Tuesday 24 October 2017

The Morning After: 'Super Mario 64' speedruns

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Tuesday, October 24, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

This Tuesday morning, we’re already talking Stranger Things 2 (minus spoilers), Super Mario 64 speed-runs and a love letter to the Instant Pot Ultra.

New habits die hard.

‘Stranger Things 2’ basically gives everyone a cellphone

ST2 arrives this week, and we’ve taken an early look at the second series. It’s interesting how the show’s creators have managed to sew in communication gadgets -- walkie-talkies, a police radio and a video camera, specifically -- in way that not only nods cleverly to a bygone 8-bit time, but drives the story, too. They also work together as a handy stand-in for a contemporary mode of communication: the cellphone. We also talked to Director of Photography Tim Ives about how the team keeps Stranger Things looking somehow lo-fi in a high-tech world.

Clearly, all those online conspiracy theories justify the studio’s faith.

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is returning for a second season

CBS is renewing Star Trek: Discovery for a second run. The show, which was used as a tentpole to launch the CBS All Access streaming service, has been enough of a success to justify a second season, which will presumably air at some point toward the back-half of 2018. The move comes as a vote of confidence for both the show and its platform, since it recently aired the sixth of its fifteen-episode first season.

So things are going well.

‘Destiny 2’ is 2017’s best-selling game after just one month

Destiny 2 hasn’t been out long -- and it’s only just now coming out on PC -- but it’s already the best-selling game of 2017. Of course, a few heavy hitters are due to arrive later this week, but with the new version and DLC on the way, it could stay atop sales charts for a while.

Sponsored Content by The Engadget Experience

Enter to win a free trip for 2 to LA to attend the Engadget Experience: Alternate Realities on Nov. 14 along with awesome swag. Hurry, giveaway ends this week!

Allan Alvarez can get 120 stars in 99 minutes (and 28 seconds).

The life of an elite 'Super Mario 64' speedrunner

Allan Alvarez can complete Super Mario 64 faster than anyone in the world, which means that most days he gets out of bed around 4 PM. He’s is a full-time speedrunner, and his primary game, the classic platformer Super Mario 64, is the most popular for speedrunners. Alvarez holds the world record for beating it: 120 stars, which essentially means conquering every goal in the game. It takes the average gamer about 24 hours to do this.

We’ve missed ‘Grabbed by the Ghoulies.’

Play the first set of original Xbox games on the Xbox One

We finally have the first list of OG Xbox games ready for play on Xbox One, and it includes choices like Black, Ninja Gaiden Black and Star Wars: KOTOR. Microsoft will flip the backwards compatibility switch today, so it’s time to grab those old discs, or buy them on its store for $10.

But wait, there's more...

1. FBI tried and failed to unlock 7,000 encrypted devices

2. Apple and Samsung are headed back to court... again

3. What we're buying: Instant Pot Ultra, Huel and Sleep Cycle

4. What is the future of Puerto Rico's energy grid?

5. Android is getting a feature that encrypts website name requests

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe.

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Monday 23 October 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Monday -- October 23, 2017

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
7 Tips for Highly Effective Content Marketing
PayPal Lets Messenger Users Send Money to Buddies
Email Marketing Goes Hand-in-Glove With E-Commerce Shipping
AI vs. Echo's Eavesdropping and Google's Home Invasion
Counting Down to ASC 606
New Tools Offer Wholesale Distributors Fast Track to E-Commerce
Accenture, SAP Plot One CX Platform for All
Evolution of the 4th Utility: Fixed Broadband
Helpshift VP Tushar Makhija: Not All Customers Will Help You Make Money
Retailers Slowly Embracing In-Store Tech Tools
Salesforce's IoT Strategy
Study: Music Improves Customer Experience, Even in Serious Settings
Salesforce Reshuffles SaaS, PaaS in Internet of Things and AI

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Today's Story Highlights

7 Tips for Highly Effective Content Marketing

Content marketing, which bridges the divide between marketing and
storytelling, is vital to attracting and keeping e-commerce customers.
"Content marketing is the practice of sharing information your target
audience will find helpful and valuable with the intention of creating a
profitable customer relationship," said Ardath Albee, CEO of Marketing
Interactions.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84904.html

PayPal Lets Messenger Users Send Money to Buddies

PayPal has announced the immediate availability of its peer-to-peer
payment service on Facebook Messenger, making it easy to exchange money
between friends and family. PayPal also introduced its first-ever
customer service bot. Payments can be made in Messenger by pressing the
blue plus icon when composing a message and then tapping the green
payments button.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84899.html

Email Marketing Goes Hand-in-Glove With E-Commerce Shipping

ShippingEasy on Thursday launched Automated Email Marketing as an
addition to its customer management module. This new tool has a powerful
rules engine that helps users increase sales, the company said. Among
other things, it can set up a trigger to send an email to first-time
buyers immediately after an order is downloaded -- customized with a
logo and specific coupon code if desired.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84898.html

AI vs. Echo's Eavesdropping and Google's Home Invasion

There's a lot of excitement about all the new artificial intelligence
technology hitting the market -- like Amazon's Echo and Google's Home
smart speakers, among many other products. However, there's also growing
concern over how these devices may invade our privacy. Despite the
companies' assurances to the contrary, some people worry that they could
be listening to every word we utter.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84895.html

Counting Down to ASC 606

There will be little New Year's Eve celebrating but perhaps a lot of
morning-after hangovers for U.S. businesses that haven't begun preparing
for ASC 606, the Financial Accounting Standards Board's new rules about
revenue recognition. They are set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2018. The
news is much the same for Europe, though there the rule's name is "IFRS
15." The change is hard to do.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84897.html

New Tools Offer Wholesale Distributors Fast Track to E-Commerce

picor this week released Epicor Commerce Connect, a cloud-based
application designed to help wholesale distributors quickly deploy e-
commerce sites that will automate many of the steps required to move
product to their customers. The Commerce Connect software is now
available for Epicor Eclipse, a cloud-based platform geared toward
helping companies deploy rich B2B and B2C solutions.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84892.html

Accenture, SAP Plot One CX Platform for All

Accenture Interactive and SAP Hybris have partnered to create a new
platform that will let users build and curate end-to-end contextual,
personalized customer experiences -- from marketing, e-commerce and
offline shopping to customer service and loyalty management. The joint
platform will target B2C and B2B firms in retail, telecommunications and
resources.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84893.html

Evolution of the 4th Utility: Fixed Broadband

In-home broadband has become "the fourth utility" in United States
households, many of which have multiple connected devices and viewing
screens. More than 85 percent of U.S. homes have broadband service,
according to Parks Associates, 93 percent of those have DSL, fiber or
cable high-speed, fixed-line Internet services. Fixed broadband demand
is a key contributor to operators' ongoing profits.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84887.html

Helpshift VP Tushar Makhija: Not All Customers Will Help You Make Money

"As services are getting more and more mobile, service needs to get
mobile as well," said Helpshift VP Tushar Makhija. "If you look at
customer service over the last 10 to 15 years, first it was all about
average handling time. If you grew quickly as a business, you needed to
stack up a call center. The next five to six years were all about self-
service, so technology started building up."
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84886.html

Retailers Slowly Embracing In-Store Tech Tools

Most retailers don't have the in-store technology to view customer
information across various touchpoints, suggests a new study from Kibo.
Fifty-eight percent of retailers who participated in the study, released
last Thursday, acknowledged they did not have that capability. The study
was based on questions posed to 115 retail executives during the Future
Stores 2017 conference.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84884.html

Salesforce's IoT Strategy

Salesforce is a large and well-disciplined development company. It's
pretty good at marketing too. It continues to innovate in all product
areas, from core platform to applications, and the one criticism I'd
make is that it's information overload at times. Lately Salesforce has
made a big deal of adding its AI product, Einstein, to every application
area to provide insights and stack rank options.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84885.html

Study: Music Improves Customer Experience, Even in Serious Settings

Music can enhance the customer experience even in nontraditional retail
environments, suggests a study released Thursday by Mood Media and the
Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers. The study was
conducted in France. Customers had a more favorable experience in five
business locations -- including gas station, optical, banking, sports
apparel and pharmacy locations, the study found.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84878.html

Salesforce Reshuffles SaaS, PaaS in Internet of Things and AI

It can be a full-time job trying to keep up with Salesforce's newest
cloud offerings. However, it is always worth the effort, because the
company's pronouncements are often early bellwethers of the future
direction of the software industry. This has become particularly true
with respect to the company's evolving efforts to penetrate and gain a
prominent position in the AI and IoT markets.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84883.html

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Editor's Pick: Fighting Off the Harvey Weinsteins of the World Through Technology

Fighting Off the Harvey Weinsteins of the World Through Technology

Rob Enderle Oct 23, 2017 10:50 AM PT
	Harvey Weinstein just went from most powerful man in Hollywood to punching bag -- and while he deserved this, perhaps greater attention should go toward taking aggressive measures to prevent future Weinsteins -- and there will be future Weinsteins. We need to stop acting surprised when this stuff comes out and instead take stronger steps to prevent this kind of thing in the future. [More...]

More Picks:

Harman Kardon's Cortana-Powered Smart Speaker Underwhelms
Early reviews of the Harman Kardon Invoke with Cortana -- the smart speaker that features Microsoft's personal assistant -- have been lukewarm at best. The speaker will be available in the U.S. starting Sunday. Like Amazon's Echo line and Google's Home speakers, Invoke lets users play music, manage calendars, set reminders, check traffic, get news reports, and control other smart home devices. [More...]

Email Marketing Goes Hand-in-Glove With E-Commerce Shipping
ShippingEasy on Thursday launched Automated Email Marketing as an addition to its customer management module. This new tool has a powerful rules engine that helps users increase sales, the company said. Among other things, it can set up a trigger to send an email to first-time buyers immediately after an order is downloaded -- customized with a logo and specific coupon code if desired. [More...]

PayPal Lets Messenger Users Send Money to Buddies
PayPal has announced the immediate availability of its peer-to-peer payment service on Facebook Messenger, making it easy to exchange money between friends and family. PayPal also introduced its first-ever customer service bot. Payments can be made in Messenger by pressing the blue plus icon when composing a message and then tapping the green payments button. [More...]

Anarchy Linux Dispels Fear of Arch
Anarchy Linux, the distro formerly known as "Arch-Anywhere Linux" has changed my tune about the terrors of Arch-based Linux as a suitable OS. In general, however, Arch-anything presents a challenge that may not be worth the effort for typical desktop needs. A potential trademark violation forced Anarchy Linux developer/maintainer Dylan Schacht to rebrand Arch-Anywhere, his homespun distro. [More...]

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Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Monday -- October 23, 2017

TechNewsWorld -- All Tech - All The Time
http://www.TechNewsWorld.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Fighting Off the Harvey Weinsteins of the World Through Technology
Harman Kardon's Cortana-Powered Smart Speaker Underwhelms
Apple, GE Join Forces on Industrial IoT Apps
Samsung to Give Linux Desktop Experience to Smartphone Users
Google's Pixel 2 Earns High Marks in Spite of Dull Design
Companies Turn Blind Eye to Open Source Security Risks
Microsoft Unveils Power-Packed Surface Book 2

Message From Our Sponsor
Attention Content Marketers
Publish Your: Blog | Videos | Webinars | Events
Content Marketing on ALL EC is an affordable and effective way to
enhance your inbound marketing efforts, drive traffic to your website
and attract more prospective customers. Sign up for Free and
Save 25 percent on publishing plans by using this link:
http://www.ectnews.com/adsys/link/?crid=10063/ALL_EC_SAVE25

Today's Story Highlights

Fighting Off the Harvey Weinsteins of the World Through Technology

Harvey Weinstein just went from most powerful man in Hollywood to
punching bag -- and while he deserved this, perhaps greater attention
should go toward taking aggressive measures to prevent future Weinsteins
-- and there will be future Weinsteins. We need to stop acting surprised
when this stuff comes out and instead take stronger steps to prevent
this kind of thing in the future.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84900.html

Harman Kardon's Cortana-Powered Smart Speaker Underwhelms

Early reviews of the Harman Kardon Invoke with Cortana -- the smart
speaker that features Microsoft's personal assistant -- have been
lukewarm at best. The speaker will be available in the U.S. starting
Sunday. Like Amazon's Echo line and Google's Home speakers, Invoke lets
users play music, manage calendars, set reminders, check traffic, get
news reports, and control other smart home devices.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84902.html

Apple, GE Join Forces on Industrial IoT Apps

Apple and General Electric on Wednesday announced a new software
development kit for iOS that enables developers to create applications
for Predix, an Internet of Things platform made by GE. Applications
developed with the new SDK could give industrial operators more insight
and visibility into the performance of their equipment and operations on
an iPhone or iPad.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84894.html

Samsung to Give Linux Desktop Experience to Smartphone Users

Samsung has announced a new app, Linux on Galaxy, designed to work with
its DeX docking station to bring a full Linux desktop experience to
Galaxy smartphone users. Samsung earlier this year introduced DeX, a
docking station that connects to a monitor to give Galaxy smartphone
users a desktop experience. With the Linux on Galaxy app, users will be
able to run full Linux desktop distributions.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84896.html

Google's Pixel 2 Earns High Marks in Spite of Dull Design

As Google's new Pixel 2 smartphones get ready to hit the shelves,
reviews of the models have begun mushrooming online. While the new
phones generally have received positive grades, many reviewers found the
their design boring. "The Pixel 2 hardware is ho-hum," observed Patrick
Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy. "Google
didn't take many risks in its design."
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84889.html

Companies Turn Blind Eye to Open Source Security Risks

Many software developers and enterprise users have been lax or oblivious
to the need to properly manage open source software. A new report
highlights the consequences of failure to establish open source
acquisition and usage policies, and to follow best practices. Flexera
polled more than 400 commercial software suppliers and in-house software
development teams within enterprises.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84890.html

Microsoft Unveils Power-Packed Surface Book 2

Microsoft on Tuesday launched the Surface Book 2, positioning it as the
laptop of the future. The device is powerful enough for the next wave of
computing, characterized by mixed reality, artificial intelligence,
machine learning and immersive gaming, said Microsoft Devices Corporate
Vice President Panos Panay. Integration between the Surface Book 2 and
the Adobe Creative Cloud has been improved.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84891.html

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to your inbox as stories break. Sign up today -- it's free!
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How to Advertise in This Newsletter
To advertise in this newsletter or elsewhere on ECT News Network,
please call our sales department toll-free at (877) 328-5500, or view
our online media kit at
http://www.ectnews.com/advertising/

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You are receiving the Tech News Flash in response to your request
on the TechNewsWorld Web site for our daily newsletter. If you wish
to make changes to your newsletter subscription, or if you wish to
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here: Newsletter Management Wizard

If this e-mail was forwarded to you and you wish to subscribe to
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