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Editor's note: This is part of a series of features this week that look back at the biggest news trends of 2014.
The last few years of the previous console generation were generally pretty bleak. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 had been on the market for the better part of a decade, hardware and software sales were plummeting, and some felt innovation was falling by the wayside as developers eagerly looked for fresh platforms to spark creativity. Indeed, Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot was one among a number of key voices at publishers who felt that the console cycle had dragged on past its welcome.
"We need new consoles and at the end of the cycle generally the market goes down because there are less new IPs, new properties, so that damaged the industry a little bit," he said at the end of 2012.
Fast forward to this holiday season, and it would seem that the calls for new consoles to revive the business were largely accurate. Looking back at 2014, it's clear that excitement for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One drove the AAA market. In every NPD Group report we covered, hardware sales skyrocketed as consumers simply couldn't get enough of the new consoles. Microsoft has shipped 10 million Xbox One units as of November, while Sony's PS4 installed base is close to 14 million now. By comparison, during their respective first years, the Xbox 360 sold fewer than 8 million units and PS3 had shipped around 10.5 million.
The difference between the seventh and eighth generations of course is that Nintendo's console platform suffered a precipitous drop. While the original Wii caught lightning in a bottle and soared to 20 million units in its first year alone, the Wii U - now completing its second year on the market - has yet to even reach half that figure (sitting at 7.29 million as of the end of September). That said, even Nintendo is now feeling some momentum and analysts are expecting it'll have its best holiday in years, driven by Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8 and new revenue sources like Amiibo.
"The landscape is changing, and the platform is becoming the retailer itself, much to the chagrin of companies like GameStop"
On the software side - at least in terms of the AAA market - Guillemot's hope that new consoles would drive more successful new IPs has proven partially accurate. While we've seen commercial successes like Watch Dogs, Bungie's Destiny, EA's Titanfall and a solid showing from Insomniac with Sunset Overdrive, there were others that performed average at best - Knack, Ryse, etc. - and the rest of the market has been saturated with the same AAA franchises we've grown accustomed to (Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, Forza, Dragon Age, Far Cry and more). The good news is that anticipated new IP like Evolve, No Man's Sky, The Order 1886, Bloodborne, The Division, and Quantum Break, to name a few, is still coming.
The bad news is that console software no longer "just works." In the old days, you'd choose console over PC because you knew that when you put in that cartridge or disc, it would boot up and you'd be playing shortly (longer load times notwithstanding) without significant errors. Now, with eighth generation consoles more connected than ever before, you're often confronted with day one patches, mandatory updates to make anything playable online, and even then you may run into problems, as evidenced by the troubles encountered by Drive Club, Assassin's Creed Unity, Master Chief Collection and more. This is really the subject of a separate editorial, but if publishers continue to ship broken products, they should at least treat them like unfinished games and charge far less, effectively beta testing with users similar to Steam's Early Access.
The more exciting element of the new consoles essentially being always-on is that digital gaming is reaching new heights. On the AAA side you can buy any major release digitally on day one, and indeed digital sales are becoming a larger and larger portion of a title's total. Some of the year's top games took in 20 percent or more in digital receipts - and that's great news for publishers who receive higher margins on digital sales. The landscape is changing, and the platform is becoming the retailer itself, much to the chagrin of companies like GameStop.
On top of the AAA business, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all made great strides in bolstering their digital storefronts, offering numerous titles on a smaller scale, often from indies. Sony, most of all, has capitalized beautifully on this, luring in indies and grabbing the attention of gamers with free games as part of PlayStation Plus. The focus on indies has not only helped to diversify consoles' offerings in the early part of this console generation, but it's also served to offset some of the gaps left by the still-in-development or delayed AAA IP.
"260 million units is hardly small potatoes, and ultimately, if you make a unique and innovative console game you can still be incredibly successful without chasing the mobile scene"
So where do consoles go from here? Needless to say, judging Xbox One and PS4 on just one year of sales isn't going to tell us where they'll be in five or six years. But barring a major surge in 2015 and beyond, it doesn't look like the eighth generation will significantly outperform the prior generation. In fact, Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter expects around 240-260 million consoles to be sold when it's all said and done. The Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii combined for 260 million, so the eighth generation ultimately could see flat sales. "So it's not a growth industry. For everyone in this room not chasing that market, you're going to be fine. The market is going to get a lot bigger, just not on console," he said at the recent Game Monetization conference in San Francisco.
Indeed, the overall gaming pie will be getting much, much bigger, thanks to the booming mobile/tablet sector. A new IDC Research report points out that the smartphone and tablet gaming installed base has topped 1 billion in 2014. So consoles obviously are becoming more of a "niche" market, but that's not really a fair word either. 260 million units is hardly small potatoes, and ultimately, if you make a unique and innovative console game you can still be incredibly successful without chasing the mobile scene.
In 2014, consoles put their foot down, shouting "I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere!" It remains to be seen how they'll fare over the long haul, but memory constraints on devices and bandwidth troubles online will make it difficult for them to be replaced by any phone, tablet or streaming service any time soon. Moreover, if virtual reality does begin to take off, consoles could have another exciting avenue to pursue as we've seen with Project Morpheus (no expensive gaming PC rig required). And perhaps then motion controls like Kinect and Move, which - let's face it - were essentially swept under the rug in 2014 will be given new life as VR accessories.
Pressure from other platforms and technologies isn't the only challenge consoles will face, however. It's ultimately the business model that will have to evolve in order for the industry to really move forward. Mobile has been dominated by freemium, which isn't always ideal, while console often asks too much of its audience with $60 purchases and a flow of DLC add-ons. Customers deserve more options. As Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley told us a year ago, "What we need is the next generation of business infrastructure to make [innovation] possible. And iOS isn't doing a great job at that. There needs to be new excitement injected into the console world to provide more infrastructure for that to happen."


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Douglas and Sons (Pvt.) Ltd (DSL) conducted the ‘Hankook Perfect Drive’ mobile advisory campaign for the third time to educate vehicle owners on regular tyre care and maintenance.
The campaign was held at the Race Course International Rugby Grounds car park premises from morning to evening and Hankook tech-experts provided the ultimate tyre advises and solutions to the motorists as to how to check the tyre pressure, age, tread, depth and external damages, importance of timely tyre rotation, proper alignment and maintenance.
Every participant was provided with a personalized tyre care consultation, along with guidance on how to select the suitable tyre for their vehicle. A free gift and a 10 percent discount voucher were given to each participant as a complimentary.
Douglas & Sons (Pvt.) Ltd is a dedicated company which conducts regular auto care programmes, seminars and events. DSL is well known as the leading marketer of auto parts in Sri Lanka since 1988 and the sole distributor of many world-renowned tyre brands.
DSL has introduced Hankook tyre, the No.01 Korean brand to Sri Lanka, and DSL has over two decades of industry expertise. With the entire range of tyres, it has been experiencing tremendous growth in sales over the years with a strong dealer network islandwide.
The Hankook Tyre group, based in Seoul, South Korea, is the seventh largest tyre company in the world. Hankook tyres are originally equipped in high-end Korean vehicles such as KIA Sorento, KIA Sportage, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ssangyong, Rexton and also other world-renowned high-end vehicles such as Mercedes and Ford to name a few.
Hence, there is a huge demand for Hankook tyres in the Sri Lankan market as nowadays the Sri Lankan roads are mostly led by Korean vehicles. The worldwide reputation of this brand has largely grown due to its high-tech customized research and developments.
The company now supplies tyres as original parts to all reputed car manufacturers throughout the world. Hankook is produces nearly 92 million tyres annually. In addition to that, the company sells batteries, alloy wheels and brake pads.

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McDonald’s Corp. confirmed that it is transitioning from polystyrene beverage cups to a fiber-based paper cup for its McCafé hot drinks in a multiyear rollout at its more than 14,000 restaurants in the United States.
According to an email from spokeswoman Ofelia Casillas, the exact design of the cup has not been determined, but McDonald’s has been testing paper cups in more than 2,000 units on the West Coast for a year and a half.
Oakland, Calif.-based advocacy group As You Sow, which presented a shareholder resolution at McDonald’s Corp.’s 2011 shareholder meeting that called for phasing out polystyrene beverage cups, praised the move.
“We congratulate McDonald’s on its decision to stop using foam beverage cups, which will reduce the threat of plastic pollution to the world’s oceans and provide a more recyclable, valuable alternative in paper fiber,” Conrad MacKerron, As You Sow’s senior vice president, said in a statement.
McDonald’s decision did not stem from As You Sow’s request to ban plastic-foam beverage cups two years ago, Casillas noted.
“The reasons for this change include customers’ changing preferences and increased recyclability,” she wrote.
Several major cities have banned the use of polystyrene packaging in restaurants, including San Francisco; Seattle; and Portland, Ore. Outgoing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a ban earlier this year in his State of the City address.
Lawmakers in California last considered a statewide ban in 2011, though the legislation did not come before a vote of the full California Assembly. More than 60 California cities have a curbside recycling program for plastic-foam restaurant containers.
However, nationwide, plastic foam is not widely recycled. As You Sow pushes McDonald’s and other restaurants to discontinue using polystyrene because the plastic foam often ends up in the ocean, where it breaks apart into small, indigestible pellets that choke and kill birds and marine animals.
The advocacy group added that Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts is working with As You Sow as the restaurant chain phases out its polystyrene beverage cups.
McDonald’s had updated its packaging for its domestic restaurants this past January, introducing takeout bags and fountain drink cups with QR codes that activated smartphone Web browsers to pull up caloric and other nutritional information for specific menu items.
The chain’s packaging also aligned with its environmental efforts later that same month, when McDonald’s introduced packaging for its Filet-O-Fish sandwich carrying the Marine Stewardship Council’s blue “eco-label.” The partnership with the advocacy group recognized McDonald’s move to source fish certified as sustainable for 100 percent of its fish products.
Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s operates or franchises more than 34,000 restaurants worldwide.


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Kittelson & Carpo Consulting – News and Advisories
We provide weekly updates on the latest news that affect local and foreign companies doing business in the Philippines.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced that seven food manufacturing companies have confirmed that there will be no increase in their prices on Noche Buena products amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) places the Philippines as an investment destination amid the growing tension between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) by leveraging their tariff perks in both economies.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is aiming to complete the e-commerce roadmap within this year. The e-commerce roadmap of 2022 is aimed at improving the market access of businesses through digitization and logistics integration.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in a public notice dated September 21, 2020, has implemented a mandatory one-time 60-day grace period covering all existing, current, and outstanding loans as a relief to borrowers pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 11494, otherwise known as the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act.
PayMongo, a Filipino-owned online platform payment, secures ₱12 million to support its mission of building a digital infrastructure and support the shift to digitization of Filipino-owned businesses.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a memorandum that seeks to uphold the rights of stakeholders to inspect corporate records. This action was initiated afteCr numerous complaints against companies refusing stakeholder’s access to such records were filed to SEC.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) released Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 92-2020, amending RMC No. 60-2020 and 75-2020, to further extend the deadline of registration for businesses engaged in digital transactions.
Loans to small businesses increased in recent months after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) placed relief measures to encourage banks to lend financial loans to companies that employ 9 out of 10 Filipinos.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in a notice dated August 11, 2020, has issued further extended deadlines for the submission of Annual Reports (AR) in the Philippines. The circular likewise reiterates the guidelines on the filing process through various modes for the compliance of concerned corporations.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in a notice dated August 11, 2020, has further adjusted the submission deadlines of Annual Reports, Annual Financial Statements (AFS), and General Information Sheet (GIS) due to reimplemented Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), which ended on August 18, 2020, covering the National Capital Region (NCR) and other areas of Luzon.


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FRAMINGHAM – Exhibit A Brewing Company in Framingham will be opening early on Veterans Day.
The company will release its latest brew – Demo Tape Eight: Simcoe Oat Pale Ale – on Friday, Nov. 11. The pale ale features citrus hops.
With the release of Demo Tape Eight, Exhibit A Brewing will be raising money to help homeless veterans and will be accepting donations on behalf of the Chefs Table Foundation. The Chefs Table Foundation provides scholarships for homeless veterans to attend culinary school and get a new start on life.
Exhibit A Brewing Company said it will match each donation.
The tap room will be open from noon to 8 p.m.on Friday. Demo Tape Eight will be available in the tap room and in cans to take home.
Exhibit A Brewing Company also will release a special beer in 2017, as part of the Black Ale Project, it announced today, Nov. 10, on the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The company will donate proceeds from this beer to help our veterans in need.
The Black Ale Project is a craft beer initiative that is raising money and awareness for organizations that help U.S. veterans.
Photo courtesy of Exhibit A


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PUEBLO, Colo. (CBS4) – The owners of a Pueblo pizza shop say a thief is stealing a very important ingredient — cheese.
After the first break-in at Do Drop Inn several weeks ago, co-owner Hoss Kashani told KKTV they amped up security.
A surveillance photo now shows man believed to be the one breaking in and stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of provolone cheese.
Employees say he took off with over 20 cases alone on Tuesday, each of which weighs 36 pounds.
“It put us behind. There is a lot of damage to our storage, to our coolers and time consuming to fix all of this stuff so that’s our problem right at this moment,” said Kashani.
He believes the thief is selling the cheese as it is too much to eat.


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Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi has been sued by US shareholders after Beijing’s crackdown caused stock prices to fall.
The two proceedings occur a week after Diddy’s New York Stock Exchange debuts.
The company’s US market value has fallen by more than 20% since Chinese regulators instructed online stores to pull apps.
Beijing’s cybersecurity watchdog states that the app illegally collected user’s personal data.
A proceeding filed in federal court in New York and Los Angeles on Tuesday stated that Diddy did not disclose ongoing talks with Chinese authorities on compliance with cybersecurity laws and regulations.
The complaint nominated Diddy’s CEO Will Wei Chen and several other executives and directors. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase, who are the lead managers of the company’s share sale, have also been nominated as defendants.
China’s China Cyberspace Administration (CAC) announced on July 2 that it has begun an investigation into Didi, which launched a US IPO a few days ago.
Two days later, I ordered the smartphone app store to remove the company’s app from the platform.
Diddy says, “We will try to fix the problem.” In response on Monday..
The company, whose market value fell by about $ 15 billion (£ 10.9 billion) on Tuesday alone, raised $ 4.4 billion and made the second largest initial public offering (IPO) in the United States for Chinese companies.
Chinese regulators have asked Diddy to postpone the sale of shares until three months ago due to cybersecurity concerns, according to Bloomberg, who quoted people familiar with the matter.
Diddy’s prospectus, published prior to the IPO, said the company could limit potential investors’ ability to protect their rights through U.S. courts because it was established under the laws of the Cayman Islands. There is sex. “
The document also mentioned some of the regulatory risks to its business, but did not indicate that CAC would begin an investigation into the company and ban the acceptance of new users.
Founded in 2012, Diddy is especially popular in Chinese cities. Every day, an average of more than 20 million vehicles are arranged in the country via the app.
Diddy, Goldman, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
Who else is Beijing investigating?
Also this week, Beijing announced that it will strengthen oversight of offshore-listed Chinese companies.
Watchdog has set new guidelines that require improved cross-border cooperation with audits and updated rules for “data security, cross-border data flow, and other sensitive information management.”
Shares of US-listed Chinese parent companies, such as trucking company Full Truck Alliance (FTA) and job-seeking platform Kanzun, fell after the announcement.
This update follows China’s crackdown on regulations on many tech companies, from Alibaba to Maytuan, a food delivery service.
On Monday, CAC also said it plans to investigate the FTA. Like Didi, the FTA recently made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange, raising $ 1.6 billion (£ 1.1 billion).


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Of the many entries we received, we are now pleased to announce we’ve drawn the winner of our MonPocMyStore contest, which offers a miniature version of the winning store created to join the Monsterpocalypse tabletop universe…and the winner is:
Brighton, East Sussex, UK
Manager George Clare and the Dice Saloon gang are excited to have won. “The Dice Saloon MonPoc community is one of the most passionate and inclusive communities in Dice Saloon,” George says. “They’re always encouraging new players to enjoy the game and for every new release, they’re there, every event, they’re there. The MonPoc community adds enormous amounts of spirit to our store!”
At Privateer Press HQ, we’re already beginning concept art and planning a sculpt of Dice Saloon for release in spring 2020 as part of the Monsterpocalypse league.
In addition, we’re sending along a special gift to stores that participated with greater frequency. It’s our way of saying thanks for making the MonPocMyStore contest exciting and successful!
Congratulations to Dice Saloon, and look for updates in our social media as the store gets modeled for Monsterpocalypse!


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With Apple’s iPhone launch event set for Wednesday, September 7, we’re still collecting rumors leading up to the big day. And the latest suggests Apple might bring back its famous “One More Thing” announcement—but don’t get too excited.
According to Macotakara, Apple will use the trademark phrase to hype the Apple Watch Pro, which is expected to have a new rugged case and a larger display. Reports say the screen will likely be 1.99 inches, which is significantly bigger than the current 1.77-inch model. It’s also expected to have a bigger battery, flatter design, and satellite connectivity, with a sky-high price tag as high as $899.
That’s a pretty niche product for a One More Thing. Apple has previously used the iconic phrase to launch the iPhone X, Apple Music, MacBook Air, AirPort, and the original Apple Watch, all of which are products that have broad appeal. With a high price tag and giant display, the Apple Watch Pro is unlikely to move the needle on sales and probably won’t entice too many people to buy one, even with a tantalizing One More Thing introduction.
More so, Apple has a lot of rumored products that would fit very well in the One More Thing slot: an AR headset, Apple Car, 14-inch iPad Pro, to name just a few. When people see the One More Thing card appear on the stage, anticipation will be high and the Apple Watch Pro might not live up to it.
But still, the Far Out event is shaping up to be a good one, with huge changes expected for the iPhone 14 Pro, a new Apple Watch SE, AirPods Pro, and now a possible One More Thing slot for the Apple Watch Pro. We’ll be watching at 10am P.T. on September 7.


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Ken Stewart, Living Murray Indigenous Facilitator
Ken Stewart says indigenous communities in the Riverland want more information about the Basin Plan. Read more.
Source: ABC Rural | Duration: 3min 50sec
A dozen pastoral stations risk becoming unallocated crown land in a Government lease rollover.
Orchardists find alternative income as consumers battle to afford Australian grown food over cheaper imports.
Feral goats to be controlled in Victoria's biggest aerial shooting program in state's north-west.
Deer farmers confident Chinese demand and free trade agreement will push velvet prices up.


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By EditorDavid from Slashdot's of-fire-and-ice department
CNET reports on the massive ice wall created by an "intricate network of small metal pipes, capped off by six-foot-high metal scaffolding."
It turns out, coolant is running through the pipes, freezing the soil below and creating an impermeable ice wall that's nearly 100 feet deep and a mile long, encircling the reactors. It's like a smaller-scale subterranean version of the Wall in Game of Thrones, but instead of keeping out White Walkers and wights, this line of defense keeps in a far more realistic danger: radioactive contaminants from melted-down reactors that threaten to spill into the water by Fukushima Daiichi....
The structure, which cost roughly $300 million, paid for by public funds, serves as critical protection, defending the Fukushima area from one of the most radioactive hotspots in the world. While Tokyo Electric Power Co., also known as Tepco, struggles to find a way to remove radioactive material from the facility -- a process the government estimates could take more than four decades -- the more immediate concern is what to do with the contaminated water leaking out from the facility. One of the solutions has been to put up (down?) this underground ice wall, which prevents much of the surrounding groundwater from getting in.Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's last-cash-generations department
"I haven't had a nickel, dime, quarter or penny in my pocket for two years," writes USA Today tech columnist Jefferson Graham, adding "Why bother? We're now living in what's quickly becoming a cashless society, where credit cards or electronic payments on your phone rule."
His column is addressed to the mayor of Philadelphia, who this week signed a bill that bans cashless stores.
Mr. Mayor. It's happening all over the world, and not just from Amazon. We are going cashless. Maybe not in your lifetime, but certainly for millennials. Banks and credit card companies want this to curb the costs of handling green. Selected merchants are into it now... USA Today's Charisse Jones discovered that cash purchases were down to 30 percent of all retail transactions as of last year compared to 40 percent in 2012. Millennials, she noted here this week, are saying no to cash, with 21 percent of those 23- to 34 years old saying that most of their transactions were in cash in 2016....
Mobile pay is still a sliver of overall retail sales, but it's definitely on the rise. Target, a long holdout, just added Apple Pay to one of its options, following in the footsteps of Best Buy, CVS, Costco and other retail giants who now accept payment via iPhone. The big, lone holdout right now is Walmart, the No. 1 retailer. It does have its own mobile pay app, that links bank payments to QR codes. And Mr. Mayor, good news for you. Walmart still accepts cash, too.
But for how long?Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's moon-fever department
This week The Space Review published an essay by retired aerospace engineer Gerald Black, who worked in the aerospace industry for over 40 years and tested various rocket engines, including the ascent stage engine of the Apollo lunar module.
"The Moonrush is now on," he argues "fueled by entrepreneurs dreaming of profits from Earth's nearest neighbor."
Leading the Moonrush are a bunch of private companies developing small lunar landers and rovers to explore the Moon. On February 21, the first mission of the Moonrush embarked aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
The Beresheet lunar lander built by Israel's SpaceIL was launched as a secondary payload, sharing the ride with the Indonesian communications satellite PSN-6. After reaching geostationary transfer orbit, Beresheet and the communications satellite separated from the Falcon 9 launcher. The communications satellite will propel itself to geostationary Earth orbit. Meanwhile, Beresheet is slowly raising its orbit. In early April the spacecraft will enter lunar orbit, then land on the Moon. Israel Aerospace Industries, the company that built the lander for SpaceIL, announced plans in January to partner with the German company OHB to offer a commercial lunar payload delivery service to the European Space Agency.
Black also notes that while Google never awarded its $20 million Lunar X grand prize, many teams are still active, including Astrobotic Technology, Moon Express, ispace inc., TeamIndus and PTScientists -- and that NASA will be awarding $2.6 billion in commercial moon exploration contracts over the next decade under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
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By EditorDavid from Slashdot's half-a-cloud department
Ten days ago 66-year-old tech pundit Robert Cringely revealed the first of what may be his final set of annual predictions for the technology industry -- but he's not done yet. Thursday Cringely predicted that "the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) solution based on Open Source using Linux will change the Internet-as-a-Service Cloudscape to VPC-only during 2019" -- and that there'll be an industry-wide shakeout.
Long-time Slashdot reader supremebob, a Connecticut-based sys-admin, writes:
He seems to believe that IBM Cloud and Oracle Cloud and doomed to fail, and Alibaba will only survive because of its strong Chinese presence. These seem like safe predictions, but his comments on Google Cloud are somewhat controversial...
After AWS, Alibaba, and Microsoft, "All the others will eventually disappear," Cringely writes, adding "Remember you read it first here."
Google's largest cloud customer will always be Google and that will inevitably lead to poorer service for outside customers. That's why I think of Google Cloud as half of a player. Feel free to prove me wrong by delighting customers, Google... I don't see the marketing effort to help clients migrate. Lots of handholding is needed that IBM and Microsoft are happy to provide. Google does not understand customers whose IQs are sub-200. As such, Google doesn't have (and likely won't) have a history of winning outside of search advertising.
For IBM, their VPC roll-out is coming in the next month or two, but it's more marketing than an actual product. Big Blue simply has no capital to build out a unique offering. And Oracle? Well the new head of Google Cloud came from Oracle, where not enough was happening.
Cringely also predicts the U.S. government will try to force Amazon to spin-off its near-monopoly cloud business, noting that "the larger customers of AWS (those not operating on a credit card) generally hate Amazon because of its ruthless business behavior."
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By EditorDavid from Slashdot's permanent-vacations department
Michael Stapelberg, maintains "a bunch" of Debian packages and services, and says the free software Linux distro "has been in my life for well over 10 years at this point."
Today he released a 2,255-word essay explaining why he's "winding down" his involvement in Debian to a minimum, citing numerous complaints including Debian's complicated build stack, waits of up to seven hours before package uploads can be installed, leading to "asynchronous" feedback -- and Debian's lack of tooling for large changes.
The closest to "sending out a change for review" is to open a bug report with an attached patch... Culturally, reviews and reactions are slow. There are no deadlines. I literally sometimes get emails notifying me that a patch I sent out a few years ago (!!) is now merged. This turns projects from a small number of weeks into many years, which is a huge demotivator for me.
Interestingly enough, you can see artifacts of the slow online activity manifest itself in the offline culture as well: I don't want to be discussing systemd's merits 10 years after I first heard about it.
Lastly, changes can easily be slowed down significantly by holdouts who refuse to collaborate. My canonical example for this is rsync, whose maintainer refused my patches to make the package use debhelper purely out of personal preference. Granting so much personal freedom to individual maintainers prevents us as a project from raising the abstraction level for building Debian packages, which in turn makes tooling harder.
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By EditorDavid from Slashdot's flying-through-the-cloud department
"The next success for the company behind Angry Birds could be twofold: convincing the U.S. public they should buy a 5G mobile phone from Sprint Corp., and developing the world's biggest video game streaming platform in the process," reports Bloomberg:
Rovio Entertainment is in talks with "several" investors to take a stake in its subsidiary Hatch -- a "Netflix for games" platform that Sprint will use to showcase what its high-speed 5G handsets can do when it opens its new network in May. But Rovio Chief Executive Officer Kati Levoranta also needs new investors to buy into her vision for three-year-old Hatch, on which Rovio has already spent about 17 million euros ($19 million), to help it build up its library of games from developers such as Ubisoft and Sega.
"The Hatch service is brilliant for use with 5G, and many of our strategic partners are looking for services that demonstrate how 5G works and the benefits it brings," Levoranta said in an interview at the company's seaside headquarters in Espoo, Finland.... "5G is a big opportunity for us," Vesa Jutila, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Hatch Entertainment Oy, said in an interview. "Everyone seems to think cloud gaming is the way to tell the 5G story to consumers."
The app offers a portfolio of pre-vetted games to consumers, streamed to their handsets via a monthly subscription. Once the initial account is set up, mobile games can be played straight from the cloud, without needing to be downloaded or installed. The advent of high speed, low latency 5G networks makes the model all the more attractive to carriers looking to sell their latest services.Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's moving-money department
"In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind transaction, two developers working in separate countries have successfully sent a bitcoin lightning payment over radio waves," writes CoinBase. An anonymous reader quotes their report:
The completed payment effectively moved real bitcoin from Toronto, Canada, to San Francisco, California... But sending bitcoin over radio isn't just fun. Some researchers argue it actually has a necessary use case... The idea is that, while the internet can potentially be censored, it's not the only form of technology that can be used to send data from one part of the world to another, "in case China decides to censor bitcoin via the Great Firewall, or places like North Korea where there is no internet at all," as Bloomberg columnist Elaine Ou put it in an email to CoinDesk.
Technology infrastructure startup Blockstream licensed satellites that beam bitcoin to users around the world for similar reasons.Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's higher-further-faster department
"With a $302 million international gross, Captain Marvel has earned $455 million overall to date, the largest ever global opening for a March release and the sixth highest of all-time," reports the Wrap. The superhero movie raked in $153 million just in America, reports Collider, "Suggesting that a sad, extremely vocal minority of idiots on the internet don't actually matter in the slightest."
They're referring to another Rotten Tomateos review-counting glitch Friday morning, as covered by the Hollywood Reporter:
The Disney film had only been in theaters for hours on Friday when the female-driven superhero picture was torpedoed online via Rotten Tomatoes. As of 8 a.m., the film had more than 58,000 reviews. That is more than the total of audience score reviews for Avengers: Infinity War for its entire theatrical run.
Rotten Tomatoes explained in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that a glitch was responsible for thousands of reviews showing up on the site when they shouldn't have. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it had included audience reviews given before the film was released, something which is no longer allowed.
Movieweb believes those pre-release reviews were generated by bots, suggesting a small handful of review-bombers who were attempting to amplify their impact. Yahoo Entertainment believes the attempted review-bombers were angry with the film's star "for, well, not giving a crap about what the trolls say. Perhaps that's the best superpower of all."
When asked about the attempt to review-bomb Captain Marvel, the film's star Brie Larson smilingly replied, "Oh... who cares?"
"Love what you love! Who cares what other people think?"Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's superfish department
"The first genetically-modified animal for human consumption could be arriving in grocery stores across the United States as early as next year." Long-time Slashdot reader tomhath tipped us off to Indiana Public Media's report on AquaBounty Technologies:
AquaBounty will produce a GMO salmon that CEO Ron Stotish says will grow faster than freshwater-raised fish. "It does so because we've given it the ability, using the same biological process that regulates growth in the unmodified salmon, to grow about twice as fast reaching market rate about half the time," Stotish says. The technology has been around since the 1990s, but it took until 2015 to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, due to concerns about people eating genetically-modified animals. The genetic makeup of the biotech fish takes a growth-hormone regulatory gene from the Pacific Chinook salmon with a promoter gene from an ocean pout and puts it into the genome of an Atlantic salmon. The result causes for the growth hormone to remain on leading to faster growth rate than non GMO salmon.
The modified fish is able to grow to market size using 25 percent less feed than the traditional salmon, increasing cost efficiency... Stotish says his operation causes less harm than traditional fish farming. "We're not using coastal waterways, we're not putting antibiotics and medications into the water," Stotish says. "Our fish are in a controlled environment, we don't need antibiotics, we don't have to treat for sea lice."
The company says that every year Americans consume about 350,000 tons of Atlantic salmon -- more than 95% of which has to be imported.Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's Pomodoro-techniques department
Dr. Travis Bradberry has a PhD in industrial-organizational psychology, and argues that "The eight-hour workday is an outdated and ineffective approach to work."
A study recently conducted by the Draugiem Group used a computer application to track employees' work habits. Specifically, the application measured how much time people spent on various tasks and compared this to their productivity levels. In the process of measuring people's activity, they stumbled upon a fascinating finding: the length of the workday didn't matter much; what mattered was how people structured their day. In particular, people who were religious about taking short breaks were far more productive than those who worked longer hours.
The ideal work-to-break ratio was 52 minutes of work, followed by 17 minutes of rest. People who maintained this schedule had a unique level of focus in their work. For roughly an hour at a time, they were 100% dedicated to the task they needed to accomplish. They didn't check Facebook "real quick" or get distracted by e-mails. When they felt fatigue (again, after about an hour), they took short breaks, during which they completely separated themselves from their work. This helped them to dive back in refreshed for another productive hour of work.
People who have discovered this magic productivity ratio crush their competition because they tap into a fundamental need of the human mind: the brain naturally functions in spurts of high energy (roughly an hour) followed by spurts of low energy (15 - 20 minutes).
He suggests breaking your day into rough hourly intervals, followed by "real" rest. "Getting away from your computer, your phone, and your to-do list is essential to boosting your productivity. Breaks such as walking, reading, and chatting are the most effective forms of recharging because they take you away from your work..."
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By EditorDavid from Slashdot's I'm-feeling-lucky department
What if a robot came to your house to retrieve library books? An anonymous reader quotes the Bay Area Newsgroup:
Residents in downtown Mountain View have gotten their first peek at the future with the debut of BookBot, the library's newest non-human helper. A creation of Google's Area 120 -- an experimental division of the technology juggernaut -- the bot is the company's first personal delivery robot to hit the streets and begin interacting with the public, said Christian Bersch, the project's team lead. It's part of a program to test the waters of what could be possible for autonomous, electric robots, he said...
The pilot will run for nine months with a human handler following behind the BookBot for the first six months, he said. That's just to make sure it's operating as planned, get it out of trouble as needed and observe how people are responding. After that, a human will sit behind the controls remotely. And, on a recent Thursday, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Children shrieked at the sight of the robot and immediately jumped in its path to see if it would stop. (It does...) Users must schedule the pickup time in advance, which -- because the bot is fairly popular -- means planning at least a week ahead. It can carry up to about 10 items, Bersch said, depending on the size of the books.Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's half-an-Apple department
An anonymous reader quotes VentureBeat:
Despite being championed as a decentralized form of money that puts individuals firmly in control of their own wealth, cryptocurrencies mostly remain the preserve of the super-rich and the super-nerdy. 1,000 Bitcoin wallets currently hold 35.18% of all Bitcoins, for example, and only a select few computer scientists understand the inner workings and machinations of blockchains... Such inconvenient truths undermine the oft-repeated claim that blockchains will democratize wealth, largely by lowering barriers to entry in financial networks and by preventing central banks from devaluing money via inflation. Nonetheless, this prediction has moved one step closer to realization in recent months, with the emergence of tokenized stocks....
In contrast to a new cryptocurrency designed specifically to conform to securities legislation (i.e. a security token), tokenized stocks provide digitized versions of existing shares in established companies, such as Google, Facebook, or Apple... [W]hat's interesting and potentially radical about such digital stocks is that they permit customers to buy fractions of stocks in big companies. This will open up trading to millions of people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford buying shares in Apple or Amazon...
One significant side effect of tokenized stocks is that they could change the fundamental nature of global stock markets and how they behave, by opening them up to round-the-clock trading... It's interesting to note that some commentators believe the growth of round-the-clock exchanges might, in the long term, result in the emergence of a single global stock market.
The article also notes that it will be cheaper to trade digital versions of stocks, "since person-to-person trades circumvent the need to go through a broker...
"They look set to make the financial world more accessible to millions people, in addition to having serious implications for global markets."Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's cause-and-effect department
schwit1 shared this article from the Guardian:
In response to public pressure and increasing scrutiny over the pay of its warehouse workers, Amazon enacted a $15 minimum wage for all its employees on 1 November, including workers at grocery chain Whole Foods, which it purchased in 2017... But since the wage increase, Whole Food employees have told the Guardian that they have experienced widespread cuts that have reduced schedule shifts across many stores, often negating wage gains for employees.
"My hours went from 30 to 20 a week," said one Whole Foods employee in Illinois... "We just have to work faster to meet the same goals in less time," the worker said. An internal email shared by the employee from their department manager cited the across-the-board shift cuts as "the direct result of guidance from our regional team". In Maryland, another Whole Foods worker said their regional management is forcing stores to cut full-time employee schedules by four hours, to 36 hours a week. "This hours cut makes that raise pointless as people are losing more than they gained and we rely on working full shifts," the worker said...
In September 2018, several Whole Foods workers organized the group Whole Worker, with the goals of forming a union and providing workers a resource to organize since Amazon took over... "There are many team members working at Whole Foods today whose total compensation is actually less than what it was before the wage increase due to these labor reductions," said a Whole Worker spokesperson in an email to the Guardian.
Neither Amazon nor Whole Foods responded to requests fo a comment, the Guardian reports -- while the workers that they interviewed "were reluctant to speak on the record for fear of retaliation."Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's one-platform-to-rule-them-all department
Saturday the Associated Press analyzed Mark Zuckerberg's new vision for Facebook as an encrypted "privacy-focused communications platform."
[C]ritics say the announcement obscures Facebook's deeper motivations: To expand lucrative new commercial services, continue monopolizing the attention of users, develop new data sources to track people and frustrate regulators who might be eyeing a breakup of the social-media behemoth. Facebook "wants to be the operating system of our lives," said Siva Vaidhyanathan, director of media studies at the University of Virginia... Vaidhyanathan said Zuckerberg wants people to abandon competing, person-to-person forms of communication such as email, texting and Apple's iMessage in order to "do everything through a Facebook product."
The end goal could be transform Facebook into a service like the Chinese app WeChat , which has 1.1 billion users and includes the world's most popular person-to-person online payment system... But Zuckerberg said nothing in the Wednesday blog post about reforming privacy practices in its core business, which remains hungry for data. A recent Wall Street Journal report found that Facebook was still collecting personal information from apps such as user heart rates and when women ovulate ... Facebook also has trackers that harvest data on people's online behavior on about 30 percent of the world's websites , said Jeremy Tillman of Ghostery, a popular ad-blocker and anti-tracking software.
"When they say they are building a private messaging platform there is nothing in there that suggests they are going to stop their data collection and ad-targeting business model," he said.Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's never-falling-backwards-again department
In the state of Washington, the House has voted 89 to 7 to "ditch the switch, bring the light, and defeat the dark night," says one representative. KOMO reports:
Changing the clocks twice a year impacts the body's natural rhythms and is associated with a spike in heart attacks, strokes, and traffic collisions each year, according to the Washington State Department of Health's impact review. Extended daylight in the evening is also better for kids who play sports or who are active outside, Riccelli said. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.... The federal government would have the final say.
And meanwhile, one Pennsylvania newspaper has published a state representative's op-ed calling for Pennsylvania to help lead the resistance in America's Eastern Standard Time zone, complaining that "This weekend, we again will be forced to comply with an archaic tradition, one that offers no benefits."
There is no national crisis that changing clocks helps to alleviate. In fact, there are more negative side effects from changing clocks than benefits. Studies have shown that automobile accidents, workplace injuries, heart attacks, strokes, cluster headaches, miscarriages, depression, and suicides all increase in the weeks following clock changes.
This government-mandated interruption of natural biological rhythms and sleep cycles can wreak havoc on job performance, academic results, and overall physical/mental health. Clock changes require farmers to make needless adjustments, as crops and animals live by the sunlight... During this legislative session, I will be working to advance this commonsense legislation that will not only end the antiquated ritual of changing clocks, but will also help preserve the health, safety, well-being, productivity, and lives of Pennsylvanians.Read Replies (0)
By EditorDavid from Slashdot's we-value-your-business department
Two associate professors of marketing recently shared research in the Harvard Business Review about how customer service is structured at at tech, travel, and finance companies:
[O]ur research suggests that some companies may actually find it profitable to create hassles for complaining customers, even if it were operationally costless not to.... We found that these companies screen complaining callers by using a hierarchical organizational structure. This structure, we argue, keeps a lid on the amount of redress customers are willing to seek. In other words, by forcing customers to jump through hoops, the organization helps curb its redress payouts.
As part of our research, described in a forthcoming article in the journal Marketing Science, we interviewed managers of call centers to understand how their customer service organization is structured, and the way it contains redress payouts. We found that most involve at least two levels of agents. The Level 1 agents take all incoming calls and hear each customer's complaint first. These agents are typically limited in the amount of redress they are authorized to offer to the caller...
So what about the idea that frustrating customers has consequences on customer retention and long term reputation? For example, some experts advise companies with upset customers to reach out to them directly to win them back. But, some companies have little regard for their reputation, especially those who control a large market share... companies with few competitors may find it worthwhile to alienate angry customers in order to save on redress costs.... This may help us understand why some of the most hated companies in America are so profitable and why customer service, unfortunately, remains so frustrating.
At one company "Any caller insisting on a refund was told to call the U.S. headquarters during normal business hours, generating additional tasks for any customer seeking more compensation...
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By EditorDavid from Slashdot's making-the-grades department
An anonymous reader quotes TechCrunch: As she sat in the airport with a one-way ticket in her hand, Tiffany Filler wondered how she would pick up the pieces of her life, with tens of thousands of dollars in student debt and nothing to show for it. A day earlier, she was expelled from Tufts University veterinary school. As a Canadian, her visa was no longer valid and she was told by the school to leave the U.S. 'as soon as possible.' That night, her plane departed the U.S. for her native Toronto, leaving any prospect of her becoming a veterinarian behind. Filler, 24, was accused of an elaborate months-long scheme involving stealing and using university logins to break into the student records system, view answers, and alter her own and other students' grades. The case Tufts presented seems compelling, if not entirely believable. There's just one problem: In almost every instance that the school accused Filler of hacking, she was elsewhere with proof of her whereabouts or an eyewitness account and without the laptop she's accused of using. She has alibis: fellow students who testified to her whereabouts; photos with metadata putting her miles away at the time of the alleged hacks; and a sleep tracker that showed she was asleep during others. Tufts is either right or it expelled an innocent student on shoddy evidence four months before she was set to graduate.Read Replies (0)


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NetApp has made its new cloud solution Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) available to give SMEs “flexible, secure and suitable for remote work experiences”.
Spot PC provides SMEs and their customers with a cloud-based desktop solution optimized for security, privacy and infrastructure efficiency, a statement from NetApp said.
This will allow them to deliver cloud desktops to multiple locations and provide a predictable cost structure using upcoming patent AI and automated machine learning optimization.
SMEs and businesses will also be able to ensure that cloud desktops meet security, availability and performance requirements “without overburdening IT staff”.
NetApp says it has made the offer publicly available to bring “differentiated, profitable cloud desktop solutions” to market.
The storage provider said that while organizations are developing their IT infrastructure to maintain remote work environments, the most common remote desktop solutions available based on traditional virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) have never been designed for the public cloud.
“Service providers and businesses today require the right tools and solutions designed for the cloud to optimize the efficiency of their resources,” said Anthony Lai, executive vice president of public cloud services at NetApp.
With Spot PC, we equip SMEs and businesses to market differentiated, profitable cloud desktop solutions to meet the growing demand of our customers and enable them to provide flexible, secure and relevant remote work experiences. to different users in multiple locations and regions. “
Spot PC is available today, directly from NetApp for businesses and service providers with a fixed price structure per user per month.


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Dutch dredging, marine and offshore services company Van Oord said it has signed a partnership agreement with two start-ups, LexX and Heliorec, scouted through the innovation platform PortXL. The signing ceremony was held during the shakedown event on December 2nd to commemorate the end of this year’s PortXL program.
Van Oord is one of the founders of PortXL and the main sponsor of the PortXL program for the sixth consecutive year. The Port and Shipping Accelerator Platform is one way Van Oord is driving innovation in the global maritime industry. This year, the company focused on two innovation themes: sustainability and digitalization.
Startup Heliorec is designing a floating solar power plant. In collaboration with Van Oord, we will investigate the use of floating solar to power charging stations, ultimately aimed at charging Van Oord’s electric unmanned survey vessels.
Australian startup LexX offers digital intelligence for optimized maintenance. Under an agreement with Van Oord, the research department will develop tools to improve employee access to more relevant, up-to-date data and documents, and to increase productivity and security around the world.
Polina Vasilenko, CEO and Founder of Heliorec, said: Oord’s world-class experts will implement the concept around the world and accelerate the decarbonization of the maritime sector. “
Jörg Liebe, LexX’s Head of Sales in Europe, said: In addition, the PortXL program provided networking opportunities, access and support for the maritime industry’s PortXL partner organizations, research organizations, and the vibrant Rotterdam ecosystem.
PortXL is an inter-company maritime incubator focused on creating tangible business value for maritime start-ups that are serious about building their business. Van Oord provides powerful guidance to help them prepare their ideas for the market.
“In addition to knowledge sharing and business opportunities, PortXL offers innovative ideas to support businesses outside of normal day-to-day operations,” said siad, Van Oord’s R & D and Innovation Manager. Daan Baljet said.
https://www.oedigital.com/news/493126-van-oord-partners-with-two-start-ups Van Oord partners with two start-ups


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DETROIT (AP) – Nissan said on Friday that it will no longer support the Trump administration in its legal fight to end California’s ability to set its own auto-pollution and gas-mileage standards.
The announcement is another sign that a coalition of automakers backing the outgoing administration could fall apart. General Motors ended its support for the Trump administration’s battle with California on emissions standards last week.
Nissan said it’s pulling out because of confidence that discussions between the industry, California and the administration of President-elect Joe Biden “can deliver a common-sense set of national standards that increases efficiency and meets the needs of all American drivers”.
GM and Nissan were part of a coalition of 13 automakers that joined the Trump administration’s legal fight.


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Enhancements include improved manageability via a new centralized administrative user interface.
Members of the Mobile Enterprise Editorial Advisory Board weigh in on how the proliferation of consumer devices in the workplace is effecting enterprise I.T.
Studio executives will be the first to receive box office data and other metrics directly to their mobile devices.
The nuvifone M20 is an all-in-one phone, mobile web-browser and premium navigation device with a Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system.
It's part of a U.S. government-supported program that ensures eligible low-income households have affordable telephone service.
The new solution, ties smartphones and other advanced feature phones to customer service by providing operators and enterprise users with an "active" connection between the subscriber's phone and frontline care.
Samsung Memoir captures and shares high-quality images with advanced features and touch screen.
More challenges are forthcoming according to market research firm.
The new offering provides mobile access to integrated business contact data and social information.
Firm says year will be marked by handset vendors trying to convince everyone they should own one.


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Hosted by the Nifty Fifty’s Ford Club of Calgary, Spring Thaw has reached a milestone with the 30 th annual event happening on Sunday, April 26.
The opulence and elegance of the country’s rich automotive legacy has returned to India
Hundreds of custom cars, trucks and motorcycles from Ontario, Quebec and New England turned out for one of Quebec's oldest ISCA events
From Astons to Mustangs and everything in between, our Driving experts dish on their ultimate classic car dream purchase
It might look like a standard industrial building, but inside these doors, classic cars are restored for the world's most prestigious car shows
The Jeep Grand Wagoneer was the first of its kind and it has amassed a huge cult following
Modernized 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible set to steal the spotlight
A malfunctioning transmission cuts Jay's drive a little short
Vancouver entrepreneur is restoring his classic car collection for future generations to enjoy
Lack of headrests and shoulder belts a reminder of how far safety has progressed
DELHI, India — The Standard Motor Company dates back to 1903 when Reginald Walter Maudslay (1871—1934) formed the company in Coventry, England. The Standard name continued successfully,…
Turquoise 1955 classic was completely restored, but the engine didn’t quite agree and at the worst time
Can't stand driving a car without a backup camera? Does a car without GPS drive you nuts? Let us know
Spring is finally here! Why not enjoy the warm weather with a classic convertible?
Albertan bought his '64 Pontiac Laurentian station wagon new and still drives it
SUVs are wildly popular these days, so here's a look at 10 that pioneered the trend
Calgary man builds himself his very own three-wheeled Morgan Aero out of parts from all sorts of other cars
While there are a lot of Model Ts in the world, Calgary's Ross Benedict of Calgary has one that is, if not unique, at least pretty rare.
This insanely loud 1968 Shelby GT500KR is banned from a few downtown parking garages
1940 Buick convertible has been by B.C. man's side for more than 54 years and has amazing memories attached to it


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Editor’s note: This is one of 19 case studies featured in INMA’s strategic report “Smartphone App Lessons for Media Companies,” released in July.
Though more than 150 years old, The Irish Times has been quick to embrace digital technology, becoming one of the world’s first newspapers to go online when it launched a Web site in 1994.
The Times is Ireland’s second-largest daily morning newspaper, with a circulation of nearly 77,000 for the second half of 2014, according to the Irish business analysis and marketing firm iLevel.
The news media company currently has a single, core smartphone app for both iOS and Android. Its apps strategy is “to continuously develop smartphone apps with compelling content, functionality, and design to support a paid content strategy,” says Lynne Henderson, project manager for app development at The Times, who works alongside its business-to-consumer director and business analytics team.
“Audience engagement is our primary goal,” she says.
Apps form a “fourth leg” of The Times’ reader engagement “stool,” Henderson says, along with its print product, Web site, and e-paper edition. More than 43% of The Times’ readers access it using smartphones. And though it has had a responsive design Web site since March 2013, readers continue to embrace the alternate browsing experience offered by its app.
An internal app development team handles specifications, project management, and testing for The Times, but third-party developers build the shells of its app. The end product carries a broad range of The Times’ news and features, using the quality of its content as the primary distinction between it and the competition, Henderson says.
“We include video, podcasts, live blogs, and galleries,” she says. “The content in our apps is driven by our content management system, which gives us the flexibility to remotely adjust and refine the content that we deliver to our users.”
The Times’ app includes a stand-alone metered paywall, allowing users to read 20 free articles a week to read on the app before they are prompted to log in. App subscriptions are included in The Times’ digital subscription bundles, with a standard price of €12 for Web site and app access; for a €16 premium digital subscription, readers also get access to the Times’ e-paper.
The Times measures success by its overall app downloads, monthly and weekly users, monthly and weekly sessions, and monthly and weekly articles read, Henderson says.
It also uses its app to gather data about its readers, such as tracking usage by time of day, which has shown particular peaks for app use in early morning and late evening that it doesn’t see on other platforms.
Because a significant proportion of Times app users also access its content on other platforms, the company needs to assess app usage and user profiles as part of its broader user profiling, Henderson says.
“One of the challenges of app user analysis is the ‘like for like’ comparison with other platforms. For example, the ‘articles read’ metrics can be misleading, given the swipe functionality on the app.”
In the coming years, The Times plans to grow its app audience and its base of subscribers who come to it through the app, Henderson says, alongside expected growth in mobile e-commerce.


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Milanesi predicted that wearable computers such as smart watches and smart glasses will primarily remain a companion to mobile phones for years to come, even though vendors see the category as an important market opportunity. Fewer than 1 percent of consumers will replace their mobile phones with a combination of a wearable device and a tablet by 2017, Gartner said.
"In the short term, we expect consumers to look at wearables as nice to have rather than a 'must have,' leaving smartphones to play the role of our faithful companion throughout the day," Milanesi said.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is firstname.lastname@example.org.
Read more about tablets in Computerworld's Tablets Topic Center.


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Wall St. edges higher as CPI data mirrors forecast, backs Fed bets
by SOURAV D | VIEW 797
On Wednesday, all three major indices of Wall St. had closed out the session with small gains amid mixed market participants’ response on US Consumer Price Index data that came in well in an alignment with an analysts’ forecast. In point of fact, in the day’s marginal gains in all three key indices of Wall Street were almost entirely prompted by a US Labor Department report that had shown US Consumers Prices Index rose 0.5 per cent in December following a pick-up of 0.8 per cent in November, well in line with an analysts’ estimate of a 0.4 per cent gain in December. On top of that, according to Labor Department data, Americans’ spending on consumers goods and services soared by a whopping 7.0 per cent over past twelve months through December compared to the same time a year earlier, marking off the biggest annual rise in CPI since 1982, which also had met analysts’ estimates while fending off investors’ optimism of a rate-hike by March 2022 what eventually helped major Wall Street stock indices eke out marginal gains amid a 39-year peak CPI alongside a rapid rise in Omicron cases.
Wall St. rises as 10 out of 11 S&P sub-indices end in black after CPI data
Citing statistics, in the day’s Wall St. closing bell, trade-sensitive Dow added 0.11 per cent to 36,290.32 and benchmark S&P 500 gained 0.28 per cent, while tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.23 per cent to 15,188.39.
Meanwhile, addressing to a lower than anticipated US CPI in 2021, a global market strategist in Ameriprise Financial, Troy, Michigan, Anthony Saglimbene said, “Investors were bracing for even higher figure in inflation than what we actually saw.
As bad as the number is and as much inflationary pressure that's in the economy there was a little relief in that. Today's inflation report validates the Fed trajectory and means they don't have to be any more aggressive than is already priced in. ”


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This thought provoking event focused on how directors must take the lead and responsibility for information security within their organisation, it was clear that it is not just an IT issue but a wider ranging leadership, strategic and hearts and minds issue to develop...read more
The Cyber Threat to UK Business Report 2016/17 outlined the growing cyber-crime threat that our country faces. That trend has continued this year, highlighted by high-profile cyber-attacks with far-reaching consequences and real harm caused to victims. This year’s...read more
This Board Level Responsibility for Information Security event was very well attended despite horrendous wintery weather conditions. The high level audience were attracted to this Institute of Directors (IOD)and Humber Business Resilience (HBRF) joint event to hear...read more
Wombat Security has released its fourth annual State of the Phish report (registration required). · The most successful phishing attacks are now consumer focused, instead of business focused. The merging of business and personal email accounts is a major threat to...read more
Two vulnerabilities have come to light thanks to Google that affects “every processor since 1995”. Their names are ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Spectre’ and we should be worried. Google stated that the two bugs can be exploited to steal data which is currently being processed on...read more
Individuals and businesses are being warned to watch out for cold calls and online contact from fraudsters who are offering victims the opportunity to apply for Government grants for an advance fee.
To make the grants look legitimate fraudsters have set up bogus companies and convincing looking websites that claim to be operating on behalf of the UK Government.
The purpose of this alert is to provide knowledge and prevention advice to farmers in order to protect themselves from falling victim to ‘Payment Diversion Fraud’. CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) payments are expected to be paid
to farmers in December 2017.


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AN investment in next generation technology is paying off for a Llantrisant company that is on course to achieve a record turnover this financial year.
Despite challenging market conditions FSG Tool and Die has increased exports, made significant inroads into new markets and is on target to turn over £5m by the end of its financial year in February.
The privately-owned manufacturing business provides bespoke solutions on a “concept into component” basis. It designs and manufactures press tools, injection moulds and thermoform tooling for a range of sectors, with the packaging market accounting for 40% of business.
Managing director Gareth Jenkins said a bold decision taken by the board last year to invest £750,000 in the very latest technology, ensured they were in prime position to take advantage of the upturn.
“Our investment was supported by the Welsh Assembly Government which funded the relevant high level skills training through the Skills Growth Wales programme which was vitally important.
“That support represented a considerable investment in bespoke training and the additional skills of our workforce mean we are now far more flexible as a company while the investment in technology means we can provide the high quality products demanded by customers.
“A number of our competitors at home and overseas did not survive the recession and we subsequently won new business. Export sales have driven our growth and we are now stronger than ever. We have picked up a lot of business overseas and planning a second raft of investment in new equipment.”
Lesley Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Science, Innovation and Skills, said Skills Growth Wales, which is backed by the European Social Fund, was designed to support companies with growth potential.
“It is an important strand in our Economic Renewal strategy to support business growth and reinforces the importance of developing the skills of our workforce to meet the challenges ahead,” she said. “It’s good to hear how this high level training support has had a real impact and enabled FSG Tool and Die to maximise its investment in the latest technology and is making a real difference to their bottom line. It is also good to hear that the company picked up extra business due to them preparing for the upturn.”
FSG Tool & Die was one of the first companies to benefit from ProAct in 2009 when it faced extremely difficult trading conditions, turnover dropped 22%, and 10% of the workforce was made redundant. ProAct funding enabled the company to upskill staff and invest in R&D and product development. Staff levels are now back to 83 and FSG Tool and Die celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.


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On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Drew Prindle discuss the biggest topics in tech, including a first look at Samsung’s foldable flip phone, Facebook’s foray into gaming, the kids who sit atop YouTube’s highest-paid list, the new Mars rover, grocery deliveries by autonomous vehicles in California, and more.
First up, Greg Allgood, vice president of water for World Vision, joins Nibler to talk about building solar-powered pumps and community water organizations.
Right now, 8K is all the talk, but is there any actual content available? Caleb Denison joins the show to talk about the availability of 8K content, and sift through the hype to spotlight what really matters to consumers.
Nibler then speaks with Seth Dobrin, vice president of data and A.I. and chief data officer at IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software, about how more than 100 IBM scientists from around the world are helping to move the needle on A.I.
Next up, Stuart A. Thompson, editor and writer for the New York Times, discusses phone security and tracking, and how a phone is only as secure as the least secure app on the device.
We then welcome Evan Reece, co-founder and chief executive officer of Liftopia, which operates the largest online marketplace and resort tech platform serving the ski industry.
Finally, we take a look at what’s headed to the box office with Reel News, where we discuss upcoming movies including 1917, IP Man 4: The Finale, and Little Women.
- Digital Trends Live: Chrome security weakness, Ford Mach-E, space balloons
- Digital Trends Live: Big Tech’s facial recognition stand, PlayStation 5 unveiled
- Uber buys Postmates, XBox Series X event announced | Digital Trends Live
- Digital Trends Live: T-Mobile’s nationwide outage, Rosie Okumura, and more
- Starbucks pulls social media advertising and more | Digital Trends Live


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Last week, it was revealed that BlackBerry’s former CEO, Thorsten Heins, would be gaining another CEO position. Heins has taken over as CEO at Powermat Technologies, after a dispute arose within the board over the direction of the company with specific regards to leadership.
CNET caught up with the former BlackBerry CEO to discuss his new role of leadership and how the past has affected him. Heins said he doesn’t have any regrets for his seven years with BlackBerry and is “especially” proud of his last two years.
“I’ve been proud to lay groundwork to give them the platforms that they can take to market. I think it’s quite an achievement given the circumstances,” said Heins. He said his task as CEO was to stabilize the company and its financials, strategic direction, expenses, and operations; while simultaneously focusing on BlackBerry 10 and BES10 launch.
Powermat and BlackBerry were at one time in talks, under Heins’ leadership at BlackBerry, discussing wireless charging. “But with BB10 and NFC [near-field communications], there was only so much you can impose when you build a new hardware and platform,” Heins said.
Heins said he still uses a BlackBerry today. Currently, Heins is using the Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9982. However, he said he had just received a Passport in the mail. “It [BlackBerry Passport] was the last phone I designed with my team. That keyboard as a touchpad — it’s so cool,” Heins said.
If Heins is not remembered for anything else, he at least deserves credit for the inception of the Passport. Thankfully, the new BlackBerry CEO, John Chen, did not trash the project.


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Despite a few standouts, sales of ‘green’ cars for 2013 weren’t quite up to par with 2012, and ultimately posted a decline of about 12 percent year-over-year, while the industry at large managed to grow at a decent clip. Strong sales of alternative-powertrain vehicles — hybrids, diesels, and plug-in electric vehicles — in late 2012 made for some tough comparisons this time around.
On the positive end, Nissan’s (NSANY.PK) Leaf had a record setting December, moving 2,529 models — a 70 percent surge over December of 2012. Honda’s (NYSE:HMC) various hybrid models all showed relative growth as well, though none of them in high enough volume to make the list of the top ten best sellers for the year. However, Toyota’s (NYSE:TM) Prius — while still the most popular hybrid on the market — lost some momentum throughout 2013, as sales for the Prius family slid 1.03 percent year-on-year. The Chevrolet (NYSE:GM) Volt, also a perennial favorite, struggled to keep its numbers in the green, and saw a sales decline of 1.58 percent over 2012.
Nonetheless, the market for fuel-efficient vehicles as a whole seems to be faring quite well as prices decline, and EV and diesel infrastructures see greater adoption. Here are the best-selling ‘green’ vehicles from 2013, based on data from Autoblog Green. Notably, the Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S is not included on the ranking, as it does not disclose monthly or annual figures. Additionally, sales for information for certain cars have been lumped in as a group; for example, the Toyota Prius Family includes the liftback, the Prius c, and the Prius v. Volkswagen TDI covers all models sporting VW’s diesel engines.


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The National Retail Federation issued the following statements from NRF’s president and CEO, Matthew Shay, and chief economist Jack Kleinhenz on the December jobs report:
“The nation’s retailers continued to add to their payrolls in December even in the midst of the condensed holiday shopping season,” Shay says. “Retailers and merchants, especially those operating clothing and general merchandise stores, increased hiring, which may indicate a solid holiday sales season.”
The National Retail Federation calculated retail industry job gains at 49,200 over November and 328,600 year-over-year.
“While the employment gains were much lower than anticipated, gains were made and the economy seems primed for growth,” Kleinhenz says. “The shortened holiday calendar and severe weather in many parts of the country certainly impacted these figures but I suspect we will see upward revisions in the coming months.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation report showed that December total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 74,000, with the unemployment rate at 6.7 percent and the labor force participation rate at 62.8 percent.


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The team behind Colorado’s official bid for Amazon’s second headquarters narrowed potential locations to eight and is feverishly working to complete its proposal to persuade the Seattle retailer to pick the Denver area.
“We screened nearly 30 sites and reviewed over 400 documents to determine the sites that met and exceeded the eligibility of the RFP (request for proposal),” said Sam Bailey, vice president of economic development for Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. “Ultimately, we identified eight viable sites across metro Denver that enhance our competitiveness. We would have diluted our position providing every site submitted.”
Within 24 hours of Amazon’s Sept. 7 announcement that it was looking for a second headquarters, Metro Denver EDC, the private economic development agency representing the nine area counties, put a plan together giving cities two weeks to submit sites. The team spent last week sifting through the candidates, picked them this week and will put finishing design touches on the proposal next week.
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade will submit the bid to Amazon on Oct. 16, three days before the official deadline. The sites will be presented on equal footing — no ranking or prioritization — in order to give Amazon flexibility, Bailey said.
Amazon wants a spot equal to its Seattle campus, which includes 8.1 million square feet of office space in 33 buildings. Over 10 to 15 years, the new location could employ up to 50,000 people making an average annual wage exceeding $100,000. The company expects to invest more than $5 billion in the new headquarters, which will host executives, managers, software and development engineers, legal staff, accountants and administrative workers.
Bailey, citing a nondisclosure agreement with Amazon, declined to divulge the final sites picked by Metro Denver EDC. The state used the same strategy successfully to attract Panasonic, Smuckers and Partners Group, a Swiss asset manager.
But real estate professionals, such as Real Estate Garage founder Steve Ferris, named some good possibilities. He lists eight in a column this week for the Colorado Real Estate Journal. But considering Amazon’s urban location in Seattle, Ferris narrowed it to four: the parking lots at Elitch Gardens and Pepsi Center; a north RiNo neighborhood that includes the World Trade Center project; Upper Fox, the southwest corner of interstates 70 and 25; and the former Gates Rubber plant at South Broadway and I-25.
“These are best guesses based primarily on the sheer scale of the project,” said Ferris, who previously worked in development services for the city of Denver. “In other words, nothing this big has come along before. Even United five to 10 years ago wasn’t near this size. And sure, it’s going to be built gradually, but the interesting thing from a technology perspective is it’s a growing company. The theory of them taking over the world lends credence that they will have 50,000 employees.”
Ferris said he doesn’t know which sites made it into Colorado’s proposal, but he said he knows that of the developers, at least five are talking to public officials about the Amazon bid.
“If I could ask Amazon anything, I would ask, ‘What do you like or don’t like about your current location?'” Ferris said. “Because that location (in Seattle’s South Lake Union) is eerily similar to upper RiNo.”
There are several sites farther from Denver’s center that also are considered contenders, including the former StorageTek/Phillips 66 campus in Louisville and undeveloped land near Denver International Airport.
Because of Amazon’s requirements — including a location within a 45-minute drive to an international airport — several cities in Colorado were immediately eliminated, including Colorado Springs, Durango and Grand Junction. But this doesn’t mean those cities won’t be included in the proposal, Bailey said.
“While they’re not eligible, the case studies we’ve leveraged include Colorado Springs and Durango to truly make them part of the state package to Amazon,” Bailey said. “We have to convey to Amazon that we’re primed for HQ2. But if they have another project — a data center, other regional offices — we want to make sure this communicates not just our strengths on HQ2, but any follow-on investments.”
Bailey’s team this week is still adding details to enhance its proposal, sharing information about broadband availability, public transportation options, political climate, and area universities, research labs and advanced industries.
But making good estimates — such as potential incentives — hasn’t been simple. Bailey said officials here have asked Amazon directly about things such as utilities and hiring plans of the potential 50,000 workers. Amazon “referred everyone back to the RFP.” So the team did additional digging, such as researching Amazon’s prior real estate deals in Seattle to get a better sense of when the company leases, buys and builds.
Colorado offers job growth incentives, but without knowing Amazon’s hiring plans, the team had to estimate how much the company would qualify for with the state’s Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit, which provides employers a credit against future state tax obligations equal to one half of its share of FICA taxes for each new employee added and retained for a year.
Those job-growth incentive credits over time could climb into the hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on how many people are hired and their pay levels. The state also has $10 million in cash set aside that can be used to match incentives offered by local governments.
Incentives from other states, however, have gone far higher. Wisconsin lawmakers recently approved up to $3 billion to lure up to 13,000 jobs from FoxConn, the Taiwanese manufacturer.
“What we benefit from is Colorado is not going to the legislature to ask for any special type of funding. We provide the same (incentive) programs to any company,” Bailey said. “We want to show Amazon that we are a fiscally sound state that focuses on performance goals.”
However, he added, all possible local, county and state incentives will be included in the proposal.
“Our intent,” he said, “is to ensure Amazon is aware of the various ways we can offset the costs of the project.”
The city of Aurora, which scored the state’s first two large Amazon facilities, is, of course, hoping for more Amazon. The city submited “qualifying sites” to Metro Denver EDC, said Andrea Tilliss, marketing manager for Aurora Economic Development Council.
“We do not know whether or not we will find out if our sites were submitted,” she said. “We certainly hope that we will be notified so that we can continue to support the process with our partners in Colorado to land this deal.”
After the state submits its proposal, it’s anyone’s guess how Amazon will announce the winner or the next stage. In its documents, Amazon just said the announcement will come in 2018. But one thing Bailey knows is that Colorado had to make a proposal to Amazon.
“We’re a growing community, and with that comes responsibility to make sure we plan and chase after the right types of projects,” Bailey said. “More than anything, Amazon HQ2 brings thought leadership. Thought leadership helped us fund FasTracks and put DIA outside of the city knowing we’ll grow to it. This company is very much aligned with the same spirit that we’ve pioneered in Denver.”


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The Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters in the Strip District will hosts “A Song of Thrones,” a Pittsburgh Opera fashion event.
The event will take place on March 19 and will be based on the fantasy epic “Game of Thrones.” The event will capture the drama of the immensely popular television show while spotlighting costuming and music from the Pittsburgh Opera, as well as high-end fashions by designer Diana Misetic of Shadyside fashion studio & boutique Little Black Dress.
Michele Fabrizi, Chair of Pittsburgh Opera’s Board of Directors and President/CEO of MARC USA, is chairing the event and noted in a press release, “Last year’s fashion show, ‘Operatically Emphatic,’ was a resounding success. ‘A Song of Thrones’ looks to build on that foundation and deliver another jaw-dropping evening of couture and music.”
Studio BOOTH will partner with jewelry artists Deborah Phillips and Murial Spitz to provide unique pieces for the evening. The event will feature a cocktail hour.


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Looking Forward to the Upcoming 2018 VW Touareg
The Touareg is the premium mid-size SUV from Volkswagen. In production since 2002, the vehicle had its most recent facelift in 2010. Now, spy photos show that this popular SUV is getting another makeover for the 2018 lineup. Discover some of the exciting features you can look forward to on the 2018 VW Touareg.
Modern MLB Platform
While the spy pictures show that the 2018 Volkswagen Touareg will stay basically the same size and keep similar proportions as the previous generation, it does seem as though the SUV will be on the new MLB platform. MLB stands for Modularer Langsbaukasten, which is German for Modular Longitudinal Matrix. This will make the SUV lighter than its previous versions, offer more luggage space, and make it easier for better interior packaging. Although the MLB platform has a lower roof, that shouldn’t impact headroom in the new Touareg because the seating positions will be slightly lower as well.
Along with a new platform, it appears the 2018 Volkswagen Touareg will also have a new look and some added exterior features. In fact, a lot of these new changes have people comparing the redesigned Touareg to the T-Prime GTE concept car that debuted at the 2016 Beijing Motor Show. The new Touareg should have a larger grille flanked by thinner headlights, a sportier bumper, C-shaped LED daytime running lights, slimmer taillights mounted high on the fascia, and more chrome on the rear bumper.
Just like the new VW Touareg samples the T-Prime GTE heavily on the outside, it will likely incorporate many of the concept car’s upgraded features on the inside as well. Expect to see a very large touch-screen display mounted in the center of the dashboard. While the display likely won’t be as large as the T-Prime GTE’s 15-inch screen, many insiders suspect it will be close in size. You should also expect to see a more high-tech and modern look on the door panels, instrument cluster, and dashboard. Don’t be surprised if there’s some state-of-the-art technology incorporated into these areas as well.
Plenty of Power
Like previous years, the 2018 Volkswagen Touareg will likely come with a range of engine options. This should include a new 3.0-liter V6 engine, as well as a hybrid engine that pairs this gasoline engine with an electric motor. In other markets, there will likely be a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. While these two motors will be mainly in vehicles sold in Europe and China, it’s possible one could make it to the U.S. market as well.
Even though no output figures for these new engines is known right now, many suspect the 3.0-liter engine will offer up over 300 horsepower, and the hybrid engine could produce at least 400 horsepower combined. For the turbodiesel engine, you can anticipate numbers in the range of 220 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque.
From a stylish exterior with plenty of updated features to an upgraded interior with luxurious touches, there’s plenty to look forward to when the 2018 Volkswagen Touareg arrives.


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Rumors started circulating yesterday that Amazon was working on three new versions of its Kindle Fire tablet – a 9.8-inch version, a high resolution 7-inch version, and a lower cost 7-inch version with a standard display.
According to a new rumor from DigiTimes this morning, Google is also working on its own inexpensive 7-inch tablet that’s designed to compete with Amazon’s low cost Kindle Fire.
Google is reportedly working with Asustek Computer to launch its new tablet in May or June of 2012. Such a tablet may put pressure on competing vendors, like Acer, Lenovo, and Samsung Electronics, causing them to initiate price cuts.
Amazon’s new offerings are expected to start at $199 and go up to $299, so Google will price its own tablet at $199 to prevent Amazon from having a price advantage.
This pricing war between Amazon and Google has already had an impact on other vendors, and Acer and Lenovo’s 7-inch tablets are now available for around $279. Samsung and Asustek Computer may soon be forced to drop their prices as well, because tablets from those brands are still priced at $500.
Currently, tablet PCs have an average gross margin of 10 to 15 percent, but as tablet prices drop during pricing wars, that gross margin is expected to shrink, leaving tablet manufacturers and component makers scrabbling for slim profits.
» Related posts: Amazon Planning a Three Tablet Strategy? Amazon Tablet to Be Launched on Wednesday, Cheaper than Kindle? Amazon’s Upcoming Tablet Not an iPad Killer


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Susan and Mark Cashman are seeking more employees for their Anago Cleaning System franchises in Maryland as economic conditions improve. "With the cleaning business, there’s no limit to potential because there’s business everywhere," said Susan Cashman. "The economy is picking up now. I’m seeing construction and there’s new buildings."
Published in Brief:


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Dangerous Driving is coming soon to a PC or a console near you. (And, since Electronic Arts doesn’t seem to care about Burnout aside from Burnout: Paradise’s re-release, this is all we could get…)
Three Fields Entertainment, which was founded by former Criterion (the developers behind Burnout) founders Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry, announced Dangerous Driving last June, and they didn’t seem to have taken an entirely different route – closed tracks with racing, boosts, enemy takedowns, and, of course, destruction.
Thirty stages, seven locations, a lot of cars, and a few game modes – Heatwave, Takedown (knock your opponents out), Road Rage (rule the roads), Eliminator (only one racer can remain). Online, we can play against up to seven players, and offline, AI racers await in eight game modes. You can level up by playing, unlocking new cars and abilities.
Dangerous Driving is out on April 9 on PC (Epic Games Store!), PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – the two consoles’ respective stronger version (PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X) will be supported, too. The physical edition of the game includes a bonus game, Danger Zone, the previous game from the team.
A new Burnout under a different.


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As of Tuesday, April 22, 2014
It’s been long rumored that a farmers market was coming to Odell … sometime. This summer, the Gorge Grown Mercado del Valle (Valley Market) becomes a reality.
Opening day will be June 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. near the playground at Mid Valley Elementary School. The event will feature music, hot food and children’s activities, and a variety of local fruits and vegetables will be available for purchase.
In addition, a “community table” will allow local gardeners a place to sell their backyard crops on an as-needed basis.
“We’re still recruiting vendors to sell fruits, veggies, eggs, bread, prepared food, arts and crafts,” says Market Manager Anna Osborn. “We say, if you make it, bake it or grow it, you can sell it!”
Gorge Grown is also recruiting volunteers to help with general market setup and promotion, and to provide music and other entertainment. Those interested are asked to contact Osborn at 402-630-3464 or email@example.com. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
All of the Gorge Grown Farmers Markets participate in the SNAP Match Program, including Mercado del Valle, says Osborn.
“This means that when folks swipe their food stamps card, for every $1 they spend, we match them up to $5. So, for example, if they swipe their card for $5, they will actually get $10 in Farmers Market tokens to spend on fresh, local food,” she says. WIC checks are also accepted.
The market is a collaboration between Gorge Grown Food Network and The Next Door Inc., with support from Mid Valley Elementary and St. Francis House.
Positive feedback concerning an Odell market led to a number of focus groups, Osborn says, which resulted in the creation of Mercado del Valle. The market seeks to celebrate the multicultural diversity in the community of Odell and the Upper Valley, she said.
The market will be open from June 21 through Sept. 20.


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Majesco gets analyst's thumbs-up
Nollenberger Capital Partners' Todd Greenwald adds once-troubled publisher to his coverage list, says it has successfully turned the corner.
Two years ago this week, the bottom fell out on publisher Majesco Games. But after overhauling everything from its management to the type of games it makes, the publisher might be staging a comeback. At least, that's what Nollenberger Capital Partners analyst Todd Greenwald thinks, as he today initiated coverage of the stock (NASDAQ ticker: COOL), giving it a "Buy" rating and projecting a return to profitability.
In 2005, after making an unsuccessful grab for top-tier publisher status with Psychonauts and Advent Rising, Majesco sharply downgraded its financial outlook for the year and CEO Carl Yankowski unexpectedly quit. The stock lost 47 percent of its value in a single day, and the company suffered one setback after another, from a class-action lawsuit from its shareholders to a messy split in the boardroom that ended with the resignations of two board members, the departure of interim CEO Morris Sutton, and a near-delisting from the NASDAQ stock market.
Since the beginning of its woes, Majesco has retreated from the frontline publisher market (selling its The Darkness and Ghost Rider titles to 2K Games along the way) and concentrated more on mass market and budget titles, with many of those coming on the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Wii. It's a strategy that Greenwald thinks is paying off.
"We believe Majesco has had a first-mover advantage on these platforms," Greenwald said, "and will succeed by developing games exclusively for these platforms, while most competitors are mostly 'porting' games already developed for other consoles. This porting strategy will not necessarily work with the Nintendo demographic; this demographic is far from the core gamer, who is typically 18-34 years old, male, and interested in games like Madden, Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Gears of War."
Greenwald points to Cooking Mama, Cake Mania, and New York Times Crosswords as Majesco titles that show the publisher "gets it" when it comes to what games will succeed on Nintendo platforms. Majesco shares finished today's trading at $1.64, up more than 12 percent from yesterday's $1.46 close.


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Mindful Fashion Sustainability Insights Report 2021
The Mindful Fashion Sustainability Insights Report is an industry first for New Zealand. The report presents a baseline of the industry's sustainability action, demonstrates the collective progress being made in the NZ fashion industry and presents a path forward for positive sustainability action.
The report highlights where great work is being done and drills down into the challenges and the opportunities for sustainability across the industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Findings show the industry’s biggest concern is integrity risks in its supply chain. Programme Director Jacinta FitzGerald says this highlights the nature of the challenges businesses in the sector face. With globalised supply chains and challenges around traceability of suppliers, businesses can have limited ability to influence their supply chains.
Dig into this and more insights in the report below.


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Topline: We take a look at how the dispute between Marvel and Sony over 'Spider-Man' could be resolved; Y Combinator's Demo Day shed light on some big trends in tech; after asking $1 billion and a fair bit of legal wrangling, the largest parcel for sale in L.A. sells for $100,000.
Cash might not be dead yet, but the world of digital payments -- both from consumers to businesses and between businesses -- is evolving faster than ever before. Here, as a part of Forbes' 2018 Fintech 50, is a look at the companies that are making it easier to pay and get paid.
What do you do after you’ve already struck professional gold? That’s a question Taavet Hinrikus, who was Skype’s first employee, had to grapple with. Yet his international money transfer startup, TransferWise, shows he was in no way a one-hit wonder.
TransferWise is a leading light in London’s flourishing fintech scene. I catch up with Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of the high profile peer-to-peer money transfer service, for his thoughts on financial services.


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-Check out a poster for the Jonas Brothers 3-d Movie thanks to JustJaredJr. Here’s the description they posted as well:
Following in the Disney footsteps of the hugely successful “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour”, the Jonas Brothers are releasing their very own 3D concert experience.
Nick, Joe, and Kevin, step out of their private jet in their new promo for their 3D movie. Along with very special guests Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift, the JoBros are giving you an all-access pass into their 2008 tour and even better — it’s in 3D! Follow the JoBros as they travel across North America — from New York to California on their “Burning Up Tour.”
“The Jonas Brothers: 3D Concert Experience” is coming to a theater near you in February 2009, so be on the lookout!
Check out larger size poster below. (Credit: Moviefone)