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Even though South Korea announced a plan in 2014 designed to make the country a leader in the 3D printing industry, widespread adoption of industrial-scale additive manufacturing is still slow-going there, though research initiatives are much stronger. But a new collaboration between industrial 3D printer and materials OEM Essentium and South Korean 3D printing specialist Hephzibah could help speed up the process.
Essentium recently announced a distribution partnership with the industrial 3D printer business, which has been distributing additive manufacturing solutions since 2012 and has built up a strong industrial network in South Korea. Most manufacturing firms in the country know that they could potentially save a lot of money in production costs by adopting large-scale industrial 3D printing, but there are a lot of barriers to doing so, including economics, part strength, and production speed and scale.
By combining Hephzibah’s customer support skills, excellent service, wide network, and expertise with specific AM use-cases with its own industrial High Speed Extrusion (HSE) 3D printing platform, the Pflugerville, Texas-based startup believes that the two will be able to help South Korean manufacturing firms get past these widespread adoption issues.
“The speed, scale, and economics of the Essentium HSE 3D Printing Platform present huge efficiencies and improved time-to- market opportunities for our customers,” Joseph M.G. Lee, the President and CEO of Hephzibah said in a press release. “The fact that Essentium is an open platform means that our customers will benefit from greater innovation agility.”
Thanks to this new distribution partnership, Hephzibah will now offer its customers a complete range of Essentium’s materials, as well as the full Essentium HSE 180•S Series of 3D printers, which the company says are able to fabricate end-use parts with five times more accuracy, and 5-15 times more speed, than other FFF 3D printing systems. The series features low, standard, and high-temperature printer models, and would be a good choice of machine to use for applications in the automotive, consumer goods, and electronic manufacturing services industries.
By taking advantage of what the Essentium 3D printers can offer, in addition to the company’s planning, installation, support services, and training center, the company states that Hephzibah’s customers can invest in adding additive manufacturing to their shop floors without a high economic risk.
“The South Korea manufacturing industry – from automotive to consumer electronics and, more recently, aerospace – has a best-in-world reputation for quality and innovation,” stated Essentium’s CEO and Co-Founder Blake Teipel, PhD. “The integration of industrial-scale AM onto the factory floors of this manufacturing powerhouse has hugely exciting potential. I have no doubt that the combination of the Essentium 3D Printing Platform with Hephzibah’s rich customer knowledge and service infrastructure will ensure AM makes its mark in South Korea.”
(Images courtesy of Essentium)
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A ground-breaking new online management and registration system is set to revolutionise the way events are planned, promoted and booked.
Teesside-based accommodation, conference and event management specialist Hospitality Guaranteed has launched EventStop, an innovative new online tool for event management.
The system, which has been developed in-house by Hospitality Guaranteed, gives event organisers the freedom to create their own customised event pages, invitations and confirmation emails, using their own brand identity, including logo and visual elements, and has been designed to help organisations easily manage logistics and revenue.
The online tool allows users to quickly and easily build event pages, following simple steps, and features an array of reporting and tracking features, giving organisers easy access to information.
Its low charges provide event organisers with the opportunity to increase revenues from ticket sales.
EventStop is backed by the firm’s experienced team of event specialists and is directly linked to Hospitality Guaranteed’s online venue finding service, ConferenceStop. Event organisers using the new system can therefore be supported in sourcing a venue, and Hospitality Guaranteed’s staff can negotiate rates and extra benefits on a user’s behalf.
Launched in June 2006 by Amanda Jackson and Victoria Brunton (pictured above), Hospitality Guaranteed now works with around 3000 conference and meeting venue suppliers in the UK.
Headquartered at Wynyard Park, it has access to more than 80,000 accommodation venues worldwide.
The company developed a unique bookings and management system HGOneStop, which provides the foundation for its online systems. These include ApprenticeStop, a system that supports businesses running apprentice or staff residential programmes and AccommodationStop, which allows users to book and manage hotel stays.
Its clients include businesses in the education, automotive, retail and manufacturing sectors.
Co-founder Brunton said: “Our comprehensive understanding of the corporate events market has given us a deep insight into the challenges faced by event organisers – and we’ve used this knowledge, combined with our own expertise in developing custom online solutions, and our specialist events experience, to shape EventStop.
“The user-friendly system has been shaped to help organisations put their own stamp on their event pages and emails, making their events stand out from the crowd. Plus, EventStop is supported by a dedicated team who can help organisers – whether they are just starting out or are an experienced events professional – to get the best out of their events.”
Hospitality Guaranteed is dedicated to supporting the local community and a percentage of all ticket sales made through EventStop will be donated to Stockton-on-Tees-based charity, Daisy Chain. Daisy Chain aims to provide a haven for families affected by autism through its Day Centre and Farm, which supports more than 1,700 families in the Tees Valley.

domain: news


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Though over-the-top (OTT) content—like Netflix, Hulu and Crackle—has gained significant traction in the online TV space, a recent study revealed that, for a vast majority of customers, the newer method of content delivery doesn’t replace traditional pay-TV services outright but, rather, supplements them.According to Hub Entertainment Research, 90 percent of customers who have broadband services are still paying for traditional television despite the fact that they might be watching less of it thanks to OTT providers, which outpace traditional providers in terms of perceived value.
“Despite all the buzz around a cord-cutting revolution, the numbers continue to suggest that viewers are using online sources to complement their pay-TV subscription more than replace it,” said Jon Giegengack of Hub Entertainment. “The bigger risk for traditional TV carriers and networks is in falling too far behind online providers when it comes to easy, flexible ways for consumers to find and view the TV content they want.”
Other key findings of the research include:
- The average pay-TV subscriber leverages about two OTT sources, usually Netflix and Hulu.
- Customers who use TV Everywhere (TVE) say they are happier with their television providers than those who do not. The research indicates that 78 percent of TVE users plan to stay with their provider next year, whereas somewhat fewer, or 67 percent, of those who don’t use TVE also intend to remain with their provider.
- Those who watch OTT or TVE content do their viewing on 2.7 devices, a 17 percent increase from last year.
- Only 40 percent of millennials (18- to 34-year-olds) say that traditional television is their No. 1 source for programming.
Despite the fact that a vast majority of OTT consumers still subscribe to pay-TV services, it seems that number could very well decrease in the future as the population ages. The device- and delivery-system-agnostic generation cares most about convenience, and traditional television is the most lacking of all content-delivery media in that attribute.


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An as of yet unannounced smartphone from Samsung, currently dubbed the "Cetus," was uncovered in a post by the Bluetooth SIG. Coming with Windows Phone 7, this is the first handset seen with Microsoft's OS that is outfitted with a front facing VGA camera listed as a "video call" camera.
Video calling is not a feature that Microsoft has officially stated that Windows Phone 7 supports. Skype announced a couple months back that they would not be working on an app for Windows Phone 7, so either Samsung is supporting the feature with its own software or Windows Phone 7 is capable of more than we are currently wise to. Other specs for the Cetus include a 4 inch 800x480 display, 5mp camera, Wireless N and Bluetooth capability, and an FM radio.


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Akshaya Patra offers Bengaluru a Taste of Joy!
Bengaluru got a taste of our tasty, wholesome food through our campaign, Taste of Joy, inaugurated by the worshipful Mayor of Bengaluru, Smt. G Padmavathi on December 14, 2016 at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office. The campaign is aimed inviting people’s feedback on our food on social media. It will take the Akshaya Patra food truck across the city to create awareness about our cause of ‘unlimited food for education’.


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In the middle of a gravel lot, surrounded by rusty equipment and old storage containers, one brand-new connex is making history. Inside, it’s filled with hydroponically grown, leafy green vegetables — the inaugural crop from Arctic Greens.
The company is the first organization above the Arctic Circle to get certified as Alaska Grown, and soon its produce will be available at Kotzebue’s local grocery store.
Past the control room and through the nursery, Jeff Hicks stood in the growing room of the standard 40-foot connex. Hicks is the Chief Operating Officer of Kikiktagruk Inupiat Corporation (KIC), which owns Arctic Greens. While spinning exhaust fans and glowing purple lights regulate the temperature of the container, he took inventory of its 600 seedlings.
“Mizuna, mustard, and watercress,” Hicks said. “We have spinach, kale, red lettuce, green lettuce, and butter head lettuce. We have basil, cilantro, and several other different kinds of herbs.”
Right now, Arctic Greens can grow 45 different plant varieties from hydroponic seeds. Once the operation is fully up and running, the connex will deliver 450 heads of local produce each week — even in the middle of winter.
KIC started the subsidiary last fall after discussions with Vertical Harvest, an Anchorage company that designs and builds hydroponic containers. Hicks said the deal was sealed when they sent him back to Kotzebue with a special souvenir.
“I actually brought four heads of lettuce from one of their hydroponic units, and I talked to the manager over at the AC store,” Hicks explained. “I said, ‘Hey, if we brought you this, would you buy it?’”
Rob Boudreau is the manager of Kotzebue’s AC, owned by the Alaska Commercial Company and one of the few grocery options in town.
“I said, ‘Yeah. If you could grow them in town, it’d be a great thing for Kotzebue,’” Boudreau said.
Boudreau said the store will have a special section for Arctic Greens produce, which will come from just a few blocks away as opposed to hundreds or thousands of miles.
“It’s a good deal for the citizens of Kotzebue,” Boudreau said. “Better produce, no travel time, no sit-and-wait in different locations. It’ll just be fresher by the time it gets to the store.”
Hicks said the corporation is still talking with AC about how to price the vegetables, and he declined to share the cost of the custom-built connex, which was specially outfitted for the Arctic and flown into town on a C-130.
But Hicks said growing the produce locally will save on shipping and therefore save customers money. Not to mention the other big advantage of Arctic produce.
“No pesticides,” Hicks said. “They’re not genetically modified. It’s not organic, but it’s really as close as you can get.”
If the pilot phase goes well this summer, Hicks said KIC plans to purchase three more connexes and expand the operation in Kotzebue. After that, he said the corporation hopes to start hydroponic projects in other communities, including Nome. KIC has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Alaska Commercial Company, which would sell the locally grown produce at stores statewide.
In Kotzebue, Arctic Greens will harvest its first crop on June 21. The produce will go on sale at AC soon after.


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Apple has always conquered the market by their products and this time its, Apple’s Watches which have already taken over the Swiss Market. Export of the Swiss Watches has declined and according to the survey, Swiss Watch market has decreased by 9 percent between April and May.
It seems like luxury watch will face some very hard time in the coming days. Also in some reports, it has been mentioned that there will be a decline in the watch industry as the markets will flood with Apple and Android Watches, which will bring a big shift in the industry.
Hong Kong watch maker companies reported 34% decline in their consumers. Maybe the companies will start providing the luxury watches at an economical rate to fight these upcoming smartwatches. But if Apple, goes out of their way and launch a cheaper version of Apple Watches ( like it did with iPhone 5 by releases iPhone 5c) then it can bring some more trouble to some known watch companies


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In large cities across Asia, auto rickshaws (tuktuks) are one of the most important means of transportation. These tuktuks produce considerable CO2 emissions and air pollution, and their drivers are underpaid. Students participating in the Hybrid Auto Rickshaw project sought to cut CO2 emissions by 40%, while improving the economic positions of drivers.
The Hybrid Auto Rickshaw project was started by Stef van Dongen, founder of Enviu - an international organization working to implement sustainable development. Students of seven different technical universities in the Netherlands and India worked to design the most efficient, easy to implement, and affordable upgrade kit for existing auto rickshaws.
Auto rickshaw drivers are part of the poorer economic groups of society, and earn on average $3 to $4 a day. The goals of the Hybrid Auto Rickshaw were to reduce the CO2 emission of auto rickshaws by at least 40%, improve the economic situation of the auto rickshaw drivers and their families by lower fuel costs and more efficient motors, and improve the air quality in large Asian cities.
In order to get accurate and current information about the auto rickshaw sector, a base line study was made by Enviu in cooperation with local experts in Bangalore and Hyderabad. The research revealed that it was possible to increase the incomes of rickshaw drivers by at least 35%.
The contestants' efforts were displayed in the Hybrid Tuktuk Battle, held in Chennai, India from July 22-25. A panel of jurors included Tom Coronel, one of Holland's most successful racing drivers; Wubbo Ockels, the first Dutch astronaut to go into space; and Wouter van Dieren, chairman of the Institute for Environment and System Analysis in Amsterdam (IMSA).
Students of Hogeschool Arnhem and Nijmegen (HAN) won the battle - HAN’ds On Eco Tuk has an LPG direct injection system that saves up to 26% of energy and 53% on fuel costs, compared to a regular petrol tuktuk. The winning tuktuk only costs about $200.
Enviu has hopes to upgrade one million auto-rickshaws.


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Hyundai pulls the wraps off of its new 2012 Azera large sedan at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. To my eye, the newest Hyundai looks quite a bit like the new Toyota Camry.
November 16, 2011 2:18 PM PST
Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
| Caption by: Antuan Goodwin
Conversation powered by Livefyre


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Serena Williams (yes, THAT Serena Williams) has joined the board of consumer survey startup SurveyMonkey, along with Intuit CEO Brad Smith.
This is the tennis superstar’s first venture into Silicon Valley and, according to a SurveyMonkey spokesperson, came about at the suggestion of fellow board member and Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.
Sandberg joined the board last summer after suffering the loss of her husband Dave Goldberg, who had been the company’s CEO before he unexpectedly passed away.
It’s easy to make the connection to the Valley through William’s fiancé and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. However, Sandberg and her husband had been longtime friends of Williams and SurveyMonkey was looking to change things up on the board.
Williams’ “voice on the board sends a strong message to our company, investors, and the industry,” said SurveyMonkey’s current CEO Zander Lurie. “We want change agents at our table.”
According to Fortune, Lurie and Williams started talking about the possibility of working together after meeting up at a dinner party at Sandberg’s house last fall. “Everything just came together easily,” Williams told the magazine.
Aside from being one of the top tennis players in the world and the highest paid female athlete, banking $77.6 million in her career from prize money so far, Williams has also launched several businesses around her extraordinary tennis achievements. She once had a special line with Puma and inked endorsement deals with Nike and J.P. Morgan Chase. She also has her own apparel line called Aneres (her name spelled backwards) and launched her own collection of handbags and jewelry on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).
Williams sees an opportunity to put those achievements to good use in the tech world, as well. “As a business professional, I’m constantly asking questions. I want to hear the positive and the negative to figure out where I can improve,” she told TechCrunch in a statement. “Like SurveyMonkey, I’m driven to ask what’s happening, and why. We also share a fierce commitment to letting all voices be heard.”
SurveyMonkey, which competes with online survey startup Qualtrics, gathers customer feedback from online surveys and, according to Fortune, the majority of Fortune 500 companies use the service to gain insights. But survey data depends on the types of questions asked and knowing what to ask. That unique insight can be hard to get in a room full of the same types of people.
Note also, Silicon Valley doesn’t have a great track record with women or diversity so far. Williams is a great get for the company’s board as she is able to add that fresh (and needed) voice, along with her outstanding career track record to help shape SurveyMonkey’s future.
Additional reporting by Ingrid Lunden.


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The government unveiled its PR campaign for the forthcoming Czech presidency of the European Union on Thursday, featuring a host of Czech celebrities and…a sugar cube. Prime minister Mirek Topolánek says the campaign – featuring the slogan “we’ll make life sweeter for Europe” – aims to make Czechs realise the significance of the six-month presidency. But eyebrows are being raised at the campaign’s rather ambiguous choice of words.
The first half of 2008 has seen a sharp fall in foreign investment into the Czech Republic, according to Czech Invest, the government agency which promotes this cause. According to Czech Invest, the country received 124 investments in the period between January and June totalling around 20 billion crowns. This figure is 29 billion crowns lower than in the same period in 2007 and represents a serious decline and challenge for the Czech Republic. Other seismic shifts have also been evident – last year 98 percent of investments were in manufacturing projects, this year’s figures indicate that 65 percent of investments are in research, development and services. The change in investment dynamics has been explained as a shift from large-scale projects to smaller more targeted projects and is viewed as somewhat positive in the sense that the Czech Republic appears to be moving towards its desired goal of becoming a so-called knowledge-based economy rather than a manufacturing base.
It isn’t an unusual practice: a well-known sports celebrity sets up a line of sports clothing. From a marketing perspective, the idea seems perfect: capitalize on the name-recognition of said sportsperson and either open a bar, sports-shop or even set up a line of clothing. Dominik Hašek, former ice-hockey legendary goalkeeper did the latter. But now it seems that his business venture has hit some bumps in the road. DJ reports:
In Business News this week: the Czech National Bank lowers the key interest rate by one-quarter percentage point to 3.5%; some large exporters are considering pegging employees’ bonuses to the euro; the Prague Stock Exchange goes on sale; prices of consumer electronics in the Czech Republic were second lowest in the EU in 2007; and with the Czech market becoming saturated, shopping centre developers are looking east.
The Czech Republic posted a foreign trade surplus of 13.9 billion crowns in June, according to preliminary data released by the Czech Statistical Office. The figure is 5.8 billion higher than in the same month in 2007. Exports grew by 1.7 percent while imports fell by 1 percent. The surplus has been attributed mainly to increased exports of machinery and transport equipment. Analysts expected the figure to be much lower due the strengthening Czech crown.
It might be the time of year for writing and sending postcards, but the Czech postal service is inundated with mail of another kind. The number of parcels arriving in the Czech Republic from the United States has shot up dramatically, with Czechs taking advantage of internet shopping and the strength of the crown.
Czech drivers have a reputation of being aggressive, speeding and taking unnecessary risks. As a result, the country has one of the worst accident rates in Europe with around 1,200 people killed on the roads each year. A tough new points system intended to improve road safety introduced two years ago had only a temporary effect, and the number of fatalities soon returned to previous levels. The Transport Ministry is now trying a different tack – it wants to shock drivers into exercising greater caution, commissioning a series of TV spots with realistic
In the course of the last 12 months the Czech crown has strengthened by a staggering 22 percent, becoming the fastest appreciating currency in the world. While exporters warn that the super-strong crown will inevitably slow down economic growth, the government sees no threat in the current exchange rate.
In this week’s Business News, the planned US radar base in the Czech Republic will apparently use Czech power and be built with the help of Czech companies; new statistics from the Czech Labour Ministry reveal that a record number of foreigners came to work in the Czech Republic; Koh-i-Noor Hardmuth, a pencil and stationary company in the Czech Republic has announced plans to close down its České Budějovice production plant after 160 years; a leading Czech consumer advocacy group called SOS has warned shoppers to be wary of a misleading practice
Language exams for foreigners seeking permanent residency permit to become tougher
Czech teenager builds second-largest ever Millennium Falcon LEGO model
Gunman kills six patients in Ostrava hospital, two more fighting for their lives
Press: Era of 100-crown lunch special is over, as food prices rocket
HN: Developers aiming to sell co-living concept in Prague


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Imagine working a day job and leaving the office every evening to even more work - in this case, developing a full-fledged video game.
That is what Singapore-based Filipino Mark Fillon has been doing.
The 33-year-old works in a local advertising agency in Chinatown, making television commercials and radio advertisements.
He is also the creative director and game designer for Singapore-registered indie game developer General Interactive Co. (GI), which is working on a puzzle adventure game called Chinatown Detective Agency (CDA).
The game, which has been in development since late 2017, is about a private investigator who has set up shop in Chinatown in a futuristic dystopian cyberpunk Singapore.
"So I will do my nine-to-five (job). After that, I will go home and spend three or four hours with my daughter before I put her to bed. And then I will sacrifice some sleep and work all the way to the wee hours of the morning on the game," says Mr Fillon, who has been working in Singapore for close to five years.
His wife Maria, also a Filipino, works here as a clinic manager. They have a three-year-old daughter.
He says his weekends are completely dedicated to the development of CDA.
Working with him at GI are two other key people - lead programmer Jenny Hide, who is based in Britain, and art director Ricardo Juchem, who lives in Brazil.
"I have been working with Jenny for almost four years, but I have never met her in person. And this is our second game together," Mr Fillon says.
They do video calls and communicate using Google Hangouts.
The first game they worked on, Terroir, is a wine-making tycoon game released by GI in 2017. Mr Fillon came to know Ms Hide in an online community focused on a game engine called Unity.
As for Mr Juchem, Mr Fillon first connected with him via Twitter, having been impressed with his pixel artwork. "I kind of sweet-talked (Mr Juchem) into doing the artwork for this game," he says.
Mr Juchem, who does all the artwork for CDA, has never visited Singapore until October last year.
Also working on the game is an animator and music composers who are based in other countries, such as Belarus and Canada.
Mr Fillon says the good thing about this game's development is that it is not consistent in terms of its work demands, as there are lull periods he cannot do anything when there is no artwork.
On why he decided to set the game in Singapore's Chinatown, he says: "In my mind, Singapore would make an amazing setting for a cyberpunk story because it is futuristic and the Government is doing a great job in running the country."
With the CDA's main premise being the world's governments having collapsed, Mr Fillon wonders what will happen to a country like Singapore if the people are left to their own devices.
He says the biggest challenge in developing CDA is the writing. "Writing and capturing that unique Singaporean style of speaking and expression is challenging to a foreigner, but I wouldn't do it any other way," he says.
He has been bugging his colleagues to teach him to speak Singlish and the nuances of everyday speech here. For CDA, he hired Singaporean voice actors for the dialogue of the game's main characters.
On whether the use of Singlish will turn off international audiences, Mr Fillon does not think so.
"When we show (US and European audiences) the game, a lot of them were intrigued by the way people speak, the locations and the food in the game," he says.
Mr Fillon says doing research and learning about Singapore is the most enjoyable part of making this game. "Looking through the archives and reading old newspapers to get an idea of the mood and the zeitgeist of the nation through the years is truly enjoyable."
CDA has so far been self-funded. The profit made from GI's first game has gone into the development of CDA, while Mr Fillon has also chipped in with his own money.
However, there will be a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to raise money for CDA later this month with a target of US$40,000 (S$55,700).
"A lot of indie games will ask for more... around US$80,000 to US$100,000. But we really need only US$40,000," Mr Fillon says. The money will be used to pay for "licensing, sound effects, music composition and event expenses".
The CDA Kickstarter campaign is scheduled to run from March 26 to April 27. The game is expected to launch on the Steam PC store at the end of this year.


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Subaru will build a three-row sport utility vehicle starting in 2018 at its Lafayette, Ind., vehicle assembly plant, the automaker has announced.
The new SUV, which has not been given a name, would replace the Tribeca, a mid-size SUV Subaru produced from the 2006 to 2014 model years before discontinuing.
The new SUV will arrive as a larger vehicle that the Tribeca and offer "full third-row capability," according to a Subaru release. The vehicle will bring to four the number of Subaru nameplates built in the U.S., along with the Legacy, Outback, and Impreza, including a new five-door model of that compact sedan beginning production in 2016.
Subaru expects to sell more than 550,000 vehicles in 2015, marking a tripling of sales since 2007.
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet


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The concept of the data warehouse has been a simple one — create data and then sock some of it away in a software vault. IBM
is offering a new approach to this business intelligence (BI) process, introducing its Dynamic Warehousing strategy for using advanced analytics to support business
Unveiled today at the Gartner Business Intelligence Summit in Chicago,
Dynamic Warehousing seeks to yank knowledge that may directly impact
customers or transactions from text, e-mail, audio files and Web pages.
The strategy is designed to support BI applications from IBM partners and BI
market leaders Business Objects
. Dynamic Warehouse also competes with infrastructure
offerings from Informatica
Bernie Spang, director of IBM Data Servers, said the point of Dynamic
Warehousing is to provide customers with the “right insight at the right time for managers at the point of transaction with customers.”
Spang said that while the first data warehousing technologies focused on
query and reporting and the second wave used online analytical processing
business planning, Dynamic Warehousing analyzes information on demand to
help customers improve business transaction.
For example, Spang said Dynamic Warehousing is a key cog in the New York
Police Department’s crime information warehouse, which uses IBM software to
identify possible suspects before detectives get to the crime scene.
Dynamic Warehousing, one of the fruits of IBM’s information-on-demand strategy, also helps insurance companies identify potentially fraudulent claims
prior to approval and payment.
IBM is introducing a raft of new and upgraded software products under the
Dynamic Warehousing umbrella.
Spang said IBM’s DB2 9 database serves as the rock for the initiative
because it employs features such as deep compression to boost performance
for analytics and BI.
New flavors of DB2 Warehouse, including a starter, intermediate and advanced
edition, use technology from IMB’s Ascential buy to provide data movement
and transformation capabilities, as well as advanced data partitioning and
workload management, to ensure that applications are adequately serviced.
For customers who need to get a data warehouse up in a hurry, Spang said IBM
is also rolling out the IBM Balanced Warehouse, which enables developers to
create a warehouse with pre-configured software, hardware and storage.
IBM is also offering new data models to help organizations get started with
dynamic warehousing. These include a new Health Plan data model for claims,
medical management and provider and network care, as well as an enhanced Insurance data model, which focuses more on compliance and risk management.


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Pakistan has banned content on more than a dozen websites because of offensive and blasphemous material; however, according to this article from FOXNews.com, Google ranks the Muslim country, which even has laws on dress codes, as No. 1 in the world in searches for pornographic terms. Reportedly, Pakistan outranks every other country in the world in searches per person for certain sex-related content.
Pakistan is top dog in searches per-person for "horse sex" since 2004, "donkey sex" since 2007, "rape pictures" between 2004 and 2009, "rape sex" since 2004, "child sex" between 2004 and 2007 and since 2009, "animal sex" since 2004 and "dog sex" since 2005, according to Google Trends and Google Insights, features of Google that generate data based on popular search terms.
The country also is tops -- or has been No. 1 -- in searches for "sex," "camel sex," "rape video," "child sex video" and some other searches that can't be printed here.
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|Can Windows kill the Internet?|
|Garbage Sorting Robot|
|"There’s a galactic gold rush brewing."|
|“Our goal is to entirely remove the animal from the meat production process.”|
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|Fast, Clean, Cost-Effective Metal 3D-Printing|
|"A helpful guide created by an unqualified individual."|
|“What if energy generation was a consumer electronic you could order off Amazon?”|
|“Robots should be fitted with an 'ethical black box' to keep track of their decisions.”|
|"You only need about 100 miles by 100 miles of solar panels to power the entire United States."|
|"An unabashed love letter to the 1982 motion picture Blade Runner."|


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Islamabad, February 15, 2024 – In response to the ongoing economic crisis, the federal cabinet of Pakistan has approved a significant increase in gas prices, effective from February 1, 2024.
The decision comes as part of the caretaker government’s efforts to meet the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The move follows a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), chaired by Finance Minister Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, which granted approval for a slight tariff increase for protected consumers, ranging from 40 to 66.67%.
Details regarding the exact hike for protected consumers within the first four slabs, utilizing gas up to 0.25 HM3, 0.5 HM3, 0.6 HM3, and 0.9 HM3, are known only to the interim finance minister and energy minister. The federal cabinet is expected to make the final decision on this matter.
The decision to raise gas prices aligns with the IMF’s structural benchmark criteria, with the deadline for implementation set until February 15, 2024. Notably, the tariff adjustments do not apply to the roti tandoor, commercial, power, and cement sectors.
For the CNG sector, the ECC has approved an increase in the gas tariff to Rs3,750 per MMBTU from Rs3,600 per MMBTU. In the fertilizer sector, the proposed gas prices for feed purposes for Engro and Fauji fertilizers have been suggested at Rs750 per MMBTU.
However, protected domestic consumers, particularly in the agricultural sector, will witness a reduction in the initially proposed increase. For Agritech and Fatima fertilizers, the gas prices have been raised to Rs1,597 from Rs1,239 per MMBTU, and for fuel purposes, the tariff has increased to Rs1,750 from Rs1,580 per MMBTU.
In the case of non-protected domestic consumers, the ECC has approved gas price increases ranging from 5% to 66.67%. The tariff adjustments vary based on consumption levels, with higher consumption tiers experiencing proportionally lower percentage increases.
The impact of these adjustments is expected to affect consumers in various sectors, including agriculture, domestic use, and industrial activities. The decision to raise gas prices is likely to have economic implications, with consumers, particularly those in the non-protected category, facing increased costs for gas consumption.
The caretaker government’s decision to approve the gas price hike is seen as a response to the challenging economic conditions and an effort to meet the conditions set by the IMF. However, it also raises concerns about the potential impact on consumers and businesses, adding to the broader discussion on economic management and policy decisions in Pakistan.


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Generating leads in the language industry can be tricky because, as one Marketing Director who came from the buy-side said, it is pretty niche. While a combination of strategies will work for some, there seems to be a consensus that cold-calling (which one Business Director described as “pestering’) is not such a good idea.
There is no shortage of strategies, however — from digital marketing to conferences and events to crowdfunding as a marketing and PR activity.
Anssi Ruokonen – Transfluent
Anssi Ruokonen joined Helsinki-based language service provider (LSP) Transfluent as Chief Operating and Marketing Officer on August 1, 2019. He reports to CEO Mikko Räty. Räty took the helm in January 2019, succeeding CEO and Founder Jani Penttinen, who had stepped down in November 2018. According to Ruokonen, the Transfluent Founder “is currently focusing on his new business, Utopos Games, but remains a shareholder and provides some US leads for us.”
Ruokonen also gave an update on the results of their 2017 fundraising exercise: “As you already wrote in 2017, the crowdfunding was a successful venture; and Transfluent expanded it’s ownerbase a lot and raised the target amount. The crowdfunding exercise was an interesting way to get funding and simultaneously do PR. It was obviously before my time, but I think it was a great thing to do.”
The result: “We have over 250 shareholders and due Jani’s departure there have been some changes in the ownership. Our shareholders consist of VC funds, angel investors, and investors from the crowdfunding.”
Asked about their expansion into Asia two years ago, particularly Japan, he said that, although they continue to support their Japanese customers, the LSP no longer has a dedicated support person in Japan “due to staff relocation reasons.” He added that theirs has always been a distributed workforce and their platform approach allows customers to work without the LSP’s constant intervention.
About that other PR activity, the Spanish version of whitehouse.gov (put up after the Trump Administration took down the “En Español” link from the official page’s sitemap), Ruokonen said it was an interesting PR case and “fun to read about when I personally investigated the company” prior to joining.
He said LaCasaBlanca.com was actually “a crowdfunding project of an individual person, which Transfluent supported by providing technical capabilities and at-cost translations. Unfortunately, the fund raised from the crowdfunding has been spent and no new support is on the radar.” The website has not been updated for some time.
Back in 2017, Transfluent’s biggest market was the US (47% v.a.v. Finland at 26%). Since then, the Finnish LSP has “grown more in the Nordics than in the US, so the numbers are different,” Ruokonen told Slator, adding that he cannot comment on exact numbers at this time.
Ruokonen joined Transfluent after a decade at digital marketing and advertising firms Nordic Morning and Seed Digital. At Transfluent, he said, their current focus is on “creating a more seamless service for e-commerce providers to ease their expansion into other markets,” [which] “will be a big thing for us in the next couple of years.”
Their customer base is largely spread out across several industries, Ruokonen said, with demand coming from the gaming industry being only “marginally bigger” than the rest. As for languages, he said the biggest demand for their services out of the US is still Spanish, “but, not substantially, [as] French, German, and Japanese are big ones as well.”
Valeria Barbero – Mother Tongue
Valeria Barbero joined London-based LSP Mother Tongue as Business Director and Program Manager on August 20, 2019, and moved from London to New York three days later.
Part of the Omnicom Group, Mother Tongue has offices in Los Angeles, Singapore and, now, New York. Barbero reports to Mother Tongue’s Managing Director, Chris Hodgson, in London. “My main focus is on leading one of our key accounts and kick-starting Mother Tongue’s new office in New York,” Barbero told Slator.
Prior to joining Mother Tongue, Barbero was Transcreation Team Lead at Hogarth Worldwide. She has worked on the localization of software, pharma, and pharma devices and, in the last few years, “moved in the marketing and transcreation vertical.”
She explored neural machine translation (NMT) as it applies to the localization of marketing materials in her previous role and is now doing the same at Mother Tongue. There are “many shades of transcreation” in the broad range of marketing materials, Barbero said; from the highly creative tagline or headline to “longer technical copy that can be closer to translation.”
Barbero explained, “MT is certainly more applicable to long copy, although not always a good fit — the nature of materials in marketing is not as repetitive and consistent from a terminological perspective, as it is in, say, a manual or software application.” But given recent advancements in NMT and “the growth of good data available for training,” she is keen to explore its possibilities.
According to Barbero, as an LSP within marketing communications company Omnicom, Mother Tongue’s business is evenly split between “direct relationships with brands and work via marketing agencies within (and outside) the group. The former, we pitch for directly, and the latter, usually as part of an integrated proposal involving multiple agencies.”
Barbero said she sees no value in cold-calling (or “pestering”) and prefers to “get the word out via conferences, events, and networking. Personally, I hope to increase awareness of the marketing vertical within the localization industry as I find that people don’t really know much about what we do.”
She said they are expanding beyond the “traditional client base of marketeers, and are increasingly partnering directly with brands on a variety of content types. Most notably we are doing a lot of work in tech now.”
About growth in the language industry in general, Barbero sees services becoming more specialized as smaller companies find a niche in high-value solutions. In terms of languages, she said it would depend on the type of medium and material, “but I think there is a consensus in the industry that Indian languages will experience substantial growth and, maybe at a slower pace, African languages. Once you start considering the localization of voice-based systems, there are incentives to go even more local, so the growth there can be even greater.”
Christine Wetzl – Across Systems
Christine Wetzl joined Germany-headquartered Across Systems as Head of Sales on July 1, 2019. She reports to CEO Gerd Janiszewski. Wetzl joined the company after having spent over 18 years at SDL in various roles; from Project Manager, she worked her way up to DACH Sales Director and, just prior to joining Across, VP.
“In my last role at SDL, I was looking after Automotive, Retail, Consumer, and Travel — but I was always very connected to the German ‘Maschinenbau.’ So, for now, I am concentrating on the Swiss, Austrian, and German markets,” said the Germany-based language industry veteran.
On how client demands have changed through the years, Wetzl recalled that, two decades ago, the trend was for clients to find a good, large LSP and have them handle everything. “But times have changed,” she said. “Clients want to be in charge today. They look for transparency, control, and overview.”
Asked how clients regard post-edited machine translation (PEMT), she said, “All our clients want to have the option to use it, sometimes for internal use not even post-edited but only MT. Across is a pure translation technology provider and our system is MT agnostic — any system can be plugged in.”
As for how to reach those clients, Wetzl said, “There are conferences that do deliver great outcomes regularly and also cold-calling makes sense. I think it is a mix between all the tools.”
Eileen Ho – Lexallo
Eileen Ho joined Singapore-based LSP Lexallo as Marketing Director in June 2019. She reports to COO Sirikalya Udomsilp.
Ho joined the language industry five years ago from the buy-side. “Then I switched to the agency side when I joined a consulting firm, and we helped global clients through new market entries, M&As, listings, etc. Localizing their businesses involved localizing their communication,” Ho said.
As a result, she became familiar with the industry; but only after Ho became part of it did she gain “a deeper appreciation for the business and how skilled an industry it was.”
According to Ho, since the language industry is “pretty niche,” she generates leads “through the most ancient form, word-of-mouth. In terms of active lead generation, we focus on digital marketing, which does most of the legwork for us. We’ve hardly had a handful of face-to-face meetings.”
She added that, “being such a niche and demand-based industry, there are lead-gen strategies that bring about much lower ROI, such as cold calls. Digital marketing would be most effective for us at the moment. That’s when clients are ready to engage someone for the job and are low-hanging fruits.”


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Southwestern China's Sichuan province is home to giant pandas, and one research centre has found a way to generate revenue – by selling objects made from panda poop.
The new product uses panda manure as its main ingredient and requires recycling treatment of cleansing, baking to make it dry and hard to, ensuring that it can be kept for some time.
Panda poop has no bad odor, as the pandas do not eat meat. They are herbivores that feed mainly on bamboo.
An adult panda produces about 20kg of dung each day, hence dozens of bamboo-fed pandas in the Chengdu reserve produce up to 200 tons of excrement each year. With the introduction of the new souvenir, the excrement is no longer an expense but instead becomes a source of income.
Panda poop is also a big hit at Chiang Mai Zoo, as over the past three years, the zoo has made more than 50 million baht a year.
Tags: Panda | Poop | Dung | Souvenir


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Already just 2 days after the big Japanese Launch of the new 'PS Vita' platform, problem reports are flowing in!
Hopefully these problems can be fixed by 'firmware' update, but is sad that users are already finding many issues with the 'PS Vita' after spending their hard-earned dollars on it in Japan!
Whenever new hardware launches, whatever it is, there are problems.
The PS Vita is new hardware, and while I haven’t experienced any hardware issues, others have.
These are just some of them collected from various sites and forums:
One of the first 'problem reports', is that many games are turning off the WiFi stopping any communication or social updates and messages, plus WiFi is programmed to go 'auto off' after 5 mins on desktop also cutting off communication!
Hopefully, yet another firmware update will fix those, but the next report looks alot harder to solve by just firmware!
The biggest problem, is when your 'PS Vita' system locks up, there is no RESET or way to turn it off, you have to wait until the power drains, as the battery is internal preventing its removal!
According to YouTube videos, there are some machines experiencing these lock-ups and freezing.
One error appears to occur during the System Update, which then freezes.
Another issue seems to be a non-responsive touch screen.
It’s still early in the hardware’s launch cycle, so it’s difficult to discern how widespread the issue is.
Pro-gamer Kiryu Tsukimiya tweeted that he’s soon experienced it.
NEWS SOURCE: PS Vita Problems (via) Kotaku
Our thanks to 'Stevetry' and 'billysastard' for reporting on these early 'PS Vita' launch issues!


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"PE investment activity witnessed 135 per cent increase in volumes as compared to the previous period, largely driven by e-commerce deals," the report added.
There were 48 deals worth $ 2.22 billion in January 2015, while in the corresponding period last year there were 33 transactions worth $ 930 million.
"Rolling stock and bulk transportation would go a long way in making the Railways efficient," Assocham President Rana Kapoor said.
Exemption was needed since subsidiaries that are incorporated outside India are required to follow the financial reporting frameworks applicable in those jurisdictions.
According to the assurance, tax, and advisory firm, only 22 per cent respondents have an operational plan for transition to IndAS.
Sources privy to the financials of Snapdeal told ET that it is spending more than $20 million every month in an aggressive strategy to discount deeper.
Private equity investments witnessed heightened interest in IT & ITeS, particularly in the e-commerce space, which drove both values and volumes.
M&A deals contributed close to $38 billion from 573 deals and Private Equity (PE) deals contributed $12 billion from 604 deals, said a new report by advisory firm Grant Thornton.


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According to figures released this week by Statistics Netherlands, the feast of St Nicholas -celebrated with gifts on 5 December- Christmas and New Year’s Eve generate an estimated 1.3 billion euros extra for the Dutch retail trade. Toy shops, in particular, experience a boost in sales in the last two months of the year. But stores selling alcoholic drinks and household items also see a marked increase in turnover in November and December.
Households spend an average 170 euros extra
Dutch retailers realise a total turnover of 21 billion euros in November and December, 1.3 billion euros of which can be attributed to the festive season. This is the equivalent of every household spending around 170 euros extra in the shops. The extra turnover in the festive season is mainly accounted for by gifts bought for the feast of St Nicholas (5 December) and Christmas, luxury food items and drinks for Christmas dinner, and snacks, champagne and fireworks for New Year’s Eve.
Turnover in festive season 2005/2013
Top sales period for toy shops
Not all retail sectors benefit equally from the extra spending in November and December. While toy shops experience their busiest period, it is a lot quieter in do-it-yourself stores. Toy shops earn nearly 30 percent of annual turnover in the last two months of the year. Gifts bought for the December festivities account for just over 140 million euros. November is the best month for St Nicholas gifts.
Some 110 euros per child is spent on gifts from toy shops in the last two months of the year.
Consumer electronics popular gifts
Shops selling consumer electronics also benefit from the festivities. Small electrical household appliances, smartphones and computers are also popular gifts. The Dutch spend around 930 million euros in shops specialising in consumer electronics in November and December, of which 175 million euros is directly connected with the festive season.
December best months for food and drink retailers
Shops selling alcoholic drinks also do well out of the festive season. An estimated one third of turnover in November and December is connected with the December festivities. Annual turnover in this sector is around 1.5 billion euros, of which 340 million euros is realised in the last two months of the year. Extra turnover as a result of the festivities is approximately 100 million euros. December, in particular, is an important month, accounting for around 15 percent of annual turnover.
Supermarkets also earn their highest turnover in December: about 10 percent of the year’s total takings. Out of an annual turnover of over 37.5 billion euros, the extra turnover in November and December is around 420 million euros.
Average monthly turnover


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Students at Warwick University in England have built a car out of biodegradable materials. The tires are made out of potatoes, the brake pads composed of cashew nut shells, and the body of the car is hemp. The car, which runs on bio-fuels, and bio-lubricants, has a top speed of 125 mph. Ben Wood, studying for his Engineering Doctorate at WMG, the global innovation specialists based at the University of Warwick, said: "Almost everything on the car can be made out of biodegradable or recyclable materials. All the plastic components can be made from plants and, although the chassis has to be made from steel for strength, steel is a very recyclable material. We already have the shell, brake pads, fuel and tires sorted. My aim is to end up with a race car that's 95 per cent biodegradable or recyclable. If we can build a high-performance car that can virtually be grown from seed, just imagine what's possible for the average family car." The Eco One is currently on display at the Sexy Green Car Show in Cornwall over the next two weeks.
:: Via: AutoGreenBlog


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Looks like we’re going to have to wait a little longer before we get to kill some more zombies.
If you’ve been waiting for Dead Rising 2 with baited breath, then Capcom has some bad news for you. The game’s release date has been pushed back by nearly a month, though no reason for the delay has been revealed.
Capcom confirmed that the game will be released in North America a few days before it is in Europe. Here in the States, gamers will be able to buy the game on September 28th, while our European brethren will have access to it come October 1st. Originally, Dead Rising 2 was due out on August 31.
Dead Rising 2 will be released on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. The game looks like it’s going to be a blast, featuring even more zombie-killing goodness than the original, as well as being a bit more user-friendly (like allowing for more than one save game at a time). Check out Susan Arendt’s E3 video interview with Mike Schmidt for more details.
If, however, you need a more immediate zombie fix, take heart and remember that Capcom is releasing a Dead Rising movie this summer.
Source: USA Today


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|By Business Wire||
|January 6, 2014 09:11 AM EST||
NanoTech Entertainment (OTCPINK: NTEK), a pioneer in bringing the 4K Ultra HD experience to consumers, announced today that its Nuvola NP-1™ 4K Ultra HD streaming video player has been honored with a Storage Visions® 2014 Visionary Product Award in the Home Entertainment category. The Nuvola NP-1 is the world’s first streaming media player that supports 4K Ultra HD movies and videos.
NanoTech Entertainment's Nuvola NP-1 Awarded Storage Visions 2014 Visionary Product Award (Photo: Business Wire)
NanoTech’s Nuvola NP-1, one of 23 finalists for the award, was selected for the award by a panel of industry experts and journalists whose priority was to recognize products that fulfill the vision of a digitally-connected universe of products and services.
Tom Coughlin, president of Entertainment Storage Alliance and Coughlin Associates and one of the organizers of Storage Visions 2014, presented the award and stated, “4K Ultra HD content is going to be an exciting market space for consumers and the entertainment industry. Technology that will help deliver 4K to the home is certainly worthy of being a Storage Visions Visionary award winner.”
The award was presented to NanoTech’s Founder and creator of the NP-1, David R. Foley, at the Storage Visions Conference award reception, which took place on January 5, 2014 in the Riviera Hotel Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. This is the 10th year the Storage Visions Conference recognized companies who advance storage technologies used in consumer electronics, the media/entertainment industries and visionary products for the digital content value chain. In previous years, industry leaders such as Hitachi Data Systems, Intel, Samsung and Toshiba received the award.
“We are honored to have the Nuvola NP-1 chosen for the esteemed Storage Visions Visionary Product Award,” said Mr. Foley. “It is a recognition of the entire NanoTech team’s commitment to providing affordable, ground-breaking technology that enhances the consumer’s entertainment experience and truly delivers The Future of Television.”
The NP-1 is powered by a NVIDIA® Tegra® 4 Quad Core Mobile Processor with 2GB DDR3 RAM and incorporates 72 custom NVIDIA GeForce® GPU cores to deliver enormous processing power and realistic graphics. More than a 4K streaming media player, the Nuvola will work with any brand, any resolution of television and isn’t limited to just playing downloaded 4K content—it also streams 4K Ultra HD content.
In addition to being able to decode 4K Ultra HD content, it can decode HD, SD and 3-D movies in addition to playing state-of-the art 3-D Video games. It can also stream content from a variety of sources, including the bundled UltraFlix™ UHD channel, which serves 4K content for streaming; and other services such as Netflix, Hula Plus, XBMC, Amazon Instant and YouTube, which come pre-installed.
NanoTech’s Foley, will be speaking at the Storage Visions 2014 “Opportunities and Challenges for Consumer Solutions” session held at the Riviera Convention Center in Las Vegas. During the session, Foley will discuss viable solutions to the 4K content dilemma--the limited availability of 4K content is affecting 4K Ultra HD TV sales but content developers want to see 4K Ultra HD TV sales increase before they increase production of 4K content.
The Nuvola NP-1 is available for new customers in January 2014 for $299. Measuring just 4 inches by 4 inches, the multifunction set- top box comes with an ergonomically designed second-generation Bluetooth remote as well as over fifteen video, audio, social media and communications applications and five games pre-installed. Access to ten Streaming Movies is also provided free of charge on the UltraFlix UHD Network. Upgradeable and expandable, the Nuvola NP-1 features a variety of industry standard ports for MicroSD and USB connections that enable users to install a variety of accessories, options and storage attachments. For more information on Nuvola 4K media players, call (408) 414-7355, email [email protected] or visit http://www.nuvola4k.com.
About the Storage Visions Conference
The thirteenth annual Storage Visions Conference, which will be held at the Riviera Hotel Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 5-6, 2014, will feature comprehensive sessions on all aspects of the digitally-connected universe of products and services with the theme of “Fast is Beautiful, but Size Matters.” More information is available on the conference at www.storagevisions.com.
About NanoTech Entertainment
Headquartered in San Jose, CA NanoTech Entertainment is a technology company that focuses on all aspects of the entertainment industry. With six technology business units, focusing on 3-D, Gaming, Media & IPTV, Mobile Apps, and Manufacturing, the company has a unique business model. The company has a diverse portfolio of products and technology. NanoTech Gaming Labs operates as a virtual manufacturer, developing its technology and games, and licensing them to third parties for manufacturing and distribution in order to keep its overhead extremely low and operations efficient in the new global manufacturing economy. NanoTech Media develops proprietary technology which it licenses to publishers for use in their products as well as creating and publishing unique content. NanoTech Media Technology includes the world's first Ultra HD 4K streaming solution. NanoTech Communications develops and sells proprietary apps and technology in the Mobile and Consumer space. Clear Memories is the global leader in 3D ice carving and manufacturing technology. 4K Studios creates digital Ultra HD 4K content using both licensed materials as well as original productions. NanoTech is redefining the role of developers and manufacturers in the global market. More information about NanoTech Entertainment and its products can be found on the web at www.NanoTechEnt.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement: Under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements in the press release that relate to the company's expectations with regard to the future impact on the company's results from new products in development are forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Since this information may contain statements that involve risk and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the company's actual results may differ materially from expected results.
The NanoTech Entertainment logo, UltraFlix and Nuvola NP-1are trademarks of NanoTech Entertainment. All rights reserved. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
“We're a global managed hosting provider. Our core customer set is a U.S.-based customer that is looking to go global,” explained Adam Rogers, Managing Director at ANEXIA, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 28, 2016 02:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,767
The Internet of Things will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, demonstrated how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and shared the must-have mindsets for removing complexity from the develo...
Jul. 28, 2016 02:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,525
SYS-CON Events announced today that MangoApps will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MangoApps provides modern company intranets and team collaboration software, allowing workers to stay connected and productive from anywhere in the world and from any device.
Jul. 28, 2016 02:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,389
IoT is rapidly changing the way enterprises are using data to improve business decision-making. In order to derive business value, organizations must unlock insights from the data gathered and then act on these. In their session at @ThingsExpo, Eric Hoffman, Vice President at EastBanc Technologies, and Peter Shashkin, Head of Development Department at EastBanc Technologies, discussed how one organization leveraged IoT, cloud technology and data analysis to improve customer experiences and effi...
Jul. 28, 2016 02:00 AM EDT Reads: 2,040
The IETF draft standard for M2M certificates is a security solution specifically designed for the demanding needs of IoT/M2M applications. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Brian Romansky, VP of Strategic Technology at TrustPoint Innovation, explained how M2M certificates can efficiently enable confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity on highly constrained devices.
Jul. 28, 2016 01:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,099
In today's uber-connected, consumer-centric, cloud-enabled, insights-driven, multi-device, global world, the focus of solutions has shifted from the product that is sold to the person who is buying the product or service. Enterprises have rebranded their business around the consumers of their products. The buyer is the person and the focus is not on the offering. The person is connected through multiple devices, wearables, at home, on the road, and in multiple locations, sometimes simultaneously...
Jul. 28, 2016 01:15 AM EDT Reads: 820
“delaPlex Software provides software outsourcing services. We have a hybrid model where we have onshore developers and project managers that we can place anywhere in the U.S. or in Europe,” explained Manish Sachdeva, CEO at delaPlex Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 28, 2016 01:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,613
Keeping pace with advancements in software delivery processes and tooling is taxing even for the most proficient organizations. Point tools, platforms, open source and the increasing adoption of private and public cloud services requires strong engineering rigor – all in the face of developer demands to use the tools of choice. As Agile has settled in as a mainstream practice, now DevOps has emerged as the next wave to improve software delivery speed and output. To make DevOps work, organization...
Jul. 28, 2016 12:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,231
Let’s face it, embracing new storage technologies, capabilities and upgrading to new hardware often adds complexity and increases costs. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Seth Oxenhorn, Vice President of Business Development & Alliances at FalconStor, discussed how a truly heterogeneous software-defined storage approach can add value to legacy platforms and heterogeneous environments. The result reduces complexity, significantly lowers cost, and provides IT organizations with improved efficienc...
Jul. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,013
SYS-CON Events announced today that Isomorphic Software will exhibit at DevOps Summit at 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Isomorphic Software provides the SmartClient HTML5/AJAX platform, the most advanced technology for building rich, cutting-edge enterprise web applications for desktop and mobile. SmartClient combines the productivity and performance of traditional desktop software with the simp...
Jul. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,153
"We've discovered that after shows 80% if leads that people get, 80% of the conversations end up on the show floor, meaning people forget about it, people forget who they talk to, people forget that there are actual business opportunities to be had here so we try to help out and keep the conversations going," explained Jeff Mesnik, Founder and President of ContentMX, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,407
"When you think about the data center today, there's constant evolution, The evolution of the data center and the needs of the consumer of technology change, and they change constantly," stated Matt Kalmenson, VP of Sales, Service and Cloud Providers at Veeam Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 27, 2016 10:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,406
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with the 19th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world and ThingsExpo Silicon Valley Call for Papers is now open.
Jul. 27, 2016 10:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,665
The IoT is changing the way enterprises conduct business. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Eric Hoffman, Vice President at EastBanc Technologies, discussed how businesses can gain an edge over competitors by empowering consumers to take control through IoT. He cited examples such as a Washington, D.C.-based sports club that leveraged IoT and the cloud to develop a comprehensive booking system. He also highlighted how IoT can revitalize and restore outdated business models, making them profitable ...
Jul. 27, 2016 09:45 PM EDT Reads: 2,004
In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 19th Cloud Expo, Yoseph Reuveni, Director of Software Engineering at Jet.com, will discuss Jet.com's journey into containerizing Microsoft-based technologies like C# and F# into Docker. He will talk about lessons learned and challenges faced, the Mono framework tryout and how they deployed everything into Azure cloud. Yoseph Reuveni is a technology leader with unique experience developing and running high throughput (over 1M tps) distributed systems with extre...
Jul. 27, 2016 09:45 PM EDT Reads: 2,173


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The West Midlands-based Midland Bearings has solidified its position as the country’s largest distributor of agricultural bearings, plummer blocks, clutch bearings, and more, with the announcement of a huge expansion of the company. Midland Bearings has been supplying a broad selection of roller bearings to businesses in the trade and manufacturing industries for more than 35 years – it has now taken on a new warehouse in the area, allowing it to import more products and stock greater quantities locally.
The addition of the new warehouse in the West Midlands brings Midland Bearings’ total storage space to 75,000 square feet, and enables the firm to stock more than 15 million products. With many of Midland Bearings’ products being sourced from Western Europe and Asia, particularly China and Japan, the new storage space ensures the company is able to provide quick and cost effective deliveries of international products to its client base. As a result of the expansion, stockholding has risen to £12 million.
Midland Bearings Managing Director Phil Chesworth said, “The uncertain state of the economy has meant that, this year, many businesses across many industries have struggled with their warehouse capacities, and the space issue is something that we have definitely experienced in the last 12 months. We have been preparing to expand for quite some time, and following a particularly strong year for Midland Bearings, we were provided with a fantastic opportunity to significantly increase our total warehouse space, allowing us to import more, and dispatch from a local hub.”
With expanded storage space and a wider range of products, Midland Bearings has also announced a new online cataloguing feature which has been necessary to fully organise the greater import quantities and make selection and ordering easier for clients. Products have been categorised by bearing type, with categories including taper roller bearings, lock nuts and washers, and stainless steel, angular contact, and self-aligning ball bearings, housing units, and inserts. These can all be viewed on the new look website.
“The ultimate aim of our expansion is to continue providing a top service for our clients, as we have for these last 35 years,” continues Chesworth. “We’re making greater product selection, speedy delivery, and quick and easy online ordering a reality, and we have more than 15,000 items in stock.”
The Midland Bearings expansion makes the firm one of the largest stockists of budget and neutral bearings in the UK. Alongside unmarked bearings, the company is also an authorised distributors for FK, KSM, and MBA. In addition, the company also holds large stocks of SKF, INA and RHP bearings.
To find out more, visit www.midlandbearings.com


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One year on from the launch of the European Battery Alliance (EBA), the Commission Action Plan is in place, the first pilot production facilities are being built and further projects are announced to establish the EU as the lead player in the strategic area of battery innovation and manufacturing. atteries will be as
ans Forgetica is a font designed using the principles of cognitive psychology to help you to better remember your study notes. It was created by a multidisciplinary team of designers and behavioral scientists from RMIT University. It is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems. "a downloadable font that is scientifically
or decades, the world’s top athletes have competed in illustrious tournaments such as The Masters or the Tour de France. People tune in from all over to see these athletes in peak form, and tournaments rake in cash from media rights, advertisements, sponsorships, merchandise, and also the live event itself.
imed at strengthening citizens’ rights uniformly while reducing burdens for companies and public entities, the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies fully as of 25 May 2018. The long-awaited (and often feared) law is part of a reform package adopted in 2016 to foster trust in a digital age.
tatistically speaking, over 50% of people are consuming media in some form at this given moment. In fact, the latest data shows that Americans spend over 12 hours per day consuming media in various forms. This means that people spend more time consuming media than they do working or sleeping – a prolific insight
f you are a highly-skilled professional, wouldn't you rather work for clients on specific projects than have a fixed job? If you have a flair for innovation and are ready to take business risks to gain greater independence and flexibility, why not freelance? Freelancing spans many professions, including newly emerging
Yes, Google's products match Google. :/ ccording to Jumpshot, a marketing analytics firm that licenses anonymous ClickStream data from hundreds of millions of users, about 62.6% of all searches online are through Google’s core function. But that’s just the beginning, as that number doesn’t include other Google functions like image search or
The rules will reflect new ways in which Europeans enjoy culture and entertainment services online when they travel around the EU. uropeans will soon be able to fully use their online subscriptions to films, sports events, e-books, video games or music services when traveling within the EU, according to the agreement
MEPs have voted in favor of ending geo-blocking and country redirects by the end of 2018. any Europeans shop online on a daily basis. Whether it’s for electronics, appliances or furniture, 57% of EU citizens bought something online in 2017. Shopping online is one of the favorite activities of internet
nce every century (give or take), society and technology undergo a massive revolution. Suddenly we see major changes coming hand in hand with scientific discoveries. The wheel, fire, papyrus, Gutenberg and his press, the steam engine – all enormous, incredibly profound inventions that flipped the world on its head and


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There were about 70 stalls filled with clothes, household items, and much more. People say it's a chance for them to get rid of the old and put in some new like decorations for their homes.
Some sellers say this is something they plan throughout the year by saving instead of throwing away. Some usually get a few hundred dollars from it.
"We gather everything up and save it year to year and just turn it around and put it in storage," says Tina Robertson, who is selling at the community yard sale.


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Monday, November 28, 2011
Mota Motors Names Exec
Venice, California-based Mota Motors, which provides online vehicle certification and selling software platforms, said today that it has named Ken Potter as its Chief Revenue Officer. Potter had previously served at CarsDirect.com, where he had been VP and GM of Automotive for ten years. Potter also served at General Manager at CarMax. Mota's service is working on a platform to provide used car sellers and dealerships with certification of those vehicles.


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Recently merged vidgame giant Activision Blizzard expressed cautious optimism that it can keep performing during the economic slowdown, while smaller competitor THQ announced a major restructuring as its losses exploded.
Activision Blizzard also unveiled a $1 billion share repurchasing program in an effort to revive its beleaguered stock, which has fallen more than 30% since the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games in July despite a continued solid perf by the company. Investors seemed happy with the earnings news, though, as shares rose 10% in after-hours trading.
THQ stock, meanwhile, was down 16% after hours following a 15% drop Tuesday when news of layoffs first leaked.
Activision Blizzard investors were likely most pleased that the company didn’t reduce its guidance or announce any layoffs, as its biggest competitor, Electronic Arts, did last week. Though he acknowledged the economic environment is dismal, CEO Bobby Kotick remained hopeful that several major sequels for the holidays, including “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” “Call of Duty: World at War” and “World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King” will keep his company on track.
“We are reaffirming our full-year outlook, while recognizing our titles still need to perform well, and there is great uncertainty,” exec said on a conference call with analysts, foregoing his typical ebullience.
Publisher reported revenue of $717 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down 8% from a year ago on a comparable basis if the July 10 merger of Activision and Vivendi Games to form Activision Blizzard had already taken place. Excluding a number of merger-related costs, operating income was $122 million, up slightly from what would have been $113 million last year.
Perf was better than previously called for in guidance, driven primarily by continued strong sales for earlier version of “Warcraft,” “Guitar Hero” and “Call of Duty.” Activision Blizzard also benefited from selling to other publishers many Vivendi Games titles it chose not to pick up. These include “Ghostbusters” and “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena,” which went to Atari, and “50 Cent: Blood on the Sand,” which was picked up by THQ (Daily Variety, Oct. 30). Publisher has also increased its cost savings target related to the merger by $50 million.
For the fiscal year ending March 31, Activision Blizzard is expecting $1.2 billion in operating income and $4.9 billion of net revenue.
THQ, meanwhile, saw its revenue fall 28% and net loss surge to $115.3 million from $7 million last year. One key reason was lower-than-expected sales overseas for its videogame adaptation of the Disney/Pixar toon “Wall-E.” In the current quarter, company is believed to be doing better with its M-rated over-the-top action game “Saints Row 2,” which has already shipped more than 2 million units.
Company also slashed its revenue guidance for the fiscal year ending March 31 from $1.15 billion-$1.175 billion to $875 million-$900 million. It is also projecting a loss, whereas it previously told investors it would generate a profit. Company attributed the changed guidance to the delay of several games into the fiscal year starting April 1, 2009, growth in value of the U.S. dollar and softer sales expectations in the worsening economy, particularly for kids’ games.
As a result of its financial problems, THQ is closing five of its 16 internal development studios and laying off 250 people, or about 17% of its development staff. It is also canceling several titles in early development and plans to reduce product spending by $100 million in the next fiscal year.
“We expect the combination of a much more focused and competitive product line with a more efficient cost structure to put THQ back on the path to growth and profitability in fiscal year 2010,” CEO Brian Farrell said in a statement.
Before earnings were released Wednesday, THQ stock closed flat at $6.55, while Activision Blizzard shares were down 7% at $10.98.


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FedEx Lakeland President Resigns
Published: Monday, March 5, 2007 at 10:35 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, March 5, 2007 at 10:36 a.m.
LAKELAND -- Chip Watkins has resigned from FedEx National LTL, the company announced today.
Watkins, president and chief executive officer of FedEx's Lakeland-based trucking unit, cited personal reasons for his departure.
"This is a personal decision based on family and professional commitments that require my attention at this time," he said in a release. "I am very pleased with the progress we made at FedEx National LTL. The company has a solid value proposition, and I am confident that the FedEx National LTL management team will ensure that the strategy is executed successfully."
Watkins will be succeeded by Robert K. Simons, a Watkins Motor Lines veteran and the senior vice president of operations for FedEx National LTL.
Watkins' father, Buz, served as the vice chairman of Watkins Motor Lines' board. The Lakeland-based trucking company was acquired by FedEx last year for $780 million.
Clay Watkins, Chip's cousin, serves as senior vice president of operations and support for FedEx National LTL.
Chip Watkins began working at Watkins Motor Lines in 1985, when he started in sales and then became a dock supervisor in Atlanta.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
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A question on Twitter today posed by @413Camp got me thinking about chipwiches and how crucial they were and still are on those hot summer afternoons at camp. The question posed was “what advice to you give to a new camp store manager?” My advice: stock up on chipwiches. Or else there might be a protest.
Though it seems like such an obvious thing – putting ice cream between two cookies – the invention of the actual name brand Chipwich is credited to a man named Richard LaMotta who sold the brand to CoolBrands in 2002, which then sold it to a division of Nestle five years later, according to Wikipedia. The Chipwich brand is no longer in production, but its legacy lives on. What else would you call ice cream between two cookies, but a Chipwich?


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The Vita is a nice system, but one that’s been a bit under-appreciated. And really, that’s not all that surprising, seeing that there’s exactly been one game out there for it that’s designed to sell a ton of consoles. With that being said, it’s been given some new life by the launch of the PS4, what with its game streaming and second screen and all that jazz.
Unfortunately, the system is still a bit on the pricey side at around $200, but if Sony were to bundle the PS4 and the Vita together that might bring the price down a little bit… And folks, that’s exactly what they’re doing in Europe, with an apparent release date of sometime in December. It’s been titled “The Ultimate Edition”.
There’s not a lot of information out there about this bundle yet, unfortunately. Besides the picture of the box as well as “Dec 2013”, we don’t know about when exactly it will be released, or what the price will be either. There aren’t any any plans to release it in North America at this time either, according to Joystiq. But still, it’s not exactly a surprise that Sony is making such a combo box. If it ends up being popular then maybe the Vita will finally get the recognition it deserves!
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Black Forest Games will have to find a new name for its game Dieselstörmers, after it lost a dispute with closing brand Diesel over its trademark application.
"This decision has caught us with our pants down. We are quite surprised that our trademark application has been formally denied," said managing director Adrian Goersch.
"We are no multinational corporation, we cannot fight this decision, even though, frankly, it is a disaster with indie marketing as difficult as it is today. But the history of this game and our company as a whole has been marked with tough challenges and we will manage to overcome this one as well. First of all, we will make sure everyone will be able to keep playing the game, then will come back with a new name."
The dispute first came to light in July 2014, when Diesel objected to the developer's application for a Dieselstörmers trademark, saying it could confuse customers. The final decision was made by the European Union body The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM).
Black Forest Games seem to be taking the news well, illustrating their statement with a photo of the development team in its underwear.


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Jakarta. The World Bank has drastically cut its projection for Indonesia's economic growth this year, foreseeing the economy would expand at its slowest pace in five years as the government's slow infrastructure spending exacerbates weaker growth in consumer spending.
The Washington-based lender now forecasts Indonesia's economy to expand 4.7 percent this year, from the initial projection of 5.2 percent made late last year. That could be the slowest growth rate since the economy expanded at 4.6 percent in 2009, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. The government itself has set a growth target of 5.7 percent for the year, while Bank Indonesia, the central bank, says it expects a growth rate of 5.1 percent.
"Since day one of the new administration, very important and ambitious reforms were announced. Unfortunately, so far, the gains from those reforms are smaller than expected and the economy is still slowing down," Ndiame Diop, World Bank lead economist in Indonesia, said in a video message published on the World Bank's official site on Wednesday.
In its latest Indonesia Economic Quarterly, the World Bank notes that fixed investment contributed 1.4 percent to GDP growth in the first quarter of 2015, or just half its average annual contribution in the period 2010-12.
The government has spent only 8 percent of the Rp 290 trillion ($21 billion) earmarked this year for infrastructure spending, holding back a large chunk of public savings — made available through fuel subsidies cuts last year — from the economy.
Meanwhile, consumer spending only grew 4.7 percent in the first quarter, down from 5.3 percent at the same period a year before. According to the World Bank, low consumer spending was due to weaker trade putting pressure on corporate profits and household incomes, which at the end slowed down demand.
Lower consumer demand led to lower imports, which were down by 14.4 percent in the first quarter of 2015. Exports in the commodities and manufacturing sectors also fell 13 percent in the same period due to lower global demand, including from China and Indonesia's Southeast Asian neighbors, the World Bank noted.
Rodrigo Chaves, World Bank country director for Indonesia said Indonesia must face “unfavorable conditions" that will lead to slower economic growth, such as continued low commodity prices and low investment growth.
"But Indonesia can respond by raising quality spending in infrastructure while containing the fiscal deficit to within the legal limit of 3 percent of GDP," he said. "Improved infrastructure will reduce logistics costs and lower prices, boosting economic growth and equity."
The drastic growth forecast cut compounded concerns over earnings of companies, which are already struggling with rising costs and a weak rupiah. The Jakarta Composite Index fell 0.7 percent to 4,871.57 after the announcement, extending a 11 percent loss from April to June period.
The rupiah closed 0.7 percent weaker at 13,346 against the US dollar on Wednesday, as the country's persistent current account deficit provides no defense against the greenback's bull trend ahead of the expected US Federal Reserve interest hike later this year. The local currency has lost 7.3 percent against the dollar so far his year, according to data from Bank Indonesia.
On Tuesday, the Asian Development Bank also revised down its forecast for Indonesia's GDP growth — to 5 percent this year from an initial projection of 5.5 percent — due to delays in infrastructure spending.
The Manila-based lender, however, maintained a rosy outlook for the medium term, saying the country has the potential to grow up to 8.7 percent annually over the next ten years.


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The first 1,000 days are the most important in your life, the meeting heard.
Nutrition for pregnant women is the first important step to better food.
But after that it’s the role of children that kept emerging as potential solutions.
Children need to learn cookery skills.
But they don’t need to be lured into takeaways on the way home.
But they could see food growing in open space across the city.
And they could learn from their parents who may buy fresh food given the chance.
But the trouble is selling fatty and salty food is highly profitable and is cheaper for many people.
What is facing Birmingham is the need for people to see poor food in the same light as drink driving or not wearing a seat belt.
But as one member of the audience said: “It wasn’t putting diseased organs on cigarette packets that made people stop. It just became more difficult to smoke.”
Right now, it’s easier to eat badly than healthily.
Food prices in the UK will rise in the New Year, a food industry expert says.
Food manufacturers have hedged against price increases post-Brexit but the increases are likely to come into effect in the New Year.
The message was delivered by Jon Miller from JLT Speciality who is part of an international team which looks at what factors will affect the food industry in the coming years.
He says that experts predict that three factors will dominate in the coming years:
- Population growth
- Climate change
All these factors will have an impact on the food chain and people’s ability to grow and provide food.
But the more optimistic view is that what can happen locally can have an effect on the wider food industry, Jon says.
Food security is not an abstract issue it poses risks, an eminent food researcher says.
John Crawford from Rothamstead, the world’s leading agricultural research centre says that a series of problems are posed to the world by people not being able to source food.
The issue is consistently in the top five of issues, he says.
Population is growing and will break the 11 billion barrier.
Food security played a key role in sparking the disruption of the Arab Spring.
Emerging economies are becoming wealthier and put extra pressure on the food supply.
There will be an unsustainable demand for food.
The problems posed by food are complex but this is a good thing, he says. It means you are able to change things by making adjustments in other areas.
What will the food poverty situation be like in Birmingham in May 2025? Is Birmingham set for a golden decade – and will this have a big impact on food poverty in the city?
One attendee was very positive about the future of the city.
- HS2 is due to be running in 2026, which may have large benefits for the Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham region
- There will be more jobs (HSBC moving UK HQ to Birmingham from London)
- Large investments being made in the city
- Universities are one of the main drivers of investment in cities – and Birmingham’s are booming
- Tourism sector is a huge draw – three million visitors for the Christmas market
The city will get significantly richer, according to this view of things, and the opportunity is there for food poverty to decline – but will this happen?
Is it a guarantee that if the economic situation improves, then food poverty will be reduced alongside?
Views from group session at the Food Poverty event in Birmingham.
There has always been emergency food aid through history.
Food banks are just a modern, more formalised version of emergency food aid.
In the past, needy and hungry people were helped by churches, Sikh temples, Salvation Army etc. The national network of food banks has formalised this system.
But it’s important to remember that aid for hungry people has always been there.


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‘Time Is Now’ For FDA Rule On Lawful CBD Use In Supplements, CRN Says In Citizen Petition
The trade group’s petition is second on a regulation for CBD’s use in non-drug products submitted to FDA and largely tracks with CHPA’s November 2019 petition. Comments continue to reach the FDA after in March it reopened its docket about establishing a CBD regulation, but with little data the agency says is needed for its decision.
You may also be interested in...
Appropriation Committee members target $5m for FDA's CBD policy work and suggest the agency enforce against noncompliant firms in their report accompanying legislation proposing the agency’s fiscal 2021 budget.
FDA’s second report to Congress on oversight of CBD market includes results from studies of whether products are mislabeled or adulterated, but also indicates throughout that more data are needed on safety of hemp-derived CBD ingredients used in myriad consumer health, cosmetic and food products already available.
Perrigo has decided to enter the cannabidiol market in partnership with a known supplier of CBD products, Kazmira. The company has mapped out a two-phased approach for large scale production and supply of cGMP compliant, THC-free CBD.


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Sony has for long been one of the biggest music publishers on the planet but from now on, it’s going to be the biggest publisher in the industry. The company today announced that it’s going to pay almost $2.3 billion to acquire a controlling stake in EMI Music Publishing. This subsequently makes Sony the biggest music publisher in the world.
Mubadala Investment Company previously owned an approximately 60 percent equity interest in EMI Music Publishing. It has decided to sell that to Sony and as a result of this transaction, Sony will indirectly own almost 90 percent of the equity interest in EMI which will now become a consolidated subsidiary of Sony.
This is one of the first major moves by new Sony President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida. It gives the company a catalogue of over two million songs from the likes of Queen, Drake, Kanye West, and the Motown catalog.
Sony sees this investment in content intellectual property as a stepping stone for the company’s long-term growth. It’s counting on the gaining popularity of streaming services that have to license catalogues from publishers such as Sony to provide their services to subscribers.
While Sony has announced the deal today, it’s subject to certain closing conditions as well as regulatory approvals, but there’s no indication as yet to suggest that it may not be able to gain those approvals.


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Emails Reveal the FDA Asked Apple (AAPL) for Advice on Software as a Medical Device
11/29/2016 7:02:51 AM
As the world’s medical device regulators work to harmonize how best to regulate software as a medical device (SaMD), MobiHealthNews has learned via a Freedom of Information Act request that the FDA invited Apple to join an international task force focused on shaping this future regulatory framework. Apple executives quietly joined a working group within the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF), a group of regulators, scientists, legal experts and physicians from the US, Canada, the European Union, Australia, China, Russia, and Brazil to pursue harmonization of the regulatory approach to standalone medical software.
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The demand for Malwa grown potatoes has quickly grown in Gulf countries as snack food consumption continues to rise throughout India.
This surge in consumption over the last few years is expected to continue as household incomes increase—also sparking a demand for cold storage, according to experts at the International Exhibition of Cold Chain Expo.
"Rapid growth of the snacks industry is boosting the high demand for potatoes. The need for cold storage has also gone up, so that produce can be stored longer and quality can be maintained," said Manohar Shardiya, managing director of a cold storage.
However, experts warn that the state should first improve its technology and help connect farmers to the market for better opportunities. Pawanexh Kohli, CEO and chief adviser, National Center for Cold Chain Development, said the state has the potential to build more cold storage, but the selling radius for farmers should be expanded, so that they can connect with their own choice of markets.
For more information on India’s potato boom, read the original article at www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/potato-prices-hit-rock-bottom-despite-increase-in-demand/articleshow/56029427.cms.


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European companies’ business sentiment in Vietnam is at the highest level in 18 months, EuroCham’s Business Climate Index shows.
The latest index (BCI), which the business group released Wednesday, is at just two points below the all-time high achieved in the third quarter of 2016.
This growing confidence in Vietnam’s trade and investment environment is reflected in a six-point jump in the second quarter of this year against the first quarter.
The BCI shows Vietnam is open for business as an attractive trade and investment destination, Nicolas Audier, co-chairman of EuroCham, said in a press release.
“The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) should be ratified soon. On the cusp of this historic deal, which will boost trade and investment on both sides, we hope this positive message from EuroCham and its members will inspire the government to continue opening its markets to foreign investment and improving its trade and investment environment.”
EuroCham members reported an optimistic outlook on a range of issues, from their own investment and profit projections to workforce levels and Vietnam’s economic outlook.
Over 70 percent reported a positive situation at their enterprise in the last quarter, with 62 percent describing it as ‘good’ and 12 percent as ‘excellent’.
Looking ahead to the next quarter, 64 percent believed their business situation would be ‘good’ while 15 percent said ‘excellent’.
EuroCham members are also optimistic about Vietnam’s economic outlook, with 57 percent predicting ‘stabilization and improvement’ in the next quarter and 34 percent believing it would remain unchanged.
Fifty seven percent believed their business would see either a ‘significant’ or ‘moderate’ increase in staff next quarter, while 61 percent expected either a ‘significant’ or ‘moderate’ increase in investment.
Over three-quarters of members (76 percent) believed orders or revenues would see a ‘significant’ or ‘moderate’ increase in the third quarter.
For the first time, EuroCham asked members for their views on corporate social responsibility (CSR). 87 percent said CSR is important to their business operations in Vietnam. The main motivations for CSR included ‘brand reputation’ and ‘customer/environmental concern’.
Vietnam’s GDP grew by 6.98 percent between January and September, the highest nine-month rate since 2011. The economy grew by 6.81 percent last year, the highest in a decade.
The foreign sector’s exports in the first eight months of the year were worth $110.3 billion, up 13.4 percent year-on-year and accounting for 71 percent of the country’s total exports of $155.4 billion.