Nationals outfielder Kyle Schwarber is expected to miss time after suffering a "significant" hamstring strain during Friday's game, manager Dave Martinez told reporters.
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"Suffice to say, when I put the gum on the counter and the coin in my mouth, the cashier was baffled, and my girlfriend (now wife) was crying with laughter."
"It's easy for us as a newer generation to think they must have just been living in hell — but to look back at these photos, the people in them are happy. They are joyous."
Sebastian Vettel has been given a three-place grid penalty after impeding Fernando Alonso in Saturday's qualifying session at the Austrian Grand Prix. The German will start Sunday's race in 11th.
McLaren's Lando Norris missed out on his first career pole position by just 0.048 seconds as Max Verstappen collects his third front row start in a row.
Honda will continue to assemble engines for Red Bull next year after the manufacturer's departure from Formula One, Christian Horner said at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton has said Max Verstappen is well placed for an easy win at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix after the Red Bull driver took his second pole position in a row at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will stay in Formula One for two more years after signing a deal to remain at Mercedes until the end of the 2023 season.
Bea Alonzo recently became a Kapuso as she officially signed a network contract on Thursday, July 1.
With Alonzo, one of ABS-CBN‘s prized talents, transferring to the rival network, many believed that this is just the start of many more talents transferring to the Kapuso network.
In an Instagram post by film producer Joey Abacan, he shared a screenshot of his Zoom meeting with John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo.
Former Star Magic head, Mariole Alberto can also be seen in the said meeting.
The Zoom meeting of Cruz with newly transferred Kapuso Bea Alonzo as well as Mariole Alberto raise speculations of the actor’s official transfer to the GMANetwork.
On the other hand, Star Magic founder Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan did a project with the GMAnetwork through Willie Revillame's production firm Wilfredo Buendia Revillame (WBR) after his stint in TV5.
Cruz was already introduced in the Kapuso network but only as a guest when he appeared in the Shopee 6.6 Mid-Year Sale TV Special of the network on June 6.
Aside from Cruz, Kapamilya artists Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales, Kristine Hermosa, Maja Salvador, and Xian Lim are also rumored to transfer to the Kapuso network.
The said artists are close to Mr. M and Alberto when the two were still with Star Magic.
Moreover, Wowowin host Willie Revillame recently announced that Xian Lim and Jessy Mendiola will be the guests on Shopee's 7.7TV Special this July 7.
As Lim and Mendiola will be introduced in the Kapuso network through their special appearance, will they be the next to sign a contract with GMA Network?
Actor Enzo Pineda shared his diet and workout routine during the locked-in taping of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.
In the media conference for World Vision’s Global 6K Run, Pineda revealed his workout routine, which he tries to squeeze in during in-between takes.
“I live an active lifestyle naman dito. I bring my weights. Kaninang umaga, I did jump rope. So, I try to squeeze in a little bit of cardio now and then. But sa running, I’m about to start since dedicated ako sa run na ‘to. Siguro, para I’ll try to squeeze in the ‘work.”
He then went into detailing his protein-focused diet, adding that he found it challenging.
“I also count the amount of food that I eat. Kumbaga, right now, I have a limit of 2400 calories. 50% is protein, 30% is carbohydrates, 20% is fat. ‘Yung protein medyo mahirap kasi I need like 240 grams so parang mga one whole chicken is 120 grams.
“One whole chicken na ‘yun, so saan ko pa kukunin ‘yung protein so parang at least I have my protein shakes and stuff. Challenge s’ya pero good challenge.”
As for his involvement with World Vision, he is one of their ambassadors and has actively supported each cause, launched by the organization, especially during the pandemic.
He also emphasized the importance of having clean water in communities during this pandemic.
“Ang laking tulong sa mga bata and sa mga communities if we give them clean drinking water and clean water for washing their hands, washing their bodies, dahil napaka importante po ng hygiene right now.
“And, I hope that you can help us. Please support this cause, dahil our kids need all the motivation they can get right now, especially this pandemic.”
Interested participants can register for the Global 6K Run from July 1 to August 15, 2021.
Individuals who will submit proof of completion of the run will get a Global 6K event shirt. To register for the World Vision Global 6K Run, please visit https://wvph.co/g6kph.
A2Z teases the return of the Japanese cartoon series Doraemon as Kapamilya using a similar poster used by GMA Network for Bea Alonzo.
The day before the official welcome conference of Bea Alonzo to the Kapuso Network, the latter posted a teaser poster.
The said poster trended as netizens assert that it is the award-winning actress Bea and they were not mistaken.
The shift of Bea has drawn various comments from Kapamilya and Kapuso fans. But, a shady post from the official social media handles of A2Z Channel, the partner of ABS-CBN, created a buzz on July 2.
ABS-CBN via A2Z teased about the comeback of ‘Doraemon’ as a Kapamilya using the layout concept of GMA Network’s teaser for Bea.
“One of ‘D’ biggest cartoons has found a new home.”
ABS-CBN‘s promotion and advertising manager definitely deserve a raise for that witty move.
The poster just hit two birds with one stone — quipped about Bea’s shift and promote the upcoming cartoon series.
A2Z also commented on its own post saying, “Baka nga ambisyoso si Doraemon. Baka nga importante sakanya yung career niya. Pero ang hindi natin alam, hindi niya ginawa to para lang sa sarili. He had to go there for us, for our family’s future.”
Following this witty poster, memes about ‘Doraemon’ and hilarious reactions from netizens arise online.
— Miss France Sajorda (@PrincessFrance) July 2, 2021
As long as walang unfinished project sa kabila, welcome na welcome ka sa A2Z Doraemon!! https://t.co/nWW5qXmjJ4
— Taylor Swift BGYO Stan (@Swift_BGYO) July 2, 2021
Turning CLK into a Meme by calling him Nobita (He actually looks like him) because of Doraemon airing on A2Z is our way to support him and ABS-CBN and to keep ourselves happy and motivated.
CLK deserves to be happy and motivated especially now in the Current Situation of ABS. pic.twitter.com/kQYxYqmpar
— The Right Patriots PH (@RightPatriotsPH) July 2, 2021
"Doraemon gets 200 M after signing an exclusive contract with A2Z.
WOW. I will never earn that much even if I work daily for the rest of my life."
Doraemon: "There have been a lot of changes the past year and when A2Z's offer came, it came at the right time… I will do my best to give you quality performance because that's what you deserve. I am excited to work with Ka-A2Z stars, writers and directors."#ProuDToBeAKaA2Z
Doraemon aired on GMA Network from 1999 to 2016 but, it stepped into being a Kapamilya in 2019. Its airing was however postponed by the pandemic and the non-renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise.
After the long wait, finally, Doraemon can be seen on A2Z soon!
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged down the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) travel and ticket reimbursement expenses from 2019 to 2020.
COA questioned MTRCB‘s declared expenses amounting to 1.57 million for their staff and members’ travel expenses and 753 thousand for their monitoring expenses which were filed repeatedly on similar dates.
In their latest audit report, COA noted that MTRCB has failed to provide travel itineraries for their travel expenses covering May 2019 to March 2020.
"Our verification of the various transactions covering the months of May 2019 to March 2020 showed that claims totaling P1,570,000 were paid despite the insufficiency of supporting documents," the audit report said.
COA also noted deficiencies in MTRCB‘s monitoring expenses and movie ticket reimbursement for lack of supporting details.
MTRCB, aside from its task to review movie and TV materials is also mandated to inspect cinemas and similar venues.
According to the audit report, MTRCB spent 121 thousand in July 2019 for the ticket expenses of 17 deputies and board members who repeatedly watched the same movies in the same or different theaters during the month.
MTRCB also declared ticket expenses amounting to 101 thousand in October 2019 and at least 95 thousand monthly expenses from June 2019 to January 2020.
COA however stressed that MTRCB members and its deputies are allowed to enter movie houses without admission fees in the conduct of their monitoring duties.
But MTRCB defended their stand saying there are exceptions especially when their surprise cinema visits.
"The surprise inspection done by the BMs (board members) can effectively determine if the movie-houses are operating properly. There are times where violations were found during the surprise inspection and most of the time, this procedure is effective since the movie-houses are not aware that they are being inspected and visited by MTRCB Deputy Agents.”
For multiple screenings meanwhile, MTRCB pointed out that there were times when deputies need to do that since violations can come up from different screening time.
"There were times that movie-houses have multiple screening times for one movie especially if it is a blockbuster movie and chances are some deputy agents/BMs visit the same movie houses but different screening time," the board pointed out.
"Moreover, one movie with multiple screening time does not necessarily mean that no violations will be found all time."
GMA Network‘s news department vehemently denied netizens’ claims that they are protecting President Duterte from criticisms.
GMA News has been in hot water recently after following several controversial news reports and articles.
Netizens slammed GMA News for its insensitive publishing of former President Aquino’s blunders while the nation is still mourning for his untimely passing.
The network’s news department was also called out several times for other news reports and articles that showed leniency to the Duterte administration.
And one particular event that caught the ire of the netizens was the reduction of Joseph Morong’s fact check report about the government’s pandemic response.
Netizens noted the huge gap between the report aired over their late newscast Saksiand the one they posted on their social media platforms. What added to the people’s suspicion is Morong’s transfer from the Malacanang beat to other assignments.
But GMANews strongly belied netizens’ accusations saying they are only exercising and upholding their ethical standard when they cut some portions on the report.
“We take strong exception to this.
“Our record speaks for itself across the many different administrations we covered.
“We remain committed to serve the public and honor their trust by reporting the news that is fair, balanced, and accurate.”
Asked if they received backlash from Malacanang thus the decision to splice the report and re-assign Morong, the network said they receive non and it was a normal part of their self-policing policy.
“We did not receive any complaint about that report.
“It was taken down as part of self-policing applying our strict ethics and editorial standards.”
ABS-CBN seems to be slowly returning to its former glory after suffering numerous losses in 2020.
Despite being without a franchise, the Kapamilya Network continues to create new shows.
Back in December 2020, ABS-CBN unveiled the list of new shows and movies in line with its theme, “Together as One sa 2021”. The Network also continued producing new episodes for its show FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.
This 2021, we will get to see Jane de Leon in Mars Ravelo’s Darna: The TV Series. But since the start of this year, ABS-CBN has released various shows such as Init sa Magdamag, top-billed by Gerald Anderson, Yam Concepcion, and JM De Guzman; and Huwag Kang Mangamba featuring the Gold Squad members Francine Diaz, Andrea Brillantes, Kyle Echarri, and Seth Fidelin has already started since March.
In addition to the ongoing and upcoming TV series, the iWantTFC La Vida Lena starring Erich Gonzales, Carlo Aquino, Kit Thompson, and JC de Vera, as well as the international show Almost Paradise starring American actor Christian Kane and an ensemble of veteran Filipino actors will come to ABS-CBN.
There is also a series starring Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla that is yet to be named.
In January, the network started the year with Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber’s movie, Princess Dayareese.
But it does not end there. There are also upcoming films to watch this year: Hello Stranger the Movie, starring JC Alcantara and Tony Labrusca; Love or Money, starring Coco Martin and Angelica Panganiban; Soul Sistahs, starring Melai Cantiveros, Karla Estrada, and Jolina Magdangal; All-Nighter; Keys to the Heart; and Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan, starring Joshua Garcia.
In 2020, ABS-CBN reportedly lost a P13 billion net loss, not to mention its revenues which went downwards to P21.4 billion.
However, the network, surprisingly, is faring much better this June. Its stock price rose to P13.98, the highest since January.
It also had consecutive days where ABS-CBN managed to have high stock prices.
Also, ABS-CBN continues to rack up talents. Recently, the network signed 40 new and existing talents as part of its Star Magic Black Pen Day on June 19.
Established artists John Arcilla, Sandino Martin, Marc Solis, and Angeline Quinto and new artists like Kaila Estrada, Arabella Davao, Mary Joy Apostol, Zabel Lamberth, Rans Rifol, Vance Larena, Maureen Wrob, Paolo Gumabao, Luis Vera-Perez, Sela, Migo Manikan, Vitto Neri, and Jake Ejercito signed their respective new contracts with ABS-CBN.
RISE Artists Studio's Gigi De Lana, Zach Castaneda, Shanaia Gomez, Karina Bautista, Aljon Mendoza, Jayda, and JC Alcantara also inked new contracts.
Artists from partner talent agencies such as Arnold Vegafria's ALV Events International and from Ogie Alcasid's ATEAM (Alcasid Total Entertainment & Artist Management, Inc) also signed inked contracts with Star Magic.
Aside from that, Direk Lauren Dyogi, Star Magic’s head, aims to bring Filipino talents across the world, which he unfolded during the historic contract signing.
The network is indeed showing signs of improvement as days go by. Amid the shutdown and the pandemic, it continues to survive, continuing to serve Filipinos: by providing the entertainment and information they need.
Pieces of the truth are being unraveled as to what really transpired before Bea Alonzo’s transfer to GMANetwork.
Earlier today, July 2, Henry King Quitain, an ABS-CBN writer, posted on his Facebook account how the network spent millions for Alonzo’s now-shelved soap.
But according to Quitain, the resources that ABS-CBN directed to Alonzo’s project were wasted since she transferred to the rival network.
“Pag may iniwan kang project at gumastos na ang kompanya ng milyon. Sana bayaran mo na lang yung nagastos. Anyway siguro naman kikitain mo lahat yan. Kasi naghihikahos na nga kami, hindi naman biro yung itatapon na lang na pera ng kompanya kasi iniwan mo na lang basta,” ranted Quitain.
Salud in his Twitter account clarified that Alonzo did not want to continue the project because she was not yet prepared to do locked-in tapings. However, he was surprised to know that the actress had other plans that is why she refused to do tapings.
“So ayun nga. Lumipat nga ang isang aktres. Bakit kaya? Eh may project siya na nasimulan at na-promote na prior pandemic. Tapos say niya, 'di pa siya ready magshooting. Ayun pala lilipat. AAAARTE!!! Naghihirap ba siya? Eh may big farm nga. Kaloka siya!!!” wrote Salud.
Meanwhile, Espiritu was disappointed with Alonzo’s transfer but she as well cannot hide the truth forever.
According to the Kapamilya executive, Alonzo had “unfinished business” with ABS-CBN before leaving.
And when she left for another Network, Espiritu called Alonzo, “inconsiderate” and an “ingrate”.
Iba-iba kasi ang kuwento ng mga lumilipat. Yung iba maiintindihan mo talaga. Pero kung ikaw, me iniwang "unfinished business" inofferen ka pa BUT you still chose otherwise, turnoff talaga. Unless me very valid reason siya. BUT, otherwise? INCONSIDERATE. Sabi ng iba? INGRATO.
During her grand welcoming as a Kapuso on July 1, Alonzo explained that she did have a project for ABS-CBN. However, she clarified that she and the Network did come to a “mutual” decision to cancel the show.
“I was doing a soap for them. But then nagkar’on ng pandemic. And alam naman natin na maraming pagbabago. So nagkaroon rin ng pagbabago sa story. And we came to a decision na hindi na lang matutuloy yung soap,” she said.
Alonzo also negotiated with the Kapuso Network for months before signing a contract with them. The actress even felt that it is “right” for her to make the switch.
“At tamang-tamang dumating yung offer ng GMA. And at that point, para bang ano—it just felt right. S’yempre months of negotiations with SK (Shirley Kuan).
“And when I finally met them, to be honest, sa Zoom natin, it just felt na I was at peace. Na parang ito yung final. I trust my intuition. I always follow my heart. And now I follow my heart.”
So, did the actress run from the Kapamilya project just to be with GMA Network?
The official coming of the rainy season means that we can finally say goodbye to the hot, sticky weather. The flipside though is that along with the rains is the likelihood of mold build-up, which produce tiny spores that reproduce. Actually, it's the damp spots in your home where molds are likely to grow, which can then cause troublesome allergies – sneezing, coughing, congestion, watery and itchy eyes.
Nipping mold growth in the bud
Thankfully, you need not suffer from mold-induced allergies if you use the right product, coupled with proper cleaning and prevention practices, to help nip mold growth before it starts.
Together with ensuring that the air flows freely inside your home and humidity levels remain low, plus checking for possible leaks in the roof, walls, and plumbing, there's also the proven reliability of Lysol Disinfectant Spray.
When cleaning hard surfaces – tables and shelves – or soft surfaces – like drapes and rugs – where the presence of mold growth usually occurs, a decent spray of Lysol Disinfectant Spray for example can be of great help. In fact, Lysol should very much be a part of your cleaning arsenal as it effectively gets rid of viruses and bacteria too!
Lysol Shopee 7.7
And just as the rains begin to arrive, Lysol gives everyone a reason to stock-up on Lysol products through a downpour of deals during the Shopee 7.7 sale!
Starting July 4 as a special feature up until July 8, enjoy up to 30% off plus an additional 5% off when buying an additional 3 products! As an added bonus, don't forget to use the following value-laden vouchers: LYSOL70 for P70 off for a minimum purchase of P699 and LYSOL170 for P170 off for a minimum purchase of P1499.
So, remember to mark your calendars for the coming Lysol Shopee 7.7 sale and enjoy great shopping values by adding to cart Lysol's line of superior disinfecting sprays—the best way to keep unwanted mold growth at bay!
After its successful streaming on iWantTFC, revenge-serye La Vida Lena aired its pilot on Free TV on Monday, June 28.
But how did it fare in terms of ratings?
Based on the latest available data from AGB Nielsen NUTAM survey, La Vida Lena‘s premiere scores 3.0% landing on the number 17th spot of the top 20 most-watch weekday programs.
The teleserye’s rating is not far from its predecessor Count Your Lucky Stars. The Asianovela’s rating during its finale week average at 3.3% or a gap of 0.3% vs La Vida Lena.
Meanwhile, its rival The Penthouse won the rating game on that day as it scored 4.9% or a margin of 1.9%.
La Vida Lena is Erich Gonzales’ teleserye comeback after The Blood Sisters in 2018.
The debut episode featured Magda’s teenage life and how she started to work on her magic soap. Those who already watched it over iWantTFC were already familiar with the pilot story since it was a shortened version of the one shown on the digital streaming platform.
And that maybe is one of the factors why the series started lukewarm since many have already seen it over iWant.
But expect the series to attract more viewers once it showed fresh episodes from its book 2.
London's own fearless singer-songwriter Ellie Grace has unveiled her latest delectable offering in the form of the vibrant and emotionally stirring "Thinking About Her". Serving as her first release of the year after the anthemic 2020 party anthem "Quarter Past Three".
Setting out to create a new project for Pride Month, Ellie Grace and her producer Erim Ahmet, having worked previously with Dead Man's Whiskey and Glass Peaks, created the endlessly uplifting "Thinking About Her". Starting with only the opening line and a powerful bass line, Ellie built up this distinctive and delicate soundscape, with soaring vocals and a relatable narrative at the very heart.
Explaining her heartfelt and deeply personal inspiration behind her shining new track, Ellie Grace shared:
"Thinking About Her is about what it was like to fall in love with my girlfriend. It was actually so refreshing to write about the beautiful, exciting stage of falling in love, as it's usually way too easy to fall into writing about when things go wrong. This is the first same-sex relationship I've had which I think made the feelings even more intense at the beginning, and this is really captured for me in the middle-8 section."
Sharing more of the sonic the inspiration and imagery utilised within "Thinking About Her":
"There's some religious imagery in the song, such as 'I would fall from heaven to keep her, tell the Holy Ghost I had to leave' and this is a nod to all of the people in the LGBTQ community who have faced hate and discrimination in the name of religion."
With an undeniable talent for effortlessly conveying every human emotion through her unique blend of indie-pop, Ellie Grace has been making waves with her DIY solo releases. Taking her inspiration from masterful lyricists such as Alanis Morissette, Taylor Swift, FLETCHER and Halsey, Ellie Grace has harboured a passion for poetry and songwriting since childhood. Encouraged by her nearest and dearest, she has since gone on to develop her own intensely raw and honest narrative style present throughout all of her musical offerings. With support from her local BBC radio station, amongst a slew of online praise, she is keen to take her career even further with her latest release.
With only three tracks currently to her name, Ellie Grace is making a pridefilled statement with her captivating new track, "Thinking About Her".
Ellie Grace's new track "Thinking About Her" will be released on the 25th June.
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.
The app industry continues to grow, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android devices alone. And in the U.S., app usage surged ahead of the time spent watching live TV. Currently, the average American watches 3.7 hours of live TV per day, but now spends four hours per day on their mobile devices.
Apps aren't just a way to pass idle hours — they're also a big business. In 2019, mobile-first companies had a combined $544 billion valuation, 6.5x higher than those without a mobile focus. In 2020, investors poured $73 billion in capital into mobile companies — a figure that's up 27% year-over-year
This week Google announced it will require new apps to be published using the Android App Bundle as of August 2021. The company first launched the Android App Bundle standard, which replaces the APK, in May 2018 as part of its modern development push. Since then, the majority of the top 1,000 apps and games have switched over to AABs including those from companies like Adobe, Duolingo. Gameloft, Netflix, reBus, Rainy, and Twitter. Today, there are over 1 million apps using AAB in production.
AABs solve some problems with the aging APK standard, particularly around larger apps and games. With AABs, developers don’t have to create an APK that contains everything for every type of Android device. They offer a way to quickly and more efficiently download the assets needed for a particular device, and they do so in a way that focuses on getting the user or player to the app or game’s content as fast as possible.
But not everyone agrees the change is for the better. Those who utilize APK Hosting sites like APKMirror or APKPure to download and share apps worry that the shift to AAB is a way to force users to use the Play Store instead of alternatives. Meanwhile, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney — who is taking on tech giants over their alleged app store monopolies with both lawsuits and lobbying — pointed out that the move away from the more open APK standard is about locking users into Google Play.
This is one of the many reasons we mustn't accept the argument: "If you don't like iPhone's restrictions, buy an Android phone".
Both companies have run amok, trampling the rights of users and developers alike. The distinction is just that Apple's several steps ahead. https://t.co/m2ZIv7PnbK
Consumer Spending on apps hits record $64.9B in the first half of the year
Consumer spending in mobile apps hit a record $64.9 billion during the first half of 2021, according to preliminary data from app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower. This figure represents a 24.8% increase in spending seen across both the App Store and Google Play, compared with the year-ago period. But while industry experts believe the accelerated shift to mobile fueled by the pandemic is a trend that will continue, it's worth noting that — despite the new record — the growth rate for consumer spending has slightly slowed, and the download growth slowed more dramatically.
From the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020, consumer spending on mobile apps grew 28.4% from $40.5 billion to $52 billion, for comparison — slower than the 24.8% seen in the current period.
Apple launched the public betas of iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and watchOS 8. Although developers already had access to early builds, this week was the first time the public could get their hands on Apple’s latest software before its official launch this fall. One of the biggest changes in iOS 15 is the addition of “Focus” modes that give users more control over when and who can bother them with calls, texts and notifications during different contexts — like work, driving, sleeping, and more. Users will also gain access to SharePlay interactivity on FaceTime, iMessage improvements, the ability to FaceTime with Android friends via web links, spatial audio, Live Text (which unlocks info from your photos), app privacy reports, and upgrades to most of Apple’s core apps, and more.
Google is implementing stronger security measures on Google Play developer accounts in an attempt to crack down on spam and other malicious apps. Previously, the company required only an email and phone number to create a Google Play developer account. Now it will require an account type (personal or organization), a contact name and physical address, and it will require developers to verify their email and phone number. Google says the changes will allow it to better communicate with developers and will help to “make sure that every account is created by a real person with real contact details.” It’s also now mandating that users of Google Play Console sign in using Google's 2-Step Verification.
Samsung and Google previewed their wearable platform ahead of the next Galaxy Watch launch. The two companies agreed to partner on wearables in order to better compete against Apple Watch. At Mobile World Congress, Samsung showed off the first device to feature the One UI Watch user experience and the new unified platform built in partnership with Google.
E-commerce
Instagram adds a new feature that will allow businesses in the U.S. to designate themselves as being Black-owned businesses using badges that appear on their profiles and on their product shopping pages. It may also be highlighted in places like the Shop tab, to help more potential customers discover the business.
Walmart partnered with mobile couponing app Ibotta on a multi-year deal that will offer cash-back rewards to Walmart customers that will be applied directly to customers’ Walmart accounts, where they can be used for future purchases. The offers will be made available on Walmart.com and inside the Walmart mobile app.
Following Apple and Google’s lead, Shopify dropped App Store commissions. However, it’s dropping its cut to 0% for the first million, and then will only take a 15% commission on “marginal” revenue above that $1 million. The change could increase pressure on other app stores to make further adjustments to their models in the future.
Augmented Reality
Rakuten Viber has partnered with Snap to bring augmented reality Lenses from Snapchat to its own Viber calling and messaging app. The over 30 Lenses will be built using Snap’s creative tools, including Bitmoji, Camera Kit, and Creative Kit and will offer AR-enabled messaging and photos to Viber’s users. The deal is another example of how Snap is growing its licensing business for its AR and creative tools alongside the development of its own social app.
Google’s Arts & Culture app created a new feature called Art Filter that allows everyone to learn about significant pieces of art from around the world and put themselves inside famous paintings using AR. Google talked this week about its work with MediaPipe to utilize their face mesh and 3D face transform tech to create custom effects for each of the artifacts chosen.
Fintech
Venmo introduced a new feature that allows users to add a “good and services” tag to payments sent to personal accounts to differentiate them from personal transactions. The system is meant to protect buyers and sellers, Venmo says. Buyers on these transactions will be eligible for Venmo’s Purchase Protection Program, but sellers are unable with the new fees associated with the change as Venmo will now deduct 1.9% of the transaction plus 10 cents from the money sent to the seller.
Intuit-owned finance and budgeting app Mint added the ability to track cryptocurrency investments across a number of supported exchanges, including Binance, BlockFi, Coinbase/Coinbase Pro, Gemini, Kraken, PayPal, and Robinhood. As a result, the app shot to No. 12 overall on the U.S. App Store on Wednesday and became the No. 1 app in the Finance category, though it has since dropped in ranking.
Social
TikTok is expanding its max video length to 3 minutes, up from 60 seconds, after testing this feature publicly for many months with a select group of creators. The feature will allow for more long-form video content, potentially making TikTok even more of a threat to YouTube.
Pinterest bans weight loss ads on its platform, becoming the first major social platform to take this sort of action. The company says social media plays a role in promoting harmful beauty standards, and ads that glorify weight loss contribute to a rise in disordered eating behaviors rather than healthy habits.
Instagram is developing its own version of Twitter’s Super Follow with “Exclusive Stories.” Instagram confirmed that the screenshots of an “Exclusive Stories” feature recently circulated across social media are from an internal prototype that's now in development, but not yet being publicly tested. The feature would allow creators to offer Stories that only members (likely paying subscribers) would be able to see. These would appear on their profile in different colors and would display a message that their Story was only for members when others tried to view them. They could also be saved as Highlights, and can’t be screenshot, according to the leaks.
TikTok’s latest transparency report revealed the company removed 11,149,514 accounts in Q1 2021 for violating community guidelines or terms of service, which is fewer than 1% of total accounts. Of those removals, 7,263,952 were accounts belonging to children under 13.
Trump and Parler reportedly discussed a deal that would move the bulk of Trump’s social media presence to the right-wing Twitter alternative, according to New York Magazine. The deal would have seen Trump taking 40% of Parler’s revenues had it gone through. Parler was okay with the rev share, but wouldn’t ban Trump’s critics from the app, which scuttled the deal, the report said.
Instagram is testing a feature that would allow anyone to be able to share a link directly in their Stories through a linking sticker, which would work the same way the swipe-up links currently do. The company said the test is looking to understand how many people would use links, if available.
Twitter offered users a chance to receive one of seven free NFTs this week, which were minted on Rarible in editions of 20, making for 140 NFTs (get it?) in total. The NFTs were offered to those who replied to a post from the company’s main Twitter account, and could signal Twitter’s plans to invest in making NFTs more a part of its platform in the future.
AT&T joined T-Mobile in switching its customers to use the Android Messages app as their default mobile messages app for both SMS and RCS services, making Verizon the only U.S. carrier that has not made a partnership deal with Google. RCS has a lot of advantages over SMS, including no character limits, the ability to send larger files, typing indicators, better group chat, Wi-Fi support and end-to-end encryption for one-on-one group chats. This makes it a more compelling alternative to Apple’s iMessage, but it requires carrier adoption.
Audio chat comes to the workplace as Slack this week released a new audio tool called Slack Huddles that allows users to have real-time conversations with colleagues in Slack’s app instead of typing. The company also offered more details about an upcoming feature that allows users to leave video messages and it showed off an upgraded employee directory. The video messages tool is being piloted while the directory is currently available to a limited number of Business + and Enterprise Grid customers.
The U.K. issued guidance to messaging apps operating in the country to not use end-to-end encryption on children’s accounts, asking companies to consider the risks that e2e poses to younger users, as it makes it more difficult to identify illegal and harmful content that takes place on private channels. A government spokesperson stressed that there’s a way to implement strong encryption in a way that’s consistent with public safety. Privacy activists disagree with this stance.
Telegram rolled out group video calls to its mobile and desktop apps after initially promising the feature was coming back in April 2020. The company says group video calls are limited to up to 30 people but it plans to increase that limit in the future.
WhatsApp is testing a redesigned voice message feature that will show short waveforms when the user is recording the message. After recording, the user can stop and listen to their message before sending it, too.
Dating
Dating app Bumble is planning to open its first cafe in New York later this month. The launch was originally planned for 2019, but was delayed due to the pandemic. The new venue, Bumble Brew, is being enabled by a partnership between the dating app maker and Italian restaurant Pasquale Jones. Decked out in Bumble’s yellow, the new cafe will open next to the restaurant, to offer a place for daters to meet for either coffee, cocktails or a meal.
Streaming & Entertainment
Netflix users on Android devices will now be able to start streaming titles that have only partially downloaded, which could help in the scenario where you’ve forgotten to download your favorite shows before boarding a plane. Before, until the download completed, you couldn’t watch any portion of the video at all.
Chinese TikTok rival Kuaishou and Tencent acquired the short-form rights to the upcoming Tokyo and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics from state broadcaster CCTV. This makes the app the first short-form and livestreaming platform globally to become an official broadcaster of the Olympics.
Amazon Music Unlimited is giving subscribers up to six months of Disney+ for free (or three for existing subscribers). Disney’s isn’t the first to bundle a streaming deal with music. Hulu and Spotify had once done the same.
Spotify launched its Spotify Audience Network ad marketplace to advertisers and Megaphone publishers in Australia, Canada and the U.K., following its U.S. launch in February. The marketplace lets advertisers buy audio ads on and off the Spotify platform.
Gaming
Microsoft’s Xbox division announced the expansion of its Designed for Xbox mobile gaming accessories to iOS alongside the launch of the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta becoming available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members on Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets via the web browser at xbox.com/play.
As part of the accessories program expansion, the Backbone mobile controller joined the Designed for Xbox family with the Backbone One for Xbox, which supports all iPhones running iOS 13 or later. It also added OtterBox Power Swap Controller Batteries, a battery pack compatible with Xbox consoles, Android and iPhone devices.
Google announced this week an update to its Passes API which will allow developers to build functionality into their websites and apps to export COVID-19 test and vaccination records to a digital format that can be saved either in the Google Pay app or directly on the users homescreen as a shortcut. The API will only be open to developers at healthcare organizations, government agencies, and other organizations authorized by public health authorities, initially in the U.S.
Travel
App Annie spots signs of a pandemic recovery in its Q2 2021 report, noting in particular a rebound in travel apps. The firm found that monthly hours spent in Travel and Navigations apps are on an upward trend in markets like the U.S. and the U.K., where the rollout of vaccinations has been strong. South Korea is seeing an even better recovery, as time spent in travel apps has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Travel apps in Brazil, France and India, however, have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.
Drones
Alphabet’s Wing launched a free app in the U.S. called OpenSky aimed at both commercial and recreational drone pilots. The app shows pilots where it’s okay to fly using color-coded maps with greens, yellows and reds. It also allows pilots to submit requests to fly in controlled airspaces and receive near real-time authorizations. This feature works in hundreds of airspaces. The app had previously been available in Australia only.
Education
Facebook is launching an educational app called Sabee in Nigeria, which is the first of the company’s new efforts to more directly target the country, and eventually, the African continent, with new mobile products. The app is being published by the company’s NPE Team, an internal R&D incubator, which had focused on new social experiences until now.
Twitter users now have the option to use security keys as their only form of two-factor authentication (2FA), which the company notes is the most effective way to keep your Twitter account secure. Twitter has offered the option to use security keys as one of its 2FA options since 2018. However, this initial support only worked for Twitter.com, not the mobile app, and required users to have another form of 2FA enabled, too.
Funding and M&A (and IPOs!)
Tapcart, a “Shopify for mobile apps,” raises $50 million Series B led by Left Lane Capital. The company offers a drag-and-drop builder that allows anyone to create a mobile app for their existing Shopify store and communicate with customers via push. Shopify was among the participating investors.
BreezoMeter, an iPhone app that measures air quality, raises a $30 million Series C led by Fortissimo Capital, bringing its total raise to date to $45 million. The company uses AI and machine learning to gather and understand data from multiple sources, including more than 47,000 sensors worldwide.
Istanbul-based Dream Games raised $155 million Series at a $1 billion valuation in a round co-led by Index Ventures and Makers Fund. The mobile puzzle game developer is best known for Royal Match, which has 6M MAUs and $20M/month in revenue.
Apple and Snap partner Jigspace, “the Canva for 3D,” raised $4.7 million Series A in a round led by Rampersand. The free JigSpace app lets anyone combine presets and templates of 3D-modeled objects to create their own “Jigs” (models). The app has over 4 million users on the App Store.
South Korea edtech app maker Mathpresso raised $50 million in Series C funding from GGV Capital, Yellowdog, Goodwater Capital, and KDB. The service is used by over 9.8M users
Robinhood files for its IPO. Earlier in the week, Robinhood agreed to pay $70 million in fines and restitution as part of its settlement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority over providing customers with “false or misleading information. The SEC, however, is still investigating the trading halt related to GameStop and other meme stocks. Robinhood has 18M accounts and $80B in assets. It will trade under “HOOD” on the Nasdaq.
Women’s social networking app Peanut launches a microfund called StartHER to begin investing in early, pre-seed stage startups led by women or other historically excluded groups.
Social media app LYKA, focused on Southeast Asia, inked a deal with music-streaming technology company Tuned Global to integrate an immersive music-streaming service directly inside its app. The partnership will allow LYKA to provide on-demand streaming of music, video, and podcasts to the app’s users.
Chinese m-commerce app Dingdong made a small gain during this week’s IPO, with shares that closed at $23.52, up 2 cents from its offer price, on its first day of trading. The app allows customers to buy fresh produce, meat, seafood and other daily necessities.
Vietnamese investment app Infina raised $2 million in seed funding for its Robinhood-like app launched in January 2021, which now has some 500,000 trading accounts.
Gaming chat app Discord acquired AR startup Ubiquity6, which had raised $37.5 million in funding from top investors including Benchmark, First Round, Kleiner Perkins and Google's Gradient Ventures. The startup had recently abandoned some of its projects, indicating it may have been struggling to find traction. Deal terms weren’t disclosed.
Edtech unicorn Duolingo filed to go public following 129% revenue growth in 2020. The 400-person company had $161.7 million in revenue in 2020 and had recently turned profitable.
Family app Life360 announced a $2.1 million investment round from celebs and influencers who will now help to advise the company on new features and help with product marketing. The round was led by Bryant Stibel, the firm co-founded by the late Kobe Bryant and business partner Jeff Stibel. Other investors included Vanessa Bryant, Joanna and Chip Gaines, Tony Hawk, Chris and Jada Paul, TikTok influencer Billy Perry, and Nicole and Michael Phelps. Life360 currently trades on the ASX.
Age of Learning, the creator of childhood education app ABCmouse, raised $300 million in a new round of funding led by TPG. The new investment more than doubled the company’s valuation to $3 billion. The company says it will use the funds to accelerate international expansion and the development of its next generation of apps.
Exercise and corporate wellness app Gympass raised $220 million in Series E funding. The Brazil-based app saw a record 4 million monthly check-ins across its network of more than 50,000 global partners in May.
Digital greeting card app Givingli raised $3 million in seed funding in a round led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six. The app aims to modernize the digital greeting card business for Gen Z users and monetizes through a $3.99 per month premium subscription and gift card sales. Snap also invested in the round after earlier partnering with the startup on a Snap Mini app.
Buzzer, a live sports app, raised $20 million in Series A funding from a number of sports and entertainment backers, including Michael Jordan, Naomi Osaka, Patrick Mahomes and others.
Downloads
Brickit
Image Credits: Brickit
The new Brickit mobile app is a Lego fan’s dream and an impressive use of computer vision technology. The app is able to quickly analyze a pile of Legos to identify which bricks you have in your collection. It then serves up some projects where you have all, or at least most of, the bricks you need to build. The process is very fast, too — the app makes sense of hundreds of bricks in your pile within just seconds. Brickit doesn’t come from Lego directly, however, which limits some of its capabilities in terms of integrating with Lego’s larger library of instructions. But, in time, it will likely generate some data on the Lego collections users have at home which could make it an interesting acquisition target for Lego, in addition to the tech itself.
It really is quite incredible that ~30 days after a major iOS release 70% of users have updated. Apple's multi-year push to get most users on auto-update and then tightly managing the rollout is such a fantastic thing for the platform. (chart by @alexdbauer) pic.twitter.com/OKrgjZjH8m
A recent board fight at a digital health unicorn is a reminder to entrepreneurs that it's important to set boundaries, even amid the dizzying volume and velocity of this summer's deal frenzy.
This week I published a scoop about how Bessemer Venture Partners replaced a board member at Hinge Health, after that board member invested in a competing startup. Hinge Health co-founder Daniel Perez alleges that the board member did not notify him before they led a round in an early-stage startup in the same sector.
The situation gives a rare and nuanced peek into the world of competitive tension between startups. While founders expect certain standards of conduct from investors, including that they notify them of investments in directly competitive startups, investors may be feeling more pressure to make faster decisions that clash with the founders they've already backed, while having different definitions of competition from their portfolios. In a post-NDA world, the rules need to be rewritten around how to have these conversations.
I'm not quite sure if more due diligence is the solution to everyone's woes — but I do think transparency and explicitness between founders and investors can't hurt. It's not just for founders. Investors, who owe returns to their LPs, don't want to be in situations where they can't invest in a booming sector because they have one other investment in the sector.
The situations are endless:
What happens when a startup pivots into a different market than the one that it sold its investors on and is suddenly competitive with a portfolio company?
What if a portfolio company's future roadmap includes a go-to-market strategy that clashes with a potential investment?
Can a Sequoia India partner back a company that is directly competing with a Sequoia India company?
Is it okay for there to be competing investments within the same firm as long as different partners are sitting on the board?
Based on my DMs, Hinge Health isn't alone in dealing with current investors backing competitors. It adds an asterisk to the barrage of funding rounds. Welcome to hot due diligence summer, I guess?
In the rest of this newsletter, we'll get into the Duolingo S-1, a creator economy rebrand and an exclusive interview with top startup marketers. As always, you can find me on Twitter @nmasc_ — send me tips or notes on any competitive tensions you've dealt with.
Wall Street, it's time for your language lesson
Image Credits: Duolingo
Duolingo, a language-learning unicorn last valued at $2.4 billion, filed to go public this week. Beyond the flurry of puns — thanks to this reader for today's subhed — the S-1 gave us a sneak peak into the financials of a rare edtech company ambitious enough to list on the stock market.
Here's what to know: A deep dive into the financials and fine print unveiled how Duolingo's monetization efforts have led to 129% revenue growth and solid conversion between free and paying users. The document also exposed a number of other fun factoids, such as the fact that only four people left the company in 2020 — and that Duolingo is indeed looking to scoop up some companies.
For some more language on the language learning company:
Here's what to know: Gay went from helping creators via her role at Patreon to becoming a creative herself. We talked about pet peeves, why it's important to be explicit when building tools for this economy, and if rolling funds are inevitable for anyone with a Twitter following. Check out the episode, which I'd say is one of our funniest to date.
TechCrunch's Miranda Halpern and Eric Eldon are hard at work on TechCrunch Experts, a directory that will host vetted professionals within the startup industry. Right now, they're seeking the names of the top growth marketers powering your favorite tech startup — and they're still taking submissions!
Here's what to know: Halpern interviewed Kathleen Estreich and Emily Kramer, the co-founders of strategic marketing firm MKT1. The revealing conversation includes notes on marketer attrition, why their job is about a lot more than just advertisements, and how they're working against the stigma of marketers often being "thought of as second-class citizens" within a company.
Forensic Architecture, an academic unit at Goldsmiths, University of London that investigates human rights abuses, scoured dozens of reports from human rights groups, carried out open-source research and interviewed dozens of the victims themselves to reveal over a thousand data points, including device infections, which show relations and patterns between digital surveillance carried out by NSO’s government customers, and the real-world intimidation, harassment and violence that the victims are also subject to.
By mapping out these data points on a bespoke platform, the researchers can show how nation-states, which use Pegasus to spy on their victims, also often target other victims in their networks and are entangled with assaults, arrests, and disinformation campaigns against the targets but also their families, friends, and colleagues.
Although the thousand-plus data points only present a portion of the overall use of Pegasus by governments, the project aims to provide researchers and investigators the tools and data of NSO’s activities worldwide, which the spyware maker goes to great lengths to keep out of the public eye.
Pegasus “activates your camera, your microphone, all that which forms an integral part of your life.” Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui
Israel-based NSO Group develops Pegasus, a spyware that allows its government customers near-unfettered access to a victim’s device, including their personal data and their location. NSO has repeatedly declined to name its customers but reportedly has government contracts in at least 45 countries, said to include Rwanda, Israel, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates — all of which have been accused of human rights abuses — as well as Western nations, like Spain.
Forensic Architecture’s researcher-in-charge Shourideh Molavi said the new findings reveal “the extent to which the digital domain we inhabit has become the new frontier of human rights violations, a site of state surveillance and intimidation that enables physical violations in real space.”
The platform presents visual timelines of how victims are targeted by both spyware and physical violence as part of government campaigns to target their most outspoken critics.
Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi video blogger and activist living in exile in Montreal, had his phone hacked in 2018 by the Pegasus malware. Shortly after Saudi emissaries tried to convince Abdulaziz to return to the kingdom, his phone was hacked. Weeks later, two of his brothers in Saudi Arabia were arrested and his friends detained.
Abdulaziz, a confidant of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi whose murder was approved by Saudi’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also had information about his Twitter account obtained by a “state-sponsored” actor, which later transpired to be a Saudi spy employed by Twitter. It was this stolen data, which included Abdulaziz’s phone number, that helped the Saudis penetrate his phone and read his messages with Khashoggi in real-time, Yahoo News reported this week.
Omar Abdulaziz is one of dozens of known victims of digital surveillance by a nation state. Blue dots represent digital intrusions and red dots indicate physical events, such as harassment or violence. (Image: Forensic Architecture/supplied)
Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui is another known victim, whose phone was hacked several times over 2015 and 2016 by a government customer of Pegasus, likely Mexico. The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab found that her son, Emilio, a minor at the time, also had his phone targeted while he lived in the United States. The timeline of the digital intrusions against Aristegui, her son, and her colleagues show that the hacking efforts intensified following their exposure of corruption by Mexico’s then-president Enrique Peña Nieto.
“It’s a malware that activates your camera, your microphone, all that which forms an integral part of your life,” said Aristegui in an interview with journalist and filmmaker Laura Poitras, who contributed to the project. Speaking of her son whose phone was targeted, Aristegui said: “To know that a kid who is simply going about his life, and going to school tells us about the kinds of abuse that a state can exert without counterweight.” (NSO has repeatedly claimed it does not target phones in the United States, but offers a similar technology to Pegasus, dubbed Phantom, through U.S.-based subsidiary, Westbridge Technologies.)
“A phenomenal damage is caused to the journalistic responsibility when the state — or whoever — uses these systems of ‘digital violence’,” said Aristegui. “It ends up being a very damaging element for journalists, which affects the right of a society to keep itself informed.”
The timeline also shows the digital targeting (in blue) of Carmen Aristegui, her family, and her colleagues, entangled with break-ins at their office, intimidation, and disinformation campaigns (in red). (Image: Forensic Architecture/supplied)
The platform also draws on recent findings from an Amnesty International investigation into NSO Group’s corporate structure, which shows how NSO’s spyware has proliferated to states and governments using a complex network of companies to hide its customers and activities. Forensic Architecture’s platform follows the trail of private investment since NSO’s founding in 2015, which “likely enabled” the sale of the spyware to governments that NSO would not ordinarily have access to because of Israeli export restrictions.
“NSO Group's Pegasus spyware needs to be thought of and treated as a weapon developed, like other products of Israel's military industrial complex, in the context of the ongoing Israeli occupation. It is disheartening to see it exported to enable human rights violations worldwide,” said Eyal Weizman, director of Forensic Architecture.
The platform launched shortly after NSO published its first so-called transparency report this week, which human rights defenders and security researchers panned as devoid of any meaningful detail. Amnesty International said the report reads “more like a sales brochure.”
In a statement, NSO Group said it cannot comment on research it has not seen, but claimed it “investigates all credible claims of misuse, and NSO takes appropriate action based on the results of its investigations.”
NSO Group maintained that its technology “cannot be used to conduct cybersurveillance within the United States, and no customer has ever been granted technology that would enable them to access phones with U.S. numbers,” and declined to name any of its government customers.
Welcome back to The TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It's broadly based on the daily column that appears on Extra Crunch, but free, and made for your weekend reading. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here.
Ready? Let's talk money, startups and spicy IPO rumors.
Hey! It's going to be a long weekend here in the United States, which means that this newsletter is in between myself and being done with work. So, we're going to hit on even more topics than usual as I am a glutton for both punishment and writing. But I repeat myself.
Up first: Startups and culture.
Something that I very much enjoyed this week was the Robinhood IPO filing. You can read our first look here, and a deeper dig into the numbers here. But today we're going to riff on culture. Observe the following excerpts, the first from the company's notes on its goals via its S-1 filing:
Over time, we strive to make Robinhood the most trusted, lowest cost, and most culturally relevant money app worldwide.
Surprised that “culturally relevant“ made it into the mix? Then check this out, from the prospectus's overview section (emphasis added):
Cultural Impact. We pioneered commission-free stock trading with no account minimums, which the rest of the industry emulated, and we have continued to build relationships with our customers by introducing new products that further expand access to the financial system. We believe we have made investing culturally relevant and understandable, and that our platform is enabling our customers to become long-term investors and take greater control of their finances. Over half of 18-44 year olds in the United States know who Robinhood is according to an internal brand study that we conducted in March 2021. As a further sign of our relevance today, Robinhood reached the number-one spot on the Apple App Store multiple times in the first quarter of 2021 and was frequently ranked number one in the Finance category on the Apple App store during 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
The app store bragging is whatever. The focus on culture caught me up.
I've often enjoyed watching culture evolve more and more rapidly over time; TikTok further accelerated the trend. And amongst the youths of the world, I'd hazard, the line between brand and culture is blurring as brands work to move more and more into cultural territory. The Robinhood S-1 is forward-looking in a number of ways, but to see a company going public discuss culture in this manner feels like the future.
Up second: American manufacturing is not dead.
That's what The Exchange learned this week from a conversation with the CEO of Xometry. The company recently went public. You can read more of our notes on its numbers here, but like Robinhood the former startup raised lots of venture capital and this fits into our broader remit.
What doesn't, really, is what we learned about manufacturing thanks to the chat. Per CEO Randy Altschuler, his business of connecting companies in need of manufacturing with those able to build stuff is nearly an entirely U.S.-based business. That's to say that, yes, there is still stuff made here in America.
What Xometry does is actually pretty cool — including offering financial services as part of its role as marketplace middleperson — but what got us the most hype was the idea that a digital service was going to help connect folks in need with folks with tools here in the United States. If Xometry's vision of the future works out, it could help sustain, and dare we say grow, domestic manufacturing in this nation. Who would have thought that that was possible?
Xometry's IPO was also a huge success, we should add. It priced above range, and then shot higher. That's what you want as a company.
And third, some fun odds and ends:
More tech money in F1: Every race weekend in the Formula 1 calendar helps me notice yet another tech company putting money into racing's most bonkers series. Zoom has a lot of branding out there, for example. And this week we got news that Crypto.com has closed a five-year, $100-million deal with the racing league. That's a lot of duckets. Notably Tezos already sponsors some teams, and you can spy both Amazon and Microsoft branding here and there in the series. Oh, and the Splunk-McLaren tie-up was just extended. New life goal: Make lots of money, sponsor F1 team, get paddock access. What could possibly go wrong?
Unqork has hired a CRO. Not a CFO, so we can't make too many IPO noises concerning the no-code service that helps big companies build apps. But the news still matters for you no-code fans.
Finally, Apptopia has download numbers for neobanks. Can you guess which was number one?
Just a few years ago, probiotics seemed like a strange and foreign concept. Now research on the microbiome has exploded — science tells us having a diversity of microorganisms in the gut enhances immunity, digestion, and other aspects of health — and these beneficial bacteria have become a hot commodity. Probiotic supplements are currently a $1.7 billion U.S. industry, according to Euromonitor International, and New Hope Networks projects they'll increase to $2.5 billion by 2018. Companies are taking the trend to the bank, too, adding probiotics to their cold-brew coffees, kale chips, granola, and even frozen burritos.
Do probiotics work?
But a big question remains: Do these probiotic-infused foods and beverages actually make us any healthier? Can you really boost your immunity, knock out digestive woes, and generally feel better by munching on a snack that's been bolstered with bacteria?
It's complicated, says Dr. Amy Burkhart, an integrative-medicine physician in Napa, California. "Marketing and consumer demand for probiotics are definitely driving the uptick in these products," she says. "That said, they may have some benefit — we just don't know the specifics because the science isn't there yet." A lot depends on the type of product you buy and the exact strain of probiotic as well. Certain strains, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, have more research behind them than others, and some fare better in food and beverage processing. "To be effective, probiotics must be either heat- and shelf-stable or refrigerated and maintained during processing and transport," Burkhart explains. If they're not, a good portion — if not all — of the probiotics in the product will be dead by the time you buy it.
Look for products containing BC30
There is one particular probiotic that's been well studied, is heat-stable, and is popping up often in new products — a Bacillus coagulans strain called Ganeden BC30. Ingest a food or drink containing BC30, and chances are the probiotic will be alive and intact. However, many other probiotic strains being added to products do not demonstrate this stability, says Jeremy Burton, deputy director of the Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics.
Our pick: Best BC30 Probiotic for men
Amazon
Contain the BC30 Probiotic, which is good because it is a Probiotic that stays alive and intact like other Probiotics. Which means it'll do much better work at clearing your system out and strengthening your immune system
This is an incredibly popular choice for a reason, and that reason is that it works
Take it once a day to lessen abdominal discomfort, such as bloating and diarheah. It survives longer in stomach acid, so you know it'll last and work. And you're immune system will be as fresh as ever.
On top of that, Burton says, you also have to consider whether a probiotic-boosted food or drink is actually nutritious to begin with. "Will adding a small amount of probiotics to a snack bar or chocolate bar do much for you? I'm not so sure. If the food itself is inherently unhealthy, it's counterproductive to health."
All of this begs the question of whether we need probiotics in the first place. Yes, they do help repopulate good gut bacteria. We've seen it happen in studies on people with digestive disorders or are taking gut-ravaging antibiotics. And nutrition experts now suspect that most of us have a less-than-healthy microbiome thanks to poor diets, so probiotics could certainly have the potential to help just about anyone. That's what all of these food and beverage companies are hanging their hats on, anyway.
But that is also what's dividing doctors. Some, like Burkhart, don't see any real downside to probiotic supplements or foods, except for their high price tag. And since probiotics could aid immunity and digestion, they see no harm in seeking them out. Other doctors aren't so convinced. "The strength of evidence is not sufficient for healthy individuals without any medical problems or digestive issues to be investing in daily probiotics," says Dr. KT Park, a gastroenterologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. "I say spend the extra money per month on eating well instead of looking to probiotics for a quick, easy fix."
Other ways to improve gastrointestinal health
According to Park, the average guy could greatly improve his gastrointestinal health simply by laying off processed foods and eating a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and seeds. "Plant fibers serve as fuel for our 100 trillion gut bacteria," he says. "Strong evidence suggests a plant-based diet can optimize your gut microbiota profile by increasing the diversity and abundance of good bacteria."
Eating more fermented foods
Along with loading up on plants, you can also support your microbiome with fermented foods, adds Park. That means plant-based items such as sauerkraut and kimchi, as well as animal-based options like yogurt and kefir. Along with acting as probiotics, fermented foods supply prebiotics, which are basically food for existing bacteria to feed on. This combo gives fermented foods real potential to help keep your microbiota healthy — and probably more than some probiotic-laced burrito.
The bottom line is that probiotic-infused foods and drinks that are healthy to begin with probably won't hurt much more than your wallet — and who knows, they could be giving your microbiome a boost. But if you can get more mileage out of apples, spinach, sprouted grains, and Greek yogurt, why not save your cash, and simply dial in your diet instead.
Amazon
With this fermentation crock, you can ferment up to 10 Mason Jars worth of goodness thanks to this highly durable design that'll keep your fermented food fresh.
This fermentation container is all about ease of use. Get whatever goodies you're looking to ferment in there and get some top notch goodies in no time.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals with a hyperextended left knee, will also miss Game 6 as the Milwaukee Bucks try to clinch their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1974.
Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic and Mike Tobey, moved within one win of qualifying for the Olympics with a victory over Venezuela. Germany also is within one victory of Tokyo after stunning host Croatia in another qualifier.
Stan Van Gundy says Pelicans star Zion Williamson is "no coach killer," explaining that he's out as New Orleans coach after one year because he and executive VP David Griffin had differing views.
Few players, if any, have been loved on Centre Court as deeply and adoringly as Roger Federer. And although the 39-year-old is in the twilight of his career, any match there for the 20-time Grand Slam champion is still a bucket-list destination for fans.
Roger Federer reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for a record-extending 18th time on Saturday by beating Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 on Centre Court.
"I can't serve," Nick Kyrgios said to his trainer about an abdominal injury that forced him to withdraw from his third-round Wimbledon match and will likely end his doubles partnership with Venus William
Britain's Emma Raducanu booked her place in the second week at Wimbledon with a remarkable straight sets win (6-3, 7-5) over Sorana Cirstea on Saturday.
La Roja are in the Euro 2020 semifinals, but will have to play better than they did in Saint Petersburg, where they prevailed against a Switzerland team that, once again, gave everything.
Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic and Mike Tobey, moved within one win of qualifying for the Olympics with a victory over Venezuela. Germany also is within one victory of Tokyo after stunning host Croatia in another qualifier.
Behind the scenes with ‘LEGO Masters’ star: This week on the GeekWire Podcastwe speak with Boone Langston (above), an accomplished LEGO builder from the Portland, Ore., area who became a fan favorite on the FOX TV show LEGO Masters. We talk about his path to a career in LEGO and his experience on the show. Langston also offered his tips to unlock LEGO creativity. “When you’re building with LEGO, there’s no right or wrong,” he said. “There’s just what makes sense to you and your imagination. The sky is the limit. Never be discouraged.”Listen to the episode here and read highlights.
“I study how the biggest stars in the universe evolve and die.” That’s the fun job description for Emily Levesque, an associate astronomy professor at the University of Washington. Levesque calls dying and exploding stars “some of the most brain-bending and mysterious things out there in the universe.” And when it comes to space-racing billionaires, she says, "Elon and Jeff can’t handle the kind of space I want to go to!"Read more about our latest Geek of the Week.
Jassy takes board seat with CEO transition: Andy Jassywill join Amazon’s board as part of his promotion to CEO on Monday. The Amazon Web Services chief also will receive stock valued at more than $200 million. Jassy will replace founder Jeff Bezos, who remains as executive chairman.
Intentionalist partners with Apple: The Seattle startup that promotes small companies rolled out a new way for users to connect with LGBTQ-owned businesses via the Guides feature on Apple’s Maps app.Read more.
Thanks for reading, and have a great Independence Day weekend. — GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com.
penji1 posted: " Next up in the stuffed waffle department, Strawberry and Nutella Stuffed Waffles and yes, they were as delicious as they look! Classic Waffle Batter 2 cups flour 1 - 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon sa"
Next up in the stuffed waffle department, Strawberry and Nutella Stuffed Waffles and yes, they were as delicious as they look! Classic Waffle Batter 2 cups flour 1 - 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups milk 2 eggs 3 tablespoons vegetable oil Filling for dessert waffles, per waffle […]
The first of Wimbledon's tech bunkers, operated by IBM. This is the data ingestion room. For more data on the IBM tech bunker, read our story from a couple of years ago. [credit: Sebastian Anthony ]
The Championships at Wimbledon, which consumes some 28 tons of strawberries, 10,000 litres of cream, and 320,000 glasses of Pimm's per year, is notable for its seemingly unchecked luxuriant hedonism. But while most companies, organisations, and institutions are looking to cut costs, Wimbledon has stuck to its mantra. Don't do things cheaper; do things better.
Case in point: Wimbledon's use of technology is really quite impressive. I've been lucky enough to follow Wimbledon's tech over the last three years, and it has been very encouraging to see a massive endeavour like The Championships dive deeper and deeper into technology. You might think that after 140 years Wimbledon could be stuck in its ways, but far from it. When technology is the only viable way of providing consistent, significant gains for players, visitors, and hundreds of millions of people spectating remotely, you don't try to fight it; you embrace it.
Of course, Wimbledon is embracing tech in a distinctly Wimbledon way. This year, for example, The Championships are trialling free Wi-Fi—but because they don't yet know how people will behave with free Wi-Fi, it's only available in three specific locations (near the food court, in the ticket resale area, and on the west side of court 12). The tournament continues through this weekend, but its team has already started analysing the data. It turns out that, thankfully, the Wi-Fi users on court 12 only use their phones between points. When play begins, Wi-Fi usage stops. If the trial is a success, Wi-Fi could be rolled out across Wimbledon in 2018.
People catch a ride on a construction truck as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey. This gallery highlights scenes from around a ravaged Houston. [credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images ]
When Hurricane Ike made landfall in 2008, Bill Merrell took shelter on the second floor of a historic brick building in downtown Galveston, Texas, along with his wife, their daughter, their grandson, and two Chihuahuas. Sustained winds of 110 mph lashed the building. Seawater flooded the ground floor to a depth of over 8 feet. Once, in the night, Merrell caught glimpses of a near-full moon and realized they had entered the hurricane's eye.
Years earlier, Merrell, a physical oceanographer at Texas A&M University at Galveston, had toured the gigantic Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, a nearly 6-mile-long bulwark that prevents North Sea storms from flooding the southern Dutch coast. As Ike roared outside, Merrell kept thinking about the barrier. "The next morning, I started sketching what I thought would look reasonable here," he said, "and it turned out to be pretty close to what the Dutch would have done."
These sketches were the beginning of the Ike Dike, a proposal for a coastal barrier intended to protect Galveston Bay. The core idea: combining huge gates across the main inlet into the Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, known as Bolivar Roads, with many miles of high seawalls.
Enlarge/ "People really still use '1234567' as a password? Really?" (credit: Kremlin official photo)
The discovery of Russia's devastating SolarWinds spy campaign put the spotlight on the sophisticated supply chain hijacking techniques of Moscow's foreign intelligence hackers. But it's now apparent that, throughout that SolarWinds spying and its fallout, another group of Kremlin hackers has kept up up their usual daily grind, using basic but often effective techniques to pry open practically any vulnerable network they could find across the US and the global Internet.
On Thursday the NSA, the FBI, the DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the UK's National Cybersecurity Centre issued a joint advisory warning of hundreds of attempted brute-force hacker intrusions around the world, all carried out by Unit 26165 of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, also widely known as Fancy Bear or APT28. The hacking campaign has targeted a broad swath of organizations, including government and military agencies, defense contractors, political parties and consultancies, logistics companies, energy firms, universities, law firms, and media companies. In other words, practically every sector of interest on the Internet.
The hacking campaign has used relatively basic techniques against those targets, guessing usernames and passwords en masse to gain initial access. But cybersecurity agencies warn that the Fancy Bear campaign has nonetheless successfully breached multiple entities and exfiltrated emails from them—and that it's not over.
"A federal judge on Wednesday blocked for the time being a new Florida law that sought to punish large social media businesses like Facebook and Twitter if they remove content or ban politicians," reports the Associated Press: U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle granted a preliminary injunction stopping the new law from being enforced. The law — which was supposed to take effect on Thursday — enabled the state to fine large social media companies $250,000 a day if they remove an account of a statewide political candidate, and $25,000 a day if they remove an account of someone running for a local office. The legislation was challenged in federal court in Tallahassee by NetChoice, a lobbying firm that represents Twitter, Facebook and other online companies, and the Computer and Communications Industry Association. Both said the new law was unconstitutional and violated federal law. The plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their claim that the new law violated the First Amendment if the case went to trial, the judge said. Hinkle said the new law was aimed at only large social media businesses, not smaller ones that provide the same services, and made exceptions for Disney and their apps by including that theme park owners wouldn't be subject to the law. The judge also argued that the law "compels providers to host speech that violates their standards."
Bitcoin mining just became easier and more profitable, reports CNBC: The world has known for months that more than half the world's bitcoin miners would be going dark as China cracked down on mining. Now that it's happened, the bitcoin algorithm has adjusted accordingly to make sure miner productivity doesn't continue to fall off a cliff. That adjustment — which took effect early Saturday morning — also means that way more cash is going to the bitcoin miners who remain online. "This will be a revenue party for miners," said bitcoin mining engineer Brandon Arvanaghi. "They suddenly own a meaningfully larger piece of the pie, meaning they earn more bitcoin every day..." "For the first time in the bitcoin network's history, we have a complete shutdown of mining in a targeted geographic region that affected more than 50% of the network," said Darin Feinstein, founder of Blockcap and Core Scientific. More than 50% of the hashrate — the collective computing power of miners worldwide — has dropped off the network since its market peak in May. Fewer people mining means that fewer blocks are solved each day. Typically, it takes about 10 minutes to complete a block, but Feinstein told CNBC the bitcoin network has slowed down to 14- to 19-minute block times. This is precisely why bitcoin re-calibrates every 2016 blocks, or about every two weeks, resetting how tough it is for miners to mine. On Saturday, the bitcoin code automatically made it about 28% less difficult to mine — a historically unprecedented drop for the network — thereby restoring block times back to the optimal 10-minute window... "We are expecting a period of much higher mining profitability for Compass Mining clients," said Whit Gibbs, CEO and founder of Compass, a bitcoin mining service provider. "We expect miners to be approximately 35% more profitable." Blockcap's Feinstein agrees. "We are expecting a revenue and profit increase for the foreseeable future. This was an unexpected gift to the network, not just on revenues but on decentralization and sustainable energy metrics." CNBC also spoke to the former Chief Mining Officer at Greenridge Generation, the New York-based, coal-fired power plant that converted to large-scale bitcoin mining. "Zhang estimates revenues of $29 per day for those using the latest-generation Bitmain miner, versus $22 per day prior to the change."
"An Israeli startup wants to replace chicken coops, barns and slaughterhouses with bioreactors to churn out cell-based meat for American diners," reports Bloomberg: Future Meat Technologies Ltd. is in talks with U.S. regulators to start offering its products in restaurants by the end of next year. The company has just opened what it calls the world's first industrial cellular meat facility, which will be able to produce 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) a day. "From the get-go, our main focus was around scaling up and reducing cost in order to have a commercially viable product," Chief Executive Officer Rom Kshuk said in an interview... Since the first prototypes, startups have cut costs by 99% and if consumers take to these products, the market could reach $25 billion by 2030, McKinsey & Co. said in a report last week. But to compete with conventional meat, costs need to be slashed even further. Future Meat Technologies, which has raised $43 million from investors including Tyson Foods Inc., Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. and S2G Ventures LLC, claims the lowest price for cultured chicken breast. It's managed to cut the cost to $4 per 100 grams, a fraction of the original price, and plans to cut it by half again by the end of 2022, Kshuk said. The company's facility, located in the Israeli city of Rehovot, can produce cultured chicken, pork, and lamb, with the production of beef coming soon. Still, it's small compared with some conventional farm factories, some of which slaughter thousands of animals per day. The Good Food Institute said cultured meat production will need to reach millions of tons a year to progress from the demonstration to the industrial stage. Future Meat will be able to "scale out" production lines and replicate the facility elsewhere, Kshuk said. It plans to target the U.S. market — which has some of the biggest meat consumption rates in the world — before expanding to Europe and China... "We are aiming to reduce the cost more, more and more," the CEO said. "The story here is not to have a premium product. This is really about finding an alternative way to produce meat." Slashdot reader Beeftopia tipped us off to the story. The company claims in a press release that their platform "enables fast production cycles, about 20-times faster than traditional animal agriculture." "After demonstrating that cultured meat can reach cost parity faster than the market anticipated, this production facility is the real game-changer," says Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, founder and chief scientific officer of Future Meat Technologies. "This facility demonstrates our proprietary media rejuvenation technology in scale, allowing us to reach production densities 10-times higher than the industrial standard. Our goal is to make cultured meat affordable for everyone, while ensuring we produce delicious food that is both healthy and sustainable, helping to secure the future of coming generations." The facility further supports Future Meat Technologies' larger efforts to create a more sustainable future. The company's cruelty-free production process is expected to generate 80% less greenhouse emissions and use 99% less land and 96% less freshwater than traditional meat production.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Apple Insider: Responding to comments made by Apple CEO Tim Cook in June, European Union competition chief Margrethe Vestager said that Apple shouldn't use privacy and security concerns to stifle competition on the App Store. Vestager, the European Commission's executive vice president, has proposed regulations that could force Apple to allow alternate app stores. Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke out against the proposal, stating that they could threaten the privacy and security of iOS. In an interview with Reuters, Vestager agreed with Cook that privacy and security are important factors for consumers, but warned the Cupertino tech giant against using concerns about them to fend off competition. "I think privacy and security is of paramount importance to everyone," Vestager said. "The important thing here is, of course, that it's not a shield against competition, because I think customers will not give up neither security nor privacy if they use another app store or if they sideload." Vestager added that she was open to changes in her proposals, which need input from EU member states and lawmakers before it can become law. "I think that it is possible to find solutions to this," Vestager said. The EU competition chief told Reuters that recent privacy changes to iOS, including App Tracking Transparency, aren't currently an antitrust target. In fact, she praised Apple's new privacy controls. "As I have said, I think actually several times, that it is a good thing when providers give us the service that we can easily set our preferences if we want to be tracked outside the use of an app or not as long as it's the same condition for everyone," Vestager added. "So far, we have no reason to believe that this is not the case for Apple."
Last month, it was revealed that OnePlus will become an Oppo sub-brand. Now, the company announced that it's also merging OxygenOS with Oppo's ColorOS operating system. 9to5Google reports: In a forum post today, OnePlus explains that the sub-brand of Oppo is "working on integrating the codebase of OxygenOS and ColorOS." Apparently, the change will go unnoticed because it is happening behind the scenes: "This is a change that you will likely not even notice since it's happening behind the scenes. We now have a larger and even more capable team of developers, more advanced R&D resources, and a more streamlined development process all coming together to improve the OxygenOS experience." OnePlus also further reiterates that OxygenOS will remain the "global" operating system for OnePlus-branded devices rather than ColorOS, which runs on Oppo devices and OnePlus devices in China, too. It's not mentioned if OxygenOS will change visually, but it's fairly clear that will happen based on early looks at the Android 12 Beta which is available for OnePlus 9 devices. The bright side of this change, however, is that OnePlus will be committing to a stronger Android update schedule that delivers at least three years of support to the company's entire portfolio.
Pioneering pilot Wally Funk, who was denied being an astronaut because of her gender, is joining Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on an upcoming space voyage by his rocket startup, Blue Origin. Fortune reports: The nation's first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector, whose formal name is Mary Wallace Funk, will be an "honored guest" for the July 20 launch of the New Shepard rocket, Blue Origin said Thursday. At 82, Funk would be the oldest person to ever reach space, the company said, shattering the current record held by John Glenn, the astronaut-turned-senator who went into orbit at 77. Other New Shepard crew members include Bezos's brother Mark Bezos and a yet-to-be revealed auction winner who is paying $28 million to be an astronaut. Funk, an airline pilot and instructor, was a member of the "Mercury 13," a team of 13 American women who went through formal astronaut training in the early 1960s. Despite the intense preparation, the women were barred from becoming astronauts because of a then-NASA requirement to only accept military fighter pilots, a position held exclusively by men.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Google has given the boot to nine Android apps downloaded more than 5.8 million times from the company's Play marketplace after researchers said these apps used a sneaky way to steal users' Facebook login credentials. In a bid to win users' trust and lower their guard, the apps provided fully functioning services for photo editing and framing, exercise and training, horoscopes, and removal of junk files from Android devices, according to a post published by security firm Dr. Web. All of the identified apps offered users an option to disable in-app ads by logging into their Facebook accounts. Users who chose the option saw a genuine Facebook login form containing fields for entering usernames and passwords. Then, as Dr. Web researchers wrote: "These trojans used a special mechanism to trick their victims. After receiving the necessary settings from one of the C&C servers upon launch, they loaded the legitimate Facebook web page https://www.facebook.com/login... into WebView. Next, they loaded JavaScript received from the C&C server into the same WebView. This script was directly used to hijack the entered login credentials. After that, this JavaScript, using the methods provided through the JavascriptInterface annotation, passed stolen login and password to the trojan applications, which then transferred the data to the attackers' C&C server. After the victim logged into their account, the trojans also stole cookies from the current authorization session. Those cookies were also sent to cybercriminals. Analysis of the malicious programs showed that they all received settings for stealing logins and passwords of Facebook accounts. However, the attackers could have easily changed the trojans' settings and commanded them to load the web page of another legitimate service. They could have even used a completely fake login form located on a phishing site. Thus, the trojans could have been used to steal logins and passwords from any service." The majority of the downloads were for an app called PIP Photo, which was accessed more than 5.8 million times. The app with the next greatest reach was Processing Photo, with more than 500,000 downloads. The remaining apps were: Rubbish Cleaner: more than 100,000 downloads; Inwell Fitness: more than 100,000 downloads; Horoscope Daily: more than 100,000 downloads; App Lock Keep: more than 50,000 downloads; Lockit Master: more than 5,000 downloads; Horoscope Pi: 1,000 downloads; and App Lock Manager: 10 downloads. A search of Google Play shows that all apps have been removed from Play.
A massive REvil ransomware attack affects multiple managed service providers and their clients through a reported Kaseya supply-chain attack. Bleeping Computer reports: Starting this afternoon, the REvil ransomware gang targeted approximately eight large MSPs, with thousands of customers, through what appears to be a Kaseya VSA supply-chain attack. Kaseya VSA is a cloud-based MSP platform that allows providers to perform patch management and client monitoring for their customers. Huntress Labs' John Hammond has told BleepingComputer that all of the affected MSPs are using Kaseya VSA and that they have proof that their customers are being encrypted as well. "We have 3 Huntress partners that are impacted with roughly 200 businesses encrypted," Hammond told BleepingComputer. Kasey issued an security advisory on their help desk site warniong all VSA customers to immediately shut down their VSA server to prevent the attack's spread while they investigate. In a statement to BleepingComputer, Kaseya stated that they have shut down their SaaS servers and are working with other securty firms to investigate the incident. A sample of the REvil ransomware used in one of these attacks has been shared with BleepingComputer. However, it is unknown if this is the sample used for every victim or if each MSP received its own ransom demand. The ransomware gang is demanding a $5,000,000 ransom to receive a decryptor from one of the samples. While REvil is known to steal data before deploying the ransomware and encrypting devices, it is unknown if the attackers exfiltrated any files.
Thelasko shares a report from the BBC: A US police officer played a Taylor Swift song on his phone in a bid to prevent activists who were filming him uploading the video to YouTube. The video platform regularly removes videos that break music copyright rules. However, the officer's efforts were in vain as the clip of the encounter in Oakland, California promptly went viral. Alameda County police told the BBC it was not "approved behavior." The video was filmed by members of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP), which says it is a coalition that seeks to "eradicate police terror in communities of color." Some of them were protesting outside the courthouse at the pre-trial hearing of a San Leandro officer charged with the manslaughter of a black man. In the video, the officer says: "You can record all you want, I just know it can't be posted to YouTube." When asked if playing music in this way is procedure, the officer responds: "It's not specifically outlined." Later in the video, he confirms: "I'm playing music so that you can't post on YouTube." The sheriff's department said: "We have seen the video and referred it to our internal affairs bureau. This is not approved behavior. It will not happen again." Earlier this year, Motherboard reported on cases of other California-based officers starting to play Beatles songs while being filmed so that the clips would be removed for copyright issues when uploaded to social media sites.
phalse phace shares a report from The Wall Street Journal: The Federal Trade Commission and Broadcom have agreed to settle charges that the company used its dominance in some chip markets to squeeze out potential rivals (Warning: source paywalled; alternative source). The FTC on Friday said that under a proposed consent order, Broadcom must stop requiring its customers to source three types of chips from the company on an exclusive or near-exclusive basis. The FTC said that Broadcom maintained its power in certain markets by entering long-term exclusive or near-exclusive agreements with at least 10 original equipment manufacturers of set-top boxes and broadband devices and service providers that prevented them from purchasing chips from Broadcom's competitors. The behavior, the FTC alleges, began as early as 2016. In one example of Broadcom's allegedly anticompetitive behavior, the FTC said the company threatened that if a service provider didn't limit purchases from its rivals, Broadcom would raise the price it charges the customer for software services.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Twitter has a history of sharing feature and design ideas it's considering at very early stages of development. Earlier this month, for example, it showed off concepts around a potential "unmention" feature that would let users untag themselves from others' tweets. Today, the company is sharing a few more of its design explorations that would allow users to better control who can see their tweets and who ends up in their replies. The first of the new ideas builds on work that began last year with the release of a feature that allows an original poster to choose who's allowed to reply to their tweet. Today, users can choose to limit replies to only people mentioned in the tweet, only people they follow, or they can leave it defaulted to "everyone." But even though this allows users to limit who can respond, everyone can see the tweet itself. And they can like, retweet or quote tweet the post. With the proposed Trusted Friends feature, users could tweet to a group of their own choosing. This could be a way to use Twitter with real-life friends, or some other small network of people you know more personally. Perhaps you could post a tweet that only your New York friends could see when you wanted to let them know you were in town. Or maybe you could post only to those who share your love of a particular TV show, sporting event or hobby. Twitter says the benefit of this private, "friends only" format is that it could save people from the workarounds they're currently using -- like juggling multiple alt accounts or toggling between public to protected tweets. Another new feature under consideration is Reply Language Prompts. This feature would allow Twitter users to choose phrases they don't want to see in their replies. When someone is writing back to the original poster, these words and phrases would be highlighted and a prompt would explain why the original poster doesn't want to see that sort of language. For instance, users could configure prompts to appear if someone is using profanity in their reply. The feature wouldn't stop the poster from tweeting their reply -- it's more a gentle nudge that asks them to be more considerate. The third, and perhaps most complicated, feature is something Twitter is calling "Facets." This is an early idea about tweeting from different personas from one account. The feature would make sense for those who often tweet about different aspects of their lives, including their work life, their side hustles, their personal life or family, their passions and more. Unlike Trusted Friends, which would let you restrict some tweets to a more personal network, Facets would give other users the ability to choose whether they wanted to follow all your tweets, or only those about the "facet" they're interested in. This way, you could follow someone's tweets about tech, but ignore their stream of reactions they post when watching their favorite team play. Or you could follow your friend's personal tweets, but ignore their work-related content. And so on.
Legislators in Norway have passed new regulations requiring influencers and advertisers to label retouched photos in a bid to fight unrealistic beauty standards. Motherboard reports: The new regulations were passed as an amendment to the nation's Marketing Act via a landslide 72 to 15 vote on June 2. The King of Norway will later decide when it will go into effect. Under the recently-passed rules, advertisements where a body's shape, size, or skin has been retouched -- even through a filter before a photo is taken -- will need a standardized label designed by the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. Examples of manipulations requiring labeling include enlarged lips, narrowed waists, and exaggerated muscles, but it's not clear if the same will apply to adjustments of lighting or saturation. The law also covers images from influencers and celebrities if they "receive any payment or other benefit" in relation to the post, including on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Twitter. Any violations are punishable with escalating fines and, in extreme cases, even imprisonment. The move comes amidst continued public debate in Norway surrounding "kroppspress" (literally "body pressure"), which very roughly translates to beauty standards. In its proposal to the Norwegian parliament, the Ministry of Children and Family cites studies that found what it calls "body pressure," or beauty standards, to be pervasive and a contributing factor to low self-esteem in young people. The ministry conceded, however, that the requirement could be difficult to enforce because it's not always easy to determine if a photo has been edited. It also noted that an unintended consequence of the law could be that influencers feel more pressure to undergo cosmetic surgery "in order to live up to beauty ideals."
According to CNBC, the UK's largest chip producer, Newport Wafer Fab, is set to be acquired by Chinese-owned semiconductor company Nexperia for around $87 million next week. The deal comes shortly after the crown jewl of the UK tech industry, Arm, agreed to be acquired by US chip giant Nvidia for $40 billion. From the report: Located in Newport, South Wales, privately-held NWF's chip plant dates back to 1982 and it is one of just a handful of semiconductor fabricators in the U.K. Nexperia is set to announce the takeover as soon as Monday or Tuesday, the sources said. "We are in constructive conversations with NWF and Welsh Government about the future of NWF," a Nexperia spokesperson said. "Until we have reached a conclusion we cannot further comment." The deal comes during a global chip shortage that has led countries to try and become more independent when it comes to semiconductor production. The vast majority of today's chips are manufactured in Asia, with Taiwan's TSMC, South Korea's Samsung and China's SMIC among the largest chip producers in the world. Tom Tugendhat, leader of the U.K. government's China Research Group and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said he was concerned about a potential takeover of NWF in a letter to U.K. Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng in June. "I must stress again that having the U.K.'s leading 200mm silicon and semiconductor technology development and processing facility being taken over by a Chinese entity -- in my view -- represents a significant economic and national security concern," Tugendhat said. He urged the U.K. government to review the deal under the National Security and Investment Act, which was introduced in April as part of an effort to protect the nation's technology companies from overseas takeovers when there's an economic risk or a security threat. "This is the largest last remaining advanced semiconductor factory in England being sold to the Chinese and the British government aren't doing s*** about it," a source said, adding that they should at least try and get $1 billion for it.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Like most Internet-of-things (IoT) devices these days, Amazon's Echo Dot gives users a way to perform a factory reset so, as the corporate behemoth says, users can "remove any... personal content from the applicable device(s)" before selling or discarding them. But researchers have recently found that the digital bits that remain on these reset devices can be reassembled to retrieve a wealth of sensitive data, including passwords, locations, authentication tokens, and other sensitive data. Most IoT devices, the Echo Dot included, use NAND-based flash memory to store data. Like traditional hard drives, NAND -- which is short for the boolean operator "NOT AND" -- stores bits of data so they can be recalled later, but whereas hard drives write data to magnetic platters, NAND uses silicon chips. NAND is also less stable than hard drives because reading and writing to it produces bit errors that must be corrected using error-correcting code. Researchers from Northeastern University bought 86 used devices on eBay and at flea markets over a span of 16 months. They first examined the purchased devices to see which ones had been factory reset and which hadn't. Their first surprise: 61 percent of them had not been reset. Without a reset, recovering the previous owners' Wi-Fi passwords, router MAC addresses, Amazon account credentials, and information about connected devices was a relatively easy process. The next surprise came when the researchers disassembled the devices and forensically examined the contents stored in their memory. "An adversary with physical access to such devices (e.g., purchasing a used one) can retrieve sensitive information such as Wi-Fi credentials, the physical location of (previous) owners, and cyber-physical devices (e.g., cameras, door locks)," the researchers wrote in a research paper. "We show that such information, including all previous passwords and tokens, remains on the flash memory, even after a factory reset." After extracting the flash contents from their six new devices, the researchers used the Autospy forensic tool to search embedded multimedia card images. The researchers analyzed NAND dumps manually. They found the name of the Amazon account owner multiple times, along with the complete contents of the wpa_supplicant.conf file, which stores a list of networks the devices have previously connected to, along with the encryption key they used. Recovered log files also provided lots of personal information. After dumping and analyzing the recovered data, the researchers reassembled the devices. The researchers wrote: "Our assumption was, that the device would not require an additional setup when connected at a different location and Wi-Fi access point with a different MAC address. We confirmed that the device connected successfully, and we were able to issue voice commands to the device. When asked 'Alexa, Who am I?', the device would return the previous owner's name. The re-connection to the spoofed access point did not produce a notice in the Alexa app nor a notification by email. The requests are logged under 'Activity' in the Alexa app, but they can be deleted via voice commands. We were able to control smart home devices, query package delivery dates, create orders, get music lists and use the 'drop-in' feature. If a calendar or contact list was linked to the Amazon account, it was also possible to access it. The exact amount of functionality depends on the features and skills the previous owner had used." Furthermore, the researchers were able to find the rough location of the previous owner's address by asking questions about nearby restaurants, grocery stores, and public libraries. "In a few of the experiments, locations were accurate up to 150 meters," reports Ars. An Amazon spokeswoman said: "The security of our devices is a top priority. We recommend customers deregister and factory reset their devices before reselling, recycling, or disposing of them. It is not possible to access Amazon account passwords or payment card information because that data is not stored on the device." The threats most likely apply to Fire TV, Fire Tablets, and other Amazon devices, as well as many other NAND-based devices that don't encrypt user data, including the Google Home Mini.
The US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced that it is onboarding nearly 300 cybersecurity professionals and has extended job offers to 500 others in what it refers to as "the most successful cybersecurity hiring initiative in DHS history." From a report: The hiring spree is part of the department's 60-day cybersecurity workforce sprint that aimed to add 200 new cybersecurity personnel by July 1. As The Record reported in May, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told attendees of a US Chamber of Commerce event that one of the department's most significant priorities was building out its cybersecurity expertise with an emphasis on diversity.
Arguably the offseason's best free-agent signing, Semien has made himself a vital part of the 2021 Jays -- even though he may never play a home game in Canada.
Major League Baseball has placed Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer on seven-day administrative leave amid sexual assault allegations that are being investigated by police and MLB.
Marlins starter Pablo Lopez and manager Don Mattingly were both ejected after Lopez hit Braves slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. with the first pitch of the game Friday night.
Thomas M. Reich, a pioneering MLB and hockey agent with an ebullient, oversized personality who helped players gain multimillion dollar salaries in the early years of free agency, died Friday at 82.
Major League Baseball has placed Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer on seven-day administrative leave amid sexual assault allegations. What does it mean -- and what's next?
Wilhelm Arcturus posted: "Yesterday somebody triggered me on one of my most/least favorite hobby horse discussions, that of immersion. Sometimes I think I have grown enough over the years to not get wrapped up in online arguments about such things, but apparently immersion is not"
Yesterday somebody triggered me on one of my most/least favorite hobby horse discussions, that of immersion. Sometimes I think I have grown enough over the years to not get wrapped up in online arguments about such things, but apparently immersion is not on that list yet.
This time the immersion argument brewed up as one of the objections to CCP's pop-up advertisement in EVE Online that comes when you lose a ship, encouraging the player to buy some PLEX so they can purchase a replacement ship. This has led some anger... erm, some additional anger, because there is always anger... in the community.
Use your credit card to finance your revenge!
This led to any number of reactions, including the dead idea of returning to a subscription model, as well as any number or arguments about why this pop-up pushes the line in way that past monetization of the game has not. Immersion features in some of those arguments as the pop-up comes during combat when you lose a ship, which puts it in a new category for some.
Sending players to the out of game website cash shop to spend real world money crosses an immersion line for some.
Enter Pollyanna, done explaining that the PCU drop is normal and nothing to worry about, who followed up to argue that immersion is a strictly definable thing, the same for everybody, and that this pop-up does not break immersion because PLEX exists, pop-ups exist, and links that take you out of game exist.
And there you have me triggered and engaging in a fruitless online argument. I mean, they're almost all fruitless, but I live in hope as 1 in 100 or so actually end up with some mutual understanding. Not this time.
It probably took me a bit too long to figure out that Pollyanna didn't give two fetid dingoes kidneys about immersion, that they were just there to defend CCP with religious fervor. So I packed that up, muted the whole thread... thank you for that feature Twitter... and decided to write again about immersion.
The main problem is defining what immersion is, or if it is even a thing at all. I add that last bit because I have had people argue that immersion is literally impossible, though those arguments often seem to assign an unrealistic definition to it.
So let me dispense with the "there is no immersion" side of the argument by saying that it isn't an absolute belief that the game is real and you're a part of it. If that is the definition to which you are wedded, then there is no immersion. But I am going to say that I both believe immersion is a thing and that I have never once literally believed I was in New Eden or Azeroth or Norrath or any other video game location.
Immersion is more like a release of the real world, the entering of something like a hypnotic focus on the game and its mechanics, becoming briefly one with the game, reacting at some level like the game is real even if you simultaneously know at a more logical part of your brain that you are simply playing a game.
Examples of this from my own personal experience include the rush of elation on defeating a difficult boss, the sudden boost in heart rate when you jump through a gate and find a camp on the other side, or the real knot in your stomach as you reach a cliff and see how high up you are. These are all physiological reactions that indicate that some part of your brain believes what your doing in a video game is real. That is immersion.
And, seriously, if you say you have never experienced anything like that I am going to have to ask why you even play video games. That is the runner's high, the payoff, the rare moment that makes the effort worth it.
Sometimes immersion is more subtle. There can be what I have heard called a "competence high," where you're just doing very well at something like a simple match 3 game, where the moves are all coming to you and the game is totally going your way that qualifies to my mind. Inventory management can even be like that.
The thing is that immersion isn't a constant or reliable. Sometimes you go through a gate and there is a camp on the other side and it is just another thing in the game. Not every high place makes you feel a bit of acrophobia. Not every boss fight, even difficult ones, give you a rush.
I have, in the past, likened being immersed to falling asleep. I cannot explain how either happens. There is just generally a point in time where sleep or immersion is not a thing, and then it is.
And things that break immersion can be as capricious as things that wake you up from sleep. Some things are always going to do it. The alarm clock is always going to wake you up, the game client crashing is going to break immersion. Generally speaking, things that take you out of the moment are going to break immersion, and that pop-up could very well be such a thing for some people.
Now, you can certainly ask whether the people who are making the immersion argument really mean it or are just throwing that out there. It is fair to question them. Have they even seen the pop up? (I haven't) Were they in a state of immersion when the it came up? Has immersion even been something they have mentioned as important in the past?
But if your counter to the immersion argument is that we all know what PLEX is in our logical brain, that the game has a pop up when log in, or that something like EVE Academy has a link that takes you outside of the game, so this pop up could not possible break your immersion, then I am going to suggest that you don't know what immersion is or that you are arguing in bad faith because defending CCP is more important that whatever may or may not be immersion breaking to other people. You certainly don't get to arbitrarily define what immersion is and dictate what does and does not break it.
Anyway, thank you for listening to my TED Talk and/or my thousand word sub-tweet!
Filipinos together made #KapamilyaForever the number one trend in the country on Thursday, which also made it to the top 10 list worldwide.
ABS-CBN fans promised to keep on supporting the network while it suffers through an unprecedented broadcast crisis. Most are optimistic that it will make a comeback to free TV.
Kantar Media named ABS-CBN Channel 2 as the best network in the Philippines prior to its shutdown last year after a congressional panel refused to grant it a much-needed franchise renewal.
Following its goodbye to free TV and the closure of its radio stations, ABS-CBN had to retrench thousands of employees, and the pandemic only made the situation worse.
Kapamilya stars played a huge role in making the hashtag trend, with a number of fans praising the network for doing the Filipino public a service even without a franchise to operate.
Programs such as FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, Huwag Kang Mangamba, Init sa Magdamag, and La Vida Lena rake in a lot of viewers every episode aired. Meanwhile, It's Showtime and ASAP Natin 'To make it hard for people not to watch ABS-CBN.
The network is now more focused on digital production. iWantTFC, its streaming platform, can be accessed free of charge and contains various ABS-CBN titles and movies that were released during the health crisis.
Kapamilya Online Live, accessible on Facebook and YouTube, plays Kapamilya programs, including FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, which reached all-time high ratings in June.
ABS-CBN recently convinced over 40 artists to sign a contract and work with the network.
#KapamilyaForever trended at number one in the country on Thursday because of the continuous support coming from ABS-CBN‘s fans. Despite being out of free TV for almost a year, the network refuses to stop serving the Filipino public.
The trending of the hashtag not only proves that ABS-CBN still has the loyalty of its viewers, but it also connotes that some Kapamilya stars are willing to stick with the network amid all the hardships it is dealing with.
Screen icons Judy Ann Santos and Angel Locsin never left ABS-CBN when a congressional panel denied its bid for franchise renewal. Instead, both actresses decided to run their respective shows on a relatively lower talent fee.
Santos hosted Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan?, an inspirational docu-drama about true-to-life stories of hope. The last episode aired on June 26 with her thanking the network for giving her the opportunity.
"I am so grateful na binigay sa akin ng management itong show na 'to," she said in an unaired portion of the program’s farewell episode.
"Kailangan natin ipakita sa mga tao kung gaano kalayo ang nararating ng kindness. Hindi naman kailangang malaking bagay ang ibigay mo sa isang tao. Kahit smile nga lang 'yan, kindness na 'yun. Libre pa. Nakakatuwa na parte ako ng isang programa na nakapagpatuloy ng chain of kindness," she added.
Just like the many fans out there, Santos expressed optimism that ABS-CBN will make a comeback to free TV.
Locsin was also emotional as she bid her viewers goodbye in the last episode of Iba ‘Yan, a weekly show that showcases ordinary people with extraordinary stories with an aim to highlight the strength of the Filipino spirit.
She thanked her staff for running the show, including those who shared their “unique” stories.
“Isang bagay ang napatunayan natin sa isang taon ng pagsasama natin dito sa Iba ‘Yan, na marami talagang mga ordinaryong bayani ang may kakaibang kuwento ng pagmamalasakit sa ating kapwa. Kaya maraming salamat po at hinayaan ninyo kami na ibida ang kanilang mga kwento, at babaunin po namin itong inspirasyon sa pamamaalam po ng programang ito,” she said.
“Sa panahon na walang kasiguraduhan dahil sa pandemya, at dahil na rin po wala rin pong kasiguraduhan ang staff ng ABS-CBN, binuksan niyo po ang pintuan ninyo para sa amin, kaya maraming maraming salamat po sa inyo,” she added.
Toni Gonzaga could have taken a cut on talent fee as well when ABS-CBN asked if she’d do I Feel U, a variety-talk show.
And instead of taking her talent fee, ABS-CBN Films Managing Director Olivia Lamasan said Gonzaga donated hers to the retrenched employees.
"Ito pong si Toni gave a generous portion of her talent fee, if not all, para po sa mga empleyado ng ABS-CBN na nawalan po ng trabaho nung inorder po ng Congress na i-shutdown kami. I will never forget that kasi napaiyak mo ako noon sa sobrang kalakihan ng puso mo at kabutihan mo. I pray that God returns your generosity a thousand-fold and that blessings may continue to abound you in all aspects of your life," Lamasan said.
Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo for their part approached their bosses at ABS-CBN and asked what they can do to help.
“Malaki ang utang na loob namin sa ABS. Yung buhay ko nagbago 360. Nakakatulog ng maigi ang pamilya ko ngayon dahil sa mga binigay ng ABS na proyekto sakin.
“I can wait. It’s not the end of me pag lumipat na ako or something. I can wait hanggang makabangon ang ABS dahil naniniwala ako babangon tayo lahat dito.” he said when asked to confirm if he and Bernardo did in fact volunteered to help the network’s situation.
"Ang nakarating sa'kin is ikaw at si Kathryn, lumapit sa mga bosses. And you didn't even asked permission to work elsewhere. Ang sinabi ninyo sa mga bosses ay 'What can we do to help?' Is that true?"
Anne Curtis, who hasn’t been on TV for almost 2 years after becoming a mother, has recently denied rumors that she’s transferring to the GMA Network, ABS-CBN’s biggest rival.
Hahaha Yes. Kalma. They pitched a film for next year na hindi pa naman sure yet. As always, I need to read the script first before making a decision. The last viva x gma film I did was IN YOUR EYES with Ate Claudine & Richard. I was already a Kapamilya then. So Kalma Lang! https://t.co/80FqdrZZgh
— Anne Curtis-Smith (@annecurtissmith) July 1, 2021
On Facebook, she sympathized with all the ABS-CBN fans who are heartbroken at what is happening with the network. She still couldn’t believe that Congress decided to shut ABS-CBN down amid a health crisis, forcing the network to retrench and lose billions in revenue.
Veteran broadcaster Karen Davila is also not looking to transfer anytime soon. In an interview with comedian Ogie Diaz, she claimed to be a product of ABS-CBN and is proud of it.
“Hindi ako magiging Karen Davila if not for ABS. That’s a fact.
“At ABS’ lowest point, I wanna be there and see where this goes,” she told Diaz.
Angelica Panganiban, one of the network’s top talents, refused the offer of transferring. She said in an online conference that she’d only leave if she can no longer feed her family.
“I’m very thankful na hanggan ngayon may trabaho binibigay sakin ng ABS-CBN,” she said.
A woman who just graduated from senior high school has called out a school for allegedly excluding her name from the list of newly admitted students.
Jelyn Zeb P. Estores went on Facebook to criticize the Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (Fortune-Towne Campus) for being “offensive” by not including her name in the list of students who are eligible to take their education at the academic institution.
Estores claimed that she put in a lot of effort just to produce the requirements asked by the college.
She said she passed the entrance exam but was surprised to see that her name was nowhere on the list.
Estores cried because she’s not the type of child who wants to disappoint their parents.
According to her, there are other students who also did not have their names included. The only thing she can do for them is to pray that they get “through all of this.”
She hopes that the college’s administration will be “offended” by her words.
After going viral, she immediately took down the post.
A job applicant’s bizarre yet hilarious approach in interacting with a recruiter has gone viral on social media.
Hara Lee of Kuala Lumpur shared the WhatsApp conversation between her brother and a job applicant that seemed to have made netizens laugh.
The applicant messaged Lee’s brother, who is the recruiter and co-founder of Wolves Digital, a marketing agency based in Malaysia, telling him he’d like to apply for the position of senior content creator.
They ask what the salary is and if they could work on a flexible schedule.
Lee’s brother requests a portfolio, but the applicant says they can only present a “Final Year Project” where they scored 92 percent.
The applicant then asks if Lee’s brother ever went to a university and demanded that he let them know if they are qualified for the job.
Lee’s brother then tells the applicant that they first need to go through an “intensive character development” before contributing to the workforce.
Malcolm Jolley posted: "Malcolm Jolley and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation are making a toast this Sunday... So many Canadians have friends or family across the border, who we haven't seen for more than a year. On Sunday, July 4th, many of us will be thinking of them a"
Malcolm Jolley and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation are making a toast this Sunday...
So many Canadians have friends or family across the border, who we haven't seen for more than a year. On Sunday, July 4th, many of us will be thinking of them and hoping we'll see them soon. As we toast our American cousins, we may as well enjoy (literally) the fruits of their labour, and in Ontario we have the particular pleasure of having access, for a limited time, to some of the better wines of New York State at the LCBO. The New York State of Winedestination page at the LCBO features premium wines from the state's three principal wine growing and making regions: the Finger lakes, the Hudson Valley and Long Island.
Jamie and I are proud that Good Food Revolution is working with the New York Wine and Grape Foundation once again to let Ontario wine enthusiasts know what's available from next door. And we humbly suggest that we all toast the resumption of neighbourly relations this Sunday with at least one of the wines at the New York State of Wine selection, Jamie's reviews of some of which are featured below.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WINES OF NEW YORK AT THE LCBO.
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