1.Slit little eyelets in the salmon and fill with freshly diced garlic
2.Coat non-stick pan with olive oil add salmon
3.Season with your favorites: salt, black pepper, curry powder, adobe seasoning
4.Sear on each side for 10 minutes or until cooked as desired. Longer for less pink in the middle
5.Serve with your favorite side
6.Squeeze fresh lemon /lime
7.Enjoy
About 1 h north east of #Bronx #NYC is where you can find rural #CT where the #Appalachiantrail runs in NW CT http://ctxguide.com/ctxctxguide_229.htm
In both Litchfield
& Fairfield Counties
http://www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com/
scenic venues and more await.
Travel East on 84 intersecting with 90
& 91 onto the Berkshires of MA:
BlackBerry has several new phones out, the “Passport” and “Classic”, being just launched. Has marketing or market placement changed since the new CEO and CMO, have taken charge? How are other phone OEMS fairing in this regard? We decided to take a look at the big box retailers in the USA to see what is placed on shelves for the consumer to see. We found that the new iPhone 6 series is, not surprisingly, well placed on shelves with demo models. The same is true for the Samsung S5. Although, there was interest in these phones at launch with a noticeable increase in sales, this has subsided, and sales are not off the chart by any means. The Lumia phones are primarily pay go phones. No windows phones are front and center on the shelves as contract phones. The LG G3 and HTC One M8 and Harmon Kardon edition of the latter made their way to being placed on shelves, but consumers don’t care or notice them, unless a good sales person takes the time to sell them, even when giving them away with $50 cost and $50 gift card with new two year plan. In the end the old saying ” out of site out of mind” holds true and moreso for BlackBerry.
We recently had the opportunity to share a fine dinner with family at Mythos located at 5318 Avenue Du Parc in Montreal, Quebec. Our waiters, were the brothers, Jimmy (Dimitri) and Peter (Panagioti).
We had cocktails, that were expertly prepared. My cosmopolitan was just right, as was almost everything else we ordered this fine Montreal evening. They were seasoned professionals, who made sure that the kitchen orders were timed just right.
The Greek salad with fresh tomatoes and feta cheese was delicious.
TOMATO SALAD
As appetizers we shared deep fried calamari, the grilled octopus platter that came with grilled peppers and a platter of grilled vegetables (yes redundant, but different vegetables). The calamari were cooked to perfection, not at all rubbery, as sometimes happens. They were cooked in a light batter, spiced with pepper. I would have liked some marinara sauce to dip them in, but it is a Greek Restaurant and not an Italian one. Likewise, the grilled octopus was amazing, probably the best we ever had. It was again, just right, not dry or rubbery. The kitchen was kind enough to share their recipe with us–check for this below. The equally splendid grilled vegetable platter came with asparagus, mushrooms, egg plant, red, yellow and green peppers and more, grilled to perfection after being marinated with a nice (balsamic?) vinegar.
GRILLED OCTOPUS
GRILLED VEGETABLES
As a main course, my brother had the New Zealand Lamb Chops which were perfectly marinated and grilled to perfection. They came with a potatoe and escarole that had been stir fried with garlic.
LAMB CHOPS
I had the classic Greek Moussaka. I have to say that this was likely the best that I ever had. The bechamel sauce, which was perfectly infused with herbs and flavors, held the egg plant and ground beef together with a creamy and scrumptious texture.
MOUSSAKA
We ordered the house wine by the glass, it was a Greek wine that tasted like a merlot. For dessert, to accompany the lattes and cappuccino, we all had the baklava. I was a bit disappointed that it had less honey than I would have liked, it looked like a cake or pie and did not hold together when cut into. It wasn’t your typical few layers of filo dough with pistachios and honey in a square shape.
BAKLAVA
Everything at Mythos is big. If you are looking for great tasting classic Greek food with engaging wait staff, pay a visit to Mythos, and you will be delighted. We give it 4.5 stars out of 5 stars!
So, how do you avoid rubbery octopus? We visited the kitchen and were surprised that the lead cook was Pakistani, Safraz. The octopus is defrosted, the tentacles are sliced, and put in a baking pan, marinated with vinegar (I would use balsamic.) Bay leaves are added as are other spices to the marinate. The marinating octopus is then baked at 400F in the oven for an hour. The octopus is then left to cool and put in the fridge to marinate further until ready to be grilled, on order. Voila a perfect grilled octopus!
As he gets on his chopper, President Obama realizes he forgot something:
INGREDIENTI
1 lb, 16 Oz, 454 g of Arborio Rice
16 to 20 labels/ cups of chicken stock (actual amount depends on starch content of rice)
1 cup diced shitake mushrooms
1 cup diced baby bella mushrooms
1 diced onion
2 dice carrots (can be in the chicken soup stock)
celery stalks
2 or 3 diced scallions
1 to 2 cups of diced butternut squash
PROCEDURE
Drizzle the bottom of a medium sized sauce pot with 3 mm or 1/4 inch of olive oil
Stir fry the squash and carrots with the onions for 5 min on high heat
Add the Arborio rice and stir in done more olive oil, about 3 TBSP
After 3 min, start adding 1 ladel or cup of the chicken stock ( I like to have chunks of chicken in it..)
Stir constantly and as the stock is absorbed keep adding more stock 1 or 2 cups at a time; do so on high to medium heat, depending on stove, continue doing so for about 30 min
At the 20 min mark, add the rest of the vegetables
Season, as needed, especially if the stock has no seasoning (unlikely in my case)
As the rice becomes creamy, let rest and simmer for 10 min
Turn heat off by 40 min and serve as a side or as a hearty meal
Stir as rice absorbs broth
Lower heat at 25 to 30 min mark to medium, as continue slowly adding more stock until rice is creamy
Enjoy!
Press Release
BlackBerry Passport Redefines Productivity for Mobile Professionals with Boundary-Breaking Design and Features
1:1 Aspect Ratio and Touch-Enabled Keyboard Challenge Industry’s Status Quo
Waterloo, ON – Continuing its strategy to arm mobile professionals with tools that make them more productive, BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today launched the BlackBerry® Passport. Featuring a large square touch screen and new QWERTY touch-enabled keyboard, the BlackBerry Passport is a device purpose-built for productivity-driven business professionals who want a smartphone that empowers them with the mobile tools they need to get things done, without sacrificing style or portability.
“As we set out to design BlackBerry Passport, we were guided by a simple yet challenging idea – to set aside the limitations of traditional design and to instead simply build a device that fundamentally changes the way business professionals get work done on their smartphone,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry. “The BlackBerry Passport was created to drive productivity and to break through the sea of rectangular-screen, all-touch devices.”
Thoughtful Design for the Mobile Professional
Inspired by actual passports, the universal symbol of mobility, the size and form factor of BlackBerry Passport is portable enough to easily tuck into pockets and use wherever you go. Utilizing premium, robust materials such as Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 for the display and forged stainless steel for added strength, BlackBerry Passport will provide the durability business professionals require in a smartphone.
The large square screen is optimized for viewing and creating content, and will make everyday tasks like reading and writing emails, reviewing and editing documents, web browsing, and map navigation, more comfortable and effortless. The BlackBerry Passport includes the industry’s first touch-enabled keyboard with gestures that make typing, editing and navigating more efficient and accurate. BlackBerry’s physical QWERTY keyboards have always made it easier for users to create polished, professional communications with exceptional accuracy. BlackBerry Passport’s new QWERTY keyboard is almost four times more accurate than BlackBerry® 10 virtual keyboards – the error rate is on average 74% lower – so there are fewer typos to get in the way of what you’re trying to say.
The BlackBerry Passport along with Porsche Design P’9983 smartphone from BlackBerry®, are the first devices to launch on BlackBerry’s latest OS platform, BlackBerry® 10.3. They come preloaded with new productivity-enhancing features including BlackBerry® Blend and BlackBerry® Assistant, as well as the BlackBerry® World™ storefront and Amazon Appstore, offering access to the very best apps for work and play.
BlackBerry Blend
BlackBerry Blend brings messaging and content that is on your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer and tablet. Get instant message notifications, read and respond to your work and personal email, BBM™ or text messages, and access your documents, calendar, contacts and media in real time on whatever device you are on, powered by your BlackBerry. BlackBerry Blend is being introduced on the BlackBerry Passport and will work across desktop operating systems, including Mac OS X 10.7 +, Windows® 7+ and Android™ tablets running Android 4.4+ via cellular, USB or Wi-Fi connections. BlackBerry is also working to bring the Blend experience on other tablets soon. The downloadable version of BlackBerry Blend for Macs and PCs is available today at http://www.BlackBerry.com/Blend, on the Apple® App StoreSM for iPad tablets, or via the Google Play™ Store for Android tablets.
Highlight features of the BlackBerry Passport include:
Large High-Resolution Square Screen – The BlackBerry Passport includes a 4.5″ square screen with a 1:1 aspect ratio, 1440×1440 pixel (453 dpi) HD display and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 for added strength.
Innovative BlackBerry® Keyboard – The BlackBerry Passport’s revolutionary new keyboard brings innovation to input with a responsive touch surface like a trackpad that lets you perform many touch functions directly on the keyboard. You can scroll web pages, flick to type or slide along the keys to move the cursor, leaving the full screen space for viewing.
BlackBerry® 10 OS 10.3 – The BlackBerry Passport comes preloaded with the new BlackBerry 10.3 operating system, including new features such as BlackBerry Assistant, BlackBerry Blend and Amazon Appstore. It has a fresh look that incorporates updated icons and an instant action bar so that each user’s most commonly accessed functions are in the center of their screen.
Best-in-Class Battery Life – The 3450 mAh battery is the largest among the top selling smartphones and phablets and, when tested against a very active user, provides up to 30 hours of mixed use. It’s our best battery power to date.*
Dual app storefronts for a Wealth of Professional and Popular Apps – BlackBerry® World – BlackBerry World showcases essential productivity apps for business professionals looking to drive efficient communications and collaboration. / Amazon Appstore – Preloaded on BlackBerry Passport, users can access popular consumer apps through the Amazon Appstore, including the latest Android games and apps, such as Minecraft – Pocket Edition, Candy Crush Saga, Pinterest, Temple Run 2 and Cut the Rope 2.
BlackBerry® Assistant – The BlackBerry Assistant is BlackBerry’s first digital assistant and can be used with voice and text commands to help users manage work and personal email, contacts, calendar and other native BlackBerry 10 applications. BlackBerry Assistant intelligently determines how to respond to you based on how you interact with it – if you type, it responds silently, if you speak, it speaks back and if you activate over Bluetooth, it speaks back with additional context because it assumes you might not have access to the screen.
Premium Components – The device is built for the most demanding user using durable materials mixed with top-of-the-line technology, including a Quad Core 2.2 GHZ Processor, 3 GB RAM, 13 MP OIS rear camera and 32 GB memory.
BlackBerry® Natural Sound – BlackBerry Passport comes with powerful speakers and a quad microphone system that delivers a high-quality listening experience. BlackBerry Natural Sound Technology is built in to adapt Wi-Fi and cellular call sound depending upon phone position and background noise, automatically adjusting volume so you don’t have to.
Availability
The BlackBerry Passport is now available through local carriers around the world and online through ShopBlackBerry.com and Amazon.com. For more information about BlackBerry Passport, please visit http://www.BlackBerry.com/Passport. To learn more about BlackBerry Blend, please visit http://www.BlackBerry.com/Blend.
Based on mixed usage scenario. Many factors affect battery life, including network connectivity, application usage, feature configuration and battery age. Actual results may vary.
About BlackBerry
A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols “BB” on the Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit http://www.BlackBerry.com.
Sometimes we take for granted the beauty that is all around us. Just this evening I went for a walk in my neighborhood and I was enchanted by the caring gardeners that add vistas of splendor.
These are certainly nurturing individuals who I am grateful for adding beauty to my walks. Often times, we take long trips by car and plane to escape our immediate surroundings when exploring close to home we might be surprised by what we discover: parks, gardens and folks from home.
How local do you buy? It seems that supporting local growers, even city gardens, helps people introduce the fresh produce and greens at affordable prices into their diets that otherwise would be lacking.
Fresh from the garden is pictured above; Italian locavore that I am! The ten best states to eat local, are, interestingly, the top 10 to offer top ten health care:
2 whole 16 Oz mozzarella
Cut 1/2 inch thick length of cheese
Coat in:
A-flour
B-egg
C-italian style bread crumbs
Deep fry for 30 seconds in cannola oil
Towel dry the oil
Serve with your favorite marinara sauce
Note for easier frying, freeze on sheets for two hours or until ready to use. Deep fry frozen until golden brown.
Press Release
BlackBerry Reports 2015 Fiscal First Quarter GAAP Profitability
WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – June 19, 2014) – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today reported financial results for the three months ended May 31, 2014 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).
Q1 Highlights: Cash and investments balance of $3.1 billion at the end of the fiscal first quarter, up from $2.7 billion in the prior quarter Adjusted Q1 gross margin of 48%, up from 43% in the prior quarter Reduced adjusted operating expenses by 57% year over year and 13% quarter over quarter Successfully launched the new Z3 device in Indonesia; 8 additional countries to follow EZ Pass Program resulted in a total of 1.2 million licenses issued for BES10, including more than 10% of total licenses traded in from competitors’ Mobile Device Management platforms Launched Project Ion focused on the “Internet of Things” market
Q1 Results Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2015 was $966 million, down $10 million or 1% from $976 million in the previous quarter. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 39% for hardware, 54% for services and 7% for software and other revenue. During the first quarter, the Company recognized hardware revenue on approximately 1.6 million BlackBerry smartphones compared to approximately 1.3 million BlackBerry smartphones in the previous quarter. During the first quarter, approximately 2.6 million BlackBerry smartphones were sold through to end customers, which included shipments made and recognized prior to the first quarter and which reduced the Company’s inventory in channel.
GAAP net income for the first quarter was $23 million, or $0.04 earnings per share (“EPS”). The net income includes non-cash income associated with the change in the fair value of the Debentures of $287 million (the “Q1 Fiscal 2015 Debentures Fair Value Adjustment”) and pre-tax restructuring charges of $226 million related to the Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency (“CORE”) program. Excluding these items, adjusted loss for the first quarter was $60 million, or $0.11 per share. These impacts on GAAP net income and EPS are summarized in the table below.
The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $3.1 billion as of May 31, 2014, compared to $2.7 billion at the end of the previous quarter – a net increase of $429 million. Excluding receipt of a tax refund of $397 million and proceeds on the sale of real estate of $287 million, the Company used $255 million in the first quarter. This represents a decrease from $784 million used last quarter, after excluding proceeds of $250 million related to convertible debt issuance. Purchase obligations and other commitments amounted to approximately $1.8 billion as at May 31, 2014, with purchase orders with contract manufacturers representing approximately $317 million of the total.
“Our performance in fiscal Q1 demonstrates that we are firmly on track to achieve important milestones, including our financial objectives and delivering a strong product portfolio,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackBerry. “Over the past six months, we have focused on improving efficiency in all aspects of our operations to drive cost reductions and margin improvement. Looking forward, we are focusing on our growth plan to enable our return to profitability.”
Outlook
The Company anticipates maintaining its strong cash position, while increasingly looking for opportunities to prudently invest in growth. The Company is targeting break-even cash flow results by the end of fiscal 2015.
Reconciliation of GAAP gross margin, gross margin percentage, loss before income taxes, and net income to adjusted gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted loss before income taxes, adjusted net loss and adjusted loss per share: (United States dollars, in millions except per share data)
BlackBerry Reports 2015 Fiscal First Quarter GAAP Profitability
Note: Adjusted gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted loss before income taxes, adjusted net loss and adjusted loss per share do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and thus are not comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP measures enables the Company and its shareholders to better assess the Company’s operating results relative to its operating results in prior periods and improves the comparability of the information presented. Investors should consider these non-GAAP measures in the context of the Company’s GAAP results.
(1) During the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company reported GAAP gross margin of $451 million or 47% of revenue. Excluding the impact of the CORE charges included in cost of sales, the adjusted gross margin was $463 million, or 48%.
(2) During the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company incurred charges related to the CORE program of $226 million pre-tax, or $204 million after tax, of which $12 million were included in cost of sales, $41 million were included in research and development and $173 million were included in selling, marketing, and administration expenses.
(3) During the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company recorded the Q1 Fiscal 2015 Debentures Fair Value Adjustment of $287 million. This adjustment was presented on a separate line in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
Supplementary Geographic Revenue Breakdown
Conference Call and Webcast A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, which can be accessed by dialing 1-877-974-0445 or through your BlackBerry® 10 smartphone, personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet here. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 10 am by dialing (+1)416-640-1917 and entering pass code 4680440# or by clicking the link above on your BlackBerry® 10 smartphone, personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. This replay will be available until midnight ET July 4, 2014.
Rumour has it that today is the day that Amazon unveils its new entry into the cell phone or rather “sell” phone market. What this means for market share by various OEMs remains to be seen. With both BlackBerry and Microsoft at near 3% of the USA market share, a new agreement with direct access to the Amazon App Store between BlackBerry and Amazon might be what is needed for BlackBerry to break away from Microsoft. Here is the press release:
Press Release
Waterloo, ON – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a world leader in mobile communications, today announced that the Amazon Appstore will be available with the launch of the BlackBerry 10.3 operating system this fall, greatly expanding access to thousands of the most popular apps and games to BlackBerry customers.
With more than 240,000 Android applications in the Amazon Appstore worldwide, BlackBerry 10 device customers will gain access to popular apps such as Groupon, Netflix, Pinterest, Candy Crush Saga and Minecraft.
The strategic move also enables BlackBerry to align its developer program with its renewed focus on delivering the most secure, end-to-end mobile enterprise solutions, by placing more emphasis on the development of vital enterprise and productivity applications.
“Making the Amazon Appstore available on BlackBerry 10 devices will help BlackBerry continue to meet two essential needs: greater app availability for our smartphone users and enhanced productivity solutions for enterprises,” said BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO John Chen. “We’ve listened to our customers and have taken this important step to deliver on their needs, while executing on our strategy.”
BlackBerry and Amazon will be working with the BlackBerry application developer community to help them migrate their apps to the Amazon Appstore in preparation for the 10.3 launch, where they will benefit from the store’s powerful promotional tools that enable maximum discoverability and profitability. This will include Appstore Developer Select, which provides enhanced merchandising, as well as Amazon Coins incentives, the Developer Promotions Console, which enables real-time pricing adjustments and specials, and the popular Free App of the Day program.
BlackBerry will unveil a new enterprise application partner program for corporate developers, ISVs and systems integrators, designed to expand the number of enterprise applications that leverage BlackBerry 10 to deliver business-class functionality and enhance users’ productivity, communication and collaboration.
Serves 4 to 6 easily
Ingredienti
1 lb of calamari
1 large sweet onion
several cloves of garlic
1 can (32oz) of crushed tomatoes
4 scalions
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cumen to taste
bay leaves
Procedure
Finely chop the garlic
Dice the onion, sscalions
Add About 1/4 inch coating of olive oil to a medium sized sauce pan
Stir fry the garlic, onion, and scalions until golden
Add the calamari and stir fry covered for no more than 8 minutes
Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, other spices, bay leaves and bring to a boil before reducing heat to simmer for 20 minutes
Bring a large soup pot of water to a boil, add 2lbs fettucine or linguini, add salt to elevate the temperature, bring back to a boil and cook according to package instructions for al dente or your preferred texture
Strain pasta and toss in the sauce in the large pot
Plate and top with freshly grated parmigiano romano and enjoy!
The NYC Subway is a microcosm of life in NY. One finds entertainment, distractions amusement in the variety of people and the diaspora they represent. One can be a famous player. Several years ago I sat across from Sting on the A train. One can be from Harlem or from the Bronx to Brooklyn, and ride on the number 2 line. The different lines travel different hoods with their own line culture, but all of NY intermingled on the subway with tourists from all over the world.
One, indeed, can be immersed in a distinct cultural oasis where French, German, Italian, Chinese, and almost any other language can be heard.
You cannot get a real feel of NYC, without embarking on the NYC Subway.
The #NYC #subway is a #microcosm of #life. #Peddlers #players and #pumps!
Recently, we have seen Alec Saunders discuss BlackBerry and its project ION as it races to develop an iOT standard and platform: http://wp.me/p381yl-1ds
Alec stated, “BlackBerry is in the best position to provide the technological building blocks, applications and services needed to deliver on the vision of IoT.”
An interesting article elaborates on this:
M2M FEATURE
May 27, 2014
BlackBerry Battles Google for the Internet of Things: Let’s Hope BlackBerry Wins
By Rob Enderle
President and Principal Analyst, Enderle Group
The war for smartphones is not over, but it is rapidly moving on to the Internet of Things, where most of the appliances, vehicles and devices around us are both connected to the Web and to each other. But there is an inherent problem in this market — while there are interconnect standards, there has been no platform that has emerged as dominant, and the standards that do exist haven’t yet fully addressed the emerging need to manage or secure these devices.
BlackBerry actually has the missing parts pretty well in hand and is planning to take its QNX platform, already dominant in automobiles, to the Internet of Things as an alternative to Google’s similar effort.
more here:
05.21.14 / Alec Saunders
We’re at a tipping point.
Billions of everyday devices will soon be connected to the Internet. Today thermostats and smartphones have the capability to talk to each other. Tomorrow virtually all of our devices will be connected. We’re already starting to see trends – imagine a world where your contact lenses can measure glucose levels, your car has always-on 4G LTE and even dairy cows are connected to the Internet to make sure they’re as healthy as possible.
Data has become an integral part of the products we use. As every human being and the products, companies and services they interact with become connected, we believe that how companies collect and interpret that data is going to transform how modern business is done. This is the Internet of Things (IoT).
Unfortunately, the traditional machine-to-machine technology used for today’s IoT is expensive, usually proprietary, custom built and often confined by the boundaries of the enterprise firewall. Not to mention these technologies are outdated by our present standards.
So there’s a need – today – for a secure public applications platform for the Internet of Things that operates at a global scale.
Our CEO John Chen has talked about it before and I want to show you what we’ve been working on. Today at O’Reilly Solid in San Francisco, a new conference exploring the convergence of our physical and digital worlds, I unveiled Project Ion. It’s a codename that we’ve been using internally for our vision for the Internet of Things where the customer is at the center of a connected IoT experience that offers tools and resources to securely connect millions of devices and distill information for real-time decisions.
Project Ion consists of three initiatives where we will explore many components and ideas to act on our vision. The first is a cloud-based product from QNX Software Systems that enables companies and developers to quickly and securely take part in the IoT. We’re moving fast to support our vision and today announced that select companies and partners will soon have the opportunity to access an early version of the product. It’s a secure platform that can scale globally to handle the millions of transactions and exabytes of data generated by these objects every single day.
As our second initiative, we’re building out an IoT ecosystem that consists of partners, carriers and application developers. The third component of Project Ion includes important new partnerships, including memberships in the Industrial Internet Consortium and the Application Developer Alliance, which help drive IoT industry dialogue and innovation forward.
We believe BlackBerry is in the best position to provide the technological building blocks, applications and services needed deliver on the vision of IoT. We’ll have more to share as Project Ion moves forward, but in the meantime I want to hear from you. Will IoT change everything? Visit blackberry.com/project-ion to tell us what IoT means to you or how you’re using it today.
As I said before, this is just the beginning of a new connected world – and we’re glad you’re with us for the ride.
Source:
http://blogs.blackberry.com/2014/05/internet-of-things/
Video:
Press Release
Rogers customers can change the way they pay with the launch of the suretap(TM) wallet
Canada NewsWire TORONTO, April 11, 2014 Customers can now leave their cash at home and use their smartphones to make everyday purchases
TORONTO, April 11, 2014 /CNW/ – Canadians are about to think differently about cash, cards and their bulky wallets. Today, Rogers is launching the suretap wallet, a new application that lets customers use their smartphones to make payments at tens of thousands of retailers across the country. With the suretap wallet, customers can safely store eligible payment cards on their smartphone and make purchases by simply holding it up to contactless payment terminals, just like they do today with plastic credit and debit cards.
“Our customers are inseparable from their smartphones, and we know they are ready and want to use them to make payments. With the suretap wallet, their smartphones and wallets will now be one and the same,” said Jeppe Dorff, Vice-President, Transaction Services, Rogers Communications. “Now thousands of our customers across the country can make simple, secure and fast payments using their smartphones instead of fumbling through their wallets to find their payment cards.”
Starting today, customers can add multiple cards to their suretap wallet including a Rogers Prepaid MasterCard that can be topped up with funds for mobile payments. Also available for purchase are gift cards from leading Canadian food and beverage merchants and retailers including Swiss Chalet, Milestones Grill and Bar, Montana’s Cookhouse, Harvey’s, Kelsey’s, Indigo, Earls Restaurants, Ardene, and Spafinder Wellness 365. In the future, the suretap wallet application will offer more retailer gift cards, as well as store loyalty cards, coupons and ID cards.
Within the suretap wallet application, customers can add funds to their prepaid card, check account balances, view transaction history and use location-based features to find retailers nearby that accept contactless payments. The application is available for download on select Android and BlackBerry 10 smartphones that include near-field-communications capabilities.
Customers can have the peace of mind that their payment information and passcodes are securely stored on the suretap wallet’s SIM card. The wallet is backed by technology that lets customers make payments anywhere in the world that contactless payments are accepted. For merchants and retailers, accepting mobile payments with the suretap wallet means no additional or new fees.
To learn more about the suretap application including suretap-ready devices and the features and functionality of the wallet, visit http://www.rogers.com/suretap.
Press release:
T-Mobile Abolishes Consumer Overages, Challenges Other Wireless Providers to Follow Suit
Legere Starts Petition for Consumers to Call on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to End Overages
BELLEVUE, Wash. – April 14, 2014 – T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) today shifted the national conversation on wireless to a new level, unveiling its latest Un-carrier move – a campaign to eliminate overage penalties, one of the most reviled wireless industry practices. While abolishing overages for all customers on T-Mobile consumer plans, its CEO has also laid down a challenge to the nation’s largest carriers, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, to do the same.
More than 20 million Americans were hit with punitive overage charges in 2013. And these penalties from the three largest U.S. carriers take more than an incredible $1 billion out of consumers’ pockets every year.
“Today I’m laying down a challenge to AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to join T-Mobile in ending these outrageous overage penalties for all consumers – because it’s the right thing to do,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “Overage fees are flat out wrong. Agree with me? Join me in putting this challenge to all the major national carriers by signing my petition on Change.org. Right here. Take one minute to be a part of this consumer movement.”
Last year, T-Mobile banished annual service contracts and began phasing out overage charges with the launch of Simple Choice. T-Mobile’s stance against annual service contracts is now well known by consumers, and today it’s taking on the even more unpopular and unjustified practice of slamming consumers with surprise bills in the form of overages charges.
“Charging overage fees is a greedy, predatory practice that needs to go,” continued Legere. “Starting in May for bills arriving in June – regardless of whether you’re on Simple Choice, Simple Starter or an older plan, we’re abolishing overages for good. Period.”
Traditional carriers’ entry-level plans lure customers in with a low monthly fee for a fixed amount of domestic minutes, texts or data. Once consumers go over those limits – even by a little – they’re hit with much higher rates, often dramatically higher. These plans are purpose-built to drive customers over that invisible line into massive overage charges. The result has been a culture of fear, worry and surprise every time the wireless bill arrives. For example, an individual on AT&Ts entry-level plan, advertised at $45 per month, will pay $125 if he uses just the average amount of data for a U.S. smartphone user (1.5 GB per person).
“The worst thing about these overage fees is that they’re often inflicted on those who can least afford them,” added Legere. “As an advocate for consumers, we’re putting a stop to that. I personally won’t be satisfied until we obliterate this shameful practice from the entire wireless industry.”
To give a voice to U.S. wireless consumers, Legere has started an online petition at Change.org/AbolishOverages calling on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to end overages. You are invited to sign the petition and add your voice to the growing movement to rid the wireless industry of domestic overages once and for all.
For more information, visit the T-Mobile Newsroom, download T-Mobile b-roll or read John Legere’s blog about today’s announcement.
Overage estimates from third party bill screening report surveying over 20,000 wireless customers multiplied by major U.S. carriers’ reported postpaid subscribers. No overages for U.S. domestic calls, texts, and data usage only. Visit a T-Mobile store for details. As always, we encourage customers to review their plans and features, and talk with our retail associates to make sure their current wireless service gives them everything they need.
If you have been to the Yonkers water front, across from some of the new high rise condos/apartments on Alexander Street, you will have seen the Yonkers Science Barge. It is anchored across from the Palisades in NJ on the Hudson River. It offers spectacular views and is worth a visit to check out what floats and grows on it. The official opening day for 2014 is April 12, when Mayor Mike Spano will open the barge to the public. Take a look at some photos from/of and on the Science Barge:
“The Science Barge is an itinerant floating science museum now docked in Yonkers, New York, USA. It also functions as a working urban farm, operated by the sustainable development organization Groundwork Hudson Valley. The barge was designed by visionary environmental engineer Ted Caplow of the New York Sun Works Center for Sustainable Engineering.[1] The Science Barge grows crops using a hydroponic greenhouse powered by solar panels, wind turbines, and biofuels. The crops in the greenhouse are irrigated by captured rainwater and desalinated river water. Food is grown without carbon emissions, no agricultural waste is discharged into the watershed and no pesticides are used.” *
“The Science Barge is a prototype sustainable urban farm operated as an environmental education center. The Science Barge greenhouse, floating on the Hudson River, grows an abundance of fresh produce including tomatoes, melons, greens, and lettuce with zero net carbon emissions, zero pesticides, and zero runoff. All of the energy needed to power the Barge is generated by solar panels, wind turbines, and biofuels while the hydroponic greenhouse is irrigated solely by collected rainwater and purified river water, thus operating completely “off the grid.” It is the only fully functioning demonstration of renewable energy supporting sustainable food production in New York. It is now docked in downtown Yonkers just north of the Yonkers Pier.” **
The director of the science barge is Robert M. Walters.
References: * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_Barge
** http://www.groundworkhv.org/programs/science-barge/
By Fernando Commodari, Ph.D.
Today (April 11, 2014 EST), in Tibbetts Brook Park, I met Tom who works part time at the NY Botanical gardens. Read on to see how the story changes when taking the time to talk with a “stranger”. He spends a good deal of his time photographing “anything that moves, and some things that don’t.” The non-moving objects are things like flowers. He enjoys photographing the birds with his 300 * 2 fixed 600 mm Nikon DSLR shown above.
Tom also, recently got a phantom 2 vision drone. He uses it to take aerial photos and is just experimenting with it. The drone has a wide-angle lens that can see 140 Degrees and records 14 Megapixel at F2.8.
Now, the story changes. I met Tom in the park. I was intrigued by his serious stance behind his monopod, and I hesitantly approached him, almost passing on the opportunity. In the course of our conversation he told me he was from Baltimore. I told him that I lived just outside of Charm city in the mid 1990s while working at the Nathan Shock Laboratory (Gerontology Research Center http://www.grc.nia.nih.gov ) of the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As it turns out, Tom’s late father, Dr. Reubin Andres, was the director for the first part of my visiting fellowship. I remember fondly, working at the cutting edge, in developing NMR micro imaging as a tool for studying small animals noninvasively. Dr. Andres was a jovial man who looked like Santa Claus, with a reddish grey beard. I met, and keep in touch with people from all over the world. As fate would have it, Tom and I were destined to meet today. Today, I made a new friend already connected to my past. Here are some of Tom’s photos:
From Tibbetts Brook Park, Yonkers, NY:
His drone shot of Bartow-Pell Mansion (http://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org):
If anyone would like to have an aerial photograph of their property or whatever he can do it for around $100 and may be reached at: Tom@Andres.com
Here is a link to Dr. Reubin Andres’ obituary:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/health/reubin-andres-an-advocate-of-weight-gain-dies-at-89.html
I’m glad that I worked through my hesitation to talk to a “stranger” who, as fate would have it, was connected to me in ways I could not have imagined.
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