Month: October 2020

Google commits to using recycled materials in all new products by 2022

Emilee Geist 30 mins ago

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Image: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

Google is sticking to its plan to have all of its products include recycled materials by 2022, this year designing its new Pixel and Nest products to incorporate the re-use of otherwise wasted resources.

It is only part of the devices that are comprised of re-used materials, however. In the case of the Pixel, the back cover is made with 100% recycled aluminium.

See also: Google Pixel 5 first impressions: Where was this phone last year?

“This is our first phone to incorporate recycled aluminium, which not only eliminates the use of mined aluminium in the enclosure and reduces waste, it also lowers the carbon footprint of manufacturing the enclosure by 35% compared to using virgin aluminium,” Google wrote in a blog post.

The new Nest Audio contains 70% recycled plastic across its enclosure parts, including the acoustic fabric, and is covered in the same sustainable fabric

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NSW government sets up cyber and privacy resilience group to keep customer data safe

Emilee Geist 2 hours ago

The New South Wales government has set up a dedicated cyber and privacy resilience group as part of its vow to keep customer data safe.

The formation of a so-called, dedicated taskforce that will focus on cyber resiliency and privacy risks across government was in response to the cyber attack the state government suffered earlier this year, according to NSW Department of Customer Service Secretary Emma Hogan, who is the chair of the new group.

The breach resulted in 73GB of data, which comprised of 3.8 million documents, being stolen from staff email accounts. The breach impacted 186,000 customers.

“Since the breach was discovered in April, we’ve invested heavily in both helping customers recover and also in understanding what went wrong, how a hacker was able to access so much customer data entrusted to us, and how we can make sure this never ever happens again,” Hogan said, speaking at

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Austin girl’s wish to design a dress granted by Macy’s, Make-A-Wish

Emilee Geist 3 hours ago

Elizabeth’s exclusive dress design is available online and at 12 Macy’s stores, including Macy’s Barton Creek Square Mall.

AUSTIN, Texas — What Elizabeth wanted most of all was to design a dress. With the help of Macy’s Barton Creek Square Mall and Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas, her dream has come true.

Elizabeth, a six-year-old Austin girl who has been diagnosed with leukemia, had the opportunity to design a colorful floral maxi dress with assistance from style experts at Macy’s Fashion Office and I.N.C. International Concepts.

Macy’s Barton Creek Square and Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas then surprised Elizabeth with a billboard reveal and an in-store fashion show featuring her exclusive dress design.

But that’s not all: As of Monday, Oct. 26, Elizabeth’s design is available online at Macys.com and in 12 Macy’s stores, including Macy’s Barton Creek Square Mall. And 20% of the purchase price of Elizabeth’s dress will

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Why Most Western Companies Fail In Asian Markets, Even As Mobile Consumption Skyrockets

Emilee Geist 5 hours ago

New York, NY ( TS Newswire ) — 26 Oct 2020

Seoul, South Korea (26. OCTOBER, 2020): Asian consumers spend more time online than consumers in the US, Canada, and all of Europe. As a result, digital ad spending has skyrocketed by 425% in India, 154% in Singapore, 125% in Japan, and similarly across key Asian countries. Western companies are taking notice. They want to get in on the mobile boom to expand their brand and increase revenue. Unfortunately, even with digital engagement on the rise, most foreign companies fail miserably. Even those who excel digitally in their home country.

Why Western Companies Fail In Asia

The most common mistake foreign companies make when marketing in Asia is failing to localize their marketing. Most companies keep their current marketing team, either their in-house team or an external team, and implement a similar marketing strategy for all countries they serve. They

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Here’s how the city of Madison clerk is keeping ballots secure

Emilee Geist 6 hours ago

MADISON (WKOW) — Wisconsin election officials undergo an extensive series of tests and security measures to make sure the vote total on Election Day is accurate and not tampered with.

In a news release Monday, the City of Madison Clerk’s Office outlined its security procedures ahead of the election.

The precautions taken involve the City of Madison Clerk’s Office, the Dane County Clerk’s Office, and the officials at your polling place on Election Day.

From the city of Madison Clerk’s Office news release:

The City of Madison has a paper-based voting system with a paper trail.

The Dane County Clerk’s Office designs the ballots and programs their own election equipment. Programing is never outsourced.

The County Clerk programs the memory devices for Election Day using a computer in the County Clerk’s Office. This standalone computer is in a locked, secured room and is only used for ballot design and election

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Not trick-or-treating over coronavirus? Gainesville still has Halloween fun

Emilee Geist 6 hours ago

Danielle Ivanov
 |  Special to The Sun
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In a state with the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, local residents are still finding ways to safely celebrate Halloween during the pandemic. From trunk-or-treating to costume photoshoots, Alachua County residents, students and businesses have come up with alternative new thrills to bring smiles to everyone’s faces this last week of October.

The big question on every kid and parent’s mind right now is will trick-or-treating still be a thing? In short, yes it will be, but definitely different from years past.

Popular neighborhoods like northeast Gainesville’s Duckpond area have asked residents not to participate in typical face-to-face and door-to-door candy gathering to avoid long lines and bottle-necking that could potentially mass-spread COVID-19. 

“Honestly, what we’re all most afraid of is

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Omnichannel Retailing is Changing the Packaging Landscape

Emilee Geist 7 hours ago

The past five years has seen a continual consumer purchasing shift toward ecommerce and away from brick and mortar stores. However, what was supposed to be a slow and steady trajectory upwards has turned into a meteoric rise due to pandemic shopping habits.  We’ve seen projections as high as 40% to 50% of purchases currently done online versus pre-pandemic, low double-digits. Many feel those high numbers are here to stay.

On a parallel path, the term “omnichannel” fulfillment has been gaining a foothold. Retailers are being challenged to provide their customers with a seamless purchasing experience regardless of where the product is being shipped from. The objective is to make the right packaging choices which will positively impact quality, speed, shipping costs and the all-important customer.

From a packaging perspective, that’s easier said than done.  In some cases, companies may be shipping from various locations including manufacturing facilities, distribution centers,

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See Batwoman Star Javicia Leslie in the New Batsuit – E! Online

Emilee Geist 8 hours ago

Mani said she was asked to create a Batsuit unique to Ryan.

“As she is a highly skilled fighter, encapsulating her raw, athletic, and passionate nature was imperative,” Mani said. “As Batwoman, Javicia Leslie not only brings a fresh perspective, but physical strength to the role. It was important for the new suit to define Javicia’s commanding presence while showcasing her athleticism and allowing her the freedom to express the physical nature of Batwoman, all while looking ultra-cool in the process!” 

Other changes from Kate’s suit—besides the new hair—include red gauntlets over the forearms, shorter boots and laser etching to create more visual depth. 

Leslie is stepping into the role after Rose exited the series earlier this year. Producers promised to find another actress in the LGBTQ+ community to take on the role, and Leslie, who is bisexual, was cast in July as a brand new character. Dries has promised

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Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14 is $250 off its original price at Best Buy

Emilee Geist 10 hours ago

One of the best gaming laptops released this year is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, and it’s $250 off its usual $1,450 price at Best Buy. It has a slick design, great keyboard and trackpad, and the battery life far exceeds that of most power-hungry gaming laptops. Additionally, it’s great at gaming as you’d expect.

What makes today’s deal at Best Buy particularly good is that this model is a match for the one my colleague Monica Chin tested in this review. It has a 14-inch 120Hz refresh rate display, AMD’s fast Ryzen 9 4900HS, Nvidia’s RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB PCIe-based SSD.

Its downsides could be deal-breakers for you. The Zephyrus G14 doesn’t have a webcam. Monica also reported that the CPU can get hot under pressure, so keep that in mind.

Best Buy is also offering a small deal on Nintendo Switch Online

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Designers Create Special Masks for New York State Initiative

Emilee Geist 11 hours ago

New York is upping the fashion quotient when it comes to masks.

On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo in partnership with his daughter Mariah Kennedy Cuomo and The RealReal, revealed that the state has selected more than two dozen New York-based designers to create masks as part of its “Mask Up” campaign that will be sold on The RealReal.

The first was designed by Public School and is a limited-edition black mask with white letters that read: “New York Tough.”

Every Monday through November, five masks will be released, with a portion of the proceeds donated to Feeding America, the New York COVID Relief Fund and Nurse Heroes.

In a press briefing in Albany, N.Y., on Monday, Cuomo said that New York State was the first to mandate the wearing of masks and although compliance can’t be regulated, some 98 percent to 99 percent of people do wear face coverings. And

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