February of 2016 to this unieque experience on their exhibition stand
PABELLÓN 4 – CALLE A – STAND 37 WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU!


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If you’re in the market for a new tablet, Samsung has recently announced the Galaxy Tab 2, which based on its name, will be the successor to the South Korean company’s original 7” Galaxy Tab Android device. However unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab 2 will be seeing quite a few upgrades and will be seeing a launch in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark next month, although no word on when the rest of the world will be able to get their hands on it.
As far as its hardware is concerned, the Galaxy Tab 2 will feature a 7” display (much like its predecessor), a dual-core 1GHz processor with 1GB of RAM under its hood, a 3MP rear-facing camera, a VGA front-facing camera, a 4,000mAh battery and will come in either 16GB of 32GB storage size options. The good news is that the Galaxy Tab 2 will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich preloaded along with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top. Anyone else looking forward to it?


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|Last 7 Days News :
Friday, February 14, 2014
PS4 Tops U.S. Video Game Console Sales In January
Sony seems to have managed to take the lead from Microsoft in US next-generation console sales. The NPD has just released estimates which show that the PlayStation 4 outsold the Xbox One during January.
People spent $241 million on video game hardware, predominately consoles, in January compared to $205 million in the same month a year earlier, according to industry tracker NPD Group.
Sony's PS4 led overall hardware sales, followed by Microsoft new-generation Xbox One consoles, NPD reported.
PS4 sales were nearly double that of Xbox One in the month, Sony said citing the NPD report.
Membership in the PlayStation Plus subscription service has nearly doubled since the PS4 launched in November, according to Sony.
Meanwhile, video game software sales sank about 40% in November to $224 million, down from $373 million in January of 2013.
The decline was due to a big drop in the number of new titles released for play, said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
Activision?s "Call of Duty: Ghosts" was the best selling game on a "top 10" list that included "Assassin?s Creed IV: Black Flag".


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There is a strong demand in Africa for quality, world-class private healthcare, especially from the emerging middle-class, foreign investors, government and health insurers.
So says Peter Botha, chief executive of African Medical Investments, in a new report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Janssen, titled “The future of healthcare in Africa”.
London-listed African Medical Investments currently operates private hospitals in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania, while it is looking to grow its footprint into Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda.
Botha says that the private sector experiences many of the same human resource constraints as the public sector. According to the report, African Medical Investments faces challenges in attracting more specialists to increase the range of services in its hospitals. “To get a good cardiologist, neurosurgeon or orthopaedist doing joint replacements is extremely difficult. You have to cater to what the market is allowing you to do because of the supply of skills. Our main challenge is to entice a specialist to come to Africa,” he says.
Not all private healthcare companies are concentrating on the high-end of the market. Liza Kimbo, a Kenyan entrepreneur and chief executive of Carego Livewell, is targeting the “middle 60% of the population that can afford to pay something”.
In less than three years, Kimbo opened five clinics in and around Nairobi. The organisation’s typical patients include low-income day labourers who cannot afford to lose wages by waiting in the lines at crowded public hospitals.
“A growing urban middle-class is willing to pay for better treatment. This has opened the door to the private sector, which is starting to play a new role, often working in partnership with donors and government to provide better healthcare facilities and increased access to medicine at an affordable price,” says the report.
However, some stakeholders are more sceptical about the role of the private sector in healthcare. “The government should still provide a basic, but essential, level of healthcare for free, and not just preventative but also curative. The private sector should be filling the gaps,” says Unni Karunakara, international president of Médecins Sans Frontières.
Opportunities for local manufacturing
The report also identifies an opportunity for companies to boost local drug and healthcare product manufacturing on the continent. “With a few notable exceptions, such as South Africa’s Aspen, a manufacturer and supplier of branded generic medicines, there is little domestic pharmaceutical production on the continent, leaving many countries dependent on imports from Indian and Chinese generics companies.”
Emmanuel Mujuru, acting chairman of the Southern African Generic Medicines Association, says the drugs that are manufactured on the continent, are generally simple medicines such as painkillers. “The active pharmaceutical ingredients [for newer, more specialist drugs] aren’t available.”
According to the report, donor funding can be partly blamed for unstable pharmaceutical markets in Africa that in turn discourage local manufacturing. “Donations in some African countries have had a negative effect, shutting out the local industry,” explains Mujuru, noting that Zimbabwe had experienced this challenge first-hand. He gave one example in which a local manufacturing company for mosquito nets treated with anti-malarial solutions was pushed out of business because of large donations of nets from a multilateral agency that sourced its products from outside the country.


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Apple’s Connected TV Rumors Aren’t Going Away, Analyst Hints At November 2013 Release
The talk of Apple delving further into the television market is something the blogosphere cannot seem to shake off. Analysts continue to reignite the fire, and although nobody seems sure enough to offer any specifics on the venture, it is widely presumed to be happening in the near future. Much like the iPad mini prior to a couple of months ago, not everybody is convinced this is something Apple will be doing just get, but undeterred, Apple analyst Gene Munster has once again delivered his projections on how many of the mysterious device he forecasts the Cupertino as selling.
When we’re talking about the future of Apple TV, we’re referring to a connected TV effort, as opposed to the little black box currently on sale. If you can imagine an ordinary HDTV with an Apple logo on it somewhere, that’s the kind of thing analysts expect to see from Apple very soon. The most iconic and reliable publications, including Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal have all suggested Apple will be taking its TV push to the next level, and with Peter Misek of Jefferies estimating 4.9 million units sold in CY13, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster has once again waded into the open conversation.
Munster seems to have talked about little else over the past year or so, thus it’s no surprise to see him chiming in to the argument once again. He envisages an all-singing, all-dancing HDTV, and reiterated this once again in note to clients yesterday. According to a report over at BusinessInsider, it will be ready in time for the holiday season of next year, and although no specifics on display size have been revealed, ballpark figures thrown up by Munster suggest the range will be between 42-inches and 55-inches.
In terms of prices, Munster predicts $1,500 and $2,000, which although a great deal pricier than other HD panels on the market, is surprisingly cheaper than some would presume – particularly given the cost of a Thunderbolt display.
It would certainly be intriguing to see Apple make a proper attempt to tap into the lucrative TV market, and as a fan of the current Apple TV, I cannot wait to see what the fruit company has up its sleeve.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.


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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6
Date/Time: April 29, 2021 (1-2PM ET / 10-11AM PT) Amazon has been investing in sustainability for many years. Back in 2014, Amazon started making
March 31, 2021 by Taylor Flores
Insights from the real world: How businesses are tackling climate change and what they’ve learned along the way. Better and more sustainable energy
June 30, 2020 by NRG Energy
Join us and discover the findings of research conducted by NRG Energy and GreenBiz Group, examining key plans and actions businesses are taking to address
June 15, 2020 by Taylor Flores
The company's new carbon-intelligent software can switch loads between its data centers depending on the availability of clean power.
April 24, 2020 by Sarah Golden
As more companies commit to reduce their climate impacts, they must deliver on their promises to numerous stakeholders. Tech is a tool to help them.
November 4, 2019 by Tom Murray
This week on the GreenBiz 350 podcast: A tech giant talks bridging clean energy and Big Data, virtual reality meets sustainability and coal's latest bankruptcy.
April 15, 2016 by Lauren Hepler


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Bauma CTT Russia 2019: Registration is open
The next edition of Bauma CTT Russia is visible on the horizon. From June 4 to 7, 2019, the global construction equipment and technology industry will get together again in Moscow. The annual trade show is one of the most relevant industry hub in Russia. In 2018, around 590 exhibiting companies from 26 countries presented their products and innovations to 22,681 visitors. The event not only focuses on Russia but also on the national markets of the entire Eastern European region.
Demonstration area for mobile construction machines
At the exhibition center Crocus Expo IEC, both exhibitors and visitors will enjoy more than “only” booths. Suppliers of mobile construction equipment will give a live demonstration of their products. Just as for this service’s premiere at Bauma CTT Russia 2018, this year’s edition will feature a 3,000 m² outdoor demo area.
Every day with a different product focus
Road construction, construction vehicles, lifting gear, mining, each of the four show days is dedicated to one of these market segments to structure the construction machinery industry’s wide range of topics. Generally, the Russian construction industry is optimistic. The high economic expectations are based on the country’s planned infrastructure expansion worth billions. This also includes highways, airports, metro lines and high-speed rail routes.
B2B meetings as opportunity for matching contacts
For exhibitors and visitors to establish business relations even more efficiently, Bauma CTT Russia will, for the first time, feature B2B meetings: prior to the event, exhibitors can provide information on their favored target visitor group and visitors on the companies they are interested in. Based on this information, the trade fair organizer then arranges individual meetings that can either be held at the respective company booth or in the exhibition center’s VIP lounge. Registration for Bauma CTT Russia will be possible until April 22, 2019.


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In an interesting move, mobile messaging app company WhatsApp, could be launching a new games platform that would provide the company their monetization and increase their revenues. Reports are coming out of Korea where the US startup has reportedly inked a deal with Korean/US games-maker, WeMade.
The deal between the companies is reportedly a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which is the first step toward a proper deal that would see WhatsUp open a games platform. We don't know if WhatsApp have inked a deal exclusively through WeMade, or whether they've talked to other game companies. We should hear more in the coming weeks.
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Ford Motor Co plans to triple exports from India with a $1 billion plant that will be one of its most heavily automated in Asia, offsetting slower sales inside the country with a push to sell more local production abroad.
The factory, opened on Thursday in Gujarat, will nearly double Ford's production capacity in India to 610,000 engines and 440,000 vehicles a year. It will make engines and compact cars such as the EcoSport, a small SUV, and the Figo Aspire sedan.
"India is very cost competitive, which is important particularly for small vehicles," Ford Chief Executive Mark Fields told reporters at the factory opening in Sanand, outside Gujarat's biggest city, Ahmedabad.
He declined to say how quickly Ford would take exports to three times the current level.
Smaller cars are key to Ford's efforts to compete in Asia and particularly in India, where a growing urban population means compact models account for about one in every two passenger cars and utility vehicles sold.
Ford, like foreign rivals General Motors and Volkswagen, has struggled to ramp up sales in India, amid a sluggish recovery in the domestic market and tough competition from established Japanese automakers such as Maruti Suzuki and Honda Motor Co.
Maruti Suzuki dominates the small car segment in particular.
Ford sold 77,140 vehicles in India in 2014 down from 80,431 in 2013, while exports nearly doubled to 76,981 units over the same period. In comparison, market leader Maruti sold 81,564 passenger cars in December alone.
But the market, already the world's sixth largest, is tipped to grow rapidly. While sales rose just over 2 percent last year, industry experts expect that to accelerate to 6 to 8 percent in the fiscal year beginning April 1.
Ford expects Indian auto sales to more than double by 2020.
Fields said Ford would introduce three new cars in India over the next 12-18 months. He did not give more details.
MAKE IN INDIA
India's government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to encourage manufacturing in a drive to boost jobs in a country where a million people join the workforce every month.
The Ford plant, spread over 460 acres, will have an initial installed annual capacity of 240,000 vehicles and 270,000 engines.
"India is going to be attractive (as an export hub) because of the low cost base, and also the expectation that when the dollar strengthens it will be favourable for exporters," said Abdul Majeed, partner and auto expert at PriceWaterhouse India.
But Ford's "make in India" drive comes with heavy automation, as it tries to hedge against a steep rise in labour costs that has hampered firms elsewhere in Asia. Ford employs 2,500 people in the Gujarat plant, twice the number in a similar sized plant in Chennai, in southern India.
"Over time in these emerging markets labour costs will go up," said David Scoch, president of Ford's Asia Pacific operations. "We have seen that in China."


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This bonkers retail experience has been spotted in China, offering would-be Android buyers a way to check out plenty of Google models in a completely pretend official Android shop. And it also sells some iPhones and iPads, because you've got to hedge your bets in these difficult times.
The shop, spotted by blogger Isidor, is in the Chinese village of Nanping within Zhuhai city, advertises itself as being the "Celebrities Smartphone Experience Store" no less, offering a choice of Android and unofficially stocked Apple products for buyers to choose from.
Who's going to be annoyed the most? Google, for the blatant unofficial use of its branding to create an unofficial official shop, or Apple, when seeing its precious iOS devices flogged under the enemy Android logo? [Isidor's Fugue via The Register]


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University of Birmingham
Fashion Weeks have been around for more than half a century and set the trend for fashion lovers worldwide. Recently, the term ‘sustainable fashion’ has become more popular and integrated into fashion events. For some, the very idea of sustainable fashion can be an oxymoron. How can something that is inevitably ephemeral be consistent with sustainability? Fashion weeks have influenced the culture of fast fashion, an endless cycle whereby brands produce clothing that is on trend at cheap and affordable prices. Fast fashion has created significant social and environmental impact that needs addressing.
Put Fashion Week on the Sustainability Spotlight
The fashion industry is often recognised as one of the main contributors to unsustainability within society and the environment due to the impact of producing fashion goods. Recent reports by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee highlighted that ‘textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined’, and the environmental cost of producing, transporting and caring for clothes can amount to 5% globally of all manmade greenhouse emissions. In 2016, more than one million tonnes of clothes were bought in the UK.
Besides these reports, there have also been a number of social movements questioning the impact of the fashion industry, urging fashion businesses and consumers to react to the problem. An example of this is Extinction Rebellion, an international movement to save the planet which is calling for fashion week to be cancelled, given the ecological impacts of fast fashion. One of the activists from Extinction Rebellion, Bel Jacobs, told the Independent that:
To make use of this platform, Extinction Rebellion protested on the first day of fashion week, blocking the doors to the trade show venue as part of their continuous protests to urge the fashion industry to speak out about its impact on the environment.
Another big question that has been asked in relation to fashion week by a Vogue columnist is – “what is the carbon footprint of a fashion show?” which, maybe unsurprisingly, when put into Google yields no relevant results.
Even the income from fashion week is difficult to estimate as the boundary of what should be included in the income calculation is unclear. The figures can be derived from a wide range of factors and activities including the numbers of attendees, the brand’s income and the money paid to services (e.g. accommodation, food, transport, and more).
Many brands are also claiming to have reduced the carbon emission at their fashion shows by using strategies such as waste reduction and responsible sourcing. Gabriela Hearst is amongst these designers aiming to produce a ‘carbon-neutral’ show. Besides trying to minimise the activities that could contribute to the high volume of carbon emission, the designer aims to offset carbon emissions by donating funds to the Hifadhi-Livelihoods Project in Kenya.
Having an awareness of the carbon emission generated by fashion weeks is a starting point to make the fashion industry more sustainable. However, the effects that it has beyond the shows itself might not be as recognised, as fashion weeks often perpetuate unsustainable production and consumption long after the event. While the event for high-end designers is many steps removed from the fast fashion pieces found on the high street, campaigners view it as a major influence on retailers who market cheap clothing that gets worn once or twice, if at all, before being thrown away.
In the past, fashion weeks were the focal point for the fashion industry. Designers would work around these dates, planning designs and materials six months prior to the show. Seasonal pieces would be ready to purchase months in advance. ‘Seasons’ in the fashion industry no longer work like they used to thanks to the emerging fast fashion business model; designers now make their products available for a shorter period of time before their shows.
The nature of the fast fashion industry encourages the renewal and reinterpretation of styles so that the life of a fashion product is typically limited to a matter of weeks. This has resulted in around
£30 billion worth of unused clothing in the UK alone, and approximately £140 million worth of clothing going into landfills each year. It is estimated that by 2030 clothing consumption worldwide will increase by 63% to 102 million tons.
Needless to say, the current business model of fast fashion has been contributing to the over-consumption of clothing. Although this democratises fashion products by making them affordable and accessible to everyone, it has created the throw-away culture that has led to countless amounts of wasted materials and garments.
With the advancement of technology and social media, fast fashion retailers can easily contact manufacturers with plans to mimic garments from fashion events or even social media in a short space of time. This allows the fashion industry to operate on the fact that they are able to turn the designs immediately from runways to stores, expediting the seasonal launches of fashion garments and allowing brands to offer the ‘see now buy now’ option for customers. Fast fashion has encouraged consumers to urgently and continuously consume fashion products, developing the culture of disposability (i.e. clothes are not made to be mended or fixed).
Although design plagiarism might not be illegal, it is one of the contributing factors that make the fast fashion business model thrive. There are not only pieces from large brand names that have been mimicked, but also some from independent designers as well.
BBC stories highlighted cases of independent fashion designers being copied by fast fashion retailers. One of the designers highlighted that getting inspiration from other designers might be normal for the fashion industry, but taking designs from others should not be acceptable. Whether all designers should be allowed to copyright their designs has been debated however, we could all agree to stand up against practices which promote fast fashion production and consumption.
This story also called attention to another aspect of exploitation that the business model of fast fashion has on society. As well as the environmental impact and labour exploitation, design plagiarism could also harm the development of small businesses and entrepreneurs. If copied, garments are sold by fast fashion retailers at a significantly lower price which independent businesses are often unable to match, meaning that they may not be able to secure an income from their own innovative designs. This, to a certain extent, could contribute to the economic harm to those independent designers.
It can be difficult to use legal mechanism to alleviate or fight this problem, as design plagiarism isn’t necessarily illegal. However, people are protesting this issue through social media accounts and media channels.
The most prevalent channel that is known for such protest is an Instagram account called Diet Prada, which has a following of 1.4 million people. Diet Prada highlights potential plagiarism through showcasing images of similar designs next to each other. The response from the public has been quite mixed. Some supported the idea that design plagiarism is not acceptable as the original designers should be respected. However, others argued that design plagiarism helps make fashion products more accessible.
A similar issue has been raised relating to the cultural appropriation of designs in the fashion industry. This involves designs or art from different cultures being used in fashion products; in many cases, producers and retailers blatantly copy patterns or shapes from traditional cultural clothing.
This led to the rise of another social media protest against design plagiarism called the GiveCredit campaign. The use of hashtag #GiveCredit promotes the disclosure of where or which cultural communities the designers took the inspiration from.
These social media protests have helped to promote the awareness of exploitation and makes design plagiarism less acceptable. However, codification is required to regulate where those designs come from. Moreover, more educational and social campaigns promoting the awareness of the issue and providing support for independent designers could help to reduce such exploitation.
There have been several calls to challenge the business model of fast fashion and to urge relevant businesses to take action and reduce their social and environmental impact.
Jerry Greenfield, of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, said that “Nobody wants to buy something that was made by exploiting somebody else.” While we might readily agree, consumer behaviour too often falls short of that standard. Our consumption behaviours are generally unsustainable and our signals to producers about the importance of sustainability are weak at best. In competitive markets, consumer sovereignty requires producers to be attentive to consumer preferences. If consumers expressed a preference for more sustainable clothing, clothing brands would have no choice but to respond to that preference if they are to stay in business.
There are many examples of consumers engaging on social and environmental issues and making a difference. Classic examples include Ghandi leading a boycott on British cloth as part of his campaign for Indian independence, the California grape boycott in the 1960s and 1970s which enabled the organisation of farm workers, and the boycott of firms associated with South Africa during apartheid. More recent examples include the #DeleteUber campaign, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of consumers deleting the Uber app following Uber’s expression of support for President Trump’s immigration policies, and the boycott of Amazon over working conditions in its warehouses.
While refusal to purchase in consumer boycotts can send a strong signal to producers, often it doesn’t come to this. A threat of a boycott can be enough to change firm behaviour: Lego terminated its partnership with Shell following pressure from Greenpeace, which protested the oil company’s plans to drill in the Arctic. Greenpeace’s YouTube video featuring Lego pieces depicting the Arctic and covered in oil had over six million views.
Equally, many marketers do see the potential appeal of sustainability to consumers in some product categories. This is, in part, the premise underpinning Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan. Accordingly, consumers have another way of being more environmentally responsible. The recently coined term buycotting describes the actions consumers take to support businesses that exhibit environmentally responsible practices. Consumers can effectively ‘vote’ with their wallet which way they want companies to behave. Research suggests that women, people who are more altruistic, and people more involved in volunteering are more likely to buycott than boycott.
When it comes to fashion, however, consumers seem to care less about sustainability. Perhaps this is why companies like Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company, feel they have to educate consumers by famously asking them to not buy their products, or to prefer used rather than new clothing.
Research on boycotting offers some insight on when consumers will engage in sustainable consumption. In the first instance, there must be “perceived egregiousness”. The company behaviour must be perceived as seriously wrong. In the context of fast fashion, this means that consumers need to see throwaway clothing as wrong; which may mean they need a fuller appreciation of its environmental consequences.
However, a rational understanding of the ecological effects of fast fashion, even if coupled with a strong emotional response to the issue, will typically not be enough to generate a refusal to purchase. The research suggests that consumers also weigh up the benefits and costs before acting. So key benefits are believing they can make a difference on the issue and the possibility of self-enhancement through their refusal to purchase.
As the research confirms, there is the cost demanded in the form of a sacrifice: denying oneself a product one would dearly love to have. Maybe that is the biggest challenge for sustainable fashion? Consumers are simply reluctant to give up on having many different outfits at a relatively low cost. However, the price paid at the till does not reflect the true cost of that fast fashion item: the cost to the planet.
For more thought leadership pieces from the University of Birmingham, click here.
By Dr Solon Magrizos, Professor Craig Smith and Dr Charika Channuntapipat


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A Lufthansa employee, working on behalf of payment company Cargosprint, stole technical information, including algorithms, from the carrier’s technology partner, Turret Labs, a lawsuit claims.
The allegation, filed in a US court last month by Turret Labs, claims Cargosprint used this information to develop a rival business called SprintPass.
Turret Labs and Lufthansa had an agreement to develop an airport dock delivery technology platform, designed for the airline’s sole use for a …
The post Cargosprint stole our tech to set up as a competitor, claims software developer appeared first on The Loadstar.
Source: The Loadstar


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From wire reports
Twitter, the social-networking service, will have a tough time convincing Wall Street that it is a high-growth company after its second earnings announcement as a public company yesterday.
The company said revenue in the first quarter, which ended March 31, was $250 million, up 119 percent from $114 million in the first quarter of 2013.
But Twitter reported a net loss of $132 million, compared with a loss of $27 million a year ago. Adjusted earnings, which exclude stock-based compensation and other expenses, were $183,000, or about break-even per share, compared with a $10.5 million loss a year ago.
Wall Street analysts had expected Twitter to report a first-quarter loss of 3 cents a share and revenue of $241 million, according to Thomson Reuters.
Twitter’s share price has dropped nearly a third since its earnings announcement last quarter because Wall Street is concerned about Twitter’s slowing user growth.
The British oil giant BP reported yesterday that first-quarter earnings, excluding extraordinary items, fell 23.5 percent compared with the period a year earlier, as production slipped and it continued to sell assets.
The earnings of $3.2 billion were slightly above analysts’ forecasts for $3.1 billion, but significantly lower than the $4.2 billion the company posted in the first three months of 2013.
Year-on-year comparisons are difficult to make at BP because the company has been downsizing rapidly to pay damages for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill as well as to finance share buybacks.
EBay recorded a loss in the first-quarter because of a tax on foreign earnings, but revenue jumped in part because of its PayPal payments business.
Adjusted results beat expectations, but shares fell 3.2 percent in aftermarket trading.
Overall, eBay lost $2.33 billion, or $1.82 per share, in the three months that ended March 31. That compares with net income of $677 million, or 51 cents per share, last year. Excluding a $3 billion tax charge, net income totaled 70 cents per share. Analysts expected net income of 67 cents per share.
Revenue rose 14 percent, to $4.26 billion, from $3.75 billion. Analysts expected $4.23 billion.
Express Scripts says its first-quarter earnings fell 12 percent, as the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager posted lower revenue.
The company scaled back its 2014 earnings-per-share guidance to between $4.82 and $4.94.
The St. Louis company earned $328 million, or 42 cents per share, in the three months that ended March 31. That was down from $373 million, or 45 cents per share, in last year’s quarter. Adjusted profit was 99 cents per share. Revenue fell 8.8 percent, to $23.69 billion.
Goodyear reported a $58 million loss for the first quarter largely because of Venezuelan currency charges.
The loss was compounded by the extreme winter weather across the U.S. that hurt tire sales, the company said.
The Akron tire maker’s losses added up to 23 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31. It made $26 million, or 10 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.
After one-time charges, Goodyear earned 56 cents per share.
Its adjusted earnings still were below Wall Street estimates.
U.S. Steel says it turned a quarterly profit as its costs decreased and its flat-rolled steel business performed better.
U.S. Steel has lost money for five consecutive years. It has been restructuring its business to lower its spending.
The Pittsburgh company says it earned $52 million, or 34 cents per share. Its revenue fell 3 percent, to $4.45 billion. A year ago, the company lost $73 million, or 51 cents per share, on revenue of $4.6 billion.
Analysts expected income of 33 cents per share and $4.51 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.


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A prince from Dubai spending 400,000 yuan ($58,378) on a meal in a Shanghai restaurant to treat his Chinese contacts has made headlines on Chinese social media.
A picture of the bill circulating online shows that 400,000 yuan was spent on 20 dishes ordered for eight diners in a restaurant in the Changning district of Shanghai on Tuesday, according to the Xinmin Evening News.
The meal was a treat from a Dubai prince to his Chinese contacts and included exclusive pre-ordered raw ingredients from all across the world, Sun Zhaoguo, the owner of the restaurant, said without revealing the specific identity of the prince. "The cost is nothing compared to Dubai standards," Sun told The Beijing News.
Aside from the meal, they also brought alcohol and drinks worth 480,000 yuan, The Beijing News reported.
Some big ticket items on the bill included a 16,800 yuan crocodile tail soup; a 116,920 yuan wild large yellow croaker; and eight bowls of big abalone with sake, each priced at 12,800 yuan. The bill also included a 550 yuan meal for the driver and 38,000 yuan service fee. The total bill was 418,245 yuan and the host of the dinner paid 400,000 yuan after a discount.
Sun said all of the ingredients are in compliance with government regulations and no protected wild animals were used. When asked about the crocodile tail soup, Sun said crocodiles are not protected wild animals and are bred in China's Guangdong and Fujian provinces for food.
The Changning District Market Supervision Bureau in Shanghai is investigating the case. The restaurant was operating normally as of Wednesday.


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Join date: Jul 17, 2018
Sep 23, 2022 ∙ 2 min
El Septimo Opens Its First Cigar Lounge in the U.S
CEO Zaya Younan Plans to Open 30 El Septimo Retail Stores Nationwide Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Septimo, the...
Sep 23, 2022 ∙ 3 min
Southern Draw expands Desert Rose, Manzanita, and Jacobs Ladder Brimstone lines
Southern Draw Cigars, the family-owned premium cigar brand announced two new line extensions for the DESERT ROSE cigar blend and one new...


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From sweeping seascapes to a soaring eagle: The best drone photography in the world is celebrated in a stunning new book
- The newly-released Dronescapes spotlights some of the world's most unique aerial images
- It features 250 photos with subjects ranging from famous landmarks to wildlife
- One standout is a touching 'drone selfie' taken of a family by the father in Brazil
Drone photography hasn't been around long, but it offers an entirely different view of the world.
And now a newly-released book titled Dronescapes celebrates the very best of it.
The collection of 250 images captures everything from a magnificent eagle surveying the Bali Barat National Park in Indonesia, to an illuminated ship gliding through Miami's waterway.
The book, published by Thames & Hudson, is made up of photographs sourced from Dronestagram, a popular drone photography site which has seen more than 60,000 images posted since 2014.
Its editor Ayperi Karabuda Ecer believes that a good drone photograph is one shot at a distance that only aerial vehicles can manage.
Mr Ecer said: 'I was looking at finding imagery which would not point to "seen from the sky," but more at drones as companions in our daily life, through innovative angles.
'Eagles chasing drones, nude photography shot by a drone, never seen shadows and patterns, breathtaking closeness to monuments, reporting on climate, and also a selection of "dronies," the drone version of a selfie.'
As drone availability and popularity has increased in recent years, so too have the number of images being posted online - the hashtag 'Dronestagram,' for example, has more than 900,000 postings on Instagram alone.
Guillaume Jarret, Dronestagram's managing director, believes that such intrigue towards drone photography comes from man's ever-present fascination with flying.
A good drone photo, he said, is one that is immediately identifiable as having been taken by that medium - low altitude, near the target of the picture, and impossible if it were not for the drone.
Guillaume said: 'Just look at people in an airplane, stuck on the window seat looking down.
'With satellite images, and apps like Google Earth, we are now used to seeing Earth from above.
'But drone photos bring a new way of seeing the world, at low altitude, near landscapes and buildings, like a bird would do.'


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For the first time in its history, RTL Telekids programmes where viewed more than 100 million times in one year, via the Telekids app and RTL XL platform.
On 5 December 2014, Evine Live kicks off a new food-based show inspired by Original Productions’ hit reality series Deadliest Catch. Evine`s interactive digital shopping platform Shop HQ will offer an exclusive line of savoury seafood, as part of the...
On 3 December 2014, to mark the 500 days of the reign of Philippe, the 7th King of Belgium, RTL-TVI viewers will discover the day to day life of the royal couple in a special programme broadcast during prime time, entitled Philippe – 500 jours de règne...
On 7 January 2015, the twelfth season of the German successful singing show kicks off with a new jury, new rules and lots of surprises.
FOOD & TELEVISION brochure just released
Find out why cooking and TV are a good mix to gather viewers and potential clients!
Médiamétrie recently published wave 13 (14 April to 29 June 2014) of the Global TV survey, in which 6play, the unique video platform for Groupe M6 channels, confirms its position as France’s most popular television catch-up service amongst the...


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BlackBerry Curve 9360 headed to O2 and Vodafone in the UK, Telus, Rogers, and Virgin in Canada
Here’s another bit of RIM-related news. As you may already know, the Canadian company has announced three new BlackBerry Curve smartphones today, the 9350, 9360, and 9370. The former of those is already on its way to Sprint, as we reported minutes ago. The Curve 9360 is headed to Bell in Canada and possibly T-Mobile in the US, although no official announcements have been made yet.
However, the BlackBerry Curve 9360 is officially going to be available from a bunch of carriers in Canada and the UK.
In the UK, O2 has let us know via a tweet that it’s going to add the 9360 to its portfolio later this year. Vodafone UK has even put the BlackBerry Curve 9360 up on its Coming Soon page. Unfortunately, in both cases we have no hints about an actual release time frame or pricing.
In Canada, three more carriers seem intent on joining Bell in launching the smartphone. Virgin Mobile and Rogers have tweeted about bringing the 9360 to Canada, and Telus has put the phone up on its Coming Soon page. Again, no other details are known at this point, but you can be sure that we’ll let you know when we find out anything new.


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SwiftKey, a popular Android app which provides a predictive keyboard that lets you swipe a finger across letters to type faster, has made the bold move of going free.
Previously, the app was sold for £2.99, but now you'll be able to avail yourself of its typing goodness for nothing; which is pretty darn good news for any Android holdouts. This is definitely one that's worth trying out now it's a freebie download, as many absolutely swear by the app, and remarks about how folks couldn't go back to the default Android keyboard are certainly not unheard of.
SwiftKey grabbed a Best Buy award and four-and-a-half stars out of five in our review last year, and this was when you had to spend three quid on it.
So how will the SwiftKey developers make a crust, now? Well, the new version comes with a SwiftKey Store replete with premium themes you can purchase, with over 30 new ones users can buy to begin with.
Incidentally, those who had already paid for SwiftKey get themselves a premier pack of 10 new themes as a thank you. Many more themes are planned to be released, of course.
Other changes with this latest incarnation of the app include 800 new emojis, complete with emoji prediction (though you'll need Android 4.1 or above for this), plus autocorrect has been made smarter, and more languages are supported.
It's certainly a bold move to make the app free, in the hope that the swelling user base will pick up enough themes to exceed the old up-front cash intake – fingers crossed the model works out, as obviously free apps are great for Android handset owners.
Rival swiping keyboard app Swype will certainly have plenty to think about, given that it still retails for £2.42.


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A documentary about Black women creating social change through beauty is teaming up with a mega beauty influencer.
Jackie Aina, a beauty influencer and social justice advocate, is set to join forces with actress Andrea Lewis (Degrassi: The Next Generation), director Kwanza Nicole Gooden (Centric’s Being) and Emmy-nominated producers CJ Faison (Giants) and Takara Joseph (Giants and Project Involve Fellow) for an upcoming feature-length documentary called Social Beauty, The Hollywood Reporter can share exclusively.
The documentary is set to highlight “the success and impact of everyday Black women, turned top social media influencers dominating the mainstream beauty market and changing its standards, one tutorial at a time,” Fiona Crystal of Digitaldash PR said in a statement. “Social Beauty will take an exclusive inside look at the lives of these popular influencers and reveal how they turned a hobby into affluent entrepreneurial careers.” The doc will feature candid conversations with brand executives, celebrity makeup artists, beauty editors and more and examine the impact influencers have had on changing the industry’s perception of beauty.
Aina will both executive produce and star in the doc alongside Cydnee Black, Alissa Ashley, Whitney White, Shalom Blac and Nyma Tang.
“I’m so excited to be a part of something that shows our impact as black women in beauty,” says Aina. “I hope through this project people will see that so many of us are passionate, multifaceted, and more than what you see outwardly. It is an honor being a part of a community that encourages so many of us to believe in ourselves and to look and feel beautiful even when often times the media encourages otherwise.”
A professional makeup artist, Aina jumpstarted her YouTube channel in 2009 after growing frustrated with the lack of women of color in the beauty industry. Thus far, she has garnered nearly 4 million subscribers on her channel and 1.6 million followers on Instagram.
“The change I’ve seen in the beauty industry as a result of these dynamic women is underestimated. I grew up on TV and film sets learning how to do my own hair and makeup because there weren’t available beauty products that worked for me. These Black beauty influencers have led the charge in pointing out the lack of diversity in the beauty industry and inspiring more inclusion for women of color,” says film creator Lewis.
Lewis will produce alongside Takara Joseph and CJ Faison under his FaceForward Productions. Gooden is set to direct; her first feature-length feat. Kensington Grey will handle all brand partnerships for the documentary while FaceForward has partnered with the Scale Productions team to secure a home.
Social Beauty is expected to commence filming this fall.
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We’ve got great news to share from California! As you know from previous posts, Honest has been championing the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act (SB 258) all year long. We’ve been proud to partner with Senator Ricardo Lara and the sponsors the bill — Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP), Environmental Working Group (EWG), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) — in working to raise the standards for transparency across the cleaning product industry.
After months of extended and productive lobbying efforts, we were pleased to see several of the biggest brands in the cleaning product industry (many of whom historically opposed ingredient disclosure) ultimately join us in supporting SB 258. In fact, we recently returned from a final round of lobbying in Sacramento with our NGO partners and other cleaning product brands to make the case that ingredient labeling is good for consumers and good for business.
We’re thrilled to report that California lawmakers heard our message loud and clear! This week, the CA Legislature passed SB 258 with strong bipartisan support, and the bill now heads to the Governor for his signature.
So what does this mean for you?
Most people are surprised to learn that there are no current requirements for listing ingredients used in cleaning products. We’re so accustomed to ingredient labeling on the packaged food we eat and the personal care products we love. But what about the cleaning products we use at home? Here at Honest, we made the choice from day one to voluntarily list the ingredients in our household cleaning line because we think you have a right to know what’s inside.
Now, with enactment of SB 258, ingredient labeling will become standard practice for all cleaning product brands. Under the new law, companies will start listing intentionally added ingredients on labels and online, and manufacturers will not be allowed to claim trade secret protections for any hazardous chemicals as defined by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. This means that consumers will be able to look right on the label for ingredients that may trigger their allergies or sensitivities, and will be more easily able to avoid serious chemicals of concern.
We think you’ll agree this is a huge win! By raising the standards for transparency in the cleaning product industry, this new law will ultimately spur innovation, promote business growth, and pave the way for even better consumer protection.
Click here for more from Senator Lara about what SB 258 means for you, and a list of all the brands and NGOs who supported this important right-to-know effort.
Thank you for all of your support in helping us get this bill passed in California so that it can become a model for the nation!


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A Supermarket News story reported last week that German retailer Lidl is ramping up for its entry into the U.S. market by establishing new U.S. offices, advertising job openings and meeting with suppliers in Europe to determine their ability to distribute to the new stores.
Although Lidl parent company Schwarz Group confirmed 2018 as the year it plans to open stores in the U.S., Supermarket News believes that may be a conservative time frame. The story cited Lidl’s $56.6 million investment in a new headquarters and test kitchen in Arlington, VA, as well as the launch of training for 200 employees in connection with the expansion.
Lidl serves as Aldi’s biggest competitor in Europe, with approximately 10,000 stores. Aldi has had stores in the U.S. since 1976 and recently stepped up its expansion efforts throughout the country.


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Electronic Arts had decided that it will no longer "officially" license specific models of guns from gun manufacturers, according to this Reuters report. EA will continue to use various gun designs from manufacturers, but it won't pay any money for them. The company claims that it has a constitutional right to free speech in using the various gun-related trademarks. In a recent interview with Reuters, EA Labels President Frank Gibeau told the publication that "we're telling a story and we have a point of view," and that "a book doesn't pay for saying the word 'Colt,' for example."
EA spokesperson Jeff Brown also told the publication that "the action games we will release this year will not include licensed images of weapons."
This also means we will probably not see any future tie-in marketing like what the publisher did with Medal of Honor: Warfighter.
This is not the first time that EA has cited free speech as a reason for not needing to license a particular brand. In January of this year Bell Helicopter sent EA a cease and desist because of its unlicensed use of the AH-1Z Viper, the UH-1Y, and the V-22 Osprey helicopters in its popular game Battlefield 3. EA in turn sued Bell's parent company Textron citing the first amendment. That case is ongoing.