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French PVC maker Kem One and India's Chemplast Sanmar have signed an agreement to establish a 50-50 joint venture to produce chlorinated PVC in India.
The JV, Kem OneChemplast, which is currently in the process of obtaining necessary approvals, will be built in the east coast port of Karaikal, Puducherry.
The project is estimated to cost 3.25 billion Indian crores rupees ($48 million) and use Kem One technology to produce 22,000 metric tons per year of CPVC resins. It will also manufacture CPVC compounds.
Based in Saint-Fons, France, Kem One is the second largest producer of PVC in Europe and has 1,300 employees in eight industrial sites.
The company said in a Feb. 28 statement that the JV is part of its strategy to increase its footprint in the growing Indian market.
Chemplast Sanmar, is the flagship company of the Sanmar Group and is a manufacturer of PVC resins, caustic soda and chloromethanes in India.


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|PS3 / XBOX 360 / WII||USA|
By Ishaan . April 16, 2014 . 9:00am
BurgerTime World Tour, a modern version of BurgerTime, will be delisted from digital stores on April 30th, publisher Monkey Paw Games have announced.
Up until its delisting, the game will be available at a discount for $4.99. BurgerTime World Tour is available on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii as a download title.
Monkey Paw confirmed in a press release that the delisting is due to the expiration of the game’s licensing agreement.
“Removing a game is never something we like to do, but it is part of the nature of working with retro game franchises,” said Ryan Olsen, PR Manager for MonkeyPaw Games. “For those that have yet to snack on the game, we are offering it at a tasty price before BurgerTime World Tour is taken off the menu.”

domain: news


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Sustainability has become essential to the long-term prosperity of global companies and is seen as a key pillar of business growth. The C&R sector is no exception. Businesses everywhere are actively integrating sustainability into their business strategies. Well-informed Millennial and Gen Z consumers continue to voice and demonstrate strong preferences for green, ethically produced products as well as products that promote health and wellness, while regulatory and social pressures concerning the environmental impact of businesses are also increasing. As the 2019 Retail and Sustainability Survey report by CGS revealed, '68 percent of respondents consider sustainability important to them when making a purchase and 47 percent would pay more for sustainable products.'
Businesses today are looking to acquire assets that reflect and cater to consumers' strong environmental and ethical values and comply with increased regulation. Most of these targets are likely to be strategic deal opportunities that offer longer-term value. Consumers are voicing their preferences and businesses are responding.
Sector players are actively responding to what consumers are telling them and reviewing their portfolios by re-deploying capital into more-sustainable products. Consumer products giant Unilever, for example, announced in mid-2019 that its 'purpose-led, Sustainable Living Brands are growing 69 percent faster than the rest of the business and delivering 75 percent of the company's growth.'
Businesses are also carefully reviewing their supply chains to ensure alignment with today's environmental and health trends. Food and Beverage (F&B) company Danone has committed to making 100 percent of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
Carlsberg is also developing sustainable packaging via so-called paper bottle technology. The company is committed to zero carbon emissions at its breweries and a 30-percent reduction in its full value-chain carbon footprint by 2030.
Consumers are driving the companies to change ethically - find ways to bring sustainability right from sourcing, processing, packaging, distribution and even in marketing while reaching out to their consumers. Hence, while doing M&A, this is a must-have ingredient in targets for long-term success.
The sustainability agenda is also exerting significant influence on the Fashion and Luxury sectors. Informed consumers are increasingly evaluating the environmental and ethical values of the brands they choose and global fashion giants are responding by actively looking for sustainable brand acquisitions. In 2019, for example, LVMH acquired a stake in ethical fashion brand Stella McCartney. Meanwhile, Macy's and JCPenney have partnered with ThredUp to capitalize on the second-hand fashion trend.
We expect the sustainability trend to continue driving or influencing a significant level of global M&A activity this year with companies factoring sustainability criteria into their investment decisions to enhance value in the longer term.


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- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 05:25 06:38 12:34 15:53 18:24 19:38
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, has met with Apple CEO Tim Cook at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
During the meeting, Sheikh Hamdan affirmed that the UAE and Dubai’s experiments present a model for development and offer an incubator for innovation and technology. He said Dubai became a global magnet for international companies and entrepreneurs as the emirate offers good opportunities to help business leaders to transform their plans and ideas to reality.
His Highness highlighted the important role of leading technology companies in developing the future of digital economy. He said technology companies actively contribute in developing global economy by developing the technical infrastructure for digital investments and knowledge based economy.
Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future; Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security; Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence; Mohammed Ibrahim AI Shaibani, Director-General of His Highness the Ruler's Court; Abdullah Al Basti, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai; and Abdullah bin Touq, Secretary- General of the UAE Cabinet.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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Wild Strait Performance Intelligence
Finalist: Discovering Gold
Wild Strait Performance Intelligence has been developed specifically for this rapid environment, enabling performance engineers and developers to substantially reduce the time and cost required to ensure that web-based business systems are stable and respond quickly.
"It automates the painstaking manual process of creating and updating performance test scripts by generating them from a test model. It also uses business intelligence techniques to quickly diagnose performance issues from volumes of test results data." explains Nev Flaws Chief Engineer (pictured with Richard Leeke, Chief Architect.)
Wild Strait Performance Intelligence was launched by Equinox IT in September 2015 at an event keynoted by Xero’s Rod Drury.
Wild Strait has partnered with Microsoft, Tableau, Dynatrace and Fineos to maximise the performance benefits to customers.


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Google has introduced Gemini Nano, heralded as the most potent artificial intelligence model the company has developed. This innovation promises to revolutionize the capabilities of Pixel devices, enhancing their speed and intelligence without the reliance on internet connectivity.
Three Variants Tailored for Device Optimization
Gemini comes in three distinct variants – Ultra, Pro, and Nano, each meticulously optimized for different devices, ranging from data centers to smartphones. The Pixel 8 Pro, equipped with Google’s Tensor G3 chip, spearheads this technological advancement, integrating advanced AI functionalities like intelligent voice recordings and predictive typing.
Future Prospects and Expansion
While currently exclusive to Google’s Tensor 3 processor, efforts are underway to integrate Gemini Nano across the Android spectrum. The introduction of AICore, a system service by Google, empowers developers to embed Gemini features into their applications, potentially transforming high-end Android devices into AI-driven powerhouses.
Pixel Devices’ AI Arsenal
Apart from Gemini Nano, Pixel devices boast an array of AI-driven features. The Recorder app, powered by Gemini Nano, now offers a ‘Summarize’ option without internet access, translating conversations in 28 languages. The Gboard’s Smart Reply, currently in a developer preview phase for WhatsApp, showcases conversational prowess, set to expand in the near future.
Enhancements and Innovations Across Pixel Devices
The Pixel ecosystem receives a slew of updates, from Video Boost utilizing Tensor G3 for cloud-based video optimization to Night Sight enabling superior slow-motion videos in low light. Other additions include Photo Unblur for pet photography, Pixel Clean for document enhancements, and contextual response options on the call screen for Pixel devices.
Advancements Beyond Smartphones
Expanding beyond smartphones, Google extends AI innovations to Pixel Watch and Tablet. The Pixel Watch now facilitates phone unlocking based on proximity, while AI Clear Calling enhances video call quality on Pixel Tablets. Additionally, Repair Mode ensures data protection during device servicing, reinforcing user data security, notes NIXsolutions.
Google’s unveiling of Gemini Nano marks a pivotal moment in AI integration for Pixel devices, promising enhanced user experiences and performance advancements across the entire Pixel ecosystem.


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In what is one of the biggest thefts of bank data ever, more than 100 million Americans had their personal information compromised after a software engineer in Seattle hacked into a server holding customer information for Capital One.
Capital One, which is based in McLean, Virginia, apologized for the breach and said that more than 100 million people in the U.S. could have had their personal information exposed, including names, addresses, dates of birth, credit history, social security numbers, and bank account numbers.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring warned Virginia consumers to be vigilant, saying “millions of Virginians may have been impacted” and even those who did not bank with Capital One should watch for any suspicious activity.
“If you think you have been a victim of identity theft please contact my office immediately. We do not know the scope of the damage created by this data breach yet, but I will monitor the situation and keep Virginians updated,” Herring said.
If you’re concerned your personal information was compromised, you can visit the Victim Notification Program’s Identity Theft Guide for information on how to protect your personal information and what to do if you think you’ve been the victim of identity theft.


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This data-stealing malware has returned with new attacks and nasty upgraded features
The new version of Scranos comes with an updated infection technique based around a fake application called CClear. It's based on the legitimate and widely used system optimisation application CCLeaner and is advertised as carrying out similar functionalities.
AMCA data breach has now gone over the 20 million mark
Exposed data included names, home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, payment card details, and bank account information
Streaming Video Fans Open to TV Hijacking
A suite of critical remote code-execution vulnerabilities in a streaming TV platform could expose entire databases of subscribers’ personal info and financial details – and could open the door to attackers hijacking the service, streaming any content they wish to customer screens.
8 Biggest Microsoft Azure Security Issues You Need To Know About
From focusing more heavily on applications than infrastructure to having more customers with data that’s private and inaccessible over the internet, here are eight of the biggest Microsoft Azure security issues solution providers are grappling with.
Houdini malware targets victims with keylogger, online bank account theft tools
The payload first communicates with its command-and-control (C2) server, controlled by the attacker, to request three additional .tar.gz files. These files, however, are actually PE32 executables which provide the Trojan with a Windows keylogger, a mail credential viewer, and a browser credential viewer module.
How fraudulent domain names are powering phishing attacks
The proliferation of alternative, "generic" TLDs—such as .app and .online—as well as the ability to register domain names using non-latin characters are enabling phishing attacks, according to the 2019 Proofpoint Domain Fraud Report.
EatStreet food ordering service discloses security breach
For customers who ordered food through the EatStreet app and website, information the hacker might have accessed or stolen included names, credit card numbers, expiration dates, card verification codes, billing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.
Samsung TVs should be regularly virus-checked, the company says
Security advisers disagreed with Samsung’s warning saying the tweet was “pointless advice”. “There is a tiny number of known malware that might attack a TV,” said security expert Ken Munro. He continued, “A better solution would be for Samsung to automatically update its operating system for you.”
New Plurox malware is a backdoor, cryptominer, and worm, all packed into one
Despite being in early testing, Plurox has some pretty advanced features and can act as a backdoor into infected enterprise networks, can spread laterally to compromise even more systems, while also possessing the ability to mine cryptocurrencies using one of eight different plugins.
Google Announces Security Flaw That Could Let an Attacker Access Your Device
According to Google, "it is possible for an attacker who is physically close to you at the moment you use your security key to (a) communicate with your security key, or (b) communicate with the device to which your key is paired."
Cisco critical-flaw warning: These two bugs in our data-center gear need patching now
Cisco's Digital Network Architecture (DNA) Center appliance has once again been found to be vulnerable to an authentication bypass, which could allow an "adjacent" attacker to skip authentication and cause damage to an organization's critical internal services.
How AI-enhanced malware poses a threat to your organization
By determining what AI-powered security software looks for when trying to identify malware, cybercriminals can adapt their payloads to more easily avoid detection. Malware writers could even dirty their samples to trick the AI into flagging legitimate files as malware, thus triggering a lot of false positives.
The Mixed Blessing of Subscription-Based Pricing
On the customer side, they often talk about subscription as a more agile buying style where they only pay for things that create value, when they create value. This is obviously completely at odds with the manufacturer’s “locked-in” concept. They may even be open to paying a little more for this agility but there’s no reason to pay more and not have any flexibility.
New Bird Miner malware targets Mac pirates
Hiding a miner in a bootable image is somewhat stealthy, but the researchers say that given the hefty footprint of the malware and the choice to emulate rather than run as native code, Bird Miner "shoots itself in the foot, stealth-wise."
Firefox 0-day used to deliver netwire Mac malware


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Czech annual inflation eased to 0.9% in October 2013 from 1% the month before mainly due to slower food growth, data from the statistics office showed. The reading, which was the lowest since March 2010, was in line with market expectations according to a Reuters poll.
In monthly terms, consumer prices edged up by 0.2% in October, following a 0.4% drop in September. The monthly rise was driven by higher alcohol and tobacco and clothing and footwear prices.
Housing and utilities charges (28% of the basket) flattened on the month pushing the annual growth of the component up to 1.3% in October from 1.2% in September.
Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices (15% of the basket) dropped 0.2% m/m reducing the annual growth to 3.5% from 4.6%. Transport prices shrank for the third straight month in October falling by 0.8% m/m leading to a deeper annual decline of 1.4% from 1.2% in September. Despite a 1.2% monthly rise in alcohol and tobacco prices, the component’s annual growth eased to 3.1% in October from 3.5% the month before. Clothing and footwear prices advanced 3.3% on the month in October bringing up the annual rise to 1.3%.
The October annual inflation was below the central bank’s forecast of 1% and also below the lower boundary of the tolerance band around its 2% annual target. The central bank cut its main two-week repo rate to 0.05% in November and said it will keep the rate at the current record low level until inflation pressures increase significantly. With traditional monetary policy tools exhausted, the central bank launched on Nov 7 the first in more than a decade currency interventions to weaken the koruna. Central bank governor Miroslav Singer said the bank will continue intervening on the market until significant inflationary pressures emerge. The bank wants to urge consumers to spend more and help the economy that is emerging from a record-long recession.
|Oct 2013 y/y change||Sept 2013 y/y change||Oct 2013 m/m change|
|Food and non-alcoholic beverages||3.5||4.6||-0.2|
|Alcoholic beverages, tobacco||3.1||3.5||1.2|
|Clothing and footwear||1.3||0.9||3.3|
|Housing, water, energy, fuel||1.3||1.2||0.0|
|Furnishings, households equipment and maintenance||-1.1||-1.2||0.1|
|Post and telecommunication||-11.2||-11.6||-0.2|
|Recreation and culture||0.8||0.5||0.3|
|Restaurants and hotels||1.8||1.9||0.0|
|Miscellaneous goods and services||1.2||1.2||0.4|
|Source: Stats office|
Moscow-based development bank International Investment Bank (IIB) has priced its denominated private placement transaction with three-year floating rate notes in koruna of CZK501mn, the bank said in ... more
International steel and mining company ArcelorMittal said on April 13 it has proposed a divestment package to the European Commission in a bid to obtain approval for its planned acquisition of ... more
Finland has issued a second and final permit for the construction of the controversial Nord Stream II pipeline that is to pump gas from Russia directly to Germany via a Baltic Sea route, the Regional ... more


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PRINCETON, Ind.—Mid-States Rubber Products Inc. received a 2014 Suppler Quality Excellence Award from General Motors Co. in recognition for its quality performance at its Princeton manufacturing facility.
Mid-States said the award was presented to 17 percent of GM's 2,300 suppliers in the U.S. and Canada for 2014. President Philip G. Eykamp said the firm has been supplying GM products for about 50 years. It is the first year Mid-States has earned the award.
“It's definitely a very high award,” Eykamp said.
“It certainly is only given to the top performing suppliers that meet their goals. We're very honored to have been recognized by them for meeting those goals, and I think that it certainly speaks well of our company and our employees that worked hard to provide quality products to our customers.”
A GM spokeswoman said the firm began offering the award in 2012. It is given based on achieving high levels of quality in 13 defined performance standards related to quality, delivery and other performance-related benchmarks.
“Certainly it's a very positive development for us,” Eykamp said. “There are all sorts of factors that go into how future business is sourced, but it certainly puts us in a very good position since GM—like all customers—would prefer to source business with the people providing the highest levels of quality and service to them.”
Founded in 1944, Mid-States operates one 230,000-sq.-ft. facility in Princeton.
The company produces molded and extruded rubber and plastic products for customers around the world not only through a variety of processes, dealing mostly with injection molding, but also with compression molding, transfer molding and cold feed extrusion.
Eykamp said the firm primarily serves the automotive, appliance and material handling industries, and works with a variety of polymers, with EPDM being the largest it uses for the automotive industry.
The firm is making ongoing investments to upgrade its injection molding equipment, Eykamp said.


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Single Molecule Switch. Researchers at the Peking University of Beijing have created a switch that can be turned on and off by a single photon. This opens up the possibility of developing light-based computers and electronics. To make this work the researchers needed to create a switch using just one large molecule. The new switches begin with a carbon nanotube to which three methylene groups are inserted into the molecule, creating a switch that can be turned on and off again.
Until now researchers had not found a molecule that was stable and predictable. In earlier attempts of the technology a switch would turn ‘on’ but would not always turn off. Further, they needed to create a switch that lasted, since the switches created in earlier attempts began to quickly break down with use. The new switches function as desired and look to be good for at least a year, a big improvement.
Chips that Mimic the Brain. There are now two different chips that have hit the market that are introducing neural computing in a way that mimics the way the brain computes.
One chip comes from KnuEdge, founded by a former head of NASA. Their first chip (called “Knupath”) has 256 cores, or neuron-like brain cells on each chip, connected by a fabric that lets the chips communicate with each other rapidly. This chip is built using older 32 nanometer technology, but a newer and smaller chip is already under development. But even at the larger size the new chip is outperforming traditional chips by a factor of two to six times.
IBM also has released a neural chip it’s calling TrueNorth. The current chip contains 4,096 cores, each one representing 256 programmable ‘neurons’. In traditional terms that gives the chip the equivalent of 5.4 billion transistors.
Both chips have taken a different approach than traditional chips which use a von-Neumann architecture where the core processor and memory are separated by a buss. In most chips this architecture has been slowing down performance when the buss gets overloaded with traffic. The neural chips instead can simultaneously run a different algorithm in each core, instead of processing each algorithm in sequential order.
Both chips also use a fraction of the power required by traditional chips since they only power the parts of the chips that are being used at any one time. The chips seem to be best suited to an environment where the chips can learn from their experience. The ability of the chips to run simultaneous algorithms means that they can provide real-time feedback within the chip to the various processors. It’s not hard to imagine these chips being used to learn and control fiber networks and be able to tailor customer demand on the fly.
Improvements in WiFi. Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed a way to improve WiFi capabilities by a factor of three in crowded environments like convention centers or stadiums. They are calling the technology MegaMIMO 2.0.
The breakthrough comes from finding a way to coordinate the signals to users through multiple routers. WiFi signals in a real-world environment bounce off of objects and scatter easily, reducing efficiency. But by coordinating the signals to a given device like a cellphone through multiple routers the system can compensate for the interference and scattering by recreating a coherent understanding of the user signal.
While this has interesting application in crowded public environments, the real potential will be realized as we try to coordinate with multiple IoT sensors in an environment.


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- Beauty brand Revlon announced Tuesday Matt Kvarda, currently serving as managing director for consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal LLC, will join the firm as interim CFO effective Oct. 1 following the retirement of their present top financial officer.
- Revlon will pay Alvarez & Marsal a monthly fee of $165,000 while Kvarda serves as its interim CFO, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), subject to approval by the bankruptcy court. Kvarda will take over from long-time CFO Victoria Dolan, who informed the company of her retirement Aug. 8, per the filing. Dolan will stay on with the company until Sept. 30 to ensure a smooth transition.
- The CFO switch follows approximately two months after the brand filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 15 citing plans to reorganize its legacy capital structure. Revlon pointed to “continued global challenges” including supply chain struggles and rising inflation as well as obligations to lenders as factors behind the restructuring in a June 16 press release.
An 18-year veteran of Alvarez & Marsal, Kvarda also previously served as senior director for KPMG, one of the big four U.S. audit firms. He has also held executive roles at Bank of America, where he acted as an assistant VP for three years beginning Sept. 1992, per his LinkedIn.
Dolan has been the CFO for Revlon — which includes additional beauty names such as Almay and Elizabeth Arden as well as its titular brand under its corporate banner — for four years, joining the firm in the top financial seat in May 2018. She previously served as chief transformation officer and corporate controller for Colgate-Palmolive before moving to Revlon, and has held previous CFO and executive roles for hotel chain Marriott International according to her LinkedIn.
Revlon CEO Debra Perelman noted the executive team is looking forward to “working closely with [Kvarda] to drive forward the restructuring process in the months to come” in a statement included in the company’s press release regarding the executive swap.
The reshuffling of its finance leadership comes as Revlon fields calls from minority shareholders who are seeking more say in the bankruptcy process, with stakeholders urging government lawyers to appoint an official committee to represent equity holders’ interest early last month, according to a July 13 report by the Wall Street Journal.
The company’s stock experienced an unexpected rally after its initial bankruptcy filing, per the WSJ report, though Revlon’s stock price saw a small dip following its lackluster second quarter results — also reported Tuesday, though the brand declined to host an earnings call due to ongoing Chapter 11 proceedings.
Revlon reported net sales of $442.6 million for the second quarter of 2022, a $54.8 million or 11% decrease year-over-year (YoY). The company also reported an adjusted net earnings loss of $275.6 million, compared to a $67.7 million loss in the prior year period. Revlon attributed this bump to the $158.3 million in charges relating to its Chapter 11 filings, as well as lower operating income and higher foreign currency losses for the quarter per its earnings release.
Revlon declined to comment past details included in their Tuesday release.


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David Palmer, CEO of MLA, has been quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald (Wednesday 4th August) as saying:
“We know that Australians eat roughly 100kg of meat each year…its finite…it is about how we divide that.”
Australia’s per capita meat consumption is in fact far in excess of 100 kg. The recent annual totals are as follows:
2006: 115 kg
2007: 117.5 kg
2008: 110.8 kg
The present average of 114 kg represents an 8kg increase in consumption since 1990, when Australians ate only 106 kg.
It is a concern that the CEO of MLA has the mistaken belief that the total meat consumption in Australia is finite and if consumption of one type of meat, eg poultry, goes up the consumption of the other meat products must fall by an equivalent amount.
This has not been the case in Australia nor in the United States, where beef consumption has generally held up, despite similar increases in chicken consumption over the last 15 or 20 years, at a total of 125 kg per person.
MLA's failure to understand that the total "meat consumption pie" can increase will affect the marketing and promotional decisions they make. Such basic misconceptions are no doubt contributing to the failure of the MLA do address the long term decline in Australian per capita beef consumption.
Mr Palmer also appears to be treading on egg shells in his comments in the SMH because he is fearful that the new beef promotion campaign may affect lamb meat sales.
This bares out the concerns raised in the Beef Industry Strategic Plan, produced by Hunt Partners for the Beef’s New Direction Task Force, which concludes that there should be separate sheep and beef corporations because essentially lamb and beef are competing products.
Read the SMH article HERE.


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Aqua Dining Group managing director Bill Drakopoulos believes more of us are dining out than ever.
Recent economic data has raised hopes the economy has turned a corner but economists say in reality that the signals are mixed.
“You can tell by the mood in the air, people are more inclined to go out," Mr Drakopoulos said.
“There is more confidence in the market. Our culture is changing. More and more people, even if it’s fast food, are not dining at home as much as they did a decade ago."
The owner of five of Sydney’s premier restaurants, including Aqua Dining and Ripples at Milsons Point, Chowder Bay, Sydney Wharf and Whale Beach, said during the warmer weather and peak seasons the venues were booked out on weekends four to six weeks in advance.
Even in the cooler months the bookings filled up, though perhaps at a slower rate.
His gloom-defying experience supports last week’s unexpectedly strong retail sales surge, which was driven by higher spending at restaurants, cafes and takeaway dining.
While some economists have questioned the 1.2 per cent retail sales rise in January, the gain added to signs economic growth may strengthen in coming months, helped by low interest rates.
Eating out on the up
Sales growth at restaurants, cafes and takeaways has averaged 1.7 per cent over the past three months, the most in almost 3 1/2 years, ABS data shows.
This is supported by a report by Enhanced Media Metrics Australia which found NSW and the ACT residents were the most likely (83 per cent) to spend money eating out each month compared to the national average of 81 per cent.
While lower borrowing costs are a big part of the picture, there is also a sense that success is being driven by innovation.
Despite the slow post-global financial crisis grind, many entrepreneurs are finding ways to make money in this economy.
Queen of the rice paper roll, Nahji Chu, has seen such a boom in Australia’s restaurant scene she has expanded her business at rapid rates.
Her “tuckshops" in Melbourne and Sydney offering Vietnamese street food cause a line up any night of the week.
The owner of Misschu left her banking job as a credit analyst in 2009 and built her business and price point around the impending recession.
“I really did expect the worst of the recession and I had envisaged that people would be queuing up at Misschu because they couldn’t afford to eat elsewhere," she said.
Long lines for cheap mains
It turned out people were queuing because they could afford to eat there five days a week, with meals priced under $15 for a main.
“I decided to do street food and keep the prices really low and base my profit margins on high turnover- and it has worked and paid off."
The biggest growth in her model would be seen in the home and office delivery market., she said
The decision to be flexible in adversity is echoed by Mr Drakopoulos.
“We made changes in our business structure in 2008. We sensed things were getting gloomy.
“We noticed people were less prepared to spend as much as they did in the past. So we modified the wine list, the way the menu read, moved away from white table cloths and pitched ourselves differently.
“Now we’re coming out of that, not necessarily raising our prices, but we’re offering a different product with a Michelin-rated chef.
“They’ll be modest but better times [ahead for the industry]."
The Australian Financial Review


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Plan your next career move at the British Franchise Exhibition
The British Franchise Exhibition is taking place on
08 and 09 June at Manchester Central and will be bringing a range of career and
business opportunities, advice and guidance all under one roof. According to the
organizers of the event, there are currently over half a million people employed
in franchising showing that it is a business proposition that has strong appeal.
The event will enable those thinking of setting up their own business to explore
options and gather all the information they need.
A wide range of franchise businesses across sectors such as property, home care, technology, food and retail will be at the exhibition all of which have met the British Franchise Association’s code of ethical franchising. Furthermore, this comprehensive franchise event will be offering many free features to help visitors gain answers to all the key questions they need to consider before making the step into owning a franchise.
An extensive free conference programme has also been organized which includes practical advice seminars by the bfa. During these sessions, a panel of experts will cover all aspects of franchising including how to find funding, where to go for legal advice and what a franchisor looks for in a franchisee.
The British Franchise Exhibition is open from 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Friday 08 June and 4pm on Saturday 09 June 2012. (kbp)


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Coming as a surprise to no one, Activision has confirmed plans to release a new Call of Duty game in Q4 2013.
"The Call of Duty franchise continues to set the bar for innovation and we expect a new Call of Duty game in development for 2013 to raise that bar even higher," said CFO Dennis Durkin during a financials conference call today.
"There is increased volatility this year due to the ongoing console transition, which makes predicting the future more challenging than during normal uses in the cycle. For Call of Duty, consistent with our past practices, we are planning for the main line release in Q4 to be down versus 2012," it added.
Historical trends indicate this year's title is likely to be a new entry in the 'Modern Warfare' line, developed by Infinity Ward. Expect an early November release.


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This Saturday, Juventus players will take the field sponsoring the club’s newly-launched 4th kit.
The club’s official website uploaded a video that presented the new jersey which was designed by Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra.
The kit will undoubtedly have its admirers as well as detractors. It features several colors, including different shades of blue, in addition to yellow and white.
The launching video featured several Bianconeri stars, including Manuel Locatelli and Moise Kean, as well as Juventus Women striker Barbara Bonansea.


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E-Paper Keys Allow This Keyboard to Adapt to Any TaskAlienware, VR Parties in L.A. Stay on target There’s been talk that Apple plans to add a slick OLED strip of touch-sensitive controls to upcoming MacBooks. Now sources claim that they may get a killer keyboard upgrade, too.What kind of an upgrade, you ask? According to both 9to5Mac and TrustedReviews, Apple is toying with the idea of replacing all those boring old static plastic keys with a full spread of tiny E Ink displays. And it’s about more than just allowing Apple to source a single keyboard for every MacBook regardless of which country it’s going to be sold in.Yes, it’s neat that such a keyboard would allow, for example, Canadians to switch quickly back and forth between full English and French layouts — instead of having to slog on with a bilingual keyboard. The really cool part, though, is that these keyboards could be context-aware.As soon as you fire up an app — say, Final Cut Pro or Photoshop — your MacBook could transform its keyboard to make commonly-used commands more accessible. Need to bang a boatload of numbers into an Excel sheet? No problem, just flick a software switch and light up a numeric keypad.There’s already a company making keyboards like this. No, not Art. Lebedev. Those Optimus keyboards are very cool and all, but they’re a little too pricey even for the $2499 MacBook Pro. It’s actually Sonder Designs, and a company spokesperson has acknowledged that they have indeed held discussions with Apple.That’s Sonder’s desktop keyboard there, and it’s up for pre-order at $199. Remove the healthy markup for retail and factor in the massive number Apple would be ordering if they go this way, and it’s probably not a terribly big cost to work into a higher-end MacBook Pro.
Stay on target It’s easy to feel terrified about climate change, mostly because thinking about the Earth’s rising temperatures and how that will decimate life on this planet is terrifying. But it’s also terrifying because it can make you feel helpless. Yeah you can be guilted into taking fewer showers or eating less meat, but the impact of single person can make is basically non-existent compared to the massive carbon emissions of unfeeling corporations enabled by uncaring governments.That’s why it’s so encouraging to see larger-scale business take genuine steps to make their practices more environmentally friendly. It briefly stops the terror. Take for example this new macaroni and cheese made with anti-climate change “regenerative agriculture” farming techniques. Finally, a good use for cheese!Annie’s homegrown elbow pasta and cheddar is the brain (and brawn) child of Montana farmer Nate Powell-Palm. On Powell-Palm’s farm they use several advanced eco-farm strats (I like to think that’s what they are called) to grow crops in ways that help the Earth instead of hurting it. Different crops like wheat and peas, along with livestock and their precious manure, are rotated in a way that helps the soil stay healthy with varied nutrients. This makes it easier to grow stuff all the time, and by making sure something is always growing the soil can maintain more carbon and nitrogen instead of spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.So why don’t we just do all farming like this? Well it takes a lot of effort. This macaroni from Annie’s is one of the larger scale attempts but even it is being produced on a limited run. They’re only making as much as the farm will allow, and the food market at large doesn’t have that kind of patience. Capitalism, baby!However, it takes small experiments to make big ones a success. Annie’s is already owned by food giant General Mills. Perhaps with time General Mills will start incorporating more of these environmentally friendly regenerative agriculture techniques into general production. Annie’s also makes bunny cookies the same way, but imagine if every box of Cheerios, Lucky Charms, or even Count Chocula was made thanks to a farm like Powell-Palm’s.Like we said, Annie’s macaroni and cheese is only being made in small batches. So if you don’t already live in Montana, the carbon you’ll emit driving there will probably do more harm than the macaroni does good. But just knowing this exist is as good a reason as any to be slightly less terrified of the harm humanity is doing to this one planet we call home.Let us know what you like about Geek by taking our survey. Amazon Employees Join Sept. 20 Global Climate WalkoutResearchers Transform CO2 Into Liquid Fuel
It’s been more than a year since NASA announced the discovery of seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting a single star.Only 39 light years away, TRAPPIST-1 quickly became one of the most interesting places to look for extraterrestrial existence. The search continues, though, as nonprofit research organization SETI Institute reports no signs of life—yet.“We now have unambiguous proof of the existence of the TRAPPIST-1 planets, and we know about their orbits, their size, and their mass,” Franck Marchis, exoplanet research chair and senior scientist at SETI, wrote in an update. “But a lot still remains to be learned before we can claim that they have liquid water on their surface, and we need to know far more than that before we can conclude that these planets might be habitable, or inhabited.”Last month, scientists at Arizona State and Vanderbilt Universities revealed that the TRAPPIST-1 system actually has too much water to support life. Though similar in size to Earth, the exoplanets’ masses and volumes suggest they are much less dense. Too light to be rocky and too compact to hold much atmospheric gas, the team was left only with H2O.“We typically think having liquid water on a planet as a way to start life, since life, as we know it on Earth, is composed mostly of water and requires it to live,” Vanderbilt University’s Natalie Hinkel said in a statement. “However, a planet that is a water world, or one that doesn’t have any surface above the water, does not have the important geochemical or elemental cycles that are absolutely necessary for life.”Which ultimately dashes any hopes of finding new neighbors in TRAPPIST-1.But not for Marchis, who is “stoked” about what we might find from future observations with large ground-based telescopes.“In less than two decades, nearby planetary systems like TRAPPIST-1 will become our cosmic backyard,” he said. “And if everything goes as planned with [interplanetary missions] we will soon learn the secrets of those exotic worlds. Which I am convinced, will surprise us by their diversity, just as our own solar system has surprised us over the past two decades, surprises us today, and will surely continue to surprise us in the future.” NASA Says 2 Asteroids Will Safely Fly By Earth This WeekendScientists Discover Possible Interstellar Visitor Let us know what you like about Geek by taking our survey. Stay on target


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Ford seeks greater market share in post-tsunami Japan
A report posted today by David Piper suggests Japanese auto manufacturers Toyota, Nissan and Honda are struggling to meet domestic demand as they replace plants demolished in the flood while slowed further by problems with the power grid, transportation and devastated suppliers.
This provides Ford an unprecedented opportunity unlikely to present itself again, according to their chief executive in Japan, Tim Tucker.
"The opportunities for Ford in Japan have never been greater," Tucker said Tuesday at a Tokyo café, highlighting the company's new products planned for Japan over the next year.
The manufacturer has their work cut out for them as current sales level amount to a paltry 2,400 vehicles – less then one percent of the Japanese market.
Foreign brands are a rare thing on the streets of Japan as most citizens are passionate about their domestic models. When you do see a none-Asian make it is usually a Mercedes-Benz, BMW or an SUV.
Ford hopes it newly redesigned Explorer will move quickly due to the fact no similar Japanese models will be available until December this year – a result of production delays.
The American Big Three are not likely to appear at the Tokyo Motor Show in November of this year since the cost can easily exceed $2 million while the Asian brands are highlighted and foreign brands are typically sidelined.
American cars have not sold well in the Orient for over 70 years. They are dismissed as clumsy gas-hogs prone to malfunction – Ford hopes to change that perception and replace it with an image of high quality, safe, smart and environmentally friendly vehicles.
They plan to introduce over 50 new products over a four year project aimed at Asia and Africa. The company has invested $4 billion in these areas since 2006.
The company has sold over 650,000 vehicles in that part of the world during the first four months of 2010, 500,000 of them in India and China alone. Those are the big markets in the world today and Ford hopes to increase their sales here by 70 percent over the next 10 years.


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The release date of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Amiibo figures may have been leaked.
According to keen-eyed Reddit users, code on Nintendo of Europe sites seemingly displays launch dates of March 4, 2017 next to three Breath of the Wild figures.
The three in question – Archer Link, Rider Link and a Guardian – only list on their display page as 2017, which is when we know the game and Nintendo's new NX console will be on sale.
While this may just be a mistake or the date of some other launch, this has got some suggesting that it may signal the release of the game itself or indeed the NX.
Nintendo has said that the game will be in our hands in 2017, and it has been hinted that the new game will be a launch title for the NX.
Amiibo are usually out on the same date or after the release of a game too, adding weight to the apparent leak.
However, March 4 is also a Saturday, making it a highly unlikely game release date as Nintendo usually release games on a Friday in Europe.
Many are also saying that the date shown may just be a mistake and nothing to take too seriously. We shall just have to wait and see.
Nintendo previously announced a set of Zelda Amiibo figures to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary, including Ocarina of Time Link and Toon Link.
These figures will also have "special functionality" with Breath of the Wild alongside the new game's official figures, and will be released around Christmas.


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That’s the same number of positions Verizon has cut over the past 12 months.
The news came on Monday when Verizon reported its second-quarter 2009 earnings – profits slumped 22 percent from the same period a year earlier. In dollar amounts, that amounted to $1.48 billion, compared to $1.88 billion.
Sales, however, rose 11 percent to $26.86 billion, despite reduced enterprise client spending.
Consumer services saw some growth, too. The FiOS TV division added 300,000 net new customers and 303,000 net new Internet users. Average revenue per user jumped 13.7 percent, Verizon said.
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Thanks to the current ‘new normal’, there’s no doubt that the upcoming London Fashion Week is going to be a very different version to the one we’ve become accustomed to. With the recent news of the UK government tightening social distancing measures, brands are having to be more creative than ever before – and with London having garnered a reputation as the most experimental week of fashion month, we can’t wait to see what is in store.
This season’s schedule, which runs from 17- 22 September, is filled with over 80 British designers including Emilia Wickstead, Erdem, Eudon Choi, Fashion East, Molly Goddard, Osman, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Temperley London, Toga and Halpern. Physical shows are still on schedule for selected brands such as Roksanda, Simone Rocha and Mark Fast, who will all have socially distanced audiences. Meanwhile, 21 other designers such as Victoria Beckham and Christopher Kane have opted for invitation-only personal presentations and Salon Shows combining both a physical and digital aspect (although brands will only invite a limited number of spectators to view their collections).
In fact, the majority of fashion houses have opted to go purely digital this year. Over 50 brands will display their Spring-Summer collections virtually including Erdem, Richard Quinn and JW Anderson through the medium of specially created fashion films. Burberry, however, will be combining the two, presenting a show which will be live-streamed spectator-free.
The plus of the new hybrid format? It is gender-neutral with 40 womenswear designers, 15 menswear and 20 of which are unisex as well as each show being open to the publics gaze. Wherever they are in the world, those wanting to watch the action need only to log into the Official Digital Hub on London Fashion Week’s website to gain access to shows throughout the week. This is our guide to what to expect during London Fashion Week 2020.
After the release of Dior’s hit haute couture fashion film earlier this summer, other designers are set to follow suit for this fashion week. Look out for Erdem, JW Anderson and Richard Quinn who will all be showcasing their spring-summer 2021 collections through creative episodes. What’s more, tech giant IBM is teaming up with London Fashion Week as an official partner to offer brands an ‘elevated digital experience’ using its impressive artificial intelligence. Fashion editors can expect to experience a similar atmosphere to what they’d normally witness within a fashion show – but via a virtual medium. To watch, visit London Fashion Week’s website where you can freely access any of the Spring Summer 2021 collections through the platform’s hub.
Erdem at 1pm followed by JW Anderson at 3.30pm on 21 September, Richard Quinn 2.45pm on 22 September; all available to watch on The Official Digital Hub; londonfashionweek.co.uk
Eudon Choi and Victoria Beckham will all be showcasing their Spring Summer 2021 collections with the return of the Salon Show. ‘Although this season is looking incredibly different for Team VB, we’re hard at work behind-the-scenes and so excited to share the new collection with you’ wrote Victoria Beckham to her 28.6 million followers. In previous years Beckham’s collections have filled some of the grandest spaces in London, such as the Banqueting Hall in Whitehall, and have been populated with rows of celebrities, journalists and fashion insiders.
However, for Beckham’s Spring Summer 2021, the designer will be showcasing an intimate Salon Show with only limited guests to adhere to the government social distancing advice. According to Stephanie Phair, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, ‘Beckham is going back to her early days and doing presentations, which she’s actually very excited about.’ But the rest of the fashion world is excited too, as everyone waits to see how the designer creates a large impact in a more modest setting.
Tune into Molly Goddard 19 September at 5.15pm, Victoria Beckham 21st September at 2.45pm and Eudon Choi at 1.30pm 22 September on The Official Digital Hub; londonfashionweek.co.uk
Exclusive, invitation-only personal presentations are what designers including Christopher Kane, Halpern, David Koma and Huishan Zhang are opting for this season in light of COVID-19 restrictions. How will this work? Much like presentations before the pandemic, designers will display their collection in a more intimate space. As to who will get a coveted space in the diary, appointments will be limited to keep in line with the UK’s current six-person social distancing policy. As such, only a small number of guests including fashion buyers, editors and influencers, will have the opportunity to view the collection in the flesh.
Visit London Fashion Week’s Official Digital Hub to watch Halpern’s Heroines Of The Front Line on 18 September from 11:15am and David Koma x Lavazza: Masters of Craft at 1.30pm followed by Christopher Kane at 3.30pm on 21 September. londonfashionweek.co.uk
Burberry is no stranger to live streaming – the heritage brand became the first luxury fashion label to broadcast its runway show to a live global audience back in 2010. This year, it will its Spring/Summer 2021 collection via live streaming from a secret location along the British coast. But for those who can’t wait, the brand will be also be showing live coastline performances on Instagram towards the build-up of the show.
Speaking of his inspiration for the SS21 ‘Back to Nature’ show, creative director Riccado Tisci wrote: ‘As humans, we have always had a deep affinity to nature. We have had to respect and rely upon its power for our very existence, whilst marvelling and revelling in its extraordinary beauty. Especially recently, we have all yearned to reconnect again. For this show, I wanted to celebrate these feelings by bringing our community together in a creative experience that takes place within the beautiful, natural landscape of Britain.’
Tune in at 1pm on 17 September to watch it live on London Fashion Week’s official website; londonfashionweek.co.uk
Amazon x London Fashion Week
In light of the fashion industry taking a huge financial hit as a result of the pandemic, Amazon has pledged to help. Teaming up with the British Fashion council in order to support home-grown talent, Amazon is launching a digital store in time for London Fashion Week to help small and medium-sized British designers to reach their 150 million Prime Members.
Taking part are Les Girls Les Boys, Grenson, Kat Maconie, De La Vali and Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, of Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, who will be selling its contemporary label, Preen Line. What’s more, in true pandemic style, face coverings from Mulberry, Halpern and Julien Macdonald will also be available to shop.
The boutique launches on 17 September; amazon.co.uk
Exclusive Capsule Collections
Luxury fashion boutique Browns has teamed up with two female designers, Molly Goddard and Simone Rocha, to create a capsule collection that will sit alongside their shows for fashion week. ‘The collection celebrates femininity in a modern way and explores signature Simone Rocha elements in new styles and fabrications,’ says Rocha of her designs, so think 1970’s puff sleeves, meters of hand smoked tulle and dazzling dresses.
While Molly Goddard has created gingham dresses and tulle smocks in bright blues and pinks, Simone Rocha has designed all her pieces in red hues, representing ‘love, birth, nature and passion’ – something we all need reminding of in uncertain times like these.


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Under Armour to Present at RFID Journal LIVE! Retail 2019
Three teammates from the global footwear and sportswear company will share how its RFID program is helping to elevate its world-class supply chain and retail experience.
Jun 20, 2019—
RFID Journal announced today that teammates from global footwear and sportswear company Under Armour will speak during a session at RFID Journal LIVE! Retail 2019, titled "Under Armour Shares Its RFID Journey—'Make it, Move it, Sell it.'" The event will be held on June 25-27 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. The Under Armour session will take place on June 26 at 10:15 AM and will be moderated by Avery Dennison, one of the world's leading UHF RFID solution providers to retail and other key sectors.
Under Armour has set out to implement an RFID solution with key partner Avery Dennison, using a "make it, move it, sell it" deployment strategy. As part of this journey, the company identified how RFID could elevate its world-class supply chain and retail experience through greater visibility of inventory movement.
During the session at LIVE! Retail 2019—which will be co-located with two other major retail events at RetailX: GlobalShop and the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE)—the Under Armour team will discuss the company's journey from ideation to deployment, the challenges the team faced, the learnings they uncovered and their future vision of how to leverage this technology to enhance the consumer experience.
"Retailers are enabling new digital shopping experiences and delivery models that are dependent on high inventory availability of product across every channel to ensure positive consumer engagement." says Bill Toney, Avery Dennison's VP of global RFID market development. "We are seeing more of a focus on optimizing new shopping journeys—like 'buy online, pick up in-store,' or e-commerce delivery models like 'ship from store'—which require high levels of inventory accuracy, and RFID enables that. At Avery Dennison, we're excited to be a part of Under Armour's RFID panel at RetailX this year, and we look forward to sharing more details during the session."
Under Armour joins Jack Wills, Prevagen maker Quincy Bioscience, Stadium AB, Herman Kay, the Foschini Group and others on a conference agenda designed to help retailers deploy RFID successfully and achieve true digital transformation.
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NIO (NYSE:NIO), one of many biggest EV manufacturers in China, appears to be like to be on the radar of Cathie Wood and her ARK Invest fund. Within the sunshine of a confluence of things, we mediate that NIO is at possibility of became a piece of the ARK Invest ETFs soon.
Cathie Wood had expressed decided sentiments about NIO in a March interview with Industry Insider:
“I in actuality had been very impressed by China’s sort out electric vehicles each from an environmental level of glimpse and a technology level of glimpse.”
She had then gone on to ticket that her crew became as soon as having a peep at NIO and other Chinese EV companies, at the side of Xpeng (NYSE:XPEV) and AutoX. Pointless to command, this observation on its dangle would no longer dispute the entire lot of our thesis. Given the emerging market dynamics, we mediate that ARK Invest may perhaps per chance be compelled to incorporate NIO and other Chinese EV stocks. Let’s delve deeper.
Deutsche Bank penned a ticket no longer too prolonged ago, warning of a modest equity market correction ahead. After this correction though, the German bank believes that equities will rally strongly, led by growth stocks. Pointless to command, with a P/S ratio of 18.51, NIO is an emblematic growth story. For reference, Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) unique P/S ratio is 25.43. Due to this, when coupled with a need of upcoming bullish developments, we mediate that the NIO inventory can generate outsized positive components in 2021 and beyond, thereby necessitating its inclusion in the ARK ETFs.
So, what are these bullish components that necessitate NIO’s inclusion in ARK ETFs? First, as we notorious in a most smartly-liked post, NIO secured a profitable partnership with Sinopec – China’s largest community of fuel stations – for the deployment of its 2d-technology Battery Swap stations. The sprint would enable NIO to dramatically scale up its Battery Swap 2.0 residence deployment across China with Sinopec’s assistance. As an illustration, the company now hopes to deploy at least 5,000 such stations across China by 2025. Thru this sprint, NIO may perhaps per chance be in a residence to lock in a enormous need of reward and future customers to its ecosystem, thereby increasing a monopoly of kinds in the biggest market for electric vehicles. NIO will most certainly be tapping additional monetization avenues by opening its EV charging community to other OEMs in China, as became as soon as the most smartly-liked case with Ford’s (NYSE:F) Mustang Mach-E. Moreover, NIO is decided to formally unveil its plans to enter the EU in early Would possibly perhaps presumably presumably, paving the formulation for the company to became a world story and never pretty a Chinese one. At closing, the company is ramping up the annual means of its reward plant – in-built collaboration with JAC – to 300Ok items by the tip of 2021.
Within the sunshine of this encouraging bullish outlook, we mediate that it’s only a topic of time when NIO shares became a piece of the ARK ETFs, thereby unlocking a enormous source of marginal inflows.


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The study found that pre-bid optimization reduced costs, with advertisers seeing an 18% savings in CPM for display ads. The savings carried over to video ads as well, with the cost per complete video dropping 42% on pre-bid optimized videos.
“Attention is a baseline metric for media, particularly in the programmatic space, and many of our studies examine how to capture and maintain eyeballs,” said Kara Manatt, Magna’s executive VP, managing director, intelligence solutions. “When we test new strategies and new ad products, we can find that something works better, but what really matters is how cost-efficient it is.”
A previous Magna study found that digital ads with higher engagement also produced fewer emissions.
Realizing this, the new study integrated Scope3 emissions data into pre-bid optimization and found that this optimization decreased emissions per impression by 28%.


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Google gets sued for following people around, even when they shut off the option, so here’s how to turn off Google apps location tracking…
The first Google location tracking lawsuit has been filed in a San Francisco federal court. The new Google location tracking lawsuit seeks to establish an “iPhone class,” along with an “Android class.” The purpose, to obtain class action status, potentially impacting millions of users who turned off Google apps location tracking but were still followed.
Google Sued for Tracking Users’ Movements Even when Location Sharing is Turned Off
The Google location tracking lawsuit stems from recent reports the search giant still tracked users, even if they disabled the option. The lawsuit states, in-part:
“Google expressly represented to users of its operating system and apps that the activation of certain settings will prevent the tracking of users’ geolocations. This representation was false. Despite users’ attempts to protect their location privacy, Google collects and stores users’ location data, thereby invading users’ reasonable expectations of privacy, counter to Google’s own representations about how users can configure Google’s products to prevent such egregious privacy violations.”
The lawsuit furthermore alleges the tech company violated federal law, outlined by the Federal Trade Commission as a “deceptive trade practice.” It also claims a violation of California state law over privacy. The plaintiff is seeking damages, as well as a court order, requiring Google to permanently delete its location tracking data.
After the initial reports that Google apps still tracked users who turned off the feature, the company updated a support page to read:
“This setting does not affect other location services on your device, like Google Location Services and Find My Device. Some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other services, like Search and Maps.”
Previously, Google stated turning off location history would prevent users’ movements from being collected.
How to Turn Off Google Apps Location Tracking on Android and iOS
Turning off Google apps location tracking isn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure. One problem is device disparity. In other words, different manufacturers, skins, and the like place such settings in different locations, making them difficult to track down. Instead, the best course of action is to go straight to the source. Here’s how to turn off Google apps location tracking on Android and iOS:
- Open the Google app.
- Select “Settings.”
- Go to “Data & Personalization.”
- Select “Activity Controls.”
- Toggle off “Web & App Activity” and “Location History.”
Please note, the Google apps location tracking option is already set to “On” by default. It’s isn’t known if turning it retroactively erases all previously collected data. Users can also go directly to the Google My Activity dashboard to disable the features, as well.


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MINNEAPOLIS — Automotive Development Group has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing companies of 2017. This is the first time the company has been honored with a ranking on the list.
The Inc. 5000 outlines the fastest-growing privately held companies from across the country that demonstrate the highest revenue growth over a three-year period. Previous winners have included companies to the likes of FitBit and Pandora.
The award joins a growing number of accolades ADG has amassed this year. The company has experienced tremendous success, with revenue growth of 188% over the last three years.
“It feels great to have our entire team recognized for the results of their hard work and innovation” said Founder and President Joel Kansanback. “The automotive industry is going through a period of unprecedented change. Automotive Development Group is uniquely positioned to assist dealers in navigating the challenging realities.”
Originally posted on F&I and Showroom


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WASHINGTON—There’s a different kind of side effect that has come about as people are quarantined at home during the COVID-19 pandemic—the increase, and potential impact, of malware issues via cyber attacks, particularly through illegal piracy devices.
This is according to a survey conducted by the Digital Citizens Alliance, which found that one in four of Americans who use piracy devices—like a Kodi Box or a jail-broken Amazon Firestick—in their home say they had a malware problem in the last three months; 49% have had a malware problem in the last year.
DCA says that these findings present a larger problem than normal because of how much people are relying on their home devices and internet for their daily lives during quarantine. During the pandemic, 53% of Americans have said the internet is essential to their lives, according to a Pew Research study; also, 60% are using personal devices to do their work at home, per Cyber Readiness Institute. Beyond work, DCA found that 70% of people are watching more TV than usual during this period.
It’s not just the greater use of piracy devices, cyber attacks have increased as well. DCA cites VMware Carbon Black that ransomware attacks are up 148%, and the United Nations has reported malicious emails have risen by 600% since the pandemic started.
“Now more than ever, all of us need to find ways to be less vulnerable,” said Tom Galvin, executive director of the Digital Citizens Alliance. “Reliance on piracy sites and apps is one of the easiest changes one can make to improve online security dramatically.”
Steps that individuals can take to protect themselves from this rise in cyber attacks, according to DCA, are:
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- Use apps that are licensed to sell or rent movies and TV shows;
- Avoid knockoffs and copycats; and
- Be aware that services that offer free content but require personal information or control of a device are risky
For more information, visit www.digitalcitizensalliance.org.


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Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement after House passage of the Colombia, South Korea, and Panama Free Trade Agreements:
"I was proud to support these three export agreements because more exports means more jobs -- for Arkansas and the entire country. Thousands of Arkansans earn their living from the export of Arkansas-made products to other countries. When job creators have access to new markets, they can hire additional employees and expand their businesses here in the United States."
According to the National Association of Manufacturers, nearly 66,000 Arkansas jobs are supported by manufactured goods exports.


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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed plans to reveal the brand’s first pickup truck next month. On Wednesday, Musk responded to a Twitter follower who asked if the truck’s big reveal was still on track, and he responded, “No change.”
Although Tesla has only released vague images of the vehicle, Musk promises that it will look like something out of a sci-fi film with a “really futuristic-like cyberpunk Blade Runner” design. “It won’t look like a normal truck. It’s going to look pretty sci-fi,” he said. Comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan, an avowed Tesla fan and friend of Musk, has said that he believes truck owners, who have been traditionally hostile toward the concept of electric vehicles, will support the pickup because it’s American-made.
The pickup, which is unofficially referred to as the Tesla Model B, has been met with some reservations due to the lack of charging stations in some areas. In 2012, Tesla began developing a network of 480-volt fast-charging Supercharger stations. As of December 2018, there are 1,375 Supercharger stations operated globally with 11,414 superchargers. The Supercharger, a direct current (DC) technology that delivers up to 250 kW of power, provides a full charge in around 40 minutes. Tesla cars suggest the fastest route for long-distance travel, taking into account possible charging delays.
In the past, Tesla has released an image of a semi-sized pickup carting a Ford F-150 in its bed. “The goal is to be a better truck than an F-150, in terms of truck-like functionality, and be a better sports car than a [Porsche] 911,” Musk said. The pickup will reportedly have no less than six seats and provide up to 300,000 lbs. (136,077 kg) of towing capacity.
Musk also said confirmed that the pickup would have a starting price of $49,000. Despite the big reveal, drivers will have to wait until probably 2021 for the truck to be available since Tesla expects to first launch its new Model Y compact SUV next year.
What we do know is that the new Tesla pickup truck will feature AWD, a self-leveling suspension, a range up to 500 miles per charge and the brand’s semi-autonomous driving system. The company is not the only automaker planning on debuting an electric pickup. Ford, GM, and Rivian are also expected to launch new electric truck models in the next few years, which will liken stiffen the competition and hopefully lower prices.
The United States is a huge market for truck sales. An estimated 2.7 million pickup trucks will be sold this year, with an average selling price of just under $30,000.


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PORTLAND, Ore., April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ON1, creators of ON1 Photo RAW, announces ON1 360° will be available in late June. ON1 360° is a new end-to-end photography workflow solution for capturing, editing, and accessing photos seamlessly between multiple computers and mobile devices. ON1 360° connects ON1 Photo RAW 2020 on macOS and Windows computers with the new free ON1 Photo Mobile on iOS and Android devices.
At the core of ON1 360° is ON1's new cloud storage service and sync technology, which allows photographers to sync photos, metadata, and edits, as well as albums, cataloged folders, and more between all their computers and devices, external hard drives, or even network drives. ON1 360° will allow customers to choose which photos or folders to sync, where the files live, as well as their preferred storage format.
With ON1 360°, customers can choose between syncing their original raw files or syncing their photos using ON1's compressed-raw file format, which is 75% smaller than the original RAW file while maintaining the same tonal and color range. They are perfect for remote editing, sharing, and even printing common sizes, without noticeable loss in quality, saving the customer additional storage costs.
One Workflow — A complete end-to-end workflow between desktop and mobile with just one desktop application in ON1 Photo RAW 2020. ON1 Photo RAW 2020 is a modern photo organizer, raw processor, layered editor, and effects app.
Value — ON1 360° plan options start out at 10x the storage amount for 20% less cost compared to competitive plans available today.
ON1 Photo Mobile — The new free ON1 Photo Mobile will be a single app for capturing, editing, and syncing photos back to desktop computers, where each photo will also be re-editable. Adjustments will include Exposure, Contrast, Shadows, Mid-tones, Highlights, Whites, Blacks, White Balance, Noise, and Sharpening. Built-in filters will start with, black and white, adding film grain, darkening the edges with a vignette, and enhancing local contrast. ON1 Photo Mobile will be free.
Photos Stay in Sync — Automatically or selectively sync photos and edits from ON1 Photo RAW 2020 on desktop or laptop computers back to the free ON1 Photo Mobile using ON1 360°. ON1 360° will allow photographers to wirelessly send photos between desktop and mobile devices. Photos can be viewed, edited or downloaded directly to ON1 Photo RAW 2020 on both desktop or laptop computers with the non-destructive editing settings intact. You can also push edits from ON1 Photo RAW 2020 on desktop or laptop computers and automatically or selectively sync them back to ON1 Photo Mobile.
Privacy — Privacy is most important, and with ON1 360°, all photos will be kept private. ON1 will never analyze any photos using ON1 360° to build ways to market to photographers.
Availability and Pricing
ON1 360° subscription plans will be rolled out gradually starting today and continuing to the full release in late June 2020 when the ON1 360° service officially begins and all purchasing options become available. New customers can purchase a perpetual license for ON1 Photo RAW 2020 at a reduced price and the ON1 360° Service Add-on or the ON1 360° Software & Service subscription which includes everything. For a limited time, ON1 is cutting the price of ON1 Photo RAW 2020 by 50% during the lead up to ON1 360° availability in late June.
In June 2020, ON1 will roll out all ON1 360° plans including monthly subscription plans which include ON1 Photo RAW 2020, the ON1 Photo Mobile connectivity, and the 360° syncing service. As always, ON1 will continue offering Photo RAW as a perpetual-license product separate from ON1 360°, for those who prefer to own their software.
ON1 Press Relations


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HP's Elite x3 is a smartphone that wants to replace your computer.
HP has unveiled a new way of building computer architecture that can even be scaled down to fit in smartphones
One short year after spending $1.2 billion on webOS, HP has announced that it is giving the popular, yet unsuccessful operating system (OS) the boot. The news comes as a blow to webOS fans everywhere who have been expecting a webOS 2.2 update for their Palm Pre2s for a while now and were eagerly awaiting the seemingly indefinitely postponed Palm Pre3.
HP has sent out invitations to Aussie tech media gurus for an event that will “celebrate technology that works like nothing else”. “Works like nothing else” is the often used slogan for HP’s TouchPad tablet, running on the popular webOS platform. This move would mark webOS’ first major appearance in Australia and is already generating a bit of buzz from Aussie webOS fans; we know we’re certainly excited. Being based in Australia we’ve never actually got our hands on a device running the current generation of webOS, something we’ve been envious of other countries for for a long time.
Thousands of mobile phone plans unpacked.
All the facts. No surprises.
Compare plans & prices for the new iPhone 8 & 8 Plus including any special promotions being offered
Virgin Mobile is celebrating the silly season with $100 Credit on selected phone plans to help you make this Christmas a real cracker. Offer ends 31.01.2018


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Twitter Stories to Showcase the Most Powerful TweetsDCI
Twitter has launched a new marketing initiative Twitter Stories to showcase the positive impact of the site.
Following the footsteps of Facebook Stories and Google Stories, Twitter has set up this new site and demonstrates the dramatic effects of tweets. This site even features the story of a man who got a kidney donor after his tweet, “[expletive], I need a kidney.” The micro-blogging giant has also chosen to highlight several well-known celebrities and brands in the stories it picked.
“Each story reminds us of the humanity behind Tweets that make the world smaller,” Twitter wrote on its blog. “Read about a single Tweet that helped save a bookstore from going out of business; an athlete who took a hundred of his followers out to a crab dinner; and, Japanese fishermen who use Twitter to sell their catch before returning to shore.”
Twitter users can submit their stories by mentioning @twitterstories or by tweeting with the hashtag #twitterstories.


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The funds will also be raised through the sale of land parcels that the company owns in and around Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex.
Praj shares have gained over 50% in less than a month as traders lapped up the stock in anticipation of a 'big announcement' by the company.
Bharat Parajia and H Nemkumar, among the 4 who joined IIFL from CLSA amid much fanfare in 2007, together sold over Rs 12 lakh shares in the open market on May 20.
The emerging market pool of money is large and with China on the back seat, India is a preferred destination, says Jain.
The offer is similar to collective investment schemes (CIS) that require prior regulatory approval, say officials of market watchdog Sebi.
Satyug Gold, a company promoted by Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra offers up to 37% discounts on gold bars
Kundra, who earlier sold pashmina shawls and traded in metals in London has a target to sell Rs 1,000 crore of gold through Satyug.
Sahara’s luxury hotels in London and New York are drawing interest from Gulf billionaires, with initial offers of £1.2 to 1.4 bn made by the parties.
Helios, Nasdaq-listed, is talking to Abu Dabhi Investment Authority, Morgan Stanley Mauritius, Afrin Dia and India Max Investment Fund to place the shares.
Since January, the stock has actually gained a substantial 30%, thanks to its debt-restructuring plans.
Talks of a buyout have resulted in Camlin Fine outperforming its peers in the speciality chemicals industry, such as Atul, Omkar Speciality and Vinati Organics.
- No blogs yet have been written by the author, we’re sure the author will contribute one soon


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Google Nearly Doubles Profits As Retail Kickstarts Spending
Google almost doubled its profit during the September quarter, as digital advertising increases and the retail world moves online.
Parent company Alphabet reported overnight that revenue rose 41 per cent, to A$86.81 billion, its biggest quarterly revenue haul in 14 years.
It posted a profit of A$28.02 billion, which is close to three times pre-pandemic levels.
Much of Google’s hefty profits came from its ad business, which includes YouTube advertising, Search, and Maps. The sector posted A$70.76 billion in sales, a 43 per cent increase year-on-year.
Most of this growth comes at the cost of Facebook and Snap, whose own advertising revenue has plummeted due to Apple’s new privacy policies that require app users to opt into being tracked.


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Volkswagen and Toyota have become the latest carmakers to warn about production cuts because of the global computer chip shortage.
German car manufacturer Volkswagen said a semiconductor supply crunch could force it to slow production lines during the autumn, adding to cuts that have been in place since February. Japanese firm Toyota also reported that it would slash output by 40% in September.
Carmakers have struggled after a recovery in demand stretched supply chains earlier this year, with Covid-19 outbreaks across Asia hitting chip production and operations at commercial ports.
“We currently expect supply of chips in the third quarter to be very volatile and tight,” said Volkswagen, the second largest carmaker behind Toyota.
“We can’t rule out further changes to production,” the company told Reuters.
The Wolfsburg-based carmaker said it expected the situation would improve by the end of the year, and aimed to make up for production shortfalls in the second half as far as possible.
New car prices have begun to rise in response to the limited supplies of cars, but the most noticeable impact has been on the secondhand car market, where prices have jumped by 14% year on year in the UK and more than 40% in the US.
Toyota said it intended to reduce global production for September by 40% compared with its previous plan, according to the Nikkei business daily. This pushed its shares down by 4.4% on Thursday.
Shares in European carmakers and suppliers were also broadly weaker, with BMW, Daimler, Renault, Volkswagen and Stellantis – the maker of Peugeot and Fiat cars – all down by more than 2%.
The latest production woes follow news that German chipmaker Infineon, the top automotive supplier, was forced to suspend production at one of its plants in Malaysia in June, due to a coronavirus outbreak.
Reinhard Ploss, the Infineon chief executive, said earlier this month that the automotive industry faced “acute supply limitations across the entire value chain” and it would take until well into 2022 for supply and demand to be brought back into balance.
Analysts at ING said some Taiwanese semiconductor companies unaffected by the Delta variant of Covid-19 were pushing production beyond the usual 100% to satisfy demand.
Ford said on Wednesday it would halt output for a week on production lines that build its bestselling F-150 pickup trucks because of the shortage. The shutdown will begin on Monday.
Earlier this month, General Motors suspended production for a week at three North American truck plants, while Nissan halted it for two weeks at a Tennessee plant because of a Covid-19 outbreak at a chip plant in Malaysia.
Phone and computer makers have also reported semiconductor shortages. Apple executives said that while the impact was less severe than feared in the third quarter, it would get worse in the current quarter, and could hit iPhone production.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated the restart date for the Lansing Delta Township, Spring Hill and Ramos Arizpe assembly plants.
General Motors will resume full-size pickup production Monday, as planned, after cutting output this week due to the global microchip shortage, the automaker said Wednesday. But six other North American plants will take additional downtime, including Fairfax Assembly, which has been idled for nearly six months.
GM’s pickup plants — Flint Assembly in Michigan, Silao Assembly in Mexico and Fort Wayne Assembly in Indiana — will restart full production Monday. Flint had been operating on only one shift this week, and Fort Wayne and Silao were idled.
The chip shortage has hampered production for GM and other automakers since early this year. GM has prioritized chips for its lucrative full-size pickup and SUV segments over crossovers and sedans. AutoForecast Solutions estimates that the chip crisis has reduced North America vehicle production by 1.8 million vehicles so far. It projects the total impact could reach 2.1 million.
GM scheduled additional downtime at six other plants:
Lansing Delta Township, Spring Hill, Ramos Arizpe assembly plants: Each of the plants will take an additional week of downtime. GM now expects production to restart Aug. 9 after shutting down July 19. Ramos, in Mexico, builds the Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox. Spring Hill, in Tennessee, builds the Cadillac XT5 and XT6 and the GMC Acadia. Lansing Delta Township, in Michigan, builds the Chevy Traverse and the Buick Enclave.
San Luis Potosi Assembly: The plant in Mexico will add three more weeks of downtime and is now scheduled to resume production Aug. 23. The plant has been down since July 19. It builds the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain.
Lansing Grand River Assembly: GM plans to resume production at the Michigan plant Aug. 30, two weeks later than planned. Production of the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans at the plant has been down since May 10. Production of the Chevy Camaro, also built at Lansing Grand River, will not be impacted.
Fairfax Assembly: The Kansas City plant will take an additional four weeks of downtime. It was expected to resume production Aug. 23. Now Cadillac XT4 production is scheduled to restart Sept. 20, but Chevrolet Malibu production will remain idled, GM said. Fairfax has been down since Feb. 8.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska grocers say several products including meats are at alarming prices. Some are higher than they’ve been in several years.
One of the big reasons is transportation costs.
Local grocery stores including Suji’s Indian Grocery are already seeing a 5 to 20 percent price increase on certain products.
The owner, Mahak Singh, said, “Produce is going up and down every week. The beans and rice, they [the wholesalers] are increasing from February until every time you order that.”
Singh said he also pays for the transportation of products, which has gone up an additional 15 to 20%. But, the owner refuses to raise his prices because he said he planned and bought some of his items in bulk this February.
“I got them on a reasonable price before they increased the prices,” Singh said. “I got all the year-round supplies then.”
While Suji’s may not be raising their prices, the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association said other Nebraska stores don’t have a choice.
Executive director Ansley Fellers said, “Grocery stores and the food industry run on really tight margins so it’s only so long that folks can absorb some of those increased prices before consumers start to feel it.”
Fellers said this is why some cuts of meat, including briskets and chicken wings are in very limited supply. The grocery association said the issue behind this is demand for these is very high.
“I think once the supply side catches up to the demand side, everything will even back out,” Fellers said.
Grocery officials said the prices for some products is alarming because it’s the highest it’s been in a long time.
If Mississippians aren’t driving, they are not buying as much gasoline, resulting in a reduction in revenue from the tax on gasoline.
It is too early to see actual data, but it is highly likely that among the many negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the tragic loss of life, will be to Mississippi’s highways and bridges.
The primary source of revenue for Mississippi’s Department of Transportation is the state’s 18.4-cent per gallon tax on motor fuels, primarily gasoline.
With the state under a shelter-in-place order, it is logical to assume Mississippians are not driving as much. And if folks are not driving, they are not buying as much gasoline, resulting in a reduction in revenue from the tax on gasoline.
If people are not driving as much, it also could be logical to assume damage is not being done to the state’s infrastructure system. But many argue that the roads and bridges already were in a deteriorated condition that a lack of use cannot fix. Besides, the large semi-trucks that do the most damage thankfully are continuing to travel up and down the roads, delivering much needed supplies, such as food and presumably toilet tissue, though, it is often hard to prove toilet paper has been delivered by looking at the store shelves.
The gasoline tax generated $305.5 million in revenue for the Department of Transportation during the past 2019 fiscal year. Collections from the motor fuel tax for the current 2020 fiscal year were slightly outpacing last year’s collections before COVID-19 ground much of the activity in the state to a halt. It is safe to assume that until the coronavirus is contained that travel will be diminished.
It should not be a surprise that COVID-19 is impacting the transportation system just as it is tragically impacting nearly every aspect of life.
“Like all of us, the Mississippi Department of Transportation is facing uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Melinda McGrath, executive director of the agency. “With residents sheltering in place to slow the spread, there is less demand for fuel. As a result, we anticipate fuel tax receipts to be decreased in the coming months. However, ongoing highway projects will continue as planned, and MDOT will continue to make efficient use of the resources available.”
For about a decade there have been ongoing debates on how to provide additional funds for transportation – on both the state and local levels. On the state level, the Department of Transportation has said it needs an additional $400 million annually to keep up with repair and maintenance needs.
A recent report said the state has about 30,000 miles of highway and that about 11,000 are in need of repair and the state has about 5,700 bridges with about 900 under restrictions that hinder commercial traffic.
The 18.4-cent per gallon gasoline tax is the nation’s third lowest.
Before the pandemic hit, Transportation Department officials said the tax was generating essentially the same amount


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Built By Snowman has a busy year ahead of it. In addition to the recently announced Distant, the studio is also working on a sequel to its ultra-soothing endless-snowboarding game Alto's Adventure. Alto's Odyssey will be out sometime in 2017 but aside from that there aren't any details of what to expect.
Disheartened that you missed out on a price-cut PlayStation 4 around Black Friday? You're about to get a second chance. In a near-repeat of what happened last year, Sony is resurrecting its $50 discount on the Uncharted 4 slim PS4 bundle between December 11th and December 24th. Yes, you'll still get the console for $250 in the US if you're a last-minute shopper. And Canadians get an extra break -- while the PS4 costs $330 in local currency, they have until December 29th to go shopping. You're stuck if you'd rather buy a PS4 Pro, but this remains a solid deal if you're not interested in 4K and just want to see what all the fuss is about.
Source: PlayStation Blog
As rumored, Niantic is bringing brand partnerships to its hit augmented reality game, Pokémon Go. The software developer has announced that Sprint will have the first sponsored locations in the US, with more than 10,500 stores expected to be turned into PokéStops and Gyms. It's worth nothing this doesn't only include Sprint's namesake shops, but also those from Boost Mobile and RadioShack -- which are owned by the carrier. These spaces will feature in-store charging stations too, in case your smartphone can't keep up with all your quests.
Following years of pining after GameCube games on the Virtual Console, it looks like Nintendo fans will soon be getting their wish. According to a recent report by Eurogamer, the Nintendo Switch is rumored to be the first Nintendo console to offer GameCube games on its Virtual Console. Citing several sources within the company, the article states that Nintendo already has classic titles like Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion and Super Smash Bros. Melee running on the Switch.
Xbox One and PC owners can now get their hands on Bethesda's all-new Skyrim, Fallout and Doom... themed pinball machines. Available today as DLC for the free game Pinball FX 2, Microsoft gamers can trial these new tables for a limited time at no extra cost. If, however, you find yourself wanting to return to Bethesda's machines, the pack of three will set you back $11 (£8).
For those who maintain a cable subscription, one of the (many) annoying aspects is that sometimes channels have streaming apps you can't use, despite being a paying customer. Over the years, Comcast has decided that it's not going to allow customers to use whatever channel's app on one platform or another, but now the PlayStation 4 is off of that list. According to a tweet, owners with Comcast subscriptions can finally log in and use the WatchESPN and HBO Go apps on their game console.
Source: PlayStation (Twitter)
After surpassing 40 million sales back in May, Sony has now sold 50 million PlayStation 4s. That figure includes PS4, PS4 Pro and the new slim version of the console, and represents sales to customers, rather than shipments to stores.
The 50 million milestone took just over three years for Sony to reach. For comparison, the PlayStation 3 was on sale for four and a half years before Sony had shipped the same number.
This morning, we're reading about how Google has upgraded its search app to keep personal information and news events separated, the same company's attempt to solve router troubles forever... and the Novint Falcon's transformation from haptic games controller to sex toy.
Hot on the heels of PlayStation Experience, Sony has announced the first smartphone games developed under its new "ForwardWorks" banner. The roster includes a new Everybody's Golf title (known as Hot Shots Golf in the US), which is due to come out in spring 2017. The company is also working on a new Wild Arms game, an adaption of Arc the Lad and What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? Looking further ahead, ForwardWorks has confirmed it'll be working on a new Parappa the Rapper game, as well as apps based on Doko Demo Issho and Boku no Natsuyasumi.
Source: Sony (Blog Post)
From Skylanders to Amiibo, "Toys to life" have been a pretty lucrative way for video game companies to make money. Sony has been more-or-less absent from the field, but today it's announcing something not too dissimilar: Project Field.
Source: PlayStation Japan
The Russian government has a problem with a lot of current technology: a YouTuber was imprisoned for playing Pokémon Go, Microsoft Outlook was banned from government computers for being an American boogeyman, and good luck accessing LinkedIn from St. Petersburg. This week, Electronic Arts became the country's latest target when a group of Russian members of Parliament asked the government's communications oversight agency to possibly block FIFA 17 after the popular soccer franchise promoted a tie-in with a UK-based LGBT rights group.
Via: The Guardian
According to Variety, Will Ferrell has reportedly signed on to star in an upcoming film about eSports. The as-of-yet untitled movie will feature Ferrell as a member of a pro gaming team with the twist being he's super old for an industry where most people retire in their mid-20s. The film will also include appearances by the Evil Geniuses and Fnatic, two actual professional teams.
Virtuix's Omni treadmill is very alluring to virtual reality fans who want freedom to walkwithout the fear of tripping over cables or running into walls. However, it's also massive and complex... and that's forcing the company to scale back its ambitions. Virtuix is telling its Kickstarter backers that it's cancelling all Omni pre-orders outside of the US, as the logistics of shipping the treadmill are just too much. It's not just the 175-pound, 48- by 43-inch shipping package that's the problem -- it's honoring regulations and maintaining enough replacement parts to handle a global audience. The initial plans to ship worldwide were "naive and unfeasable," the startup writes.
Via: Road To VR
Source: Kickstarter (backers only)
Destiny is a self-contained example of 21st-century video games: It's online, ever changing and beautifully built by a team of practiced veterans. Destiny represents the evolution of Bungie, the studio that created Halo, and it also encapsulates the shifting nature of video games as a whole. Modern AAA experiences take advantage of online functionality more than ever before, but this connected gaming ecosystem is still new for the industry as a whole. Destiny helped normalize the idea in 2014, when players weren't yet convinced they wanted an MMO-like experience on a living room console.
Pokémon Go is about to get bigger, according to a handful of Starbucks employee guides that found their way online early this week. The images have not been verified by Niantic, the Pokémon Company or Starbucks, but Reddit sleuths claim that verified Starbucks employees have vouched for their veracity.
"The world of Pokémon Go is about to expand with new Pokémon and a new Starbucks beverage!" the "Barista need-to-know" guide says. The flyers indicate that Pokémon Go's second generation will kick off on Thursday, December 8th.
Twitch wants to move beyond live streaming to cover your game communications, and to that end it bought Curse back in August. Just what is it doing with its newly acquired app, though? Well, now we know: Curse is rolling out desktop support for both video calls and screen sharing on top of its existing voice and social features. You and four other people can now see each other while you play, and share what's on your display if you want to brag about a victory or show vital info to your teammates.
I'm standing in the studio at Engadget's San Francisco headquarters, holding the remains of a pulverized, cream-filled doughnut. The pastry's sticky, off-white filling clings to the shaft of a bright pink vibrator, taped to the end of a silver, cone-shaped device with three arms that come together at a point and a horseshoe-shaped base. This disembodied robot boob is the Novint Falcon, a one-time game-changing game controller turned teledildonics legend.
NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.
Sonic the Hedgehog has apparently opened the floodgates on Sega adaptations. Sega Group's production arm is teaming with Fear the Walking Dead producer Circle of Confusion on adaptations of '80s and '90s classics Altered Beast and Streets of Rage, according to Variety. Beat 'em up game Streets of Rage pits your rogue cop against big city crime boss Mr. X, while sidescroller Beast features a resurrected Greek Warrior that transforms into powerful werecritters after defeating a suite of villains.
Social game developer Zynga is being dragged back into a lawsuit that claims select board members acted unfairly on inside information by selling shares before a stock price tumble in 2012. As Reuters reports, the Delaware Supreme Court is reviving a case that alleges co-founder Mark Pincus, and a group of his fellow board members, were aware of the company's lacklustre performance. It's said that Zynga had a rule prohibiting stock sales until three days after an earnings report. Those who stand accused were given an exemption, however, and sold 20.3 million shares for $236.7 million three weeks before the announcement.
Wii U owners, it's time to charge your GamePad -- Excitebike 64 is zooming its way onto the Virtual Console this week. Costing $10 (£9), the game arrives on Wii U this Thursday alongside Wario's stylish Wii adventure, Wario Land: Shake It.
Source: Nintendo e Shop