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Good news for those people who, for whatever reason, need a quick and easy way to delete their recent browsing activity on mobile devices: Google’s
PayPal is making cryptocurrency more accessible on its platform. The financial services provider recently raised the purchase limit of cryptocurrency for eligible customers to $100,000
When it comes to the world’s biggest phone companies, Samsung and Apple have long been fighting over first and second place. Unfortunately for Cupertino, it’s
If you handed over $30 million to take part in something, one would imagine it being a pretty high priority in your diary. But the
It looks as if another multi-billion-dollar tech acquisition is in the works. Following Nvidia’s $40 billion acquisition of ARM, Intel is reportedly in talks to
Samsung last month quietly announced its Galaxy Chromebook Go, a low-cost alternative to some of the more premium Chromebooks that have surfaced as of late.
Razer’s latest refresh of its Blade 17 and Blade 15 laptops is here, and it draws from last year’s Razer Blade 15 Advanced. Beyond the


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Costume jewels catch on
All that glitters is not gold, but consumers are not complaining. They are increasingly buying costume jewellery with fancy designs as gold prices spiral. Pooja Biraia writes. Costume jewellery market in Indiabusiness Updated: Feb 03, 2013 22:03 IST
For her wedding last November, Prakriti Nayar, 29, decided to ditch the traditional gold jewellery her mother had kept ready for her, and instead completed her ensemble with elaborate costume jewellery that matched perfectly with her beige and magenta lehenga.
"I could never have got the same designs and colours with gold, which is monochrome. Unlike some years ago, when people would shy away from imitation jewellery at occasions such as weddings, today, it isn't taboo. Most of my friends wore high-end costume jewellery at their weddings," said the Mumbai-based architect.
Fashion stylist Pria Agni said, "Be it the elite or middle class, costume jewellery has found takers across all strata of society. It is more modern, offers the flexibility to be paired with any type of apparel and helps in creating one's own style statement. Moreover, it isn't limiting on design and colours, which you can never get in gold jewellery."
Jahid Osman, managing director, Fashion 365 Retail, which retails and markets the brand Aviraté in India, said, "Costume jewellery has made its entry into serious occasions because it can replicate and substitute almost 95% of traditional jewellery. And the fact that it is made to look exactly like the original, and yet is available for a much lower price, makes it attractive."
The fact that the price of gold has been rising steeply - it is approximately Rs 33,000 for 10 gm - is also adding to costume jewellery's attraction. According to an ASSSOCHAM report, the demand for costume jewellery over the past one year has risen steeply by 85%.
"People now prefer to invest in gold slabs and put them in lockers, while enjoying the charms of costume jewellery," said Jasmine Shah, owner of Just Jewellery, a well-known fashion label that deals in costume jewellery.
"One complete bridal costume jewellery set can come for Rs 25,000-45,000; it would cost over Rs 1.5 lakh in pure gold," Shah said.
Considering that India has traditionally viewed gold as a woman's security and women have had an almost emotional relationship with it, Shah's statement perhaps points to a shift in mindset.
Mansi Choksi, 30, proprietor of designer label Made by M, confirmed: "Women no longer need the security of gold - they're getting increasingly self-reliant with sufficient incomes at their disposal. They're now looking at jewellery as an accessory that can make a statement, not as a savings option for the future. Given the influence of TV and films, where protagonists are increasingly seen wearing costume jewellery, the demand has shot up even further."
She qualified that while costume jewellery is non-gold jewellery - an ensemble of gems and stones and chunky pieces - imitation jewellery imitates gold. "We now no longer look down upon those wearing anything but gold, given that everyone around us is doing the same."
Other costume jewellers club both kinds of jewellery. "The trend of big chunks of pendants and other accessories makes costume jewellery a feasible option because if one was to make these in pure metals, it would cost over Rs 1 crore. So the best way is imitation that provides the same look at affordable prices," Agni said.
"At the workplace too, fashion jewellery had found acceptance among young women who are looking for ornaments that are independent of any dress code," Osman said.
As costume jewellery catches the fancy of Indian consumers, there are several new brands emerging in the segment. Established brands such as Gili and D'Damas, say reports, have also ventured into costume jewellery.

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* Q1 adj EBIT down 9 pct to 1.06 bln euros
* Q1 adj EBIT margin 9.7 pct vs 10.6 pct year-ago
* Investors seek greater say in overhaul talks
BERLIN/HANOVER, April 27 (Reuters) - Continental said it might carve out its business that makes car engine components, potentially paving the way for a stock market listing for parts of the division, but sidestepped investor demands for a greater say in the deliberations.
The auto parts and tyre maker has been in talks with banks about a possible structural overhaul to become more nimble and adjust to far-reaching shifts in the auto industry towards electric and self-driving technologies.
Continental will expand the “Powertrain Division” which accounts for less than a fifth of its 44 billion-euro ($53.15 billion) annual sales and makes components for battery and combustion engines, Chief Executive Elmar Degenhart said.
“That could mean we partially separate out the business as an autonomous organisation,” he told the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Hanover on Friday. “We are giving this (entity) more entrepreneurial freedom.”
The car industry and its suppliers, facing a regulatory crackdown on diesel emissions, are adjusting their businesses and spinning off operations to become more efficient.
Continental has agreed a pact with labour unions to win their support for the restructuring and pledged to shield jobs at the powertrain business for five years.
But investors are not as closely involved in the management discussions which Degenhart has said should provide clarity on the company’s future structure by mid-2018. Some of them used the AGM to voice their discontent.
“Why do you come to agreements with the workers and not with us,” asked Alexander von Vietinghoff-Scheel of Germany’s DSW association for private investors.
“In principle we have no objections to such deliberations but we want to be included.”
Winfried Mathes, a fund manager of Deka Investment which owns 1 percent of Continental’s equity capital, said shareholders welcomed any plans designed to increase the value of the company they have invested in.
“But given such a far-reaching modification (as under discussion at Continental), an intensive dialogue with you is very important to us,” Mathes said, calling on top executives to provide some detail of the possible changes.
Analysts have said a possible overhaul of Continental’s diversified structure could result in creating more independently run divisions for the powertrain, electronics and rubber operations.
But Degenhart kept his cards close to his chest.
“We are in the phase of analysing (options), that’s why there are no concrete plans as yet that can be communicated,” the CEO said, declining to give more detail.
Earlier on Friday, Continental said the impact of currencies caused a 9 percent drop in adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) in the first quarter and stuck with expectations that exchange rate effects could dent revenue by more than 1 billion euros ($1.21 billion) this year.
Shares in the group were trading down 1.3 percent at 221.30 euros as of 1233 GMT.
The company last week scaled back its profitability outlook for 2018 on expectations that currency headwinds and inventory valuation would inflict a 150 million euros negative hit to first-half earnings. ($1 = 0.8278 euros) (Reporting by Andreas Cremer and Jan Schwartz Editing by Maria Sheahan and Jane Merriman)


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Programs with empathy. A new old computer. When women dominated coding.
Episode 390: The latest Facebook scandal is no surprise. March 23, 2018
And then there were 5 Gs. How musicians can thrive in the streaming era. Zeynep Tufekci on why the latest Facebook scandal is no suprise. 'Energy poverty' is expanding the digital divide.
The Unsung Heroes Protecting Wikipedia. Environmental design for productivity. How Apple's new "spaceship" campus may cause concussions. How you use your smartphone might also reveal whether you're depressed. New technology aims to copy human skin.
388: Pokemon Go for ecologists, fake videos, and more. March 9, 2018
How Canadians' social media use stacks up. Scrubbing social media of metrics. Fake videos are getting better and easier to make. A tool to read privacy policies for you. Using Pokemon Go to help real animals.
387: Casual games, loot boxes, and more March 2, 2018
Are video game loot crates gambling? Canadian developers release video game sequel. A new tool to report workplace harassment. How gig economy workers are at risk online. A challenger to Instagram.
The dangers of "attention residue," the call for a new ethics of design, the ethics of driverless cars, the rise of "griefbots."
385: Online dating, genetic data and more Feb. 20, 2018
Selling your genetic data. Definitely not how Bitcoin works. Tracking caribou with new tech. Is online dating changing... dating? How people in long distance relationships use tech.
Companies that have our data don't know how to share it with us. A camera app that makes your photos secure on the cloud. What romance writers can teach us about the digital economy.
383: Dangerous data, Libraries and more Feb. 2, 2018
Strava's heat maps show how dangerous data can be. A smart speaker that puts privacy first. A chat room where people mostly say goodbye. Libraries changing role in the time of the internet.
The future of facial recognition in Google's art app. Narcissism on social media. What are cryptocurrencies really worth?
Using design to prevent another missile scare. Too many emojis ruin Twitter for blind people. Canadian app is helping Iranians stay online. Mobile game show is attracting a huge audience. Household robots are still mostly useless.
A solution for mysterious traffic jams. A machine that dispenses short stories for travellers. How smart speakers like the Amazon Echo are used by blind people. A professor who had his pictures used in catfishing scams.
How "intergrated shopping" may change online commerce. Why Thailand, Shanghai, Berlin, and even LA may lure top tech talent over Silicon Valley. Using the blockchain to help disadvantaged prisoners make bail. How a new kind of 3-D printed plastic connects
378: surge toll roads, how to think and more Dec. 29, 2017
A new survival guide for thinking, because we're a lot worse at it than we think. A new study suggests most people think other's social lives are more exciting than their own, even though they're not. A look at the implications of applying surge pricing t
Early photographers remembered the dead by taking photos with ghosts. Neil Young's archives could signal a shift in the music streaming business. Cutting down on stressful notifications to improve your well being.
376: cryptokitties, coworking, email trackers Dec. 15, 2017
Restaurants open doors during the day to become coworking spaces. Digital kitties make cryptocurrency more accessible. You give away private data just by opening your email.
Clandestine app trackers. How AI is helping treat people with depression. 3D mapping coral reefs. Sugarcane could be the next jet fuel. Turning air pollution into ink for your pen.
374: Bad bosses, good internet and more Dec. 1, 2017
With Google, Facebook and Apple leading our online experience, is net neutrality really possible? From clothing to bivalves, how entrepreneurs are using Facebook Live to sell. How the ad industry has shifted from tempting you to targeting you.
How Google knows exactly where you are, even with location data disabled. Why we should throw the job interview out with the trash. Signals from our vibrating bones could be the next password solution.
This is your brain on podcasts. Designing social media for better mental health. Building AIs that build other AIs. How to prepare for an augmented reality future.


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Amazon's Kindle DX is flunking out of college.
Amazon distributed Kindle DXs to students at a number of US colleges, then solicited their feedback. What they discovered was that students don't read textbooks, they use textbooks. And a traditional hard-copy textbook is more usable — it's easier and more intuitive to thumb through, search, and scribble on than an ebook.
One interesting stat from the survey puts the results in clear perspective: 80 per cent of MBA students at the University of Viginia said they wouldn't recommend the Kindle DX as a study aid — but 90 per cent enjoyed using it to read for pleasure.
In other words, students found the Amazonian e-reader to be great for linear reading, but lousy for back-and-forth, search-and-find, "where was that bit?" studying and reference.
Other students, according to the Seattle Times, liked the Kindle DX's long battery life and portability, along with the fact that putting a book on it doesn't require the death of a tree. However, they weren't jazzed by the inability to scribble notes onto it or easily highlight snippets, nor did they appreciate the lack of color in an ebook's charts and graphics.
If Amazon's Kindle DX experiment is any guide, Apple's iPad should fare no better with students. It adds color to the ebook mix, but it's marginally heavier than the Kindle DX, doesn't allow notation, and although its 10-hour battery life is decent, it's far less than that of the Kindle DX — and frisky college students have been known to be away from their recharger-equipped dorm rooms for multiple successive nights. ®


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Sep 2, 2020
Oriental Trading shares 10 low-contact trick-or-treat ideas
Just in time for Halloween 2020, Oriental Trading Company has 10 fun, safe and creative low-contact trick-or-treat solutions to help ensure that families can celebrate Halloween their way. Whether it’s one-of-a-kind spooky outdoor décor, boo kits for no-contact gift giving, or socially distanced trick-or-treating solutions, Oriental Trading offers ways to make Halloween more fun this year!
“We know that Halloween might look a little different this year, but we also know that families want to still celebrate together. We’re focusing on ways we can make Halloween fun, while staying mindful of safety,” said Steve Mendlik, president and CEO of Oriental Trading Company. “Our DIY candy-filled graveyard or spooky driveway tables allow kids to walk through one at a time, and a no-contact candy hedge with wrapped and clipped pieces of candy lets kids trick-or-treat safely in a socially distanced way.”
These solutions are especially safe and fun for homeowners concerned about opening their doors during these times. So, no need to hide in the dark. Check out these ideas to Halloween your way, and get your haunt on!
Oriental Trading has expanded its selection of budget-friendly Halloween décor with hundreds of options to make it easy for people to be ‘that awesome house’ on the block. Halloween spending is projected to be up this year, according to the National Retail Foundation, and Oriental Trading expects yard décor to be a big part of that increase.
“Our customers have come to know us for our truly affordable Halloween décor pieces and one-stop holiday shopping. We have more than 800 different Halloween décor items online, including exclusive skeletons that you can’t find anywhere else, like our Underwater Skeleton Assortment that comes with our popular life-sized mermaid skeleton and a pair of posable octopus skeletons that are new for 2020,” said Mendlik. “Whether you want your home to be whimsical or the scariest one on the block, Oriental Trading has something for everyone.”
To make shopping easy, Oriental Trading also offers a number of bulk kits that come with everything needed to create a big impression this Halloween and one-click shopping. Popular kits include a Mythical Skeleton Decorating Kit, complete with a dragon, mermaid, unicorn and two-headed skeletons, a Halloween Family Fun Kit and a Halloween Ghost Driveway Kit.
Oriental Trading’s mission is to make life more fun; and the fun doesn’t have to stop in 2020. Whatever way you choose to celebrate this year, you can still ‘Halloween your way’ with safe solutions.
For more information, visit www.orientaltrading.com.


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Kazatomprom’s uranium production goals hit by sulphuric acid shortage
Kazakhstan’s national atomic company Kazatomprom, the world’s largest producer and seller of natural uranium, has forecast a potential dip in its production numbers this year due to a shortage of sulphuric acid.
In some conventional uranium mills, sulphuric acid is the leaching agent and it is a critical ingredient in Kazatomprom’s operations.
A significant amount of global sulphuric acid production is a spinoff from the oil and gas industry and forecasters have been tipping a potential shortfall in supplies for some time.
For Kazatomprom, that tightening of supplies is now looming large and could have a wide-ranging impact on global nuclear markets.
Kazatomprom produced 23% of global uranium in 2022.
Construction delays also an issue
Along with the challenges related to the availability of sulphuric acid, Kazatomprom said its 2024 guidance is being impacted by delays in completing construction works at the newly-developed deposits.
However, the company says it remains committed to its 2024 delivery obligations.
In 2022, Kazatomprom unveiled a proposal to increase production volumes in 2024 to a 90% level relative to subsoil use agreements.
The decision to increase production to this level from 80% in 2023 was primarily based on Kazatomprom’s continued success in signing mid- and long-term contracts with new and existing customers.
However, throughout 2023 the company highlighted potential risks associated with these production increases due to the challenges related to global supply chains and limited availability of certain key operating materials and reagents – such as sulphuric acid.
Growing regional shortage
A growing shortage of sulphuric acid in Kazakhstan and the surrounding region has been exacerbated by the demand from agricultural and industrial enterprises and shortages in both domestic and foreign regional markets.
This has led to the company securing lower than required volumes of sulphuric acid for 2024 in preliminary agreements with suppliers.
Kazatomprom said that while it continues to pursue alternative sulphuric acid supplies, current projections indicate that the company is facing a challenge in its plans to achieve the 90% production volume in 2024.
New assessments underway
Assessments of the impact of the material shortage and construction delays are currently underway, with the results to be unveiled in an upcoming production guidance for 2024 as part of the Q4 2023 trading update expected to be released no later than 1 February 2024.
“Kazatomprom remains committed to fulfilling contractual obligations towards all existing customers throughout 2024,” the company said in a statement.
“If limited access to sulphuric acid continues throughout this year and should the company not succeed in catching up with the construction works schedule at the newly-developed deposits in 2024, Kazatomprom’s 2025 production plan may also be affected, subject to considerable supply chain risks.”
“Updated 2025 production plans are expected to be communicated around the H1 2024 results disclosure but a successful return to a 100% of the subsoil use agreements can be viewed as at risk.”


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By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
Atlantis has enjoyed "one of the strongest first quarters in many years", its top executive revealing that business is "well ahead" of 2017 numbers.
Audrey Oswell, pictured, the Paradise Island resort's president and managing director, told Tribune Business: "Business is well ahead of last year's numbers, and even 2016 numbers. We are very pleased with how business is going.
"We have had one of the strongest first quarters that we have had in many years, and our business going forward through the rest of the year is also well ahead of last year"
Speaking with this newspaper at the official opening of Atlantis's latest restaurant, the seafood-themed Fish by acclaimed Spanish-American chef, José Andrés, at the Cove, Ms Oswell said the resort is preparing for several renovations.
"We're getting ready to start a renovation of the Reef tower. That will begin in September," she disclosed. "At the same time, a bit later in the month, we will start the renovation of the Royal Towers.
"We will start at the East Tower and work our way to the West Tower. The renovations in the Coral Towers will be finished in June of this year, so we have been opening a tower and bringing it back online a little bit at a time. By the end of next year or early 2020, all of our rooms would have been renovated."
Atlantis relaunched the Cove property last fall and, according to Ms Oswell, the market response has been exceptional. "The Cove is a truly luxury collection property," she said. "The customers are really enjoying the changes we have made there. It has really been well received. Our business has not been this strong in many years at the Cove. We are very pleased with how things are going."
Atlantis last year sought to enhance the "authentic Bahamian" experience if offered, and provide more economic benefits to Bahamian businesses. It brought the likes of iconic Harbour Island restaurant, Sip Sip, to the Cove as well as other Bahamian restaurants.
"Last year we made a conscious decision to embrace the Bahamian culture, and to ensure that our customers were getting a truly authentic Bahamian experience here at the resort," Ms Oswell said.
"They certainly could leave the resort and experience more of the Bahamas if they would like to, but if they choose not to, we want to ensure that they could understand and experience a lot of the culture, and that is through the cuisine, the art, the music and, certainly, the warmth and hospitality that Bahamians have to offer.
"We have embarked on our 'Bahamas At Heart' initiative as not so much a campaign but a part of who we are, how we operate and what we truly believe in. All of our employees share in that. It's been really well received. People love our newer offerings like Frankie Gone Bananas, Pirates Republic and Sip Sip."
Ms Oswell said even Chef Andrés' restaurant pays homage to traditional Bahamian cuisine. Chef Andrés added that he had intentionally included invasive lion fish on the menu, as a way to support sustainability in the Bahamian fisheries sector.
A portion of the cost of the restaurant's signature lion fish dish will go directly to the Blue Project Foundation, The Cove's non-profit organisation dedicated to saving marine species and their habitats throughout the Bahamas.


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Tag "android tablet"
Well, it’s been a while since we’ve heard any news about Notion Ink’s Android-powered iPad competitor, the Adam tablet. But it looks like they are giving us a glimpse, and
Electronista.com is reporting that ASUS Chief Jerry Shen is confirming that they are indeed planning on releasing an Eee Android tablet next March! He would not give details about the
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DNjK5GKngU[/youtube] The above video shows the progress that the Android community has made on porting Android to the Viliv S5 Tablet. As you can see, Android is pretty responsive and
Best Buy recently announced a strategic relationship with Clearwire, which should see the retail giant providing 4G mobile broadband service under the Best Buy Connect brand. As part of the deal, Best Buy will offer a one stop shop and support for mobile broadband devices to take advantage of the speedy 4G network. One such device is likely to be the newly-twitter-leaked Rocketfish tablet.
You may remember our post last month about the Augen tablet being sold at Kmart, and how everyone was getting rainchecks? Well, yeah, it seems that Google never told Augen
Recently there have been some suggestions that we may see Samsung announce it’s new hotness, the Galaxy Tab tablet during it’s press conference on August 11th. Kyle over at thedroidguy.com
Speaking with Reuters, Samsung confirmed that they plan to release an Android based Tablet PC in Q3 this year. This places Samsung firmly in competition with LG, Acer, Dell, Toshiba
Kmart just became another place to shop for Android tablets. Yeah, that Kmart. They are currently offering a 7-inch tablet from a company called Augen that features some impressive specs.
Another day in the Android tablet saga, and more and more information is leaking about various manufacturers’ Android-based tablets. Reports indicate that ASUS’s Eee Pad, seen running Windows at CES
The Huawei S7 Android tablet as been released in the UK, and we are starting to see the first hands on reviews of the unit. Expansys.com has posted a favorable
Today finds Cisco unveiling a 7-inch business tablet designed for real-time conferencing and collaboration. Weighing barely a pound, the Cisco Cius features both 3G and WiFi connection and allows for
The answer is the first NEC Android tablet, despite it’s incredible similarity to the Nintendo DS. Pictured to the left is the NEC LifeTouch, and Android 2.1 based tablet with
It looks like the $100 tablets we previously reported on last week made an appearance at last week’s Computex show in Taiwan. Chipmaker VIA said that they had several tablets
Sony continues to show Android and Google a lot of love with a comment made in an interview from Chief Financial Officer Nobuyuki Oneda. Looking at the platform to help
Another day, another Android tablet. Right? Not exactly. Check out the newly unearthed Viliv X10 and you will see one of the best looking Android-based tablets yet. One of the


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1. Fintech will continue to erode the trust advantage Historically, consumers have been less inclined to trust new, dynamic technology businesses with their money. But attitudes are changing. Th
It’s been almost four years since the Payment Services Directive Two (PSD2) took effect. This new Open Banking legislation was rooted in the belief that enabling consumers to share their banking data ...


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You know those days when you head out for a day of shopping, maybe brunch with friends and you catch your reflection in a window and realise that you forgot to wash your face paint off?
This is exactly what happened when Chrissy Teigen went shopping this week. Dressed as a cat.
She captioned the pic, "when u forget u have your face painted and u go shopping as a cat." Happens to the best of us, Chrissy!
In other Chrissy news, the model and TV host continues to be awesome throughout her pregnancy.
Posting photos like this to celebrate her "new thighs:"
Eating delicious things like this potato dish of dreams:
And making the place hot as hell with couple shots like this:
You keep doing you, Chrissy!


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Procter and Gamble (P&G) has appointed Vivek Gupta to the position of Managing Director and Vice President for Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Gupta was previously the Sales Director and began in his new role on the 1st of April.
He took over the role from Antoine Brun who will be returning to Europe to lead P&G’s South-East Europe business unit.
Mr Gupta said he is passionate about the company’s strong foundations of innovation and category leadership.
“We aim to be the innovation leaders of our industry, and feel it’s our responsibility to market the most superior products that improve consumers’ lives and to work with our retailer partners to create total category growth,” Mr Gupta said.
“At P&G we have a team of highly dedicated, expert leaders with a strong momentum of results. I am honoured to be leading this team and look forward to contributing to even greater future success.”
Mr Gupta has established vast experience across various retail channels, product categories and in both developed and developing markets.


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As of today, nearly 85 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices have been replaced through the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program, with the majority of the participants opting to receive another Samsung smartphone.
We remain focused on collecting the outstanding Galaxy Note7 phones in the market. To further drive participation, we will be releasing a software update in the coming days that will limit the phone’s ability to charge beyond 60 percent, as well as issue a reminder pop-up notification every time a consumer charges, reboots or turns on the screen of their Note7 device.
Any Galaxy Note7 owner who has not yet participated in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program should immediately power down their phone and contact their carrier or retailer today.
Samsung United States– Media Statement


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Court: Phoenix woman must pay for canceled eBay sale of 10-carat diamond ring
PHOENIX – The Arizona Court of Appeals is upholding a ruling that a Phoenix woman must pay for backing out of an agreement to sell her diamond ring through eBay.
The court in an opinion filed Thursday affirmed a trial court’s judgment that Julie Rohr breached a valid contract when she reneged on a sales agreement.
According to court documents, Rohr put her 10-carat diamond ring up on eBay for $100,000 in February 2014. Evangelos Armiros responded by choosing a “buy it now” option.
Rohr later canceled the agreement when she was offered a higher bid. Armiros sued for breach of contract.
The three-judge panel says that option to “buy it now” amounted to a contract between seller and buyer, validating an award of $135,250 to Armiros.
Proposed Arizona law aims to stop bots from buying concert tickets for resale sites
Feds say Arizona businessman had eBay bonanza with stolen auto parts


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1.2 Trillion US-Dollars – that’s how critically the impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) will be on the retail market alone in the next few years according to a report by McKinsey. With solutions like “Automated Checkout”, “Real-Time In Store Promotions” and “Customer Experience Optimization” , retail is undergoing a change as big as the step from mom-and-pop stores to supermarkets. Advantech supports retailers to face this challenge by providing the technology needed to create engaging shopping experiences in the IoT-Era. After heading the transformation in Asia Advantech now answers the call for intelligent retail solutions in the European market. At this year’s EuroCIS from 23rd to 25th February the company has presented itself, its solutions and its experiences from Asia.
The shopping mall of the future has interactive self-service terminals which will give the consumer information, directions and show favored products. Multimedia displays will recognize their audience and show advertisements which will most likely effect the consumers – depending on age and gender. And reportings from the intelligent video analytics can immediately show how effective these ads have been. While retailers in Germany are only starting to grasp the impact of the digital revolution for their business, in other parts of the world digital iRetail solutions are already common. Especially in modern and dynamic cities of Asia, these futuristic visions are already reality.
One successful case is from one of the Europe’s leading manufacturers of premium travel and carry-on luggage. The German luggage brand adopted Advantech’s digital signage solution at its flagship store in Taipei 101 for interactive promotion broadcasting.
Advantech partners with local system integrators to bring its customers the most innovative retail and hospitality solutions, including POS, self-serving-kiosks, interactive digital signage, smart mirror, digital menu boards, indoor navigation, and cloud queue service.
At this year’s EuroCIS Advantech will show some of its products like an interactive all-in-one terminal, intelligent POS terminals, and digital signage players so everyone can see what retail in Asia and the future of retail in Europe looks like – and more important, feel it. Advantech will also take the opportunity to bond with existing and new partners at EuroCIS and to catch more opportunities for growing iRetail business.
“Our strategy is to build a strong eco-system by partnering with major distributors and Independent Software Vendors as partners and by forging alliances or Joint ventures with regional SIs in Europe”, explains C.H Wu, Vice President of Intelligent Services Group, Advantech. He adds: “Through cross-industry alliance, we are seeking to strengthen our expertise while closely working with partners and system integrators to accumulate professional experience and knowledge.”
Wu will come to EuroCIS together with the Director of Intelligent Retail Sector at Advantech, Joy Chiu. She will give insights into Advantech’s iRetail product strategy to win the market. Both are also available for interviews.


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Colorado State University - Pueblo offers Purple Pump Extravaganza to honor women
PUEBLO – In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Diversity Resource Center (DRC) and the Women’s Studies Program at Colorado State University-Pueblo will host the Purple Pump Extravaganza to thank the women for their hard work and contributions that they make to CSU-Pueblo every day.
Six hours of pampering is scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 in the Occhiato University Center Ballroom (think OUC Shopping Mall!). Activities and merchandise will include massages, jewelry, perfume, bling, yoga, flavored coffees, sparkling juices and snacks. Items will be given away as well as available for purchase.
The wearing of purple pumps or shoes are encouraged on Tuesday to celebrate the event as well as the history of women.
For more information, contact the email@example.com


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updated 01:45 pm EDT, Tue April 12, 2011
Local iPad production slated for November
Apple's Brazilian plans are likely linked to an expansion by manufacturing partner Foxconn, a Reuters report suggests. Currently situated in Taiwan and China, Foxconn is "proposing a partnership" with Brazil worth $12 billion over the course of five to six years, according to the country's president, Dilma Rousseff. "We've been talking to them [Foxconn] for three months," adds science and technology minister Aloizio Mercadente.
"The negotiations are far from complete but I'm confident," Mercadente continues. Many topics are reportedly on the table, including taxes, financing, locations, logistics and broadband infrastructure. The Brazilian government is said to be handing out tax exemptions to companies willing to build tablet-style devices, which -- given the dominance of the iPad -- may be a strategy to lure Apple in particular.
While Rousseff claims that the $12 billion is related to monitors, iPad assembly also appears to be in the works. Mercadente says that Foxconn is planning to start building iPads in Brazil by the end of November.
Beyond taxes, other motivations for expanding to Brazil may be cheap workers and the need to keep up with Apple, which is often straining both production and supply capacities in Asia.


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03 Dec, 2021
Today, the Gaming Business Association (GGA), which unites the largest licensed online gaming business companies in Georgia, held a press conference. The association responded to the changes announced by the Prime Minister and stated that the content and form of the statement made by Irakli Gharibashvili is categorically unacceptable.
On November 22, the Prime Minister spoke about setting a number of restrictions for online casinos, which include increasing taxes, banning advertisements, and limiting the age and category of players.
According to Irakli Gharibashvili, a package of legislative changes is being prepared, according to which the taxable base will increase by 70%, participation in gambling games will be prohibited for Georgian citizens under the age of 25, socially vulnerable persons, civil servants and persons who apply to the Revenue Service for self-limitation. Also those citizens who, at the request of their family members, will be blacklisted by the court. According to the draft law, all kinds of television advertising, outdoor advertising and placement of advertisements on Georgian websites will also be prohibited.
George Mamulaishvili, the head of the administration of the Gaming Business Association, voiced the sector's position today and noted that no consultations were held with the business before the announcement. According to him, the expected changes will lead to cancellation of sponsorship agreements, disconnection of sports products and reduction of investments, which will create problems for other accompanying businesses, such as advertising, banking and IT businesses.
Association representatives also note more than 11,000 people employed in gaming business, whose average salary is more than 2,500 GEL, while the average salary in other businesses is 1,500 GEL. According to the business, it is necessary to consider the impact of the expected disruptive changes on the citizens employed in the field, as well as on other related businesses that work together with the gaming business.
"The most painful thing is that we will be talking about cost optimization, since it will be very difficult for the business to withstand the pressure it is experiencing due to the changes," said George Mamulaishvili.
According to him, in the light of the mentioned decisions, the gaming business will be forced to refuse sponsorship and other agreements, because they will no longer be attractive to the field.
Mamulaishvili also noted that the expected changes are a direct violation of the agreements signed by the state with Great Britain and Sweden.


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More and more restaurants are incorporating healthy alternatives to their menu, and Lyfe Café, an eatery in The Shops at Kenilworth, is serving that trend.
The wholesome spot from local owner Penny Seabolt features an all-day menu with ingredients designed to promote physical and mental well-being. Think protein pancakes, clean greens, such as a vegan mixed salad, acai bowls and wellness shots. The 1,700-square-foot cafe is designed to accommodate every diet — including low-calorie, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian — and will also offer meal prep services.
“With my meal prep services, you can pick your protein, complex carbs, all your veggies, even your healthy fats,” Seabolt says. “Customers can pick them up here initially, but I am also looking into delivery services.”
For plant-eaters, menu options include a meat-free hamburger made with a Beyond Meat brand burger and topped with spinach, tomatoes, red onions, vegan dressing and mozzarella cheese. (The company also makes sausage, which the cafe serves.) Other menu offerings include the Harbor Port salmon bowl, filled with portobello mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, yellow squash, spinach and a popular and tasty mango salsa, as well as a spicy Thai bowl for the carnivores.
The inspiration behind Lyfe Café hit Seabolt after more than a decade as a personal trainer and nutritionist, she says.
“I spent a lot of time with people, going through other restaurants’ menus and seeing what they could eat because I helped design personalized meal plans,” she says. “This is where the revelation came from. I wanted to open a place where everyone can eat, whether you are on a keto, paleo, Whole30, vegan or vegetarian diet. The menu is very diverse and can be customized to any type of lifestyle.”
Her hope is that the business will be a great resource for residents in the community.
“I know people want to take care of their health, but life is tough. Some people want to lose weight; some want to gain weight; some have constant battles with their weight. That’s why I designed Lyfe,” she says. “I wanted to be able to accommodate every major diet. I feel very passionately about wholesome, clean foods, and that’s why I want people to come here, feel good and know exactly what they are eating.”


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Another successful collaboration for MaxBill! Our solution has been selected for B2B billing at Playtech, the world’s leading Omni-Channel gaming software and services supplier.
Playtech is the gaming industry’s leading provider of online, retail and mobile gaming software, systems, services and content. The company is an innovator in enabling operators to offer any product, across any channel and on any device, creating a seamless user experience. Playtech has more than 120 global licensees including the world’s largest gaming and betting brands such as Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfair, bet365, William Hill, Paddy Power and SkyBet.
The MaxBill solution will provide Playtech with a comprehensive set of essential tools that will enable it to manage and improve its B2B billing activities. This includes ongoing billing and reconciliation processes and complex licensee and third-party content provider revenue sharing schemes.
“Expanding the business capacity of our billing and reconciliation processes is a strategic decision. MaxBill will lead this transformation and will greatly improve the way we do business with our customers and partners.”Shimon Akad, Chief Operating Officer at Playtech
Playtech opted to deploy MaxBill as part of a strategic plan to expand the company’s business capacity with improved business support processes.
“We are delighted to welcome such a significant market leader as a new customer,” said . “Playtech demonstrates that modern billing processes can create a strategic advantage and improve business performance for a service provider in any vertical market.”Kirill Rechter, CEO of MaxBill
Carrier billing seems to help gaming operators draw in the audience and bring additional revenue. Should most operators provide their customers with this payment method or does it look better in theory than in practice?
We’re excited to introduce our newly redesigned webspace! Get to know our company and product better with intuitive and easy navigation and a clean modern look.
We’re thrilled to attend ICE London in February to discuss challenges, innovation and trends in gaming and exchange insights with other major industry players.
The year comes to an end and it’s time to look back at everything we have accomplished in 2019 and plan for the future, where we anticipate to achieve even greater success.
MaxBill is proud to announce that the leading independent natural gas supplier in Northern Ireland has chosen our solution to enable the digital transformation of its business processes.
The MaxBill team have visited this year’s exhibition in Paris and are ready to share their impressions on the biggest utility event in Europe.
The MaxBill solution has received an award that recognises our innovative approach to billing and our efforts to stay at the cutting edge of the industry.
Take a chance to meet MaxBill at one of the most important utility events of the year, where we will present out cutting-edge billing solution for service providers.


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Hiscox report warns hacks are on the rise
The Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2019 has just been published though you’ll be hard pressed to find a copy on line just now. It’s been sent to media organisations and once they’ve had their fun with it no doubt it will be made available to us lesser mortals.
The headlines make for painful reading for UK businesses, but of course you’ll be aware that Hiscox offer cyber insurance so it’s hardly in their interest to suggest that everything in the cyber-garden is rosy.
The insurer surveyed more than 5,400 organisations in both the public and private sectors in the UK, US, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, and found only 10% of those surveyed achieved ‘cyber security expert’ status. Right now, I have no idea how that ranking is achieved or what it means, but perhaps once we get our hands on the report it will be made clear.
The report is full of dread warnings for SMEs with Hiscox cyber-expert, Gareth Wharton, saying: “Where hackers formerly focused on larger companies, small and medium-sized firms now look equally vulnerable. The cyber threat has become the unavoidable cost of doing business today.”
Hiscox found 55% of organisations surveyed had faced an attack in 2019, up from 40% last year.
The proportion of small firms reporting an incident was up from 33% to 47%.
Average losses associated with all cyber incidents rose from $229,000 (£176,000) last year to $369,000 (£284,000), a 61% increase.
Apparently, UK firms spend less on cyber security than in other countries with an average spend of around $900,000 compared with $1.46m across the group.
The new General Data Protection Regulations, which carry with them the prospect of giant regulatory fines, seem to have spurred some businesses into action with eight in ten UK firms saying they have made some changes since the introduction of GDPR last year.
From a crisis management point of view, it’s interesting to note that firms in the UK and the US are the least likely to have a ‘defined role for cyber security’ on their staff.
Perish the thought, but if the report is subliminally suggesting that businesses might be wise to take out cyber insurance, could I, as someone who works in crisis management, subliminally suggest it might be wise for firms to have someone in charge of cyber security!
Jim Preen (Head of media)


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No brick-and-mortar retailer is going unscathed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdown, but some like Kohl's (KSS) - Get Kohl's Corporation Report are certainly coming back swinging.
The department store chain on Tuesday reported a fiscal first-quarter loss and a hit to sales that was much wider than analysts’ forecasts as the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown took an even deeper toll than expected.
With the U.S. economy all but closed from mid-March, all brick-and-mortar retailers are facing stunning first-quarter losses. J.C. Penney (JCP) - Get Report was the most recent victim, filing for bankruptcy protection late last Friday, while preppy retailer J.Crew filed for bankruptcy less than two weeks ago.
Kohl's is looking to rebound, however, with the company announcing that it has recently reopened about 50% of its stores across the country, CEO Michelle Gass said.
“As we look ahead, we know this experience will have a lasting impact to customer behavior and the retail landscape, and we are evolving our strategies to ensure our relevance and to capture market share,” she said.
Retailers like Kohl's were already facing competition from the likes of Amazon.com (AMZN) - Get Report before the pandemic forced closures and led to a massive drop in consumer demand for non-essential goods like clothing and accessories, their bread and butter.
One thing Kohl's does have going for it, however, is its relationship with Amazon, specifically its deal to take returns for the online giant - something it started on a trial basis in 2017 and expanded to its 1,150 locations nationwide at the end of last year.
The move was seen as a benefit to Kohl's as consumers physically returning Amazon packages were seen as more likely to to stay and shop.
- Tuesday Coronavirus Update: Jerome Powell and Steven Mnuchin to Testify
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- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Advises Professional Sports Teams to Resume Games Without Fans; A Bid to Boost Sports
- J.C. Penney Files for Bankruptcy: The Rise And Fall Of The Iconic Retailer
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- TheStreet Explains: What Determines the Price of Oil?
TheStreet Explains: What Is Market Cap Weighting and Why Should You Care?


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Snoop Dogg and Master P are both the definition of hustlers. So, it’s only right that the two are now officially business partners.
The upcoming Super Bowl performer’s wine, 19 Crimes, has been circulating in stores and now, his face is going on chip bags next.
“Don’t nobody have more chips than me. Just did a deal with the new brand ambassador, Snoop Dogg. We are family and there’s enough for all of us to eat. We agreed on a 50/50 partnership. And the new Snoop Dogg Icon chips are coming soon in three flavors. I’m committed to continue educating and giving our people the blueprint on building economic empowerment. Trust the process. We’re taking over the grocery stores, they can have the streets,” he wrote via Instagram.
Master P is always about empowering the Black community in building wealth with each of his business endeavors.
AfroTech previously shared that partial proceeds from his Master Crunch Cereal go toward his Team Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization for inner-city youth. With this latest move, Master P is keeping his foot on the gas and staying true to his “the more we make, the more we give” mentality.
“We let these companies make multi-billion dollars from us and we don’t have none of the ownership in this, and we don’t control it,” he said. “You don’t have to own everything, but if you control it, then you can feed so many families. We not destroying the community, we building it up.”
The Snoop Dogg Icon Chips Drop
The release date has yet to be announced, but fans can expect three different flavors to try.
More Master P Ventures In The Works
In December 2021, AfroTech previously reported that Master P and his son, Romeo Miller, have a new ice cream machine, The Ice Cream Shop, in the works.


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How Brands Like KLM Build Community Through Virtual Connection
Interactive technologies help build authentic, virtual connections between brands and consumers around the world
Community building is essential for today's brands, large and small. While physical events have their time and place, thanks to technological innovation and improvement, virtual interactions and community building is becoming an increasingly popular part of leading retailers' strategy.
In this excerpt from PSFK's recently launched Creating Next-Gen Content Experiences report, here's how three top brands are leveraging interactive technologies to build authentic connections and communities around the world through shared virtual experiences:
Fortnite x Marshmello
Popular video game Fortnite collaborated with DJ Marshmello to create a shared, realtime concert experience inside the game, drawing upwards of 10 million virtual attendees. Leading up to the concert, the game changed to only offer “Showtime” mode, and players could return to the show if they were killed, creating a sense of camaraderie. The concert triggered a nearly 24,000% increase of video streams for Marshmello’s biggest hits and drew a sales spike for songs performed during the show.
3D scanning system Staramba created a cloud database called Staramba.spaces that allows consumers to immerse themselves in a virtual reality world that includes the largest database of 3D avatars, including athletes and celebrities. The technology allows people to meet, interact and communicate with friends, as well as design and control their own virtual space. The VR platform encourages users to express their creativity and socially engage with people whom they otherwise would not get the opportunity to meet.
Dutch airline KLM partnered with creative agency DDB Unlimited to create “Take Off Tips,” an interactive hologram booth that allows travelers to connect with someone at another airport who is leaving the country where they're headed. The booth uses facial scanning and hologram projection technology to create a more personal connection between the two people.
Virtual connections are only one way brands and retailers are using content to drive engagement. To dive deeper, download the full Creating Next-Gen Content Experiences report, available now.
Lead image: stock photos from Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock


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- By Nick Clayton
HTC, one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers, has admitted to a major security flaw in its Android handset software and has announced it is working urgently on a patch to fix the problem. The vulnerability was discovered by the blog Android Police.
According to the blog, the problem is not intrinsic to Android but is the result of HTC adding its own tools to collect data from users, perhaps to improve its services. But these tools also enable apps to get access to information such as user accounts, GPS locations and phone numbers.
[Read more over the jump]
Tech Europe covers Europe’s technology leaders, their companies, and the people and industries that support them — and their ideas. The blog is edited by Ben Rooney, with contributions from The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires.


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To sling mud or not? For political candidates and their campaign surrogates in the overheated midterm elections of 2018, that’s the question.
Is it worth it for a candidate to hitch their wagon to negative attack ads? Are social scientists correct in saying that voters might say they abhor negativity, but are biologically rigged to pay more attention to negative messages?
Or will they be in the minority and take the high road to emphasize their position on issues and tell their personal story as so many newly minted political candidates, like Texas congressional candidate MJ Hegar, are doing this year.
While candidates are weighing the pros and cons, commercial brands that are advertising in this election season have some questions to ask and answer of their own. The primary one is whether they’ve carefully considered the impact that all this negative advertising will have on their brand’s reputation. If your ad follows a political mud-slinger, does some of the mud land on you?
It is a question that has been hotly debated in hotel bars at marketing and advertising conventions around the country for decades. It started in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson attacked Barry Goldwater in a TV commercial titled Miss Daisy, the first recorded attack TV ad in American politics. Campaign operatives were terrified the ad would backfire, but it was widely credited with effectively painting Goldwater as a warmonger and appealing to a public fear of nuclear war.
Since then, the opinions about the strategy have become as passion-filled as the ads themselves. Alex Kroll, a past chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, had a very strong aversion to the negativity. In 1991, he said in no uncertain terms, “We must stop politicians from ruining our reputation,” and, argued emphatically that, “Positivity is the currency of product advertising.”
Twenty-five years later, the J. Walter Thompson agency confirmed Kroll’s opinion, issuing a report that brand advertising was viewed as 32 percent less relevant when it aired following a negative political ad. Based on responses from 3600 survey participants, the report found that viewers suffered a negative “hangover effect” after viewing a negative political ad and it carried over to any subsequent advertising they viewed.
But, just like on the debate stage, every argument has a strong counter. In 1999, Stanford University researchers published their findings in a report succinctly titled, Political Advertising: What Effect on Commercial Advertisers? The conclusion was fairly surprising. After studying their subjects’ reactions during an actual presidential campaign season, the researchers recommended that commercial advertisers should actually “encourage the greater use of political advertising in general and negative political advertising in particular.”
The logic was akin to the good seed/bad seed sibling comparison. Negative advertising was so repulsive to viewers, the researchers concluded, that product advertising looked great in comparison and therefore elicited a positive response.
The fact of the matter is that we humans are drawn to conflict. Negativity is an attention-grabber, and all advertisers want those eyes and ears.
Borrell Associates, a research and consulting firm that tracks local advertising, forecasts that at the national, state and local levels political ad spending will reach a staggering $8.5 billion. Who are the big winners? Broadcast TV will rake in $3.3 billion, while digital media will continue on its dizzying meteoric pace, taking in $1.8 billion.
Digital advertising is clearly changing the game, both for political candidates and companies advertising during the election season. In addition to the possibility that a candidate’s ad goes viral and produces off-the-charts ROI, unlike TV, digital advertising also offers unlimited access. That allows campaigns the time to develop a cohesive model and get it out in front of voters in targeted ways. That’s a distinct advantage over broadcast and cable TV.
In fact, to judge the importance of the digital platform in modern day American politics, look no further than who was selected to run President Trump’s 2020 campaign. Originally hired by the Trump Organization to build websites, Brad Parscale was Trump’s 2016 digital campaign manager and is widely credited with being the X-factor in his victory.
TV, on the other hand, doesn’t have the wide-open frontiers of the digital platforms. It’s still the medium of choice for most candidates, however. But we’re a long time removed from Dwight Eisenhower’s 1952 ad Eisenhower Answers America, which is the first political ad run on broadcast TV. If you’re based in a hotly contested district, it’s non-stop political ads now; an endless cycle of finger-pointing, backbiting and candidates posing with smiling children.
Think of TV’s limited time slots in the midst of an election cycle as a crowded subway platform with a train entering the station. It’s all push and pull, jostle and elbow. Especially at rush hour. There are only so many seats available.
Given that federal law mandates that TV stations offer federal candidates their lowest rate for a time period, campaigns can lock in at discounted rates if they sign up early. But political campaigns tend to adjust on the fly, which means that the closer to an election it gets, the more expensive ad slots become. In heavily contested races that might mean missing out on a valuable time slot altogether.
Candidates nearing the finish line are hardly the only ones to feel the pinch of limited inventory. An analysis of the 2014 midterm found that car dealers were impacted appreciably by a dearth of open TV ad slots. They ran up to 50 percent less ads than normal in peak hours and saw a resultant drop in sales. Retail, professional services, medical services, and other businesses saw a 30- to 40-percent drop in their ads as well.
We’ll know more about what’s working best in just a few days. After election, fatigue wears off and analysts get to work digging through the data, these midterms should offer up a goldmine of information to inform future campaigns and companies considering how to align their brand in the next election cycle.
We help brands identify the often hard-to-define intangibles that set them apart, and then craft and effectively tell their stories across any and all appropriate channels. It’s what we do, and we’d like to do it for you.


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Chevrolet will auction off the first, sixth generation 2016 COPO Camaro race car to raise money for United Way. The purpose-built COPO Camaro, serial number 2016COPO001, will be sold on Friday, Jan. 29, at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. All proceeds of the winning bid will benefit United Way.
“This is a special opportunity to purchase the first of the sixth generation, 2016 COPO Camaro while also helping such a great cause,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.
The COPO is a powerful, purpose-built Camaro designed to race in NHRA Stock Eliminator class. The COPO Camaro legacy continues with an all-new sixth-generation version. This modern-looking machine infuses legendary COPO performance with the modern, lighter and stronger design of the 2016 Camaro.
Chevrolet introduced the sixth generation COPO Camaro No. 001 last November at the SEMA Show and includes a personalized look created by Chevrolet and NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force. It features a Red Hot exterior color with Courtney Force-signature graphics and red-accented grille trim.
“I was extremely honored to work with Chevrolet and help design the 2016 COPO Camaro,” said Courtney Force. “The bright red color and the signature slash marks towards the back on the car bring a part of my Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car to the COPO Camaro, which I think is really cool. The proceeds from this car go to a great cause and benefit the United Way, so it’s an awesome project all around.”
Under its carbon-fiber high-rise hood is a 350 racing engine with a Whipple 2.9-liter supercharger. Inside is a chrome-moly roll cage, lightweight racing bucket seats personalized with the COPO logo and Courtney Force’s signature, five-point safety harnesses and a floor-mounted shifter for the THM-350 automatic transmission. The instrument panel contains racing gauges and a competition switch panel.
Every COPO Camaro is built by hand starting with production hardware, including the same body in white used for production models. The COPO Camaro takes its name from the Central Office Production Order system used in the 1960s for fleet managers to order unusual combinations of options. Dealers utilized this system to put high performance powertrains into production Camaro’s.
The 2016 Chevrolet COPO Camaro serial number 001, lot number 3005, will go across the block at approximately 7 p.m. EDT on Friday, Jan. 29.


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Title: Provinces to keep control of online cannabis sales. While much of the debate about legal cannabis has focused on retail stores, the online market could prove just as lucrative — and governments want in, reports
Author: Globe & Mail
Date: 18 November 2017
Extract: As provinces reveal their plans for how they will allow cannabis to be sold, much of the focus has been on bricks-and-mortar retail stores and whether they should be private or public. However, online sales might be as lucrative – or more so – as people already accustomed to shopping online look for a way to get the drug easily and, for the most part, anonymously.
Title: These Three Kings of Cannabis are Going Into Business Together It’s being called ‘the largest global cannabis partnership to date.’
Author: Daily Beast
Date: 17 November 2017
Extract: Two of legal marijuana’s largest corporations are joining forces with a legendary cannabis genetics outfit, creating an unprecedented joint venture that will sell some of pot’s most recognizable brands throughout Canada, eventually selling in international markets.The deal’s individual players, who are among the industry’s most noteworthy, are calling the partnership “the largest global cannabis partnership to date.”
Title: Canada Wants to Tax Medical Cannabis. Get Ready for a Fight
Date: 15 November 2017
Extract: The Trudeau government’s proposed cannabis tax plan has angered provincial governments—who don’t believe tax revenue should be split evenly between Ottawa and the provinces—but they’re not the only peeved parties.
Medical cannabis patients and producers feel strongly that Ottawa should not be applying an excise tax on medical cannabis — full stop. They say medical cannabis should be exempt from taxation just as most other prescription medications are.
In an interview with Leafly, Jonathan Zaid, executive director of Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana (CFAMM), noted that the majority of Canadians can’t get reimbursed for the cost of medical cannabis because insurance companies don’t cover it as standard practice—and that creates a financial burden.
Title: Ontario marijuana bill includes school bus safety law that has ‘nothing to do with pot’. Liberals deny they’re playing games with new legislation to control retail sale of cannabis
Date: 15 November 2017
Extract: What does passing a stopped school bus while its lights are flashing have in common with the Ontario government selling pot?
The two seemingly unrelated issues are packed into one piece of legislation from Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government.
Ontario’s cannabis legislation, Bill 174, would regulate everything about the sale of recreational marijuana in the province once legalization takes effect across Canada next July.
Title: Legal marijuana: ‘Cannabis Quebec’ law to be tabled Thursday
Author: Montreal Gazette
Date: 16 November 2017
Extract: Conceding it won’t be perfect and more time would help, the Couillard government is to table its long-awaited framework law on Thursday outlining how the legalization of cannabis will work in Quebec. “Would it be better if we had an additional year? I think so,” Lucie Charlebois, the minister of rehabilitation, youth protection, public health and healthy living, told reporters Wednesday.
An extension would give her colleague, Finance Minister Carlos Leitão, the time to finalize negotiations with Ottawa over the distribution of future tax revenues.
And Quebec’s police could better prepare for the problems they believe will follow legalization.


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According to data from Flurry Analytics, in December 2020, Apple devices accounted for most US smartphone activations but compared with 2019, the total activations fell by 20%. Flurry reported in December that 9 of the top 10 smartphones activated on Christmas Day were iPhones. However, they also pointed out that the number of activations during the Christmas period fell by 23% year-on-year.
The company released data for the entire December on Thursday and portrayed a similar decline to the previous year. Consumer buying behavior seems consistent with the same period last year: December activations increased, peaked at Christmas, and remained high during New Year’s Day. However, compared to December 2019, the total number of activations decreased by 20%.
Same as Flurry’s previous report, the iPhone occupies the top ten list of activated devices. The first place is the iPhone 11, followed by the iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone XR, and iPhone 12 Pro.
The rest of the top ten smartphones comprises three other iPhones: iPhone SE, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and iPhone 8 Plus. Two Android devices, LG Stylo 6 and Samsung Galaxy A11, also ranked in the top ten. They are ranked eighth and tenth, respectively. Like the previous Christmas, the iPhone 12 mini also failed to make it into the top 10. According to Flurry’s data, the iPhone 12 mini ranks 25th. The analyst firm believes that the size and price of the iPhone SE offset the interest in the iPhone 12 mini.
According to data, Apple accounted for 46% of all smartphone activations in December. Samsung ranked second with 27%, and LG ranked third with 9%.
“As we predicted shortly after Thanksgiving, this year’s holiday smartphone activations fell year-on-year, most likely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Flurry Analytics wrote.
Flurry collects data from its analytics APIs, which are used in more than 1 million applications.


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This outlandish, color-shifting McLaren Elva supercar is set to hit the auction block in a few weeks and is expected to fetch anywhere between $2.6 million and $2.75 million. That’s an awful lot of money for a car that doesn’t even have a roof to save you from getting wet on a rainy day. But there are some very good reasons why this roofless McLaren supercar might even end up fetching north of $3 million. Revealed in 2019, Elva is the fifth supercar in the McLaren Ultimate Series, joining the iconic F1, the P1, Senna, and the Speedtail. According to the British high-performance carmaker, the supercar is directly inspired by the open-top race cars developed by Bruce McLaren in the 1960s.
The McLaren Elva came at a time when the world of supercar collectors started obsessing over roofless, limited-production supercars such as the Lamborghini SC20, Ferrari Monza, and Aston Martin Speedster. The British marque decided to cash in on the hype by creating its own open-top supercar by using the Senna as the base.
McLaren had originally planned to build 399 examples of Elva, which was later reduced to 249 on the request from customers demanding more exclusivity for the limited-production model. However, McLaren further cut production to just 149 examples, making the Elva a very rare supercar. The example up for auction is number 122.
What makes this particular Elva special is its chameleon-style paint which McLaren prefers to Pacific Color Stream. The paint appears to color-shift between tones of blue, purple, pink, orange, and red, depending on the angle of light reflected by the surface. The cabin is decked out in black ‘Ultrafabric’ and exposed carbon fiber surfaces.
Weighing in at 2,641lbs., Elva is the lightest production road car by McLaren ever. It is powered by McLaren’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 804hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. The supercar will be one of the main attractions at Mecum’s upcoming Monterrey auction.


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Welcome to the new world: the VR web is finally here. This month, Liv Erickson plunged head-first into the world of browser-based virtual reality and the tools and frameworks that are making it more accessible than ever before. In the latest issue she shares her findings.
E-commerce business continues to skyrocket and when there is money to be made, criminals are here to follow.
Online stores are the prime targets for cyber crimes. This is not new as the e-commerce websites are more lucrative for the cyber criminals. This is because e-commerce website process the customers money which is itself lucrative for the cyber criminals and secondly the transactions contain sensitive data of the customers that are directly associated with their credit cards, allowing various scams and frauds easier to make.


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In his first strategy update since taking over in July, Chief Executive Luca de Meo said he will slash an extra 500 million euro ($608 million) in costs and focus on producing a smaller number of profitable models.
Car production will drop to 3.1 million vehicles by 2025 from 4 million in 2019, while half of new launches will be electrified - including a revamped version of the classic Renault Super Cinq model.
The plan is a marked departure from the ambitious expansion drive set out four years ago by former boss-turned-fugitive Carlos Ghosn who is on the run on charges of using company funds for personal investments and misusing corporate assets.
For all his faults, Ghosn had difficult shoes to fill and the company seemed to do well under his “Mr Fix-it” strategies.
De Meo however seems to disagree saying that Renault “grew bigger, but not better” and his job was to “steer our business from market share to margin”.
Investors were unimpressed, with Renault shares down three percent in morning trade. Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois described the new profit targets as “underwhelming”, reflecting the “depth of challenges at Renault”.
The company also faces new challenges, as the European Union tightens emissions regulations and rivals PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV complete their merger to create Stellantis, the world’s fourth-biggest automaker, with potentially more resources to meet the industry changes.
Under de Meo’s efficiency drive, Renault will build vehicles on fewer shared platforms to pare back costs by 600 euro per car by 2023 and will aims to cut development time for a new vehicle by a year, to under three years.


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The Secure POS Vendor Alliance, an Atlanta-based trade organization representing point-of-sale terminal makers, says it is forming the Lab Network, a collection of research labs that would work on shared security matters.
The trade group is recruiting research labs that would evaluate payment terminal security guidelines proffered by the organization, whose members include Hypercom Corp.,VeriFone Holdings Inc. and Ingenico S.A.
“We need labs to be a critical component of that,” Steven Hughes, the alliance’s president, tells PaymentsSource. In exchange for their research efforts, the labs would gain recognition for their work, he says.
Alliance member companies would choose the labs with which they would work, Hughes says. The association will not endorse labs, he says.
Participation in the Lab Network is for those entities conducting payments industry research, Hughes says. Formed less than a year ago, the association is starting this effort to increase the potential payment security research effort and provide services for its members, Hughes says.


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New Council to Focus on Jobs and Competitiveness
On Jan. 31, 2011, President Barack Obama created by Executive Order the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Comprised of civilian representatives from various sectors of the economy, the Council will operate within the Department of the Treasury and will provide advice from the private sector on how the federal government can best foster growth, competitiveness, innovation, and job creation.
The Council is charged with: soliciting ideas from across the country about how to bolster the economy; providing information and recommendations to any executive department or agency with oversight on economic issues; reporting directly to the President on policies to enhance the U.S. economy; and providing analysis on economic policies to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the National Economic Council.
The new Council will provide economic advice as the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board—led by Paul Volker—has served its scheduled two-year term and expired Feb. 6, 2011. The new Jobs and Competitiveness Council will be chaired by Jeffrey Immelt, CEO and Chairman of General Electric.
Responding to the President’s new Council and the appointment of Immelt, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), respectively, recently sent a letter to Immelt urging his attention to helping small businesses sell more goods and services overseas.
“Increasing small business exports is one area that can foster innovation, strengthen competitiveness and create jobs,” Senators Landrieu and Snowe said in the letter. “More than two-thirds of our small exporters reported higher staffing levels due to their export-derived business – jobs which pay on average as much as 18 percent more than jobs created domestically. This data proves that while exporting can be challenging for small businesses, they – and our nation – can prosper from it.”
Among the recommendations Landrieu and Snowe highlighted in their letter to Immelt:
- Conduct aggressive outreach to the small business community to educate, raise awareness of and market exporting as a business development opportunity;
- Remove or ease regulatory burdens associated with the exporting process;
- Modernize, streamline and update existing federal export promotion programs that help small businesses export, and improve coordination amongst the agencies most involved in promoting exporting by small businesses;
- Better incorporate state and local governments as well as non-profit entities and key private sector partners into new federal export promotion initiatives, and;
- Expand small-business representation on key advisory panels and offices to ensure the needs and concerns of small businesses are incorporated into any new export or trade policies from the administration.
SBEA and NSBA congratulate Immelt on his appointment and applaud Landrieu and Snowe for their proactive urging of his attention to critical small-business exporting issues.
Please click here to see the full text of the letter.


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Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has a mission: Figure out how to fix the future.
Every year the tech CEO commits to a personal challenge, which in the past has been tackling goals like learning a new language or changing his diet. This year he wants to address some of the “biggest social issues facing Facebook and the internet overall.”
“This year my challenge is to get out and have a series of discussions on the future of technology and the internet and how that’s going to affect our society,” he said in a recent video discussing the challenge.
The promise comes after a rocky year for the company. Facebook admitted to a massive privacy breach in April 2018, after it was revealed it shared the user data of millions of people with data firm Cambridge Analytica. Subsequent reports on Facebook revealed how extensively the company tracks user preferences and identities like ethnicity, religion and political affiliations.
Although Zuckerberg has continued to make promises to improve the platform and rein in data-collection processes, security experts remain skeptical and the company is facing several federal probes regarding how it tracks users. Facebook did not respond to request for comment.
Security researchers and privacy advocates have some suggestions on what needs to change:
Sign up to a nationwide “data broker clearinghouse”
In recent years and particularly after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Zuckerberg and other Facebook representatives have been on an “apology tour,” said Dan Goldstein, president of internet marketing firm Page 1 Solutions.
“Zuckerberg needs to stop making bland assurances that he and his team are working on privacy, security and content problems. Positioning tens of thousands of employees to monitor and fix problems is a start, but he’s given no sense of how Facebook intends to address and overcome the serious misgivings people have developed over the past 18 months,” he said.
The company has repeatedly made promises to give users more control over their data, but has done little to actually make that possible, Goldstein said. In May 2018 it suspended third-party apps for accessing user data and added some settings making it clear what data is collected.
Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said in January that massive data overhauls are needed to keep Americans and their data secure. He suggested a “data broker clearinghouse” that would allow people to see what data is collected and request personal information be deleted.
Set an ethical advertising policy for other companies
The way Facebook addresses these ongoing privacy concerns could have major effects on the rest of the world, said Goldstein. Limiting targeted ads and giving users more control over data would be steps in the right direction, he added. With more than 1.7 billion members, the company has major pull, he noted. Facebook announced 2018 fourth-quarter earnings of $16.91 billion in January, an increase from $13.73 billion in the third quarter.
“Creating a Facebook that respects user privacy while providing features that enable marketers to deliver targeted ads ethically will be a balancing act, but I wouldn’t count Facebook out just yet as a tool that serves brands and consumers,” Goldstein said.
Give “premium options” to prevent data collection
As long as Facebook is free and reportedly gleaning the bulk of its profit from selling user data, the company is unlikely to make major changes to its business model, said Ayman Hariri, chief executive officer of Vero, a social media app posed as a kind of antidote to platforms like Facebook, because it doesn’t collect data or use advertisements. “Their users are their product,” Hariri said.
But others have noted it is possible to profit without selling user data, or at least possible to give users part of the profit. The data sold by major companies is sold for about $44 billion a year and users get nothing in return except the free use of social media platforms.
Nearly a dozen companies have launched in recent years with the mission of allowing users to sell data directly to companies, lobbying for a kind of “universal basic data income” where people get paid for the information they generate just by being online. They include Datum and Digi.Me. Alternatively, Facebook could introduce premium paid accounts for people who don’t want their data harvested by the social network.
Agree to an “algorithm regulator” on content ranking
Zuckerberg noted in his recent video that he wants to work in the “best interest” of users but admitted he does not always know what that means. “A user-friendly and privacy-minded Facebook would put the power back in the hands of its users,” said Sean McGrath, privacy expert at BestVPN.com. He called for more transparency and better control of how our personal data is used.
Some solutions are already being floated: Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission recently suggested an algorithm regulator that would have the power to request information on how Facebook’s machine-learning algorithms rank content.
“That would certainly be one way to go, but anyone in technology will tell you that legal regulation stifles innovation,” McGrath said.
Facebook’s stock was up 23.5 percent year-to-date on Friday compared to a rise of 11.4 percent in the S&P 500 and an increase of 11.59 percent in the Dow Jones industrial Average.


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Furnishing A Future
Furniture companies and operators are working together to create a look and function that's not only stylish, but also designed with Millennials' study habits and environmental beliefs in mind.
The expression "part of the furniture" takes on a whole new meaning when it's being used to describe student housing. Tables, chairs, beds and sofas couldn't be more front-and-center in a Millennial's decision to lease or not lease a furnished apartment. As the design and architecture of student communities becomes more urban or resort-inspired, furnishings are following suit. In many cases, the look of the unit does more than seal a deal on a lease, it's a way for a company to set itself apart from its competitors.
"Our clients see the interiors and furniture as an extension of their company's overall brand in the industry," says Paul Dougan, president of University Furnishings. "There are some companies who not only want the furniture to be stylish and edgy, but also to reflect who they are as a company. In many cases, we have builders who have a student housing company already identified to buy their product and will purchase unit furniture with the same specifications that this company likes."
Furnishings are a large factor in a property's success, and while being contemporary and sophisticated with furniture, fixtures and equipment is an important way to brand, many of the industry's top companies look beyond that, focusing on how each environment can make a student as academically successful as possible.
"There have been some recent studies and articles connecting art work to the enhancement of a student's ability to focus," says Jennifer Beese, senior vice president of leasing administration for American Campus Communities. "As universities have integrated more visual arts on the physical campus and in the classrooms, we are expanding that effort into student housing."
Beese says local artists' work will be part of ACC's The Village at Overton Park in Lubbock, Texas, and The Callaway House in Austin as a way to connect residents to the community and the region. Furniture in the units is modeled with the same spirit of making students comfortable, connected and ready to study. Beese says modular furniture that is stackable with options that enable it to be easily rearranged, like sectional pieces in place of sofas and lounge chairs enable students to customize their environment.
"A cool technique we are using to maximize floor space and increase flexibility is to incorporate dressers that break down and can be placed under the bed," she says. "Residents are also placing the corner sectional piece in a nook to create individual study areas. Anything that enables the student the flexibility to reposition the furniture to meet their needs."
As one example, Ecologic Furniture has addressed this trend by designing all lounge items as modular pieces. This also saves operators money by only having to replace the components that show wear and tear, without having to replace the entire piece. While furniture says a lot about a company, it also has a lot to say about today's students, and their parents, who are not always on the same page when apartment-hunting.
"One surprising trend we learned through a furniture design scholarship we initiated was that a lot of students don't study at the desks provided in their rooms," says Brian Hunt, founder and president of FOB. "Students are studying on their beds, the couch or on the floor, but we believe most student living providers still want to provide a desk if for no other reason than to appease the parents of the student."
Whether students use them a lot or not, desks are improving on the old designs.
"Desk chair styles are changing," says Rob Johnson, director of higher education sales for CORT. "The market seems to be moving away from the standard 'dorm' chair and providing more of an office chair style with ergonomic design."
Resort style amenities are being used more and more in building design and style, and furnishings are an important part of marketing and sustaining that concept.
"Student housing companies appear to be aligning themselves with the hospitality industry, specifically large-scale resorts both from a product and service level," Johnson says.
Case in point is Landmark's Retreat at Tucson, where Jill Lung, interior designer on the project, called the development's luxury spa component a "first" for student housing. Unit furnishings must continue this image for consistency, and student housing operators are opting for more sophisticated styles, generally with the idea that if a community is furnished with 'nice things,' students will be inspired to do the right thing and not damage them.
"Recently requested items include sectionals and media consoles that can house gaming systems and cable boxes," Johnson says. "Additionally, glass-top tables are requested more and more. Years ago, that would have been immediately dismissed in a student housing environment. I think the focus in the off-campus market is to give the students what you yourself would want. The thought process is that if you treat them as adults, they will behave as adults."
Dougan concurs that the resort theme is one of the primary goals in furnishings among many student communities right now. "Some of our clients send magazine clippings, retail furniture catalogs, and some who have stayed at the latest hotel in Los Angeles or San Francisco and loved the living spaces want to partially replicate that look."
Hunt adds that some of his clients will also send photos from their travels, including design inspirations from restaurant patios or interesting furniture they see on Pinterest. And a simple-lined, resort-inspired style is part of Blue Furniture Solutions' new "Discovery" line.
Other design details that speak to this overall trend include unique ways that technology can and will be incorporated into furnishings. Just as you're able to charge up and plug in multiple devices by your bed in a hotel, so too will student environments offer similar capabilities.
"We are working on an exciting new concept that will change how the student interacts with furniture," Hunt says. "Furniture isn't just about color and finishes. In the student world, it must be extremely functional. We are focusing on the functionality of furniture to provide our customers a competitive advantage."
Hunt says FOB is working on adding an electric charging plug station option into most of their furniture. The concept is to make charging cell phones, tablets and laptops convenient and simple whether a student is sitting on the couch or sleeping.
"The couch is usually covering up the wall outlets," Hunt says. "To have the ability to plug into an outlet located on the arm of a couch or on the nightstand, where the cell phone is often used as the alarm clock or the music source, would be very convenient."
In communities that are following the mixed-use, urban-style walk-to-campus development trend, furnishings are being selected that support that lifestyle.
"We are seeing a trend back to urban living nationwide, and the industry is reflecting that," Johnson says. "Smaller-scale pieces that can fit into modern, urban properties are in high demand." Johnson says this includes products that can fit in smaller, more urban settings, such as nesting tables, chairs that have ottomans that can slide under them and bar stools that can sit at the bar and the dining table."
While design and architecture is moving to urban sophistication, there are some styles that are returning to older looks.
"'History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme,' Mark Twain said. The same rings true with furniture and style in general," says Dickson Furniture President and CEO Doug Mueller. "Two years ago, everyone wanted colors as dark as they would go. Espresso, espresso and more espresso. Now we are seeing some of the lighter colors from the late '90s coming back."
Beese says she is seeing a return to "1960s-1970s" modern with molded plastic chairs, aluminum mesh with chrome mixes and the womb chair, all of which will be featured at ACC's Callaway Austin and its community at Drexel University, both opening later this year.
Mattresses and other soft goods tend to remain the greatest challenges in keeping furniture fresh. According to every furniture company SHB contacted, bedding is the item replaced more often than any other piece of furniture. "Students will tolerate a lot of things, but neither parents nor students will accept old, saggy or stained bedding," Johnson says, adding that Nylon covers have become helpful components of today's student housing bed as they help repel stains and tend to last a few more seasons than cloth covers.
Mattresses are critical to the furniture package. As Mueller succinctly puts it: "If you want to lease up your property, put in a memory foam mattress." Memory foam and pillow top beds are becoming sought-after items, as products are being developed to address this common problem of mattress wear.
While today's student furniture is evolving to incorporate relevant functionality, tomorrow's furnishings will likely capture even more of the spirit of Millennials' changing viewpoints, particularly as they relate to the environment. Vendors are saying that solid woods, green upholstery and any item that can help tell the "green story," as Johnson phrases it, of a community will be in high demand.
"Upcycling is a new trend and unique process that includes the revitalization of material waste into new products," Beese says. "We are using this process at Princeton University, Lakeside Graduate Community, where we will be repurposing large oak trees from the land clearing into the property décor through custom furniture and milling it for custom interior finish materials. Several of our clubhouses feature reclaimed tables made from tree trunks. Utilizing reclaimed wood in our furniture is a win-win, as you typically do not have to worry about distressing the finish and it is a sustainable piece."
Ecologic Furniture specializes in sustainable furnishings by providing PVC-free fabrics, recycled leathers, plastics and steels. Additionally, the firm has improved on the traditional metal frame with laminate style furniture using a proprietary design of EcoSteel and EcoPlus materials. These materials are made form a recycled steel frame with recycled milk containers. "When our clients combine this product with our recycled leather, all made in the United States, it is by far the most environmentally friendly furniture solution in student housing," says Daniel Goldman, chief executive officer of Ecologic Furniture. "Students see this commitment to sustainability, and they feel good about where they are living. They then spread that message through social media, and future leasing efforts are augmented by this commitment the developer makes on behalf of their students."
— Lynn Peisner


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From January 1 onwards, the Selangor state government enforces the ban of polystyrene packages. You know, when your mom is right again when she kept all the plastic containers. The time has come as you will need to bring your own containers to get food.
Vendors found guilty of using polystyrene packages will face a fine of up to RM1,000 and shoppers will be charged a minimum of 20 cents for each single-use plastic bags.
However, certain goods such as raw meat, and flowers and plants covered in sand or soil, loose seeds, live fish or aquatic products will be waived from the charges.
The restriction comes following the new policy set by the state government in an effort to reduce plastic bag usage next year.
Penang was the first to ban the use of plastic bags, followed by Malacca. Johor and Perak will also implement this ban by June 2017.
This announcement was made at the state secretariat building during the “No Plastic Bag Day” campaign launch.
The "No Plastic on Saturdays" campaign was introduced by Selangor but extended after receiving feedback that the "once a week" campaign was not enough.
Take note if you are in Malaysia from January 2017. You may need to get a reusable container if you plan to take away food all the time. Remember to carry a bag wherever you go too.


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There’s a new page on Technet that lists regulatory compliance resources currently available from Microsoft. The URL is http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/learning/compliance/all/default.mspx. Additional resources will be added to this page as they become available.
This is your opportunity to vent! What causes you the most heartburn around compliance. Is it the auditors? the documentation? the requests for evidence? Leave your biggest compliance headache in the comments. –Bill Canning
According to this article, two-thirds of CIOs say that SOX spending is a high-priority, and of those, almost 50% say that spending on SOX will increase. –Bill Canning
One of my co-workers has just released a beta version of a very cool toolkit for shared computers. You can find out more here. –Bill Canning
AMR Research recently released their predictions for regulatory compliance spending. In short, they predict spending of $15.5 billion for 2005, and $80 billion over the next 5 years. See the article here.
There may be a new law to comply with: a federal data breach notification law (a la California SB-1386). See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8318664/ for more information. –Bill


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Don't-Miss Component Stories
DRAM chip prices reached a one-year low on Tuesday and approached their cheapest ever due to a post-holiday oversupply.
Intel will make a big splash at the CES trade show Jan. 6 showing its Atom chips running inside tablet computers and netbooks. But how well it can compete for...
The chips that will run the graphics in future Macs will do a lot more than run the graphics: Increasingly, they'll take care of general computing tasks, too. And they'll be getting way, way more powerful, too.
What kinds of chips will power the Macs we'll be buying two from now? AnandTech's Anand Lal Shimpi makes some informed predictions.
A group of Intel researchers has pioneered a messaging system that would allow multiple cores to communicate.
Three big NAND flash competitors have formed an unlikely alliance to develop the smallest semiconductors in history.
Much more than a "$999 netbook," the new MacBook Air might well be a harbinger of things to come in the world of mobile computing. Here's a look at three innovations to watch out for in future laptops.
The sadists at iFixit have torn apart one of Apple's brand new MacBook Airs to see what's inside.
Apple on Thursday added a new processor option for its MacBook Pro line: a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip.
Intel said manufacturing investments totaling $6 billion to $8 billion will help the company target new markets.
Intel reported an increase in quarterly profits on Tuesday, brushing off weakness in the consumer market and predicting "healthy worldwide demand for computing products."
Owners of 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models bought between May 2007 and September 2008 may be eligible for free replacement and reimbursement of repair costs as part of a class-action settlement for a case involving Nvidia graphics chips.
The inimitable folks at iFixit have disassembled the new version of the Apple TV and declare it to be surprisingly eco-friendly.


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And Aqara do it again! The long-rumoured Aqara G3 camera hub has now surfaced as a listed device in the Aqara Home app when set to the Mainland China server. ‘Official’ details are sketchy right now, not least as to when it’ll be released, in Mainland China initially, of course.
What we do know, based on the information already within the app, is that like the G2H, it’s both a camera and a Zigbee 3.0 hub, and it also works with both 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi networks.
Another area where the G3 differs from the G2H is hinted at with the camera lens itself, which is off to the side. We’ve heard that this may be due to onboard AI functionality, which could even recognise not only the standard differentiation between humans, pets and vehicles, but go further with gesture recognition. We haven’t had this officially confirmed yet.
As stated, details are scant right now, and until the camera gets its official launch – which will clearly be Mainland China, to begin with – we won’t know too much more.
Of course, the burning question would be is it HomeKit compatible, which we can guarantee with 99.99% accuracy, that it most definitely will be, as well as compatible with HomeKit Secure Video.
Thanks to u/BaRaD on the Aqara SubReddit for the tipoff