Today's interview is with Simon Lane, the head of Indigoplum, a company based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Simon has been a professional since 1982 and a member of British Institute of Professional Photography since 1984. Simon specializes in architectural and brochure photography. He also takes up video camera at large events, but still photography is his love. Today we talk about his career and his love for travel.
Hello Simon, tell us about yourself and your family?
I'm a 55 year old photographer based in Hertfordshire and head photographer at Indigoplum, a company specializing in photography for corporate events, conferences, incentive travel and commerce. I have three sons who are all working and two have fled the nest. My elder son has traveled the world extensively and has documented his travels wonderfully with the aid of his compact camera. My wife works at a local primary school as a teacher. In our office at home, we work back-to-back where my wife is constantly nagged to comment on my latest photographic creation.
How did you get into photography? Did you attend a school teaching photography?
I first got into photography at a very young age, when my father, as a hobby, used to turn the kitchen into a huge darkroom by blocking out the windows and doors. I learned how to process and print black and white film. When I was 13 he built me my first darkroom in the back of the garage. One year we went to my uncle and aunt for Christmas, my uncle having just returned from a trip to Japan. He gave me my present and was stunned when I opened it to find a brand new Olympus OM1 – the ultimate camera of its day! I went crazy taking photos all over the place. I had always been artistic and while attending an art foundation course at Ealing College after I left school, I pretty soon discovered that I found it easier to express my ideas through photography. I went on to specialize in that field qualifying with an HND in photography at Ealing Tech as it was known then.
Where was your first job and how did you manage to grab it?
My first job was a Saturday job in a camera shop when I was 13 years old. Working alongside a professional photographer who also worked in the shop part time, I was able to buy my films and chemicals at reduced rates. As time went on, I would occasionally assist the photographer with his work after school, processing and printing black and white photos of the houses he shot for estate agents. All the while I had been building up a portfolio of my own and in 1982 I joined a general practice photographic firm in Stevenage where I learnt the basic skills of product and architectural photography eventually taking over the commercial photography where I found myself most comfortable. My first solo professional job was to shoot a brochure for Bovis Homes.
What is your style of photography? What inspires you to shoot this style?
For the last 12 years I've been involved in the events industry, initially shooting brochures for events companies, I found that I had a penchant for quick fire photography and progressed very quickly into shooting the events as well. I'm able to spot interactions between people at events very rapidly. Mainly working with the camera manually, I will often combine slow shutter speeds with on-camera flash to obtain ambient shots with movement. The corporate industry incorporates incentive travel and I've been lucky enough to visit many parts of Europe covering these events. My travel photography has to show the locations visited as well as the attendees on the trip and is mostly captured on the hoof. In down time which can be rare, I do try to take a tripod out with me and capture sights in a higher quality for use in my own online gallery. My style tends on the whole to be quite clean with few after effects added. High end shots are post processed and I might enhance a bland sky, but apart from the normal post processing of a RAW camera file to bring out detail where I want to show it, I never use filtered or textured effects. I find inspiration in journals and magazines. My great interest outside of my work is Formula 1 and I'm subscriber to F1 magazine. The creative photography in the magazine is quite staggering and I sometimes try and apply some of the ideas within my own work.
What camera gear do you use and what hardware/software you use for post processing?
My current camera gear is all DSLR based. I find the quality achievable in 35mm sized digital cameras which is at least as good as it used to be with similar sized film cameras and in many instances, somewhat better. In my camera bag I have a Nikon D4, Nikon D700, f2.8 17-70mm, f2.8 70-200mm with a 1.7 tele converter, 14-24mm and a 90mm macro lens. I have 2x SB900 and 1x SB910 speed lights which I can trigger off-camera. After shooting an event where I always shoot in large JPEG, the images are processed and archived using Adobe Lightroom for speed and efficiency. For other works such as travel shots or images for my online gallery, I will process these using a combination of Adobe Photoshop (with CameraRaw) and Lightroom.
Do you carry all your gear while traveling? What safety precautions do you take, to keep the equipment safe?
This is an interesting question. It's becoming harder to fly with the professional gear. All equipment lives in my well cushioned 'Think Tank' wheely case. When working abroad now, I strip down the cameras and contents as far as I can, removing lenses I definitely won't use on the assignment to save weight in order to ensure the cameras remain with me in the cabin and at all times when travelling. Some budget airlines now induce a maximum cabin weight of 10 kg which is virtually impossible to adhere to. Sometimes I'll be travelling with a client or colleague and we'll split the gear up. Tripods go in cases in the hold but its increasingly difficult to use the budget airlines for this type of travel.
What is the most memorable assignment and what was the toughest?
My most memorable assignment was probably an incentive trip to Sorrento on the Amalfi coast in Italy. I took a junior photographer with me as it couldn't all be covered by one photographer. We visited Pompey and Naples but I mostly remember it for the day I had to send the other photographer on a trip to the island of Capri to cover an outdoor food tasting trip with spectacular views. I had to remain back at the hotel to do some executive group shots. I did however find the best ice cream parlour ever during a short break.
The toughest assignments are always the conferences whether in the UK or abroad. Conference photography involves photos of venue both exterior and interior, registration (usually from about 8.30 am), main plenary incorporating speakers, audience, unusual angles, wide shots, coffee breaks, lunch and food, breakout groups, team building activities, evening drinks reception filled by gala dinner until midnight or later. When abroad there are the trips to cover as well, which is where the travel photography comes in. Between one and four, seventeen hour days carrying 7 kg of cameras would not be uncommon.
My goals for the future would be to eventually retire from the conference photography. As you get older, the wear and tear on the body starts to make an impact and the physical attributes of the job make it more difficult. Ideally I would like to travel as I did last year to Thailand but in future with a single professional camera as opposed to the compact I did take with, documenting the life and capturing stunning views of the places I visit, adding high quality images to my e-commerce website.
You career had transition from film to digital. What is your opinion on it?
Initially for me it was a painful transition. In the 90s, I ran a fairly large commercial studio with in-house color processing. We used to charge our clients an hourly rate plus material expenses such as Polaroids, film and processing. I recognized that digital was going to be the way of the future and in 1994 we built our first website. Soon after we made quite an investment into a high end digital camera, software, external CD writers etc, the reliability of the hardware was appalling. With the cost of an external CD writer being about £450 and failing almost on a weekly basis, we found we were spending huge amounts on servicing contracts. The camera would limit us to shooting a 6×4 inch image at 300 ppi, interpolating the image up to 7×5 inch at 300 ppi. This was ok for most catalog photography but that was about it. There was a transition period where we would shoot bigger jobs on large format film and then have the transparencies scanned in by a repro house. We would then manipulate the scanned files in Photoshop. It did start to allow new forms of creativity and a new way of thinking about how we shoot, but at a huge cost to the profits.
What is your advice to amateur photographers who are just entering this industry? What are the biggest mistakes amateurs make?
The biggest mistakes amateurs make wanting to enter the industry is feeling having a DSLR is enough for capturing pretty high quality picture. Most cameras now can take a decent photo. They may even have a creative eye but what they don't have are the additional skills to portray the story the client wants to tell through the images. This takes years to understand and to learn how to extract the correct information from the client is not something not to be taken lightly. What you need to be able to do is to get into the mind of the client and try to imagine the story they are trying to portray through your photos. These people handling skills are acquired over years. The photos that a professional photographer takes must not only be competently good or eye catching, but must portray product, place, service or location in a way the client can use the images to their advantage. Too many people leave college or university with a degree or qualification and believe they are now 'a professional photographer', quoting ridiculously cheap rates to get their foot in door. This in turn, cheapens the whole value of professional photography. They should find out the average rate for a recognized professional photographer and base their charge not on an undercut price but on the merit and strength of their own work. This would help to keep photography recognized as a valid profession.
Let us talk more about travel now. What is your favorite destination to travel and what is your favorite destination to photograph?
I don't have a regular destination I travel to therefore there is no one favorite. I look for something different in each destination. I currently get the opportunity to obtain some spectacular and often very different views of London through my corporate work. I am looking to expand the landscape section of my online Wall Art collection and I intend to travel up to some of the more remote parts of Scotland where the light and scenery can be amazing. When travelling, all aspects of a country can interest me from the landscape to the inner-city and the people which I enjoy documenting. As the world is so varied, I would rarely travel back to the same destination.
My most memorable travel experience would probably have been in Thailand last year. My wife and I traveled through the country constantly for a couple of weeks, staying mainly in traditional Thai accommodation, trying much of the street food and meeting some wonderful people. Thailand is a photographers paradise – a blaze of color but it does also have as any country does, it's sadder tales. These are often told in the lines of the faces of those harboring those tales.
Do you like to travel alone or with your family or friends?
Every trip for me is different and I view each trip with a different hat. If the idea of the trip is to produce material for my online gallery, then undoubtedly I would rather travel on my own. I don't want to be tied to schedules involving other people or the distractions they bring. All trips cost and if I'm not utilizing my time to maximize my efforts, then it's a wasted trip.
I organised a secret trip to Prague with half a dozen friends for my wife's birthday a few years ago. I just took a compact and would never have considered taking any serious pictures on a trip like this. However, it was great fun. I enjoy travelling most of all with my wife as we enjoy similar things and I have to admit, I get lonely in the evenings when travelling on my own, but I'm also aware that my time taking serious high quality pictures on a professional camera is extremely limited when I'm with my wife as she has little patience for my photography.
Is there any place where you want to travel again and again?
The one country I feel I want to travel to again and again is Italy. There are so many aspects to this beautiful country, it's culture, art and food, and so many places within Italy I've not yet been to. As a country, I think Italy has a huge amount to offer. I've been lucky enough to travel to Italy with my work as a corporate events photographer and I would love to take my wife back to some of the areas I've had the good fortune to visit such as the Amalfi Coast.
The best thing for me is experiencing different cultures, people and food. Often architecture is a key interest for me as well as landscape that I can't see from my own from door.
Thank you Simon for your time, Good luck.
Thank you for the suggestion. We will improve the layout in the coming days.
We could certainly see your expertise in your writings. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren't afraid to mention how they believe. At all times go after your heart.


text:
`Bytefeld EPC` is an EPC [Electronic Product Code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Product_Code) Encoder/Decoder library written in C#, with support for .NET Framework 3.5 and .NET Standard 1.4

It aims to support the latest [EPC TAG Data Standard](http://www.gs1.org/gsmp/kc/epcglobal/tds/) with focus on id and tag uri handling.

## Install

```Powershell
Install-Package bytefeld.epc -Version 0.5.0-beta2
```

## Usage

Use the EpcTag class as an convenient entry point to the library.

Converting from binary tag into an EPC tag uri:

```csharp
string uri = EpcTag.FromBinary("302D28B329B0F6C000000001").ToString();
// uri is "epc:tag:sgtin-96:1.311112347.0987.1"
```

Converting from uri to binary representation:

```csharp
string tag = EpcTag.FromUri("epc:tag:sgtin-96:1.311112347.0987.1").ToBinary();
// tag is "302D28B329B0F6C000000001"
```

Accessing properties of a typed tag:

```csharp
var tag = EpcTag.FromBinary<Sgtin96>("302D28B329B0F6C000000001");
string customerPrefix = tag.CustomerPrefix;
```

## Supported Tags

The following tags are currently supported by Bytefeld EPC:

* SGTIN-96
* SGTIN-198
* SSCC-96

The following tags are currently not supported:

* SGLN-96
* GRAI-96
* GRAI-170
* GSRN-96
* GDTI-96
* GDTI-113
* GID-96
* DOD
* ADI

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


RBS Hong Kong branch acts as the hub for Royal Bank of Scotland's operations in Asia, offering finance, risk management and investment solutions to corporations, governments and financial institutions across the region.
A list of RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) branches SWIFT/BIC codes in Hong Kong. You can carry out transactions with one of the bank's branches using one of the following banking codes.


On JoCo Cruise Crazy 3, xkcd's Randall Munroe told us all about the ball pit in his apartment, and finished by telling us how much it would cost to fill the entire ship with playpen balls. Somebody in the audience asked if we could have a ball pit in the game room next year. Some time ago, the powers that be announced that there will indeed be a ball pit in an inner cabin on JoCo Cruise Crazy 4. Later it became clear that this was all just a ploy to help Paul and Storm fulfill Kickstarter rewards for their next album, Ball Pit, but I'm not complaining.
I've come to realise that this would not be a good idea to implement on JoCo Cruise Crazy 4. That is to say, it has the potential to be more awesome than we realised at the time, but it would considerably disrupt the programmed entertainment.
A few days ago, Randall made some calculations about the number of humans required to sustain a Tyrannosaurus rex. Apparently only half an adult a day. If there were a single T-rex on the cruise, then given the ratio of Sea Monkeys (JoCo Cruise Crazy attendees) to other passengers and crew, a Sea Monkey would have less chance of getting eaten by the King of the Tyrant Lizards than being chosen Monarch of the Seas.
However, assuming Randall was using short scales when he said 'six hundred billion calories', if the entire ship were filled to the top with meat, that would be enough to sustain a population of 2.5 million (2 500 000) T-Rexes for the duration of the cruise. And one of them would sleep in the meatball pit.
On a related note, since Randall expressed surprise at the size of elephants, it should be noted that a newborn elephant (or at least, the newborn Kai-Mook, which is my reference whenever I need to convert a measurement to newborn elephants) weighs only 80kg, or the same as Randall's/Ryan North's average human. So elephants grow from human-size to T-rex size. I'm not sure about T-Rex hatchlings, but one unsourced web page suggested they'd be the size of house cats. I bet the cute little raptorcats would be the darlings of the internet.
This entry was posted on January 11, 2014, 1:02 am and is filed under The Afterlife. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I've never had the time to clean it up and improve the interface so that it's good enough for people other than me to use, so for now you can't get it. If enough people ask, though, maybe I'll make it more of a priority.


Nationally recognized for excellence; serving 60,000 residents in Libertyville/Green Oaks, Vernon Hills, and neighborhoods in Mundelein and Lake Forest.
Fremont Library is a vital community resource. We offer books, e-books, audio-books, research materials, music, videos and more.
The Mundelein Vernon Hills Rotary strives to achieve its objective of ''Service Above Self'' through activities in five primary areas. These are often referred to as the Five Avenues of Service.


text:
NY Mets at Washington Nationals Baseball Preview
Written by Alex Murphy on May 6, 2015
MLB Betting News
The New York Mets have done a great job to this point in the season, and deservedly lead the NL East by 3.5 games, but they have to be hearing the footsteps from the Washington Nationals, who are now occupying second place. The Nats will play the final of a 3-game series against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday afternoon, and may even be in position to record a sweep, depending on how the second of the three games goes. Looking to cash in on the game? Then make sure to check out our MLB betting game preview below.
NY Mets at Washington Nationals Baseball Lines Preview & Game Info
Date: Wednesday, May 6th, 2015 Time: 1:05PM Venue: Nationals Park Opening line: Washington -200
Madison Bumgarner has some strong words on Max Scherzer & his suggested rule change. » http://t.co/Bd0CN2eJoY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 28, 2015
It took the entire month of April to shake the cobwebs loose, but it now appears that the real Washington Nationals (13-14) are starting to show up. The starting rotation is finally firing on all cylinders, allowing the Nats to win 6 of their last 7 games. They have hauled themselves right back into contention by winning consecutive series against division rivals. They started out by taking 2 of 3 from the Braves before following that up with 3 of 4 against the Mets. The hot streak continued with a 6-4 win over the Marlins in the opening game of this series on Monday. Max Scherzer (1-3, 1.26 ERA) will get the start for the Nationals, and will hope to finally start getting the W's that his solid pitching efforts have warranted. There was no team hotter than the Miami Marlins (12-14) a couple of games back, as they were on a stretch where they won 9 of 10 games. The wheels have come off a little, and they have now lost 2 straight. They looked as though they had Game 1 of this series in the bag, as they sent ace closer Bryan Morris to the mound with a 4-2 lead. Morris took the loss while recording his first blown save of the season, which had to be a bitter pill to swallow for this Marlins squad. Miami will be looking to get back to the form that allowed them to sweep the Nationals in their last meeting, and they will send Tom Koehler (2-2, 4.67 ERA) to the mound as they try to get the win on Wednesday. Koehler only managed 5 innings in a no decision last time out, but he did pitch a gem in the outing before that one.
Key Online Betting Trends
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games at home Washington is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing Miami Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Miami Miami is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games Miami is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games on the road Miami is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Washington Miami is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Consider This Before Placing Your Bets
Max Scherzer has been the most consistent guy for the Nationals all season, no matter what his win/loss record says. I'm looking for him to pitch another beauty here en route to his second win of the season.
Pirates vs Cardinals MLB Lines, Game Info & Betting Pick
2019 MLB AL Pennant Odds and Predictions for Second Half
Diamondbacks vs Rangers MLB Week 16 Odds & Game Preview
Dodgers vs Phillies MLB Betting Lines & Prediction
Reds vs Cubs MLB Odds, Preview & Expert Pick
How to Bet Braves vs Brewers MLB Spread & Expert Pick
Rays vs Yankees MLB Odds, Preview & Prediction
Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – July 15th Edition
Braves vs Padres MLB Odds & Expert Analysis
White Sox vs Athletics MLB Week 15 Lines & Expert Pick
Reds vs Rockies MLB Odds, Game Info & Prediction
Diamondbacks vs Cardinals MLB Spread & Prediction
Dodgers vs Red Sox MLB Lines & Game Preview
Twins vs Indians MLB Odds, Preview & Expert Pick
Blue Jays vs Yankees MLB Odds & Expert Pick for Friday Night

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Wait, Wasn't Bain Supposed To Be Off-Limits?
Well, apparently not every real reporter in the country was ready to take as final the word of a Davos-haunting ex-president and the mayor of the 68th biggest city in the country. Today's Boston Globe report documenting that Romney's executive role at Bain continued three years beyond his alleged departure point in 1999, which builds on earlier reporting along these lines, is damaging for any number of reasons. It again calls into question the credibility of a candidate who has been playing hide the ball with his tax records; it opens up Romney to criticism over post-1999 actions by Bain that he had previously claimed no hand in; and it reminds voters of what was really involved in Romney's outsized success—in his own telling, he made a $100,000 annual salary after 1999, on top of his much larger cut from Bain gains, for doing no actual work for the firm. Already, there are rumblings about whether Romney violated federal law by having declared on disclosure forms that he had nothing to do with Bain between 1999 and 2002, in contradiction of the SEC filings.
But it's also worth stepping back for a moment to consider the Bain story from a higher vantage. Just a few weeks ago, there was a growing sense amid the East Coast's Very Serious People that there was nothing more to be said about Bain, that any further attempts to attack Romney over his role there were somehow played-out and, even worse, undignified. That the Obama team was engaging in tacky populism by trying to keep the subject alive. But Chicago stuck to its guns. It was a decision that was anything but a sure thing—after all, there had been many times in recent years when the Obama team shrank from the more populist, harder-edged course, swayed by the murmurings of caution from the Tim Geithners in its ranks. In this instance, though, another instinct won out, a Middle American gut sense that the Bain attacks might yet have more resonance in Dayton and Danville than they had in D.C. In hindsight, it seems like a no-brainer—polling shows the Bain attacks having a clear impact in the swing states where they've been focused, and Romney's now in serious hot water about the latest revelations (despite mystifying attempts by some fact-checkers to undercut the solid reporting of their own colleagues.) But it might easily not have turned out this way, had Chicago accepted the Beltway declaration that the fork had been stuck. A sign, perhaps, of the wisdom of the campaign's having set up shop on the shores of Lake Michigan, far from the 100-degree echo chamber on the Potomac.


text:
Dan Andersen (født 4. september 1979 i Albertslund) er en dansk stand-up komiker og musiker, som er kendt for sit show Dan Andersens Guitarshow. Dan Andersen har bl.a. medvirket i Stand-up.dk, Talegaver til børn og Comedy Aid.

Han har optrådt til private såvel som offentlige arrangementer siden 1997. I 2007 turnerede han med sit one-man show Holder 100, som efterfølgende blev udgivet på DVD under navnet Extravaganza.

Han har medvirket i flere episoder af 4-stjerners Middag i 2010-2011. Sammen med Morten Routh har han lavet podcasten Fjernsyn for mig, hvor de to værter anmelder flow-tv. Han har også været gæst i flere episoder af podcasten Dårligdommerne, der anmelder spillefilm, og i foråret 2019 fik han en fast plads, da en af medlemmerne var på barsel.

Sammen med komikerne Michael Schøt, Thomas Hartmann, Torben Chris, Anders Fjelsted og Martin Bo Andersen købte han Comedy Zoo i København af bookingbureauet FBI.

One-man shows
 Holder 100 (2007)
 Dan Andersen På Vippen (2019)

Referencer

Eksterne henvisninger

Komikere fra Danmark
Standupkomikere fra Danmark
Guitarister fra Danmark
Personer fra Albertslund

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
6 minute read 25 Feb 2020
Beyond Brexit: 'Levelling up' the UK
By Mark Gregory
Former EY UK Chief Economist
Committed to using economics to drive informed decision-making in the public and private sectors. Helping rebalance the UK economy. LinkedIn Top Voice. Sports mad. Loyal supporter of Stoke City FC.
Related topics Growth Workforce Attractiveness
Our latest Regional Economic Forecast reveals the UK economy is expected to strengthen over the coming months but the geographic imbalances between the North and South of England will widen over the next three years unless a new approach to policy is adopted.
The forecast for England's regions, cities and towns warns that imbalances in growth between different places within regions will also continue to increase, with larger cities pulling further away from towns and other smaller neighbours. Gross Value Added (GVA) in the largest cities in England is expected to grow at 2.2% annually on average compared to growth of 1.6% for towns.
Download the report: EY UK Regional Economic Forecast (PDF)
Download: The economic performance of English regions, cities and towns (interactive PDF)
If you are having any issues viewing the interactive PDF please contact us
Register to listen to our on-demand webcast.
Mark Gregory shares the key findings from the regional economic forecast:
Mark Gregory shares our policy recommendations for driving balanced economic growth:
Once more into the breach …
No-one should be in any doubt about how challenging 'levelling up' the UK economy will be. Despite the launch of at least 40 geographic policy initiatives over the last five decades, the UK remains one of the most regionally unbalanced developed economies. There are no easy solutions.
Our analysis of growth in GVA in England between 1997 and 2019, covering 13 years of Labour government and a decade of Conservative-led administrations, illustrates the scale of the task. Change of government had no discernible impact on outcomes — the share of the UK economy accounted for by the four most southerly regions increased from 60% to 63% in this period and every region except London experienced a fall in its share of total English GVA. In those 22 years, London's economy grew by 3.2% each year on average compared to the growth of 2.1% each year on average achieved by the English cities in our leading cities group. The growth in the towns and communities in England of 1.8% was significantly lower than the rate achieved in the leading cities and 56% of the rate of growth in London. Even this figure hides further disparities. Growth during the period was 1.4% on average in the towns of the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, less than half the level achieved by London.
… swimming against the tide
And things are not going to become easier. Our latest forecast shows that the trend for the leading cities to grow faster than towns and for the South to outpace the North is set to continue with the current policy programmes. Applying the EY ITEM Club forecast to England's regions, we expect that the gap between the North and South will widen over the next three years with London, the South East and the East of England being the three fastest-growing regions, while the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West will be the slowest-growing locations.
The leading cities will outperform their regions in economic growth terms right across England and in no region will towns grow faster in aggregate than the region as a whole. GVA in the leading cities in England will grow at 2.2% annually on average up to 2023 compared to growth of 1.6% for towns. We expect the gap in growth between the leading cities and towns will be most marked in the East Midlands, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West.
The story on forecast employment growth is very similar. Employment will grow in our leading cities at 1% annually, 50% faster than the 0.5% growth forecast in towns. In every region the growth in employment will be highest in the largest cities and lower than the regional average in the towns. The West Midlands, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, the areas expected to be the focus for 'levelling up', will be the regions with the slowest-growing labour markets. The risk for 'levelling up' is clear - if there are more opportunities in cities and the temptation for people to either move or commute to pursue these opportunities will be strong, potentially weakening town economies.
Leading cities GVA growth in 2020-23
Leading cities will continue to outperform with Gross Value Added (GVA) expected to grow 2.2% annually on average compared to growth of 1.5% for towns
Recent city-centric initiatives such as the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine have been successful in boosting the economic performance of some locations, but the impact has not been felt across the whole country. If we are to succeed in 'levelling up' the economy, a more radical and segmented approach is now urgently required.
While the EY ITEM Club expects some positive momentum to build in the economy, specific factors risk limiting growth in the parts of the country that are priorities for policy. The future trading arrangements with the EU appear likely to mean more friction at customs and this, together with the general slowdown in trade, is likely to hit manufacturing — the sector disproportionately important to many towns in the North and Midlands — relatively hard. These areas also rely relatively more than those in other regions on public expenditure and are therefore still adjusting to lower levels of public spending resulting from austerity measures. Future policy will need to be sufficiently powerful to overcome these headwinds.
An agenda for change
Economic history leaves us in no doubt that if we are to succeed in 'levelling up' the UK economy, a different and more radical approach is required. In this report we assume that the objective of 'levelling up' is to improve economic and social conditions right across the country, but with a focus on the places in the North and Midlands that have grown more slowly than the national average for a long period of time.
Start by putting 'levelling up' at the centre of policymaking
Regional policy in the UK has typically been pursued as a distinct strand of activity outside of the mainstream of overall Government policy. This has meant that policies in other areas have often conflicted with geographic initiatives. To create the best possible opportunity to succeed in 'levelling up', it must be located at the centre of Government to allow policies across the whole of Government to be evaluated for their potential impact on place.
Develop policies for 'place' from the bottom up
There is a need to find the correct balance between achieving the benefits of scale and scope while reflecting local circumstances. This requires a different process to the top-down nature of policy historically. The starting point should be the analysis of local economic circumstances together with meaningful engagement with the local community to set direction. These bottom-up assessments will be used to develop a national strategy for 'levelling up' that is based on local strategies, rather than one that is handed down from the centre.
The geographic imbalances in the UK are long-standing and it's clear that there is no silver bullet or easy solution. This will take concerted and integrated policy thinking by government, as well as business, academia, and other stakeholders.
Debbie O'Hanlon
UK&I Private Leader, Ernst & Young LLP
Flex the approach
One of the clearest lessons from attempts at rebalancing over the last 30 years is that there is no single model applicable to all circumstances. We need to recognise that a variety of approaches will be required, and these should be used to provide the structure for aggregating local plans up to the national level via whatever intermediate stages are necessary for individual places.
Seeking to maximise the benefits of agglomeration has been a central feature of recent policies. The benefits of agglomeration are well known, and policy should continue to seek to maximise these while recognising the need to use a wider range of approaches. This may mean that strategies are developed that are based on the sector strengths of places, or the potential to strengthen clusters across a set of places, or tailored approaches to address the specific challenges of coastal towns.
Align initiatives to need
By working from the bottom up, it will be possible to identify the gaps that exist in areas such as infrastructure, skills, housing and also resources, at a more disaggregate level. The aggregated analysis of local plans will provide the basis for resource allocation decisions. The starting point should be a presumption in favour of allocating a greater share of resources on the basis of local decision-making rather than large scale top-down schemes.
One of the big challenges is that the imbalances in growth are partly the result of sector dominance in certain regions and are therefore partly structural. Future policy will need to be sufficiently powerful to overcome these headwinds.
Tilt the playing field
The recent initiatives to improve geographic economic balance in the UK have been successful in boosting performance in some locations but have not affected performance significantly across the country, especially in some of the places with the lowest economic growth rates. If we are serious about improving growth rates more widely then more targeted intervention might be required. Our sector forecasts show the public sector, manufacturing and technology sectors are the most important for rebalancing. First, the Government needs to ensure that public spending plans do not unduly impact the places facing the most challenging economic conditions.
Second, the Industrial Strategy has the potential to support targeted initiatives. As EY's research on foreign direct investment (FDI) with the Centre For Towns demonstrated, compared to services sector projects, significant manufacturing investment does flow to a wider range of places. Extending the Industrial Strategy to drive manufacturing activity at a local level, offers the potential to boost growth in a wide range of places.
Third, manufacturing cannot single-handedly drive nationwide geographic rebalancing. The technology sector is fast growing and concentrated in the South of England. For a sector that has the potential to operate virtually, and across geographic boundaries, there does appear to be potential to use technology to drive greater geographic balance. A faster roll-out of high-speed fibre would be a key prerequisite but this strategy would need to be broader and include skills development, support for training, and applications development that enable people to work virtually.
Leading cities will continue to outperform with GVA expected to grow 2.2% annually on average, compared to growth of 1.6% for towns. Large city employment will grow twice as fast than in towns
EY report calls for 'levelling up' to be front and centre of policymaking, with five key recommendations


text:
Q: Kcheckpass errors? Running Fedora 33 with Plasma. I've noticed these repeating errors in journalctl for yesterday.
Mar 11 16:11:43 lap.localdomain kcheckpass[159270]: pam_unix(kde:auth): auth could not identify password for [name]
Mar 11 16:11:43 lap.localdomain kcheckpass[159270]: pam_unix(kde:auth): conversation failed

If i lock the laptop now though, then unlock, these errors are not repeated today.
Any ideas please on what they maybe caused by?
Thanks

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Another successful night back on Thursday with 4 new species for garden. That means that since the 17th of August I have managed to trap 76 Macro species and 54 Micro species, making a grand total of 130! and very pleasing so far.
Best moth of the night was a single Mallow. With unsettled weather at the weekend I decided to have a break from trapping.


text:
Will Idaho State House Continue Stance Against the Gas Tax Increase?
Nathan Pick
Past: On January 12, 2009, Governor Otter of Idaho gave a State of the State Address proposing a 7 percent cut in the budget, a commendable effort in the tough economic times we are in. He stated in his speech, "Idaho taxpayers are struggling," which should have been viewed as an opportunity to cut taxes.
Rather, in the same speech, he went on to talk about a transportation plan that included tax hikes. The tax increases included in his plan were:
-a tax hike of $17.6 million in the first year of the gas tax proposal, that would eventually be $88 million after 5 years.
-a hike in the registration tax (fee) for vehicles designed to raise $15 million in the first full year of implementation that would raise up to $51 million after 5 years.
-and a tax of 6% on rental cars.
See ATR's February 11th Letter to Governor Otter.
Presently: The Idaho House of Representatives have been slaying these tax increases and we hope that they will keep it up. On Thursday they will have an opportunity to kill a 2 cent per gallon gas tax increase with an estimated $17.6 million that would be taken from taxpayers. So far the House has killed the 6% rental car tax and the gas tax (which we see resurfacing). We ask that the Idaho House again opposes these tax increases and votes not on House Bill 135 on Thursday.
Click to see ATR's Legislative Alert: Opposition to any Gas Tax Hikes
In Idaho and elsewhere, if transportation is going to be a priority, then it needs to be treated like one. Taxpayers will be better off if states pay for their priorties (i.e. transportation) first and pay for other financial obligations as they fall in line according to their importance. The Governor needs to look at finding money in other areas of the budget to pay transportation costs instead of seeking additional revenue from from the taxpayers.
In addition to handling priorities first, Idaho needs to adopt transparency in government spending. With such a website, taxpayers would be able to see where their transportation tax dollars are currently being spent. There was a bill this year sponsored by Rep. Hart that would have laid the groundwork for spending transparency, but was killed in the House. If made law, transparency fully developed would make available online where the transportation and education dollars of the state are spent and may ultimately find realized savings for the state (in Texas, savings has been found throught their online searchable spending website). For more information on Idaho's spending transparency efforts click here. You can also find comments concerning transperency from the Idaho Statesman here.


text:
RBG on Confederate Flag Case: "It would have been terrible if the court came out the other way"
Jess Bravin asked Justice Ginsburg about Walker v. Texas Sons of Confederate Veterans. Her response:
"It would have been terrible if the court came out the other way," Justice Ginsburg said.
Let's make no mistake what was driving her opinion in that case. It certainly wasn't the scope of government speech. I can't imagine a decision about government speech being "terrible" one way or the other, no more than the sign case (Reed v. Gilbert) was terrible. The motivation for this decision by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and the five Justices in the majority, was to stop speech that would offend–the very speech entitled to the greatest protections. Look no further than the Washington Redskins decision from earlier this week, which relied on Walker.
My working thesis is that Justice Scalia lost the majority opinion when Thomas flipped. I can't fathom why Thomas would assign the majority opinion to Breyer. Couldn't he, for once, command a 5-4 majority for a First Amendment Opinion?


text:
#include <assert.h>
#include <jni.h>
#include <QPainter>
#include <QBrush>
#include <QLinearGradient>
#include <QPen>
#include <QPaintDevice>
#include <QPainterPath>
#include <QImage>
#include <QColor>
#include <gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics.h>
#include "nativewrapper.h"
#include "qtimage.h"
#include "qtstrings.h"
#include "qtcomponent.h"
#include "qtgraphics.h"
#include "qtfont.h"

// Constants from java.awt.AlphaComposite
#define CLEAR     1
#define SRC       2
#define DST       9
#define SRC_OVER  3
#define DST_OVER  4
#define SRC_IN    5
#define DST_IN    6
#define SRC_OUT   7
#define DST_OUT   8
#define SRC_ATOP  10
#define DST_ATOP  11
#define XOR       12

GraphicsPainter *getPainter( JNIEnv *env, jobject obj )
{
  jclass cls = env->GetObjectClass( obj );
  jfieldID field = env->GetFieldID( cls, "nativeObject", "J" );
  return (GraphicsPainter *)env->GetLongField( obj, field );
}

static void setNativePtr( JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, void *value )
{
  jlong longValue = (jlong) value;
  jclass cls = env->GetObjectClass( obj );
  jfieldID field = env->GetFieldID( cls, "nativeObject", "J" );
  env->SetLongField( obj, field, longValue );
}

static jobject getToolkit( JNIEnv *env, jobject obj )
{
  jclass cls = env->FindClass( "gnu/java/awt/peer/qt/QtGraphics" );

  jfieldID field = env->GetFieldID( cls, "toolkit",
				    "Lgnu/java/awt/peer/qt/QtToolkit;" );
  return env->GetObjectField( obj, field );
}

///////////////////////// JNI methods ////////////////////////////////

/**
 * Clones the parent QPainter object.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_cloneNativeContext
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject parent)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = (GraphicsPainter *)getPainter( env, parent );
  assert( painter );
  QPainter *newPainter = new GraphicsPainter( painter->device() );
  assert( newPainter );
  setNativePtr(env, obj, newPainter);
}

/*
 * Start of JNI methods
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_initImage
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject image)
{
  QImage *im = getQtImage( env, image );
  assert( im );
  QPainter *painter = new GraphicsPainter( im );
  assert( painter );
  setNativePtr(env, obj, painter);
  painter->setRenderHint(QPainter::TextAntialiasing);
  painter->setRenderHint(QPainter::Antialiasing);
  painter->setRenderHint(QPainter::SmoothPixmapTransform);
}

/*
 * Start of JNI methods
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_initVolatileImage
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject image)
{
  QPixmap *im = getQtVolatileImage( env, image );
  assert( im );
  QPainter *painter = new GraphicsPainter( im );
  assert( painter );
  setNativePtr(env, obj, painter);
  painter->setRenderHint(QPainter::TextAntialiasing);
  painter->setRenderHint(QPainter::Antialiasing);
  painter->setRenderHint(QPainter::SmoothPixmapTransform);
}

/**
 * Deletes the QPainter
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_delete
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = (GraphicsPainter *)getPainter( env, obj );
  setNativePtr( env, obj, NULL );
  if( painter )
    {
      if( painter->isActive() )
 	painter->end();
      delete painter;
    }
}

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/*
 * Sets the clip to a path.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setClipNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject path)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QPainterPath *pp = (QPainterPath *)getNativeObject( env, path );
  assert( pp );
  painter->setClipPath( *pp );
}

/*
 * Sets the clip to a rectangle.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setClipRectNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jint x, jint y, jint w, jint h)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  painter->setClipRect( x, y, w, h );
}

/*
 * Intersects a shape with the current clip.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_intersectClipNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject path)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QPainterPath *pp = (QPainterPath *)getNativeObject( env, path );
  assert( pp );
  painter->setClipPath( *pp, Qt::IntersectClip );
}

/*
 * Intersect a rectangle with the current clip.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_intersectClipRectNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jint x, jint y, jint w, jint h)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  painter->setClipRect( x, y, w, h, Qt::IntersectClip );
}

/*
 * Returns a QPainterPath object with the clip path of this painter.
 */
JNIEXPORT jobject JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_getClipNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  jclass cls = env->FindClass("gnu/java/awt/peer/qt/QPainterPath");
  jmethodID method = env->GetMethodID(cls, "<init>", "()V");

  jobject ppo = env->NewObject(cls, method);
  QPainterPath qpp = painter->clipPath();
  setNativeObject(env, ppo, &qpp);

  env->DeleteLocalRef( cls );
  return ppo;
}

/*
 * Returns a Rectangle with the bounds of this painters clip path.
 */
JNIEXPORT jobject JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_getClipBounds
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  qreal x, y, w, h;
  painter->clipPath().boundingRect().getRect(&x, &y, &w, &h);

  jclass cls = env->FindClass("java/awt/Rectangle");
  assert( cls != NULL);
  jmethodID mid = env->GetMethodID(cls, "<init>", "(IIII)V");
  assert( mid != NULL);
  jvalue values[4];

  values[0].i = (jint) x;
  values[1].i = (jint) y;
  values[2].i = (jint) w;
  values[3].i = (jint) h;

  return env->NewObjectA(cls, mid, values);
}

///////////////////////// Color stuff ////////////////////////
/**
 *
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setColor
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jint r, jint g, jint b, jint alpha)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = (GraphicsPainter *)getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  painter->currentPen->setColor( QColor(r, g, b, alpha) );
  painter->setPen( *painter->currentPen );
  painter->currentBrush = new QBrush( QColor(r, g, b, alpha) );
  painter->setBrush( *painter->currentBrush );
  painter->currentColor = new QColor(r, g, b, alpha);
}

JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setAlphaNative
  (JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jdouble alpha)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = (GraphicsPainter *)getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );

  QColor c = painter->currentPen->color();
  c.setAlphaF( (qreal)alpha );
  painter->currentPen->setColor(c);

  c = painter->currentBrush->color();
  c.setAlphaF( (qreal)alpha );
  painter->currentBrush->setColor( c );
}

/*
 * Class:     gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics
 * Method:    drawNative
 * Signature: (Lgnu/java/awt/peer/qt/QPainterPath;)V
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_drawNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject path)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = (GraphicsPainter *)getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QPainterPath *pp = (QPainterPath *)getNativeObject( env, path );
  assert( pp );
  painter->setPen( *painter->currentPen );
  painter->setBrush( Qt::NoBrush );
  painter->drawPath( *pp );
}

/*
 * Class:     gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics
 * Method:    fillNative
 * Signature: (Lgnu/java/awt/peer/qt/QPainterPath;)V
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_fillNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject path)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = (GraphicsPainter *)getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QPainterPath *pp = (QPainterPath *)getNativeObject( env, path );
  assert( pp );

  painter->setPen(Qt::NoPen);
  painter->setBrush( *painter->currentBrush );
  painter->drawPath( *pp );
}

/**
 * Draws a string.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_drawStringNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jstring str, jdouble x, jdouble y)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QString *qStr = getQString(env, str);
  painter->setBrush( Qt::NoBrush );
  painter->setPen( *painter->currentPen );
  painter->drawText(QPointF( (qreal)x, (qreal)y ), *qStr);
  delete qStr;
}

/*
 * Sets the native stroke
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setNativeStroke
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject stroke)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = (GraphicsPainter *)getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QPen *pen = (QPen *)getNativeObject(env, stroke);
  assert( pen );
  painter->currentPen = new QPen( *pen );
  painter->setPen( *painter->currentPen );
}

/*
 * Sets the transform
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setQtTransform
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject matrix)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QMatrix *m = (QMatrix *)getNativeObject( env, matrix );
  assert( m );
  painter->setMatrix( *m );
}

/**
 * Set the font
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setFontNative
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jobject fontpeer)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QFont *font = (QFont *) getFont( env, fontpeer );
  assert( font );
  painter->setFont( *font );
}

/*
 * Sets Porter-Duff compositing.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setNativeComposite
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jint compositeMode)
{
  QPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QPainter::CompositionMode mode;

  switch( compositeMode )
    {
    case CLEAR:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_Clear;
      break;
    case SRC:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_Source;
      break;
    case DST:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_Destination;
      break;
    case SRC_OVER:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_SourceOver;
      break;
    case DST_OVER:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_DestinationOver;
      break;
    case SRC_IN:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_SourceIn;
      break;
    case DST_IN:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_DestinationIn;
      break;
    case SRC_OUT:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_SourceOut;
      break;
    case DST_OUT:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_DestinationOut;
      break;
    case SRC_ATOP:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_SourceAtop;
      break;
    case DST_ATOP:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_DestinationAtop;
      break;
    case XOR:
      mode = QPainter::CompositionMode_Xor;
      break;
    }
  painter->setCompositionMode( mode );
}

/**
 * Sets the current brush to a linear gradient.
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_setLinearGradient
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jint r1, jint g1, jint b1, jint r2, jint g2,
jint b2, jdouble x1, jdouble y1, jdouble x2, jdouble y2, jboolean cyclic)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  QLinearGradient *lg = new QLinearGradient(QPointF( (qreal)x1, (qreal)y1 ),
					    QPointF( (qreal)x2, (qreal)y2 ) );
  lg->setColorAt( (qreal)0.0, QColor(r1, g1, b1) );
  lg->setColorAt( (qreal)1.0, QColor(r2, g2, b2) );
  if( cyclic == JNI_TRUE )
    lg->setSpread( QGradient::ReflectSpread );
  else
    lg->setSpread( QGradient::PadSpread );
  painter->currentBrush = new QBrush( *lg );
  delete lg;
}

/*
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_fill3DRect
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jint x, jint y, jint w, jint h, jboolean raised)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  // FIXME: Adjust colors
  painter->fillRect ( x, y, w, h, QBrush( *painter->currentColor) );
  QPen *p = new QPen( *painter->currentColor );
  p->setWidth( 1 );
  painter->setPen( *p );
  painter->drawLine( x + w, y, x + w, y + h);
  painter->drawLine( x, y + h, x + w, y + h);
}

/*
 */
JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_gnu_java_awt_peer_qt_QtGraphics_draw3DRect
(JNIEnv *env, jobject obj, jint x, jint y, jint w, jint h, jboolean raised)
{
  GraphicsPainter *painter = getPainter( env, obj );
  assert( painter );
  // FIXME: Adjust colors
  QPen *p = new QPen( *painter->currentColor );
  p->setWidth( 1 );
  painter->setPen( *p );
  painter->drawLine( x, y, x + w, y );
  painter->drawLine( x, y, x, y + h);
  painter->drawLine( x + w, y, x + w, y + h);
  painter->drawLine( x, y + h, x + w, y + h);
}


Although it can be very exciting, looking for a new home eats up a lot of time and losing the property you have set your heart on can be very disappointing indeed. There are a number of things as a potential tenant that you can do to speed up the process and increase the chances of things going through without a hitch.
At Robert Luff & Co, we suggest starting to look for a property around two months before you have to move, but by that we mean we search in market, getting on to the right mailing lists, and finding the right websites for you. This could be Rightmove, OnTheMarket, Gumtree, etc.
Do your research for a few weeks before you start looking in earnest, which we suggest doing around four weeks before your moving deadline.
When you find a property, the landlord or agent is going to want to know you'll be a good tenant and they do this by checking your credit rating and speaking to referees. You can check out your credit rating for free on websites such as noddle.co.uk to make sure that there are no skeletons in the cupboard you weren't aware of.
Decide who you will use for references.
This should be employer, previous employer, landlord, family friend with a business of some kind, accountant, solicitor,etc. Have a word with them in advance to check if they would be happy to provide a reference if requested.
You'll likely need a month's rent in advance, a similar amount for deposit, and some ready funds for any agency fees (these were going to be banned at the end of 2017, but at the time of writing, this has not yet happened). You'll also need to consider money you'll need for removals, time of work, new furniture, etc.
If you are renting at £750 per month, we suggest having at least £2,000 available although this can vary depending on the quality of references.
The letting market is still very busy. So, as soon as you see the right property, you need to reserve it as quick as you can. Without rushing the decision, speak to the agent as soon as you're ready and be prepared to fill in the application forms and hand over any admin fee which will likely be non-returnable.
As you will have already arranged your references and you know the score with your credit check, things should go through quite smoothly from here. Now, all you have to worry about is carrying all of the heavy furniture into your new home!


text:
Anti-CAB stir: 2 die in police firing in Guwahati; DGP's car attacked
Guwahati: Assam, the hotbed of anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Bill protests, was on edge on Thursday as thousands of angry protesters came out on streets defying curfew, thumbing their nose at Army contingents staging flag marches, and clashing with police across cities.
At least two persons died due to bullet injuries on Thursday after police opened fire on protesters in Assam's Guwahati, officials said.
An official of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital said that one person was 'brought dead' and another succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.
The official, however, could not give their names, saying that 'they were brought unidentified'.
Guwahati resembled a garrison town with Army, paramilitary and state police personnel stationed in every nook and corner, watching helplessly, as frenzied mobs blocked roads with burning discarded tyres and menaced commuters by bludgeoning their vehicles with sticks and stones.
Stones were also thrown at Assam Police chief Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta's convoy when he was touring Guwahati.
The cavalcade of the director general of police was on the Guwahati-Shillong Road near Christian Basti where it was attacked.
Stones were thrown at several vehicles in the convoy that was on its way from the Secretariat.
The convoy had to stop several times as the entire stretch was blocked by protesters who put up wooden structures and iron barricades.
When the vehicles stopped in the Christian Basti area and security personnels were clearing the road, some protesters threw stones.
No one was hurt and no damage occurred.
The Director General of Police appealed to people to exercise restraint and not to take the law into their hands.
He also urged to the electronic media not to show provocative visuals or reports.
He said that many 'lumpen elements' and people with political connections are trying to foment disturbances in the state, where the army has been called in three districts besides the state capital.
Anti-CAB stir
Bhopal/ Mixed impact of Bharat Bandh against CAA-NRC in Madhya Pradesh


text:
Paul Robinson has stated that Wayne Rooney is one of the best players
Former Tottenham and England number one goalkeeper Paul Robinson has stated that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is one of the best players he has played with.
The former England number one was recently named as best team. This included a number of past and present players.
Among them was Tottenham defender Ledley King, who is now an ambassador at the London outfit. King had to retire very early from the game due to mounting injury problems.
Read more about Paul Robinson has stated that Wayne Rooney is one of the best players
Liverpool performed a major U-turn
Liverpool performed a major U-turn after offering defender Kolo Toure a one-year contract extension with just weeks left before his previous deal expired.
It was largely thought thatToure will be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer. Liverpool were already losing top names like Steven Gerrard through this way, butToure was considered expendable a few months ago. This appears to have changed immensely following a sharp upturn inform from the Ivory Coast international. The former Manchester City and Arsenal defender was expected to provide experience to the Liverpool team.
Read more about Liverpool performed a major U-turn
Kolo Toure is believed to be on the verge of an exit
Liverpool defender Kolo Toure is believed to be on the verge of an exit from the Premier League outfit after several clubs – especially from the MLS – have been in talks with him over the last few weeks.
The defender is out of contract at the end of the campaign and it is looking highly unlikely that Liverpool will offer him a new deal at this stage in his career. The 34-year-old has been a bit part player under Brendan Rodgers. He was signed on a free transfer from Manchester City and Liverpool will not be feeling any regrets about letting him leave in a similar fashion.
Read more about Kolo Toure is believed to be on the verge of an exit
Kolo Toure with Liverpool will end his Time soon
Kolo Toure's time at Liverpool may be coming to an end at the end of this campaign after the defender suggested that he could be looking at the managerial career in the near future.
The former Arsenal and Manchester City defender is out of contract at the end of the season. However, it is understood that he has been offered only a 12 month extension whereas the player is looking for a two year deal. Toure was on the verge of leaving for a Turkish club in the summer after falling out with Brendan Rodgers in the second half of last season.
Read more about Kolo Toure with Liverpool will end his Time soon
Kolo Toure looking to get good Result against Chelsea
After a magical individual performance against Real Madrid, Liverpool defender Kolo Toure is hoping to achieve a positive result against Chelsea during the weekend.
Liverpool have now lost back-to-back matches in different competitions, but they go into the game against table leaders Chelsea with freshness across the pitch. Manager Brendan Rodgers to the strange decision of fielding a second string team against Madrid despite having a chance to qualify for the last 16 stage.
Read more about Kolo Toure looking to get good Result against Chelsea
Kolo Toure emerges to be a fine Starter
Liverpool were given no hope in their Champions League match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernebeu especially given that they had lost heavily to the same opponents a week ago.
Read more about Kolo Toure emerges to be a fine Starter
Kolo Toure Confirms Stay At Liverpool
Kolo Toure has confirmed that he is set to stay at Liverpool in the coming campaign after rejecting the offer of joining Turkish club Trabzonspor. The former Arsenal and Manchester City defender is one of the experienced players in the squad. He has also lifted the league title with two different teams. Despite this, there have been transfer rumours linking Toure with a move away from Anfield. The 33-year-old came to Anfield only last summer on a free transfer from City. He almost became the first player to win the Premier league with three different teams, as Liverpool finished second.
Read more about Kolo Toure Confirms Stay At Liverpool
Wootton and Mowatt Sitting Out Preseason
The Leeds United squad would make its way to Italy for playing the pre season games without two of the prominent players i.e. Scott Wootton and Alex Mowatt. The manager of the team, David Hockaday, made that announcement yesterday.
The Whites are supposed to play a couple of matches in Italy.
Talking to the reporters a day before taking the flight to Italy, Hockaday said, "Almost, the entire squad is going to go except the two blokes who have minor fitness issues. I expect them to be alright in a few days' time."
Read more about Wootton and Mowatt Sitting Out Preseason
Kolo and Yaya Confirmed To Stay with Ivory Coast Despite Loss
Preparations for Ivory Coast's upcoming match against Greece where it by the news that Yaya Touré and Kolo Toure have lost their younger brother Ibrahim Toure at the age of 28. Both the Touré brothers are influential to the Ivory Coast team, but this news has left the preparations in tatters. It is understood that Ibrahim was suffering from cancer for a few years. He was also a footballer, but played in lesser-known leagues. It was not known whether Kolo Toure and Yaya Touré will be departing the World Cup 2014 in order to participate in the final duties.
Read more about Kolo and Yaya Confirmed To Stay with Ivory Coast Despite Loss
Kolo Toure Fails to Make History
Kolo Toure failure to create history by becoming the first player to win the Premier league title with three different teams after his Liverpool lost out to Manchester City in this year's competition. Toure went into the final game of the season against Newcastle with an opportunity to win the league title with Liverpool. He has already lifted the league title with Arsenal and Manchester city in the past. After having joined Liverpool only in the summer on a free transfer, the title would have been a crowning glory to the season.
Read more about Kolo Toure Fails to Make History


Really nice and lovely game for young and old players! Not to easy, not to hard, i think. Great work, Richard!
spider-j: Yes that 2nd level tune is the only cover. (tune #3 in SID).
Thought it would fit nicely.
Started on that tune already in '92. Finished this year.
I hope others will like the music too?
I tested this a little when Prime Suspect was still coding the game in its early stages. Has that oldskool feeling for us retro lovers out there.
Gets really nice once you understand what you're allowed to touch and what not.
Good oldschool arcade style game!
My contribution to the 16KB cartridge competition.


text:
Former Youtube star Austin Jones has been sentenced to ten years in a US federal prison after pleading guilty to persuading underage girls to send him explicit videos of themselves.
Jones, who made a name for himself online singing covers of songs, was arrested and charged in 2017 with two counts of producing child pornography.
He later pled guilty to one charge of receiving child pornography — admitting in a plea agreement that in 2016 and 2017 he enticed six girls to to produce and send explicit videos to "prove" they were his "biggest fan", per Buzzfeed.
"Production and receipt of child pornography are extraordinarily serious offenses that threaten the safety of our children and communities," it quotes assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Neff Welsh writing in a sentencing memo. "Jones's actions took something from his victims and their families that they will never be able to get back."
At the height of his YouTube fame Jones had around 540,000 subscribers to his channel and more than 20M video views.
In a 2015 apology vlog, after reports emerged of Jones asking young fans to send him twerking videos, he claimed it never went further than that. "There were never any nudes, never any physical contact, it never happened," he said then.
But in his plea agreement Jones admitted to attempting to persuade more than thirty underage fans to send him explicit photos or videos.
YouTube removed Jones' channel after he pled guilty in February — saying it had violated its community guidelines. But the Google -owned company initially refused to shutter it, telling the BBC a few days earlier that while it does have a policy of removing content when a person is convicted of a crime "in some cases" it does so only if the content is closely related to the crime committed.
Describing her experience in a vlog also posted to YouTube, one former fan she had received messages from Jones asking her for twerking videos prior to his 2015 apology video when she was 14-years-old.
"I just don't understand how these people can let the fame get to their heads that much that they think it's alright to do something to people like this," she said. "It's so messed up. But the fact that his fanbase was these vulnerable, insecure young girls makes it so much worse than it already is… He knew that that was his fanbase and he took advantage of that."
Posted in Web Apps, Web Marketplaces | Leave a comment
Greetings from Seattle, the land of Amazon, Microsoft, two of the world's richest men and some startups.
I'm always surprised the Seattle startup ecosystem hasn't grown to compete with the likes of Silicon Valley — or at least Boston and New York City — since the dot-com boom. Today, it's the strongest it's has been due to the successes of companies like the newly minted unicorn Outreach, trucking business Convoy and, of course, the dog walking startup Rover. But the city still lags behind, failing to adopt the culture of entrepreneurship that defines San Francisco.
I spent a lot of time wondering why it hasn't reached its full potential. Is it because Microsoft and Amazon pay their employees so well they don't have the same urge to build something from the ground up? Is it a lack of access to capital? Is the city not attracting top talent? If you have thoughts, send them my way.
"We think part of the issue is a lack of capital and a lack of help," Rover and Pioneer Square Labs co-founder Greg Gottesman told TechCrunch earlier this year. "If we can provide a little bit of both of those things, we can really put Seattle where it deserves to be, should be and will be."
Despite its shortcomings, there is still some action in the city I want to highlight this week. A same-day delivery business, Dolly, is on the rise. The startup told me on Thursday it had raised a $7.5 million round from Unlock Venture Partners, Maveron and Jeff Wilke, the chief executive officer of Amazon Worldwide Consumer. Maveron, if you remember, is the VC fund co-founded by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz.
In other Seattle news, Madrona Venture Group, a well-regarded fund, raised an additional $100 million this week. Typically, Madrona focuses on companies based in the Pacific Northwest, but this fund will deploy capital throughout the entire U.S. Hmmm, that's not necessarily a good sign for Seattle founders, but great progress for the ecosystem nonetheless.
If you're interested in learning more about Seattle tech, I've covered it a bit because it's my hometown! Start with this story, which dives deep into a Seattle accelerator that's working hard to encourage entrepreneurship in the city. Alright, on to other news.
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IPO corner!
WeWork: The co-working giant now known as The We Company submitted confidential IPO documents to the SEC, the company confirmed in a press release Monday. Is this the next massive startup win or a house of cards waiting to be toppled by the glare of the public markets? TechCrunch's Danny Crichton investigates.
Slack: The business is in its final steps toward a much-anticipated direct listing, with one source telling TechCrunch the listing will be complete within 45 days. The WSJ reported this week that Slack will make an online presentation to potential shareholders on May 13. This week, we dug deep into Slack's S-1 and decided to evaluate just how well the tech press, us included, did in covering the company. For the most part, the tech press did decently well, except for one curious, $162 million gap.
Uber: Finally! That ride-hailing company is going public next week. That latest news? Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick won't be ringing the opening bell. Uber would not be where it is today without Kalanick, but him being there would surely be a reminder of Uber's rocky past.
Beyond Meat: Shares of the company surged up 135 percent in their market opener last week, valuing the company as high as $3.52 billion. Volatility was so high on the company's stock that the Nasdaq had to pause trading of "BYND" shares.
Micro-mobility instability:
Ofo has run into its fair share of issues, laying off hundreds of workers, shutting down its international division and more. Now, you can buy a piece of the startup's history.
Now you can buy a piece of startup history… Ofo bikes for ~$60 https://t.co/LLJbDOXm0C
— Jon Russell (@jonrussell) April 29, 2019
In other micro-mobility news, Lyft's head of scooter & bikes Liam O'Connor, who was hired to help transportation company Lyft build its bike and scooter operations, has left after seven months with the newly-public company. TechCrunch's Ingrid Lunden has the scoop. Plus, Bird, the electric scooter unicorn doing its best to overcome regulatory barriers, has made its way back to San Francisco. Bird is using its business license in San Francisco to introduce monthly personal rentals in the city. The program enables people to rent a scooter for $24.99 a month with no cap on the number of rides. We'll how that goes.
For some reason, people are giving Magic Leap more money. The company has secured another $280 million in a deal with Japan's largest mobile operator, Docomo. Do you know what that means? The developer fo AR/VR headsets has raised a total of $2.6 billion. We're just as confused as you.
Brand new venture capital funds:
Unshackled Ventures raised $20 million.
Exclusive: @UnshackledVC has a new $20M pre-seed fund to invest only in immigrants. Why? Because immigrants are "inherently more entrepreneurial:" https://t.co/ZLiZ1UczJV
— Kate Clark (@KateClarkTweets) May 2, 2019
Jungle Ventures closed on $175 million.
And Toyota AI Ventures launched a $100 million fund.
Startup Capital
UiPath nabs $568M at a $7B valuation
Utah's Divvy raises another $200M to eliminate expense reports
Glovo, the on-demand app, raises $169M Series D
Awair raises $10M to help companies like WeWork monitor their office environments
Uber investors exit
I have the inside story on Menlo Ventures early Uber stake and TechCrunch's Connie Loizos goes deep with early Uber backer Bradley Tusk.
Extra Crunch!
This week, we offer TechCrunch Extra Crunch subscribers exclusive tips on building extraordinary teams. Plus, the final piece in TechCrunch's Greg Kumparak's series on Niantic, the fast-growing developer of Pokemon Go. If you recall, we've captured much of Niantic's ongoing story in the first three parts of our EC-1, from its beginnings as an "entrepreneurial lab" within Google, to its spin-out as an independent company and the launch of Pokémon GO, to its ongoing focus on becoming a platform for others to build augmented reality products upon.
#Equitypod
If you enjoy this newsletter, be sure to check out TechCrunch's venture-focused podcast, Equity. In this week's episode, available here, Crunchbase News editor-in-chief Alex Wilhelm and TechCrunch's Danny Crichton chat about updates at the Vision Fund, Cheddar's big exit and more of this week's headlines.
The changes continue to roll at Honestbee. Fresh from pausing operations in four countries and announcing plans to lay off 10 percent of staff, the Singapore-based online grocery startup has let CEO Joel Sng go, two sources with knowledge of his exit told TechCrunch.
Sng, who co-founded Honestbee back in 2015 and previously served as an advisor with its investor Formation 8, cleared his desk and vacated his office yesterday, according to sources.
Honestbee declined to comment.
Isaac Tay, another co-founder, left the company last year while the last remaining co-founder is Jonathan Low, who leads Honestbee's engineering team.
Sng's apparent exit comes after we reported that Honestbee had told staff that it is in the process of securing funding that it claims will provide an additional year of runway for the business. Sources who spoke to TechCrunch said it has not been announced how much that funding is, or which investor is providing it.
Honestbee had held acquisition talks with Grab, Go-Jek and others in recent weeks.
Honestbee co-founder Joel Sng [Image via LinkedIn]
It isn't immediately clear who will take over from Sng. Sources previously told TechCrunch that Sng's right man is Roger Koh, whose LinkedIn lists his current job as a principal with Formation 8. Formation 8 led Honestbee's $15 million Series A round in 2015. The fund has since shut down and its stake appears to have transferred to Formation Group, according to the firm's website.
Filings show that Honestbee has raised at least $46 million since that Series A. Its high burn rate suggests it may have raised even more, but nothing has been announced or filed while former staff have told TechCrunch that only Sng and Koh have access to financial details.
The company is going through some turbulent times. We reported last week that a cash crash — not helped by a burn rate of $6.5 million per month — had left suppliers unpaid, payroll for April uncertain and morale low among Honestbee's estimated 1,000 staff.
The company said yesterday announced a series of cost-cutting measures that will see it temporarily cease business in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines while it conducts a review. It has also stopped offering food delivery, an additional service it launched in recent years, in Thailand and Hong Kong.
Grocery delivery startup Honestbee is running out of money and trying to sell
Samsung Ventures, the VC arm of the Korean electronics giant, has made its first investment in Southeast Asia after it backed HR startup Swingvy.
Singapore-based Swingy's service provides HR services, payroll and insurance for SMEs on a freemium basis. The company announced this week that it raised $7 million that was led by the Samsung arm with participation from Aviva Ventures — from insurance firm Aviva — and Bass Investment. Existing investors Walden International and Big Basin Capital, which financed a previous $1.6 million round, also took part.
Founded in 2016, Swingvy claims to work with over 5,100 companies across Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Those customers, some of which do not pay, have a cumulative user base of over 100,000 employees.
"Our target customer is SMEs not enterprise," Jin Choeh, who is CEO and one of three Swingvy co-founders, told TechCrunch in an interview. "There are some local players, some legacy players and some startup competitors, but generally we saw that there's no market leader for HR tech in Southeast Asia."
The service itself covers areas such as an employee directory, processes for leave, performance management, company calendar, HR reporting, payroll and benefits. On the latter, Swingvy offers health insurance through partnerships with third-parties — Choeh said it is a licensed insurance agent. He said that new features coming soon include claims (for expenses and payments) while further down the line will be monthly insurance and corporate cards.
It is quite common for HR and other 'base-level' SME services to develop marketplaces that match their customers with third-party providers — we've seen that in Japan among very mature players, for example — but Swingvy isn't going down that route. Choeh explained that it will consider offering its own services in areas where it believes it can give value to customers and control the quality and experience directly.
More broadly, the startup is aiming to triple its customer base to 15,000 this year thanks to this new injection of capital.
The initial focus is on hiring — Swingy plans to grow its headcount of 23 to over 60 this year — and more "aggressive" sales growth. That'll mean bringing in a dedicated sales team, increasingly online advertising spend to reach new customers and being more visible around event marketing.
"Sales and marketing has been less than 10 percent of our spend," said Choeh. "We've proved our model is quite cost efficient and we believe it is time to raise sales and marketing efforts."
There's no immediate plan to expand to new markets, but the Swingvy CEO said his company is eyeing potential expansions in 2020. Potential countries include Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, he said. Indonesia — Southeast Asia's largest economy and the world's fourth most populous country — is also under review, but Choeh said his team is aware that it is hyper-competitive while the market for paid SME products is particularly challenging.
What of the relationship with Samsung? For now, the relationship is financial rather than strategic, but Choeh admitted that there could be opportunities to work closely together in the future.
Tesla, Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reached an agreement Friday that will give the CEO freedom to use Twitter —within certain limitations — without fear of being held in contempt for violating an earlier court order.
Musk can tweet as he wishes except when it's about certain events or financial milestones. In those cases, Musk must seek pre-approval from a securities lawyer, according to the agreement filed with Manhattan federal court.
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, the presiding judge on this matter, must still approve the deal. Nathan had given the SEC and Musk two weeks to work out their differences and come to a resolution.
Musk must seek pre-approval if his tweets include:
any information about the company's financial condition or guidance, potential or proposed mergers, acquisitions or joint ventures,
production numbers or sales or delivery number (actual, forecasted, or projected),
new or proposed business lines that are unrelated to then-existing business lines (presently includes vehicles, transportation, and sustainable energy products);
projection, forecast, or estimate numbers regarding Tesla's business that have not been previously published in official company guidance
events regarding the company's securities (including Musk's acquisition or disposition of shares)
nonpublic legal or regulatory findings or decisions;
any event requiring the filing of a Form 8-K such as a change in control or a change in the company's directors; any principal executive officer, president, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, principal operating officer, or any person performing similar functions
The fight between the two parties began after Musk's now infamous August 7, 2018 tweet that had "funding secured" for a private takeover of the company at $420 per share. The SEC filed a complaint in alleging that Musk had committed securities fraud.
Musk and Tesla settled with the SEC last year without admitting wrongdoing. Tesla agreed to pay a $20 million fine; Musk had to agree to step down as Tesla chairman for a period of at least three years; the company had to appoint two independent directors to the board; and Tesla was also told to put in place a way to monitor Musk's statements to the public about the company, including via Twitter.
The fight was re-ignited after Musk sent a tweet on February 19 that Tesla would produce "around" 500,000 cars this year, correcting himself hours later to clarify that he meant the company would be producing at an annualized rate of 500,000 vehicles by year end.
The SEC argued that the tweet sent by Musk violated their agreement. Musk has said the tweet was "immaterial" and complied with the settlement.
The SEC had asked the court to hold Musk in contempt for violating a settlement agreement reached last October over Musk's now infamous "funding secured" tweet. The SEC had argued that Musk was supposed to get approval from Tesla's board before communicating potentially material information to investors, the agency has argued. The SEC claimed a February 19 tweet violated the agreement.
Musk has steadfastly maintained that he didn't violate the agreement.
Equity Shot: Uber's IPO terms and Slack's S-1
Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch's venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.
Kate and Alex are back (again), bringing you the latest on the IPO front. As Friday is coming to a close, we'll keep this post short to leave plenty of room for you to dig into the audio. Welcome to the weekend.
Up first we dug into Uber's latest S-1 filing. This time, the company set a price range for itself (TechCrunch's coverage here), valuing itself at $84 billion and also detailing estimates of its first-quarter results (Crunchbase News's notes here).
We suspect Uber will ultimately price a top that range. Time will tell.
And then we turned to Slack, who's direct listing will help set the historical tone for the unicorn era; screw your money, Slack says, we have our own. Well maybe not, but the company has impressive growth, killer margins, and, to our surprise, larger GAAP deficits than we expected. The company's filing was fascinating.
But worry not, we can figure out how to value Slack. It's Uber that left us scratching our heads. Expect next week to be another blizzard of news and numbers.
Thanks as always for listening to the show. We've never had more downloads than these last few weeks. It means a lot that you want to hang out with us. Don't forget that we have an email address (equitypod@techcrunch.com), and a hashtag that Alex needs to learn to use: #equitypod.
Equity drops every Friday at 6:00 am PT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Downcast and all the casts.
Led by LA-based March Capital, Astound raises $15.5 million for employee help desk automation services
Astound, a company selling automated employee help desk services, has raised a new round of $15.5 million from investors led by the Los Angeles investment firm March Capital Partners.
Previous investors Vertex Ventures, Pelion Venture Partners, Moment Ventures, and the Slack Fund also participated in the funding, which brings Astound's total capital raised to $27 million.
The company's software integrates with ServiceNow, BMC, Jira, Cherwell, and Workday, among others.
For co-founder and chief product officer Dan Turchin, the company is the culmination of decades of work spent developing tools for human resources and employee services. It's the seventh company that Turchin has been involved in around applying technology to help employees, he says. Most recently Turchin worked at ServiceNow, which he left in 2014 to launch Astound.
Astound said it would use the financing to increase its product development and sales and marketing efforts, according to a statement.
Taking information from structured and unstructured data sources across different information silos within a business and offering it up to employees via automated messages (it's a chatbot) frees human resources and helpdesk staff to engage at a higher level with employees, companies like Astound say.
Automation is certainly coming to businesses, whether employees like it or not. A study from McKinsey indicates that 70 percent of companies will bring in at least one automation technology by 2030. And those technologies could contribute up to $120 billion in increased economic value, according to the McKinsey study cited by Astound.
The company behind Laundroid files for bankruptcy
At the end of the day, Laundroid amounted to little more than a fun show demo. The device was a bit silly and prohibitively large and expensive for most to consider actually purchasing. All in all, it was a lot of work for the relatively simple task of folding laundry.
Seven Dreamers, which has been a staple at trade shows in recent years, has filed for bankruptcy in Japan. No official word yet on whether the dream is fully dead, but things certainly look bleak for the company, which has racked up in the roughly $22 million in debt as it's struggled to actually ship its laundry folding machine.
And while Laundroid was reportedly still on track for a 2019 release, according to Seven Dreamers, the product had too many rough edges left to smooth out, struggling with even basic tasks according to hands-on reports.
With Laundroid's future in doubt, California-based Foldimate seems reasonably well positioned to dominate whatever market might actually exist for such a product. The company got fairly good marks for its own robotic folding technology back at CES.
The automation of household tasks has been a holy grail for consumer robotics in recent years. Aside from the Roomba, however, it's so far proven an impossible nut to crack.
New hack challenge from Eramet for the TC Hackathon at VivaTech
There's no question that springtime in Paris is the stuff of legend. TechCrunch is returning to the City of Lights to continue building another legendary experience. The TechCrunch Hackathon at VivaTech 2019 takes place at the Expo Porte de Versailles on 17-18 May. If you're a developer, a UX/UI designer or an all-around tech creator, don't miss this chance to collaborate, compete and create something great.
Thanks to stellar sponsored hack contests, you can win serious cash and other awesome prizes in the process. There's no fee to enter, but get your free hackathon ticket now, because they won't last long.
Thousands of startup founders, business leaders, investors, academics, students and media across Europe and beyond will descend on VivaTech, which makes it the perfect place to host a hackathon of epic proportion.
Here's how it all works:
Form or join a team and take on a specific hack challenge put forth by the hack sponsors. Fuel up on whatever gets you through the night, because you have just 24 hours to work your tech magic, wield your mighty coding skills and produce a working solution.
It's pencils down after 24 hours, and then your sleep-deprived team will have just 60 seconds to deliver a rapid-fire presentation to our hackathon judges. Each team receives a score between one and five, and the team with the highest score wins the prize associated with the sponsored hack. In addition, TechCrunch will award a €5,000 grand prize for the best overall hack.
All teams that receive a combined score of three or higher also win tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin 2019 and VivaTech 2020.
We're stoked to announce the details of the latest hack contest from our sponsor, Eramet:
In the 21st century, metal alloys are everywhere, e.g. computers, electric cars, satellites. You can find up to 20 different alloys in a single computer. The quality requirements of customers are extremely tight nowadays. Eramet, a global mining and metallurgical group, challenges you to find a solution that can provide our customers with 100 percent transparency on our supply chains, from the extraction of ore from the mine to the final product, with a heavy focus on the quality, environmental, social and ethical aspects. The winner of this challenge will receive a €5,000 prize.
In case you missed it, we already announced a contest from EDHEC. The company's offering a €5,000 prize to the team that creates the best product to help students make sure they choose the course of studies and career that's right for them.
Be sure to keep checking back, because we'll announce plenty more sponsored contests — with awesome prizes — in the coming weeks.
The TechCrunch Hackathon at VivaTech 2019 takes place on May 17-18. Are you ready to put your skills to the ultimate test and become a legend in your own right? Get your free ticket and join us in Paris. We can't wait to see what you create!
Le Wagon launches part-time coding bootcamps
Le Wagon has been steadily growing for the past few years. The bootstrapped French company now has 34 campuses across 22 countries. And now, Le Wagon is about to welcome a whole lot more students thanks to a new part-time program.
The startup has been testing a new part-time format in London and now wants to expand this program across all campuses. This way, students can keep working in their existing company and attend Le Wagon on Tuesday night, Thursday night and Saturday.
Le Wagon still focuses on its highly rated full-stack program. So far, nearly 5,000 students have attended this 9-week full-time bootcamp. You get to learn about front-end and back-end development, and you end up building your own project from start to finish.
After a couple of months, you should be ready to start a startup or join a startup as a software engineer. And Le Wagon is still scaling that program as the company expects to accept between 2,000 and 3,000 students in 2019 alone.
The part-time program has the exact same content and costs the same price — the full-time program in Paris currently costs €6,900. The part-time program is going live in Paris in August, and it should be live on most campuses by January 2020. And the company thinks a part-time program opens up many different possibilities.
If you have a family and kids, maybe you can't afford to leave your job or take a sabbatical. Some high-ranked executives also want to be 100 percent sure they want to start a new career before leaving everything behind. According to Le Wagon co-founder and COO Romain Paillard, the new program should attract different profiles, which should improve the quality of the alumni community.
Many former students create their own startups. French startups founded by Le Wagon alumni have raised $48 million (€43 million) in total.
Of course, it'll take a lot of motivation to go through the program. It's like signing up for a part-time job in addition to your full-time job. Le Wagon will screen candidates as much as possible to see if they're motivated enough to finish the program.
Many companies don't want to let their employees attend Le Wagon right now because it means they'll be gone for a couple of months. Le Wagon thinks companies will be more open-minded about a part-time program and support their employees.
This will be a nice addition to Le Wagon's executive program. The company is just starting on this front and has attracted hundreds of employees working for big companies and looking for a short program to learn new skills.


It sure made me brake. Why in the world would people think this? Because television promotes value systems contrary to our own? It cheapens art? It creates couch potatoes and brings on an Orwellian future? These have certainly been the concerns of some Christian groups throughout the latter part of the 20th century.
This alarmist approach to mass media has not always been as such, however. Early electronic media had a very different effect on the culture. Peter Jennings' millennial book "The Century" tells of a time in the early 1920's when the beginning of radio did the opposite. Electronic media didn't separate people; it brought them together. Radio gave people an awareness of a world beyond the end of their isolated farmlands. Along with the automobile, it linked communities together. It hastened the dawn of what is now known as the "global village".
This newfound sense of community, however, came at a more na?Øve time. The hysteria surrounding the radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds", in 1938, reflected a sense of innocence and trust about mass media, a lack of criticism or analysis about new media's messages.
Television in many ways continued that lack of criticism. Asinine shows like "Gilligan's Island", seen in the same box as the hard-hitting reality of war and violence, confused, and still confuses, reality. Unlike film, which strives for fantasy, television always associated itself with what is real. Many people had concerns about an undiscerning audience's ability to distinguish the variety of images coming through the same box in the living rooms of America. No wonder many put those sorts of bumper stickers on their cars, and even preached antagonism to mass media in church life.
But the rise of the Internet has in many ways, through a more sophisticated and media literate time, returned to us the idea of community. There are certainly still na?Øve people who get in trouble looking for love virtually. But the net's ability to bring people together, like radio, is having a greater impact on our culture. For example, instead of promoting isolation, the Internet has allowed me more and deeper relationships with like-minded people of passion for ministry through email forums.
In the big picture, digital media's three-generation gestation period, approximately the same as that of mass print in the 1400-1500s, is nearing its fulfillment. The Internet as we now know it is the adolescence of the digital age. We are beginning to see the full potential of the digital culture as a viable medium for communicating the Gospel. The church is about to be opened to an entire new world of ministry possibility, and the readers of this magazine are on the forefront of that explosion.
Our Message, the Gospel story, is capable of delivery through any communication system. Our job as ministers is to understand the characteristics of the media in which we work, and to maximize them. Just as there are techniques for better sermon delivery, there are techniques for better screen delivery. We are wise to remember the danger of the Gilligan era, and its potential for cheapening the Gospel message. We, as producers of the Gospel for the digital age, must be prayerful and studious about the pictures we make. We must maintain the integrity of Jesus' mission.
It's not coincidental that communication and community are almost the same word. Media has the potential to bring people together in Christ. How is what you're doing this week serving that purpose? Focus on that, and spend your mission there. Create digital media that connects people with Jesus. Although certainly valid and needed, don't limit your work in media ministry to just doing IMAG, or "support". Realize that what you are dealing with is an entirely new communication system. Like the book and magazine before it, it is neither innately evil, nor good. It merely has inherent characteristics that give us yet another opportunity to deliver the Gospel story.
I try to see the positive in everything, and yes, there are "some" good, faith building, and "metaphorical" concepts on cable television. And yes, they could be used to reach a certain "crowd". But the idea that television is "evil" is partly because of the culture and change we have seen in the last two decades….not centuries. At some point and time, the loss of morals impacted parents, then on to our children, then onto the up and coming media moguls of the world/ America. In other words, we try to "do better" for our children, sometimes in not too intelligent of ways, our children reap "low self esteem", isolation, "idealized views of what they are supposed to be and act and look", and the fostering of non-biblically based views that are "ok" to the general viewing audience, through thier ignorance of what the Bible speaks of as "sin". So now we are in present day, with all sorts of "its ok if it feels good do it, as long as you dont hurt anyone else" attitudes. Morals of our generation have changed. That is why we "blame" television. Just my thoughts on the subject.