Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers barricaded roads in Dhaka Wednesday demanding fair wages for clothing they make for major Western brands, with at least two killed during days of protests. Police said at least 5,

Bangladesh garment workers block roads in fair wage protest

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The third-quarter earnings train rumbles along. While the majority of Q3

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How endless cultural and social battles reshape the meaning of everything from the leather motorcycle jacket to the hoodie.

A History of America’s Culture Wars in Fashion

The best logos of the 2000s came at the dawn of a new millennium, when the internet revolution was spreading further and wider. Flashy fashion’s logomania was en vogue, the likes of Facebook (and MySpace) brought a new dimension to networking and consumerism, and there was a proliferation of new tech, including camera phones, and iPods.

The best logos of the 2000s

The History of λιβαισ λιβαισ was founded in 1853 by Levi Strauss, a German immigrant who moved to San Francisco during the Gold Rush. He started a wholesale dry goods business, selling clothing, fabrics, and accessories to small shops in the West.

What is λιβαισ? A Complete InDepth Guide 2023

The Shed House was a 36-store chain that started in Rochester and catered to younger customers looking for certain looks in denim.

50 years ago, you got jeans at Army-Navy stores. Rochester's Shed House helped change that

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Instead of buying new fabrics, I dug into my family’s clothing donation bag (stained button downs, outgrown jeans, and scraps of furniture upholstery), mostly out of convenience. I turned a pair of Limited Too cargo jeans into a mini skirt with a ...

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Get the most recent info and news about Levi Strauss on HackerNoon, where 10k+ technologists publish stories for 4M+ monthly readers.

Levi Strauss Germany GmbH in Germany designs, manufactures, and markets apparel for men, women, and children. The Company offers a wide range of fashion collection including jeans, shirts, skirts, slacks, and casual wear. Levi Strauss markets its products world-wide.

Levi Strauss

The Metaverse is already here - it’s just not evenly distributed. — Alternate Universe William Gibson Wait, is the Metaverse Here Already? What is the Metaverse is a nuanced topic with . The current state of where we are is best described with a derivative of a famous quote: “The Metaverse is already here - it’s just not evenly distributed” from an alternate universe William Gibson. many definitions and points of view As an entrepreneurial creator, the essential Metaverse requirements for your needs are virtual worlds with economies bridged to the real world and the ability to establish ownership and exchange of content within those worlds. One can even stretch even further and consider online avatars and handles in social media or messaging channels a loose form. That is indisputably here already, and enough of a Metaverse is there to be a successful creator. According to , in the last two months, the NFT sales volume has been $2b-3b. nonfungible.com Though not all NFT related, NFTs intersect a few of the opportunities featured below directly or indirectly. Opportunity #1 Virtual Avatars Having an embodied avatar presence gives people an identity in many virtual worlds. It’s a basic human need to express through personal style and ranging from changeable physical attributes (hairstyle, color, make-up, piercings, tattoos, etc.) to clothing and accessories. The physical body and any accessories have far more creative potential in a virtual world, and creating avatars, skins, and accessories is a growing space. Roblox is an example of a world with a person-to-person marketplace for avatars and accessories. Aside from avatar use in virtual worlds, there’s a current trend of creating and selling profile pictures for use on Twitter or online spaces. Current trends are not just human pictures but also various creatures as well. The most popular is the generative art style to create a set of many different base body types and accessories/modifications that are randomly mixed to create a collection of thousands of variations of different combination rarities. Cryptopunks and Bored Apes are two famous examples of these kinds of collectively having sold for millions of dollars. pfp projects Cryptopunks have become such a cultural phenomenon that at the time of this writing, the lowest-priced punk is ~102 ETH ($391k). Their creator, Larva Labs, to be represented in content deals for potential films, games, and more. Punks are transcending into potentially becoming full-fledged virtual beings. The creator potential of virtual beings is an exciting space and is covered later in the article. There’s an opportunity to bring the exact Cryptopunk pictured above to life. has signed Cryptopunks on with UTA Avatars range in style from pixel art to cartoon style 2D to sophisticated 3D models with animation capabilities. There’s a large amount of freedom to express your creativity and particular skillset through those various mediums. Where you plan to sell the avatar for use will also have an impact on the appropriate style. Packaging avatars as NFTs makes creating and selling their ownership rights straightforward. Non-blockchain-based games have their own marketplaces and rules. #2 Other Virtual Goods There’s a vast array of possibilities of what a virtual good can be and what types of value it can offer to motivate people to buy it. A single item could hit several categories, not just one. Creative art, collectible rarity, investment, memorializing and proving participation in an event, showing support for a cause, or just looking cool are all reasons people purchase virtual items. The social capital of being a knowledgeable early adopter or hefty purchase cost believer of a limited release collection has also become a new source of value, as has happened with the Cryptopunks. Goods with Game Utility Apart from purely visual or social value, some newer experiences take utility even further. The builds past what Roblox or Neon District offer by having not just cosmetic game or simple gear stat items but also allowing creating monsters with stats and other creative objects to populate a game maker’s world. Sandbox game Virtual goods can also be packaged and sold as NFTs for blockchain-based worlds, but they also typically have additional world-specific constraints that get applied. It’s best first to determine which virtual world you’re interested in creating for and then explore their process. Interoperability of virtual goods across worlds is talked about a lot in theory but has a long way to go in practice. #3 Creator Tools / Creator Training During the Gold Rush, most would-be miners lost money, but people who sold them picks, shovels, tents and blue-jeans (Levi Strauss) made a nice profit. — Peter Lynch While everyone is rushing to create content and hopes it’s a hit, if you’ve got both creative and technical skills, you can make improved tools or set up training courses or communities to help many people build more efficiently. Typical tools for 2D/3D animation are either complex requiring extensive practice and skills, expensive, or both. Rigging a model for animation adding natural-looking articulating joints and control points is not easy today. There’s a market opportunity for making more straightforward and purpose-suited tooling or helping people learn how to get the most out of existing tools with just what they need to know. “During the Gold Rush, most would-be miners lost money, but people who sold them picks, shovels, tents and blue-jeans (Levi Strauss) made a nice profit” famously coined by Peter Lynch. #4 Remastering Content There are thousands of 2D avatar and profile picture projects looking to differentiate themselves in what is now a more crowded space. Many are choosing to offer 3D rigged models (annotated with articulation control points) for use in one or more virtual worlds or games to provide their holders more value and the ability to interact as a community. Artists are in demand to take inspiration from the 2D character photos and create traditional or voxel style 3D versions and even accompanying animations. Source: CyberKongz remastered as 3D voxel characters for the Sandbox Approaching NFT projects that are either planning to launch with eventual 3D versions or have already launched and promised later release of 3D versions are good places to connect and apply your creativity and skills, bringing their early concepts forward. #5 Concerts / Live Social Events in Virtual Worlds Some of the most popular games and virtual worlds can have millions of people online. Established musical acts playing concerts in these worlds have earned tens of millions of dollars. “Fortnite with Travis Scott earner the artist $20 million in merchandise sales. That’s compared to the $1.7 million record he had in a single night for his in-person Astroworld tour, and just under 40% of what he reported earned from the $53,5 million tour.” notes . Paul Tassi of Forbes Artists with smaller fan followings still have an opportunity to set up events in virtual worlds to drive digital album sales and increased streaming as well as commemorative digital goods. Yes, the decades-old concert T-shirt idea can now be an NFT or a game skin. While not creating and selling a direct digital good, the roles involved in creating a digital live event experience will also be in demand. Here are a few examples: Director Broadcast Producer Sound Engineer 3D Artist VFX Artist Lighting Artist Motion-Capture Actor Motion Graphics Designer #6 Virtual Beings Virtual beings are not a brand-new idea. It is gleefully ironic that an early virtual being in the 1980’s, Max Headroom, was played by a human in makeup for the live segments as computers at the time were not powerful enough to animate an actual virtual being. Computing power increased though, and some like Hatsune Miku have played in computer-generated concerts for over a decade to millions of fans. [Virtual Influence Agency] uses social listening techniques, employing machine-learning analysis to conduct intensive research into the tastes and attitudes of its target market and then tools like IBM Watson’s Tone Analyzer to fashion a character to meet them, determining age, gender, tone of voice and aesthetics to suit whatever audience they are pursuing. — Sam Bradley @ The Drum With the seeds already sown, what’s different in the past few years are gains in graphics fidelity and AI use to improve lifelike movements. AI is at times even driving what the virtual being is saying. “[Virtual Influence Agency] uses social listening techniques, employing machine-learning analysis to conduct intensive research into the tastes and attitudes of its target market and then tools like IBM Watson’s Tone Analyzer to fashion a character to meet them, determining age, gender, tone of voice and aesthetics to suit whatever audience they are pursuing.” notes Sam Bradley @ The Drum Dudley Neville-Spencer, the founder of Virtual Influencer Agency, relies on social listening and AI to create a tight fit between characters, their speaking styles, and the audience they are aiming for. Virtual beings have become and singers, , activists for causes, and more. and there are many more virtual beings. social media influencers fashion models Lil Miquela alone literally hit all those categories Creating with virtual beings is the last and most novel opportunity. Cultur is the token-powered guild for virtual beings, avatars and digital identity! Their first HACKATHON will be on December 10th-12th for teams of 2-7 people. Bring virtual beings or avatars to life through stories, animations, or both. Create for your own character or leverage the $CULTUR vault’s Cryptopunk; Meebit; Bored Ape; Squiggle; Fluf; Loot and more! Earn and recognition. thousands of dollars in major prizes What story would you tell instead? Can you help others tell their stories? There’s a huge opportunity to make your mark in this space in the . $CULTUR Virtual Beings Hackathon Registration is available until all spots are filled. Sign up quickly to ensure you get a spot. More in-depth educational content on the Metaverse and the creator economy can be found when you join the free monthly meetups (online and global), and we love having new members. Our next event is coming up! VerseTech This article is part of The hosted by HackerNoon in partnership with Gaming Metaverse Writing Contest . The Sandbox Submit your today for your chance to win up to $2000. #gaming-metaverse story

How to Get Paid in the Metaverse Creator Economy Today

Whenever I witness an emerging trend or viral phenomenon…I go back to this one question: Who made the most money during the gold rush? I was first introduced to this question via ’s blog: Chris Dixon There is a saying in the startup world that “you can mine for gold or you can sell pickaxes.” This is of course an allusion to the California Gold Rush where some of the most successful business people such as and didn’t mine for gold themselves but instead sold supplies to miners — wheelbarrows, tents, jeans, pickaxes etc. Mining for gold was the more glamorous path but actually turned out, in aggregate, to be a worse return on capital and labor than selling supplies. — Levi Strauss Samuel Brannan Chris Dixon It turns out, we can apply this same framework for thinking about how to build companies. When a major new technology trend emerges — say, the rise of online video or social media — entrepreneurs can try to capitalize on the trend by creating a consumer product (mining for gold), or by creating tools to enable consumer products (selling pickaxes). There are many exciting technology opportunities emerging today: some are horizontal like mobile, location, and local; others are vertical like fashion, art, real estate, education, finance and energy. If you are an entrepreneur thinking about starting a company around these trends, consider selling pickaxes. — Chris Dixon While Dixon’s article was originally published back in 2011, I believe that there is still, of course, a massive opportunity to build digital pickaxes that complement today’s evolving trends. For instance, interest in blockchain (and cryptocurrencies broadly) has exploded over the past few months. via Google Trends Whether or not you personally believe in the short/long term implications of crypto, there is clearly an opportunity to capitalize off of this mad rush. In unpacking this further… I think about what “digital pickaxes” my friends and I can build to provide for this budding ecosystem. As a test, we launched — a coin tracker that lives in your browser. And we now have over 750 users! CryptoTab This is just one, super tiny example of how you can build out little pickaxes that provide value for this community. THERE ARE SO MANY MORE OPPORTUNITIES. Immediately, some ideas that come to mind are: Systems that help “gold miners” AKA crypto investors Systems that help the next generation of “blockchain entrepreneurs” Systems that enable a decentralized future Imagine Bitcoin and decentralized systems are the metaphorical gold…what can we build? What is the Levis of this rush? While we are still in the very early days of this developing space, there are a number of entrepreneurs and companies who are already producing and selling their “digital pickaxes” at scale. For instance, look at popular blogs/forums like , , or . Coindesk 99bitcoins The Bitcoin Pub They are providing a consistent stream of helpful resources and tutorials for the rush of newbie investors looking to invest in crypto. There are also opportunities to build automation tools to help crypto-investors allocate their capital and reduce friction: Coin exchanges/exchanges Investing tools Crypto-tax guides And finally, there are a number of other blockchain projects developing different elements of this “decentralized future”: : A decentralized Reddit of Sorts Steem : A decentralized file storage system IPFS : A prediction market Augur They are focused on building out critical components of a future-state blockchain world. Look at platforms like , that are bringing us closer to a “tokenized future.” They are borrowing from Elon Musk’s frame of thinking and “accelerating an inevitable shift,” bridging the gap between blockchains and real world assets. Partnering with a number of leading institutions like , they are rolling out the first “legally enforceable protocol for blockchain-based ownership and control of real world assets.” You will be able to securitize a number of different tangible assets, encompassing everything from timeshares to small businesses to rental properties. This shift to tokenized assets will enable a new age of liquid markets. TrustToken Stanford and StartX These projects are raising money by creating and then selling their own tokens through crowdfunding on a blockchain. At first glance this just looks like a new way to raise money, much like how a normal company issues and sells stock to raise capital. At second glance it goes far beyond that. — Fred Ehrsam There are a few key components to these tokens: - They are the currency that is used in the app itself. - Contributors to the app are directly paid for their contributions in tokens. This can be extremely granular. - The tokens are easily converted to any local currency since they are on the blockchain. As the space grows to become more developed and mainstream, it will be interesting to see which projects are here to stay. Meanwhile, I’ll be selling: What digital pickaxes are you thinking about?

Building Digital Pickaxes for the Blockchain Community

As listening shifts online, broadcast radio’s advertising, worth $15 to $17 billion annually, is a gold mine for ad-supported streaming services like Pandora. By Glenn Peoples, Music Insights and Analytics at Pandora AM/FM radio has 176 billion listening hours each year in the U.S. The U.S. radio market is worth $15 to $17 billion annually. The average American listens to 2 hours of AM/FM radio and just 36 minutes of streaming services each day. The youngest Americans are embracing streaming services, but they have hardly deserted AM/FM radio. After being the only game in town for decades, broadcast radio is now battling Internet services that offer better features and vastly different listening experiences. The broadcast (AM/FM) market — not in spite of its size, but because of its size — represents an excellent growth opportunity for any streaming service looking for listening hours and advertising revenue. The invention of Guglielmo Marconi casts a large shadow on its competitors. Streaming services of any source — Pandora is just one—command an average of 36 minutes of audio listening in a single day. In contrast, AM/FM accounts for about two hours. If you read no further, know the AM/FM radio market has about 176 billion listening hours annually and a value of $15 to $17 billion. One can’t help but think of the Northern California gold rush that spanned 1848 to 1855. Hundreds of thousands of Americans moved west in search of gold, San Francisco turned into a boom town, and Levi Strauss & Co. became a successful dry goods business before patenting a new type of denim jeans. Today‘s music market is like a gold rush, too. Over the last 15 years, dozens of music streaming services rushed into digital music to seek riches in the world’s largest market. Most of these services have gone bust, but many better, stronger companies are left, constantly innovating while competing for Americans’ ears. Although streaming revenue has grown bountifully in the last decade, it’s still far smaller than broadcast radio, a huge, influential, and valuable market that represents a good chunk of the United States’ $183 billion advertising business. “The radio advertising market continues to be significant at approximately $15 billion to $17 billion,” noted Naveen Chopra, chief financial officer, and interim chief executive officer, in Pandora’s July 31st earnings call. The U.S. broadcast radio’s value, roughly the size of the recorded music business, comes from 243 million monthly U.S. listeners 12 and older who listen for about 176 billion hours a year, a Pandora estimate gleaned from Nielsen data from Q4 2016. This is the AM/FM universe to ponder when thinking of the future of music. global AM/FM radio accounts for half of the four hours of audio the average American hears per day. And why wouldn’t it dominate? It had a big head start. The first radio program broadcast , when Reginald Fessenden, the engineer who brought speaking to radio waves, broadcast himself playing “O Holy Night” and reading Bible passages. Broadcast radio advertising also has a decades-long head start over online advertising. The seller of apartment buildings in Queens, New York, , from New York’s WEAF in 1922 — that’s 83 years before Pandora’s launch! is said to have taken place on Christmas Eve, 1906 purchased the first advertisement on the airwaves Today, spins on streaming services are becoming the new radio spins, often giving tracks their initial momentum before getting played on broadcast radio. In fact, record label promoters take streaming data to a station’s program directors as evidence of a songs’ popularity. “Look at these spins,” a promoter might say. “People in your market love this song.” Streaming is a sort of Pandora makes available all types of music that get little to no broadcast radio play. It has 16 metal stations; 16 of classical; 30 of reggae; 19 for folk and singer-songwriters; 37 for world music spanning countries and continents; 23 of jazz; and four exclusively for bluegrass! That type of personalization, born from the one-to-one nature of streaming, available to any listener at any time, cannot be matched by a one-to-many, over-the-air broadcast station. new radio. There’s more potential than might meet the eye. Music is usually depicted as a like-for-like competition. That is to say, one streaming company does battle with other streaming companies, and one radio network does battle with other radio networks. But any person’s audio listening comes from a variety of sources: AM/FM radio, streaming, satellite radio, TV music, podcasts, and owned music like CDs and MP3s. Digital services might be competing against one another, but at the same time, they’re fighting for the listening hours of heavily entrenched, AM/FM companies. Streaming is a substitute — definitely at home, increasingly in the car — for AM/FM and its 176 billion annual listening hours. The more consumers see streaming as a replacement for broadcast radio, and the better the listening experiences, the more revenue and listening time will shift from the older to the newer one. Streaming isn’t a zero-sum game. Streaming hours aren’t the only goal. AM/FM listening hours are the larger goal. technology Young listeners still spend time with AM/FM radio, although streaming fares well. Young listeners typify the opportunity at hand. Contrary to popular wisdom, the youth of America still make AM/FM a major source of listening. According to Edison Research, for the 13–17 demo, the young end of Generation Z, radio accounts for 34 percent of audio listening. The 18–24 age group, the older end of Generation Z, puts 27 percent of audio listening to AM/FM. Millennials age 25 to 34 are heavier AM/FM listeners with a 43-percent share. These numbers aren’t the failure of streaming services as much as the continued attractiveness of AM/FM radio. Pandora and other streaming services should regard youth’s interest in AM/FM as an opportunity. Pandora’s ability to steal away AM/FM hours is the essence of the Internet’s ability to disrupt legacy markets. Before streaming, recorded music had already gone through one upheaval in the young century. The compact disc reached its pinnacle in in 2001, the tail end of the era of boy bands and deep discounts at big box retailers. iTunes launched in the U.S. in 2003 with 99-cent tracks and $9.99 albums, becoming an instant hit and establishing the market for legal downloads. Seven years later, as CD sales shrank, download sales helped digital revenue overtake physical sales for the first time. This pecking order was short-lived, however. By 2011, , and the next digital technology would begin its rise. the digital download had peaked . (Broadcast radio is not represented in that statistic since stations are not legally required to pay royalties to record labels.) As buying music is falling out of favor, a door has opened wide for services such as Pandora to give people music how they want it: on mobile phones (most of which lack an FM antenna), on the web, in the car, through home digital systems like Sonos, and through smart speakers like Echo and Google Home. Ironically, streaming is taking music back to its roots. Just like AM/FM radio, streaming gives people access to music rather than ownership. A tipping point came in 2016 when streaming accounted for a majority of U.S. recorded music sales— 50.3 percent to be exact — an incredible feat considering its share was just nine-percent five years earlier To understand AM/FM radio’s place in American culture is to appreciate its staying power. It’s size and influence has made it nearly ubiquitous for decades. AM/FM dominated the the airwaves before the advent of television and grew during the post-World War 2 surge in automobile sales. It considerable strengths: a wide reach, high automobile usage, and a powerful lobby in Washington DC. But it has signs of weaknesses, too. Although its isn’t as bleak as portrayed in a recent by Larry Miller, Director at the Steinhard Music Business Program at New York University, one of AM/FM’s vital metrics has declined over the last decade: . On one hand, radio can still boast of a 91-percent penetration rate amongst U.S. adults, a number that has more or less held steady over the years. Such a high penetration rate should be the envy of the audio world. But on the other hand, market penetration isn’t the same as listening time. That is to say, 91 percent of 13:35 is less than 91 percent of 19:46. future white paper average weekly listening has declined 31 percent from 19:46 minutes in 2007 to 13:35 i n 2016 Small changes in listening habits will have huge after effects. A million listening hours lost by traditional radio can mean the departure of tens of millions of advertising dollars. Just ten percent of radio’s daily listening time is worth nearly 18 billion listening hours, more than enough to benefit any single streaming service. At current trends, streaming’s share of daily listening will undoubtedly increase from its current 36 minutes per day, taking some of AM/FM’s daily hours and capturing a portion of its $15 to $17 billion revenue. This value exchange isn’t just inevitable, it’s already happening. . Attracting radio dollars has been a key part of the company’s strategy. To get radio dollars, a streaming company needs to behave like radio company. So, four years ago, using measurement data by Triton Digital, Pandora integrated with the Strata and MediaOcean buying platforms to tap into broadcast radio ad budgets. Pandora’s advertising revenue has grown to $1.09 billion in the last four quarters (ended June 30) Young millennials are abandoning traditional TV viewing—network and cable TV—for online-only alternatives like Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and YouTube TV. There are signs of media disruption well beyond radio.. , according to Nielsen. At the same time, national television have been rolling out their competing streaming packages to stem their losses and adapt to their new reality. Newspapers have struggled to produce journalism under the financial challenges of digital advertising; digital-first, global news sites have captured readerships few traditional newspapers can achieve. These are hardly surprises: entrenched players in legacy industries are usually slow to react to market trends spurred by nimbler startups. This is the state of AM/FM radio in America. Broadcast radio has ceded some of its listenership to Pandora, podcasts and other newcomers — and there are still 176 billion annual listening hours available for the taking. In February, viewing with connected devices (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, et al.) surged 56 percent compared to the previous year

Streaming services can find growth in AM/FM’s 176 billion annual listening hours

Located somewhere inside sprawling two million feet-square headquarters in California is the Advanced Technologies and Projects group, or ATAP for short. It is a incubator not unlike the secretive research lab (Project X) that is behind Google’s self-driving car efforts, or their plan to fill the stratosphere with flying Internet routers. Google’s technology While X maybe the company’s ‘moonshot’ division — out to turn the craziest, most unimaginable ideas into reality — ATAP is more grounded. Project leads are given only two years to turn a concept into a finished product. In tech parlance, the ATAP team is called a skunkworks; a group that works with minimal management constraints to develop something quickly. Its former head, Regina Dugan, has an interesting way of putting it: “We’re a small band of pirates trying to do epic shit.” Such as make a phone whose components can be swapped as easily as its back cover, or create software that allows devices to build virtual structures in real space. The division’s newest baby is Project Jacquard, a collaboration with Levi Strauss that turns a normal denim jacket into a touch-sensitive fabric. The project is inspired by the Jacquard weave, a fabric in which the design is incorporated into the weave instead of being printed on it. In designing these smart jackets, a special conductive thread was used, which is compatible with existing looms. Coupled with a small Bluetooth controller running on a standard watch battery, this connected weave allows the jackets to pair with other gadgets and enable interactivity. Releasing this spring, the first of these is the line which was designed for urban cyclists who are always on the move. You can tap, swipe or hold the cuff of the sleeve to answer or block phone calls, access voice-delivered navigation or change music tracks — all of the necessary wizardry coming from a thin flexible strap around the cuff. Commuter Ivan Poupyrev, who heads the Jacquard team at ATAP, says that this interactive fabric is a “platform”, adding that Google would be making the APIs — code packages — that will allow developers to customise the jackets functions. He adds, “Wearables to date have just been able to do one thing, in our case the garment does what you want it to do.” Users have complete control over what their gestures would mean to the jacket; Using an accompanying app, they can essentially program the interface to have preferred functions. It isn’t just the addition of a few lengths of conductive yarn and touch gestures that make Project Jacquard so exciting. The vision that Google and Levi’s had was to make a jacket that feels like any other, one that was fashionable and durable; a piece of technology that wasn’t “precious”, according to Paul Dillinger, VP of global product innovation at Levi’s. Bluetooth, USB, and a battery — behind the Jacquard cuff The weave is durable enough for regular use; you can throw it on a chair when taking it off, or even put it in the washing machine. “The real news is that we’ve made wearables that you can throw in the washing machine, and that still have functional technology afterwards,” explains Dillinger. The only thing one would need to remove is the cuff strap. The trick that works here, according to Poupyrev, is looking at smart, wearable tech from an apparel maker’s point of view, and not as a “consumer electronics company”. “If we really want to make technology a part of every garment in the world, then we have to empower apparel makers such as Levi’s or any other brand, to be able to manufacture smart garments. It means you have to work with their supply chain.”, he adds. In that sense, the Jacquard jacket is a true wearable, where technology merely supplements the design of the cloth. The Commuter goes on sale this spring Levi’s makes the jacket through its own supply chain, weaving the touch sensors into it like any other, regular jacket, which means it can be easily scaled up for mass production. By 2023, the market for wearables is expected to be $100 billion, and is only expected to grow from there. Although the isn’t cheap at $350 (or INR 23,000), it may just change how . Poupyrev says, “It’s very natural at this point that new technology becomes another ingredient in building apparel and fashion of the future.” He points to how technology such as nylon has added new functionality to apparel, and hopes that smart clothing becomes as ubiquitous as the zipper on your jacket. Commuter consumers perceive smart clothing

Google’s ‘Project Jacquard’: Wearable Technology You Can Wash

It’s difficult to produce and sell quality items when you don’t know where your assets are located at a given time. Or when your inventory is constantly running out of essential materials. Or when equipment unexpectedly breaks down despite scheduled inspection rounds. And on top of this, your supplier doesn’t bother to inform you about shipment delays or delivers spoiled items because the cooling system broke down and no one noticed. Are you looking to take full control over your manufacturing process and monitor your supply chain? Then an might be exactly what you need. Industrial Internet of Things solution Keep reading this article to discover top Industrial IoT applications that will ensure the unfortunate situations above don’t compromise your operations. What is Industrial IoT, and how does it work? The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is the utilization of sensors to gather and process data from connected devices with the goal of understanding and improving the industrial processes. IIoT can also use actuators and programmable controllers to communicate with devices and make them act in a certain way. The number of IoT devices is steadily growing worldwide. Statista . And this number is expected to surpass 29 billion by 2030 as the demand for IoT grows. Ericsson states that for a factory to be considered “smart,” it . reported 11.28 billion devices in 2021 needs to deploy 0.5 IoT devices per square meter So, how do IoT devices work together? And what do you need to know to use them at your organization? The anatomy of IoT IoT architecture consists of software and hardware components that interact together to aggregate, transmit, and analyze data coming from different devices. Below, you will find a brief description of the five main IoT layers. For a detailed explanation, check out our . detailed guide on IoT architecture . Covers various IoT devices equipped with sensors and actuators. Sensors gather data from the corresponding devices and transmit it as a signal to a processing unit. Actuators, on the contrary, receive commands — i.e., signals — from processing centers and make devices act upon them. Device layer . Spans communication technologies, such as Bluetooth, 4G/5G, and Wi-Fi, to mention a few examples. Network layer . Comprises intermediary devices between IoT units and cloud servers. These devices process critical data locally and send the remaining information to the cloud at scheduled intervals, thus reducing infrastructure costs. While edge computing devices aren’t part of the traditional IoT architecture, they’re getting increasingly popular with the Internet of Things adopters. Edge computing layer . Receives, processes, and stores data gathered from IoT sensors. Device and application support layer . Covers different applications that work on IoT data. This includes analytical algorithms, data visualization tools, software that issues commands to actuators, etc. Application layer While the “traditional” IoT is customer-centric and captures how people interact with their smart devices, Industrial IoT focuses on enterprise-wide applications and implies large-scale deployments. IIoT platforms for even greater benefits IoT is not a new concept, and many industrial organizations use IoT sensors to gather data from connected devices. However, IoT is often for each Industrial IoT application, which limits data sharing and restricts the benefits. deployed in isolated silos To mitigate this, organizations can benefit from the to build IIoT platforms that span the entire enterprise. This setup will break isolated IoT pipelines and establish a centralized point for managing IoT devices across different use cases. It will also allow you to integrate more data and have a unified view on all operations. Internet of Things development services Top 10 Industrial IoT applications Here are 10 key Industrial Internet of Things examples that will help you save time and money without compromising quality: Predictive maintenance Quality control Supply chain management Asset tracking Inventory monitoring Remote equipment and production site control Energy management Automation Process optimization and advanced analytics Safety control Predictive maintenance Manufacturers , which is equivalent to 15 hours a week. Another research shows that unplanned device failure can . go through 800 hours of equipment downtime annually cost a company as much as $260,000 per hour Fortunately, Industrial IoT can be applied to prevent equipment failure and cut down on associated expenses. IoT sensors placed on equipment and vehicles can gather data on its performance and condition, such as vibrations, voltage, and temperature. These sensors detect and report any suspicious changes and slight performance degradations, giving technicians enough time to interfere and fix the issue before it impacts the production process. Volvo, one of the leading car manufacturers, outfits its trucks with IoT sensors that capture vehicle data and send it for analysis. Their comprehensive IoT platform can process millions of data records instantly. This tactic enables Volvo to and diagnostic time by a whopping 70%. reduce track repair time by 25% Quality control their products at any stage, starting with raw materials, and all the way as the item moves along the production line. This even includes the amount of waste emitted during the manufacturing process. IoT sensors can continue gathering data even after the item is purchased. They can transmit information on customer satisfaction and keep track of any issues the client encounters with the product. IoT allows manufacturers to monitor Recently, a research team deployed IoT sensors together with convolutional neural networks to identify defects in Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) manufacturing before the products reached the final production stages. As a result, they could . spot defected PCBs with 97% accuracy There are many benefits of combining IoT and AI, like in the IIoT example above. To learn more, check out this from our innovation analysts. Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) blog post Supply chain management Industrial IoT systems allow managers to track different events across the supply chain. They can access real-time information on the location of materials in transit and get a notification if there is an unforeseen delay, accompanied with the supplier’s justification. Sensors also help monitor temperature, humidity, and other relevant conditions of transported goods. In May 2021, DHL to over 120 countries worldwide. The company used IoT sensors to monitor transportation conditions and ensure the temperature did not exceed the threshold, which would result in spoilage. transported around 200 million COVID-19 vaccines In another real-life IIoT application, California-based Golden State Foods uses IBM’s IoT trackers to monitor storage conditions while transporting meat. Furthermore, deploying IoT in supply chains can help in logistics optimization as companies can identify shorter, less crowded routes. Enhanced with AI, such systems can predict traffic congestions, take into account weather conditions and accidents on the transportation route and make the necessary changes. Consider for comprehensive . consulting artificial intelligence services vendors logistics optimization solutions An interesting example of combining AI and IIoT comes from a logistics innovation company. The client turned to ITRex to develop an that allows companies to monitor cargo in real time, calculate shipping costs based on 60 parameters, fill in paperless documents, and more. Currently, this IIoT platform has over 25,000 users, including large players in the transportation sector, such as DHL and Maersk. AI-powered IoT system Asset tracking Large facilities typically have too many assets that employees can’t keep track of. For instance, studies show that searching for equipment. This problem is not limited to healthcare. The same goes for large factories, stores, etc. nurses waste around 10% of their time One of the Industrial IoT applications is that it can automate asset finding and monitoring. Companies can outfit their assets, such as finished goods, raw materials, tools, and packages, with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. These tags are scanned with RFID readers to display information on the corresponding item. Another option is to use equipment sensors that transmit signals over Bluetooth. If power consumption is an issue and you need long-range connectivity, opt for narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), which relies on low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technology. In addition to locating items, IIoT-powered asset tracking can help you protect raw materials and avoid waste. For instance, if employees are working with large paint barrels, it’s tempting to grab the barrel that is the closest to the entrance point instead of walking through the barrel storage unit checking for expiration dates. With IoT tags, employees will be notified about the location of the barrels nearing their expiration date and receive a warning if they still grab the closest item. There are many vendors who have their own IoT tracking systems. For instance, Bosch built a cloud-based , which relies on Bluetooth to transmit signals. This system was designed in collaboration with construction firms and can be integrated with popular enterprise-wide software used in manufacturing. Bosch claims the tags can withstand water and dust and their batteries can last up to two years. This system captures detailed asset-related information. For instance, it can understand when a tool was dropped. And if an item goes missing, the system can show where it was last seen. Bluehound asset tracking solution In another example, Volvo in its large truck plants, where they assemble around 72 vehicles per day. uses IoT-powered trackers to track vehicles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1TUEzcc5Q0&embedable=true Inventory monitoring Another Internet of Things industrial application is fitting the inventory with IoT sensors that will transmit its status in real time. For example, if materials or manufactured products are overheated in storage, smart sensors will ask an IoT-enabled thermostat to lower the temperature in the storage unit. Companies can combine Industrial IoT and analytics to rearrange inventory in an optimal way. For instance, the tools and raw materials that are used the most frequently will be moved closer to access points. IIoT can monitor inventory levels and automatically place an order if stock decreases below a predetermined threshold. This eliminates the need for manual checks. If you are a retailer owning a store with electronic shelves, you can deploy e-labels. Powered by Bluetooth beacons, these tags allow customers to place orders simply by pressing on them. Suppliers will receive order alerts and can either confirm or decline. The e-label can also display “on-order” tag to prevent customers from placing repetitive orders. Levi Strauss, a clothing company, deploys . This enables the company to know how many items they still have left of each model and when the new arrivals are expected. RFID tags to monitor stock levels Remote equipment and production site control Giving managers control over remote equipment is another important Industrial IoT application. Sensors can monitor machinery and allow human operators to activate equipment, shut it down, or change the settings. For instance, if water pump leakage is detected, the technician can deactivate the pump without having to access it physically. This use case is particularly convenient for machinery installed in hard-to-reach locations. Speaking of remote locations, IIoT can be deployed to control tower beacon lights. These lights have very specific requirements, and any organization that owns towers, like the telecom sector, has to conform to these standards. IoT sensors can make sure the lights are located at the right height, and have the required color and brightness, and notify the operator immediately in the case of violations. IIoT is also helpful in monitoring remote sites. For example, the British oil and gas company Shell, to install IoT sensors in their wells. The sensors are supposed to gather information on the wells’ pressure and temperature to minimize human intervention. This is not the only IoT industrial application that Shell deployed. The oil and gas giant also used the technology . The company claims to have in its oilfields. partnered with an IIoT startup Hiber to protect its pipelines saved $1 million deploying IoT sensors Energy management Companies can attach IoT sensors to its infrastructure to monitor the environment and cut on energy consumption when possible. For instance, sensors can turn off the lights when everyone leaves the building. They can also gather and analyze data on the heating and ventilation system to find the optimal performance. Another application of Industrial IoT is detecting when one piece of equipment starts to excessively consume electricity. This is often an indication that the machine is damaged and needs closer inspection. The Chinese company Chengdu Xihui Water Environmental Co., Ltd relied on MindSphere, the Industrial IoT as a service solution from Siemens, to save on energy consumption. The company operates wastewater treatment stations, and energy bills account for almost half of their operational costs. Chengdu Xihui deployed IoT sensors on its equipment to gather real-time data. After thorough analysis, the company understood when the equipment is at its highest energy consumption rate and managed to match this with off-peak electricity prices, . reducing the expenses by 10% Automation With the help of IIoT and robotics, it’s possible to that are typically performed by human employees. automate tedious tasks One example of this Industrial IoT application comes from Amazon. The retail giant uses several types of robots at its warehouses to automate tedious and even dangerous tasks. For instance, , read their label with the help of AI and , and place the right package into a GoCart to move packages within the facility. Cardinal can easily lift heavy packages that can cause injuries in human employees. Cardinal robot can lift packages computer vision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dB-YHAP5RM&embedable=true Proteus is another robot that can move GoCarts through order fulfillment centers while navigating around people and robots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmmEbYkYfHY&embedable=true IoT-based automation is not limited to warehouse-related activities. Robots can also take over production tasks. For example, Lear Corporation, a car seat manufacturer, to assemble car seats. UR5 works alongside human employees and can perform tasks, such as screwdriving, lifting, and placing seats. relies on UR5 robots Robots can also replace humans in toxic environments, like painting facilities with poisonous emissions. Process optimization and advanced analytics Another Industrial IoT application example is spotting opportunities for process and product optimization with the help of analytics. IoT enables manufacturers to identify and predict bottlenecks in production processes and address the issue preemptively. The technology can also help update performance benchmarks. These production standards, such as the amount of time it takes to produce a product part, are set and rarely updated. Tools like allow managers to gather performance data and optimize job standards to set realistic deadlines and prices of new products. Machine Metrics Applying advanced analytics to data incoming from purchased products helps companies understand how customers actually utilize the items, and update the warranty policy accordingly. IoT sensors attached to packages enable companies to monitor the products during transportation and optimize the packaging to minimize item damage. Safety control IoT can contribute to workers’ safety by monitoring the environment, employee behavior, and compliance with safety protocols. Employees working at high altitudes or operating heavy machinery can wear sensors that will evaluate their body temperature, perspiration, and working technique, and alert managers if they detect a likelihood of a hazardous scenario. Given that musculoskeletal disorders are , these sensors can significantly enhance safety. responsible for 33% of workplace injuries For instance, a workplace wearables firm called Kinetic the size of a smartphone. It can detect posture and movements that are highly dangerous on the job and notify the employee immediately through light vibrations. built a smart device Another example of IIoT comes from Uruguay, where a biofuel plant . It contains sensors that track people’s movements and detect if someone falls or spends too much time in an area with noxious gasses. supplies all workers with a smart helmet Factories can also enhance safety by deploying environmental sensors. These devices can monitor the surroundings for dangers. For instance, they can detect extreme temperatures that can result in a fire and spot any hazardous gas leakage, and alert workers. On a final note Industrial IoT has many exciting applications. It can decrease time and costs associated with equipment failure, take over tedious tasks that pose health risks for human employees, make sure the stock is always replenished so that you don’t get stuck waiting for raw materials. And these are just a few of its benefits. However, there are challenges associated with deploying this technology. The main problem with IoT applications in industry is . As more information is aggregated, processed, and stored, the higher the risk of cyberattacks. Another challenge is the . Keep these aspects in mind when choosing your IIoT vendor. We can help you equip your devices with sensors, build a platform that enables you to manage the IoT devices, develop tailored to your business needs. maintaining data security costs associated with IoT solutions custom big data analytics solutions Whether you want to build IIoT infrastructure from scratch, improve your existing initiatives, or supplement IoT with AI and advanced analytics, ! We will work with you to produce a customized solution that meets your unique business needs. drop us a line Also published . here

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激发创新的顶级工业物联网应用

2019 is the year of adoption. We have weathered the storm of early 2018, lived through the ensuing drought and we can see glimpses of the promised land on the horizon. At , we are strongly passionate about overall adoption of blockchain technology as we believe it can benefit many people and industries. As such, we are always on the look-out for news of increasing adoption and collaboration. aelf Last year I wrote an article with a as I found it very difficult to find a single source for this information online. Comprehensive List of Banks using Blockchain tech Although there was a strong interest in blockchain tech over the last 24 months, due to a mixture of issues, including the volatile ‘unproven’ market and rampant ICO scams, many companies avoided public exposure linking them to the blockchain industry. Many would agree we have seen a shift in this mindset as more high profile individuals and companies are now being more open about their association with blockchain. Take for example, the #1 YouTuber, . Pewdiepie, who has recently partnered with Dlive In fact, according to a by Gemalto, adoption of blockchain to help secure IoT doubled in 2018. report Deloitte recently released survey results in regards to . The companies represented by these executives all have an annual revenue of over $100M USD. One point to note, was that over 75% of respondents believe they will lose a competitive advantage if they do not adopt blockchain. Did someone say FOMO? executive’s views on blockchain adoption Also, according to the survey, over 90% of respondents are already participating in or planning to within 12 months, a blockchain consortium or alliance. According to the , global spending on blockchain development will almost double to $2.9 Billion this year, and increase exponentially to reach $12.4 billion by 2022. International Data Corporation The financial sector will lead the charge with an estimated of $1.1 Billion to be spent in this sector alone. The Manufacturing and resources sector will see the fastest growth this year with a growth rate of 77.6%. Notably, of (Statisca.com), over 50% are included in this list; and in particular, 9 out of the top 10 with a combined market value of over $5.6 trillion USD in 2018. the 100 largest companies in the world by market value Surprisingly, the largest industry in this list is Transport, Shipping & Logistics. There could be a few reasons due to this, firstly, there were a few large alliances that have been created specifically to aid in blockchain adoption with members in the hundreds. Secondly, this is one of the biggest industries in which there is a high degree of interdependence and cross company reliance. The finance industry was always going to be in the top of this list, but another exciting development is the high rank that government received with many countries showing a clear positive attitude towards the technology. In light of all this, it is safe to say, blockchain is here to stay and 2019 is the Year of Adoption. So let’s take a look at the enterprises who have already taken the leap. This list is focusing on active enterprises in 2019. For those that are wondering, this list has almost 1,000 Enterprises in it. *There may be early adopters that are not in this list due to having little activity in the first quarter of this year. If there are ones that are active and not on this list, comment below with the links and I’ll aim to add them in **Accomodation** Cheval Blanc The Dolder Grand **Agriculture** Bayer Crop Science Bumble Bee FoodsCargill **Auto Industry** Hyundai BMW Ford General Motors Genuine Parts CompanyGreat DaneHummer Jaguar Karamba Security Volkswagen Waymo Data **Automated Retail Companies**AAEONAR SystemsFastcorp VendingGlobal Vending GroupGreenbox RoboticsInvendaIVMIVSRetail Automated ConceptsSandenVendoThe-Venders and Wemp **Communication** Deutsche Telekom NEC Europe Smart Communications Solace Corporation Swisscomm Broadridge China Mobile Comcast FarEasTone Kakao OrbcommOrange SoftBank Sprint Telefónica **Consultancy**21 Consulting GmbHAccentureAdaptive Financial Consulting Bain & CompanyBCS ConsultingBerkeley Research Group CH & CoCOMPELLIO DNV GL Business Assurance Group Everis InfosysJDX Post Oak LabsProtivitiRaoof Consultancy Limited Scrypt.MediaSynechronSynpulse XLNTEC Thomas ReutersThoughtWorksTigerRiskTomorrow Labs AizoonAONAsset Balance Solutions Cambridge Associates Deloitte enVista EY J.J. Keller & Associates Inc KPMG RevUnit ThreatAdvice Tata Consultancy Services **Data Managemen**Accuity CommodDT EverisInterxion RoyaltyRange Ansonia Credit DataApplya Connected Holdings Docusign Nielsen Ocean Protocol **Digital Security**CrossVerifyGemaltoGuardtimeObjectTechSLIBSovrinUtimacoYoti **Education** RMIT Duke University Harvard University Swinburne University The Air Force Institute of TechnologyThe University of TennesseeUniversity of Central ArkansasUniversity of Denver University of Colorado Boulder University of Memphis University of Michigan University of Nevada Yale University **Finance**ABN AMROAIBAl Rajhi Banking & Investment CorporationAlawwal BankAlfa Bank Allied Irish Bank ANZ Banking GroupATB FinancialB3Banca Intesa SanpaoloBanca MediolanumBanca MifelBanco BICEBanco BisaBanco Bradesco Banco de Crédito del PerúBanco de Investment GlobalBanco de SabadellBanco de Galicia y Buenos AiresBanco IndustrialBanco Mercantil del NorteBanco Mercantil Santa CruzBanco Nacional de BoliviaBanco Popular DominicanoBanco RegionalBanco SantanderBangkok BankBank ABCBank Al Habib LimitedBank BusanBank Frick & CoBank of America | Merrill LynchBank of CyprusBank of Montreal BankinterBanorteBanreservasBanque Internationale de Commerce — BRED (Suisse)Banque ThalerBarclays BCIBladex BNY Mellon Bolsa de MadridBPCE BRAC Bank LimitedBradescoCBH Compagnie Bancaire HelvétiqueChina Banking AssociationChina Merchant BankChina CITIC Bank International LimitedChina Guangfa BankChong Hing Bank LimitedCIBCCIM Banque S.A GeneveCitiBankCLS GroupCommercial Bank of Africa LimitedCommerzBankCommonwealth Bank of AustraliaCooperatieve RabobankCredicorp BankCredit Agricole S.A.Credit Libanais SAL CTBC BankDaiwa Securities GroupDanske BankDavivienda DenizBank A.S. Deutsche BörseDigiledgeDianrongDNB Ernst & Young European Central Securities Depositories Association First America BankFulton Financial CorporationGazprombank Habib Metropolitan Bank LimitedHo Chi Minh City Development JS CommercialHQLA ICICI Bank LimitedIndovina Bank Ltd Intesa SanpaoloItaú Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of VietnamJoint-Stock Company BCS-Investment BankJPMorgan ChaseJS Bank Limited KASIKORNBANK Public Company LimitedKB Financial GroupKEB Hana BankKuveyt Turk Katilim Bankasi Macquarie Bank MauBank LimitedMizuho Bank National Bank of CanadaNational Bank of EgyptNational Bank of Kenya LimitedNational Bank of KuwaitNatixis Norddeutsche Landesbank GirozentraleNordeaNorthern TrustOmidyar NetworkOP Financial Group Paris Europlace PKO Bank PolskiPortal FinancePrime Bank Ltd.Privatbank IHAG Zurich PT Bank Central Asia TbkPT Bank CIMBNiaga TbkQiwiRaiffeisen BankRBCRBSRCBCRCI Bank & ServicesResona Bank, Ltd. Reyl & Cie SA Satoshi Systems ScopusSEB Group Shinhan BankShuttle HoldingsSIA SMBCSnapCheck SRI Capital Stock Exchange of ThailandSuMi TRUSTSunTrust Synchrony Bank Temasek Holdings The First International Bank of Israel Ltd The Toronto-Dominion Bank TradeCloudTradeIXTradeWindTurkiye Finans Katilim BankasiUBSUniCreditUnion Bank Of The PhilippinesUSBancorpVietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade Volksbank Mittweida Wells FargoWestpac Woori Bank Alipay Ant Financial Banco BTG Pactual Bank MellatBank Melli IranBank Pasargad BBVA Bloomberg BNP Paribas Boerse Stuttgart Digital Ventures BP PLC Credit Suisse DBS Deutsche Bank DTCC Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Employees’ Retirement System eToro Fidelity Investments Goldman Sachs HSBC ING International Chamber of Commerce International Securities Services Association Jamica Stock Exchange Julius Baer Linx Partners London Metal Exchange London Stock Exchange Luxembourg Stock Exchange Mastercard Morgan Creek MUFG NASDAQ Nomura Pakistani Central Bank Paypal Proof of Capital Revolut Santander SBI Holdings SGX Signature Bank Silvergate Bank SIX Group Société Générale SoFi Square Standard Chartered Bank Swissquote SWIFT Telenor Microfinance Bank Thai Stock Exchange The National Payments Corporation of India Thomson Reuters Eikon Tora Virginia’s Police Officer’s Retirement System Visa WEG Bank Western Union **Government** Caisse des dépôts et consignations CSIRO United NationsU.S. Department of Agriculture Australian Federal Government AUSTRAC Brazil’s Ministry of Planning, Budget & Management Canadian Municipality of Innisfil City of Denver Colorado State Government Colorado Water Institute Commerce Committee of Connecticut General Assembly County Auditors’ Association of Ohio Department of Homeland Security Government of Kyrgyzstan Government of Rwanda Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation Illinois Department of Transportation Luxembourg Government Malta Financial Services Authority Ministry of Land & Natural Resources, ZambiaMunicipal Government of Tulum, Mexico Municipal Government of Tsukuba, Japan New York City Economic Development Corporation Pennsylvania’s Economic Development Office (Venture Capital Arm) Seoul Digital Foundation Singapore Government South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration South Korea Internet & Security Agency Thailand’s Ministry of Science & Technology UK Parliament U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Department of State U.S. House of Representatives West Virginia State Government Wyoming State Government **Insurance** MetLife Ping An Insurance Aegon AIA Allianz AXA Generali Health Care Service Corporation MAPFRE RE Munich Re State Farm Swiss ReTokia Marine TrueNorth XL Catlin ZhongAn Zurich **Internet** Google Twitter Baidu Digital Garage Facebook Opera **IT Solutions**7CommAKonceptsAmazon Web ServicesAOS SASAppwayAt.cashaXpireBillon Group LtdBlanc LabsBoleroBRQ Digital SolutionsCalypso TechnologyCanonical Česká fintech asociace, z.s. CIeNETCMACOCUS AGCodeITCognizantcoIB Eclipse FoundationEPAMEvernym FinastraFinFabrik GFT TechnologiesGiant MachinesGoogle CloudGuildOne Hewlett Packard EnterpriseIBM Inacta AGInfosys Finacle iSiDLG CNSMagiaDigitalMicrosoftNec NTT Data PCCW SolutionsRedhat Vyoma SoftwareWiproZirconTech Capgemini Cass Information Systems Inc. CISCO Collabrian EXL Fujitsu Technology Solutions HCL Imaginnovate Intel Neuro Red Oracle Salesforce SAP SE VMWare **Legal**ACCORD ProjectCOALA National Council of Clerks (France) Linklaters Orrick Taylor Associates **Medical** COCIR European Federation of Nurses Associations Abbvie AnthemBig Blue Cardinal Health Ciox Health CVS Health Genentech HumanaMultiplan NMC Healthcare Optum Pfizer Quest DiagnosticsUnited Healthcare **Media**Les Échos _CBS_Fox Business Network **Mining** BHP Billiton GoldcorpKutcho CopperLG CorpOcean Partners USAWheaton Precious Metals **Non-Profit** Oxfam Freshwater Trust UNICEF **Online Marketplace** Moonlighting **Pharmaceuticals**Amgen MerckPfizer Sanofi Boehringer Ingelheim Roche **Real Estate** Convexity Properties Emaar Group Greenbrier Management Growth Capital ServicesICP Medici Land Governance St. Regis Aspen Resort **Retail & Manufacturing** Acqua di Parma Ardbeg BelvedereBenefit CosmeticsBerlutiBodega Numanthia BulgariCaffe-Pasticceria CovaCape Mentelle CelineChandonCharles & KeithChâteau Cheval BlancChâteau d’YquemChaumetCloudy BayDFSDiorDom PerignonEmilio PucciFendiFenty Beauty by Rihanna FREDFresh (Cosmetics & FragrancesGivenchyGlenmorangie GuerlainHennessyHouse of BijanHublotKalaKat Von D BeautyKenzo KrugLa Grande Epicerie LoeweLoro pianaL’Oreal Maison Francis KurkdjianMarc JacobsMercierMoet & ChandonMoynat Naja Newton VineyardNicholas Kirkwood RimowaRuinartSephoraStarboard Cruise ServicesTAG Heuer Terrazas de los AndesThomas Pink Veuve ClicquotVolcan di mi tierra WenjunZenith A. Favre & Fils AB InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev Albertsons Companies BASF Bridgestone Carrefour Foxconn Golden State Foods Kroger Levi Strauss Louis Vuitton Naked Brand Group Nestle Nike Overstock Parfums Christian Dior Rakuten Target Unilever Walmart **Sports Teams** U.S. LA Kings (Ice Hockey) **Technology** Dell HuaweiLenovo T-Mobile Aidant Technologies AMD Apple Avnet Bosch Foxconn Fujitsu Hewlett PackardHitachi HTC LG NASA Nvidia PitneyBowes RCS Global Samsung Sapphire Technology Seagate TechnologySiemens Sony SweetSense Tencent TSMC **Transport, Logistics & Shipping** CMA CGM ERTICO Feadship Penske 10–4360dataABAQ.USAble FreightAdventAGForceAITAgistixAltriaAmaltoAmerican Global LogisticsAmerican Short Line & Regional Railroad AssociationAMTRAMXAnhueser-BuschApex APL ArcBest CorporationAriaLogisticsAriesArrive LogisticsArrowATSAxle LogisticsBCGBest TransportBlueGraceBlue HorseshoeBourque LogisticsBP BNSF Railway BoyleBoxLockBreakthrough FuelBucklandBurris LogisticsC.H. RobinsonC & K TruckingC.R. EnglandCargoChainCarrier DirectCDL MarketingCenturyCerasisChopTankCitizens ReserveClearDestinationCJ Logistics CNColumbia TransportConvoyCovenant TransportCowan SystemsCoyoteCRST InternationalCSXCTSI GlobalCustoms DirectDaimlerDAMCODasekeDATDDCDecker Truck Line Inc.DeringerDescartesDexFreightDicomDleveredDLT LabsDMTBDreamOrbitDriverReachEagle TransportationEast Coast TransporteCapitalEchoEdge LogisticsEnergy Transportation GroupEnvio360Eroad eShipGlobaleVansEXPAK Logistics FedExFirstFleetFleetCompleteFleetPalFLSFMIFontinalis PartnersForward AirFourKitesFR8StarFraightFreight RoverFreight SourceFullbayGateHouse LogisticsGebruder WeissGE TransportationGlobalTranzGT SolutionsHill Bros Hyundai Merchant Marine IMCInnovativosIntelligent AuditIrvingITLIts LogisticsJ.B. HuntJD LogisticsKamionKansas City Southern LinesKencoKingsgate LogisticsKion GroupKleinschmidtKochKonexial Kuehne & Nagel LabelmasterLandStarLanehubLazer SpotLDILiquid FreightLivingstonLoad OneLoadblockLoadDeliveredLogiflexLogistics+Logistyx TechnologiesLotte Global LogisticsLyncAmericaMach1 Maersk Manhattan AssociatesMatch FactorsMaven MachinesMaverickMcLeod SoftwareMedallion Transport & LogisticsMercerMercuryGateMMM ExpressMode TransportationMorpheus.NetworkMSTSNascentNavistarNBTGNFINGLNorfolk SouthernNT LogisticsNTGNVision GlobalOAROmnitracsOpenPortOOIDAOrigintrailP & GP & S TransportationP.B. IndustriesPackygePAMPanalpinaPantos LogisticsPaschall Truck LinesPavestone CapitalPegasus TransTechPeir Phillips Connect TechnologiesPhoenix Capital GroupPilot Freight ServicesPitt OhioPlatform SciencePLMPolarisPrecisionPrime3Project44ProTransPTIPurolatorPWCQITR & R ExpressRaider ExpressRail IncRay-Mont LogisticsRedwoodReliance PartnersRIMRoadrunner Transportation SystemsRoadSyncRouteiqueRSI LogisticsRTWAirRUANRyderSAIASaint John Capital Schneider Trucking SCLogicScopelitisSeaboard MarineSharelogisShawSheerShipwellSimpleLogisticsSinglePoint CapitalSkyBitzSmartHopSMC3SolarisSouthEastern Freight LinesSource Alliance NetworkSpireonSuddathSunsetSupplyOnSyfan LogisticsTadmoreTAFSTeam WorldwideThe Home DepotThird Coast LogisticsTideworks TechnologyTMCTMW SystemsTRAC IntermodalTraffixTransCardTransfixTransfloTransLytixTransPlaceTransportationInsightTransProTranzlogixTranzportTrinity LogisticsTrinium TechnologiesTriumphPayTrucker PathTruckstopTruck ToolsUber FreightUNISUnion Pacific UPS U.S. XpressUSA TruckVelocity TransportVHI TransportVitesseVnomicsWataco Supply Chain ServicesWELWernerWhirlpool CorporationWhite ArrowWiseTech GlobalWolf DirectWOLTWorldwide ExpressWWS TradingXLNTECYRC WorldwideZoof-It **Utilities** ENGIE Repsol WASSHA (DIGITAL GRID Corporation) Concentric Gazprom Petroteq TEPCO Wien Energie **Noteworthy Individuals** — Russian Opposition Leader — U.S. Presidential Candidate — South Korean Actor — Inventor of World Wide Web — Founder SpaceX & Tesla — French President — CEO Twitter & Square — Retired NBA Basketball Player — №1 Youtube Channel — LinkedIn co-founder — Professional Tennis Player — CEO Berkshire Hathaway & Billionaire investor Alexei Navalny Andrew Yang Bae Yong-joon Tim Berners-Lee Elon Musk Emmanuel Macron Jack Dorsey Kobe Bryant Pewdiepie Reid Hoffman Serena Williams Warren Buffet <a href="https://medium.com/media/3c851dac986ab6dbb2d1aaa91205a8eb/href">https://medium.com/media/3c851dac986ab6dbb2d1aaa91205a8eb/href</a>

A Comprehensive List of Enterprises Partnering with blockchain in 2019

“Whoever told you doing ICOs was easy simply haven’t done one” This is a true roller-coaster-ride-story of launching ICO in Hong Kong in 2018, insights that you don’t know but should know. Figure 1: The roller-coaster ride of launching an ICO 14th Jan 2018: 1 ETH = $1,384, “The peak of ETH and hype of ICO.” Chris, who I knew for over 10 years, the founder of a Shenzhen-based software company approached me for the second time, persuading me to join him to transform his company from a software development house to a SaaS-based company underpinned by a self-developed Blockchain platform. Given my vested interests in Blockchain and being an entrepreneur; and knowing Chris had received a pre-A round investment of around $3M; seeing 30 odds software developers rolling days and nights competing for next sprint and batch of feature release; I accept his invitation and took a role with a strategic focus on the International market development and fundraising. We were working tirelessly to launch the first commercialized blockchain platform in China in the real estate sector and providing KYC and asset tokenization services to financial service providers and real estate companies. The Platform finally went online on May 2018 and we were able to register a number of clients in the first week of launching the platform. On the flip side, the business required more money to continue, to support the expansion and platform operation and development. We started with a rather traditional approach, i.e. going after VCs with the aim of raising an additional $4M at company pre-money valuation of $16M and, it was not going to conclude in time, and soon enough we were introduced to what’s was new to me at the time — Initial coin offerings (ICO). ICO just had its Epic year 2017 as ETH peaked at Jan 2018 with a straggling price of $1,384. 97% of ICO was able to reach its soft cap (typically $1M~3M), and many of them reached its hard cap, i.e. $30M if not more in 2017. Given we are one of few “reversed-ICO,” i.e. having a working platform ahead of ICO and with real clients who were actually paying for the use of our services; Our 30 odd software developer made us look like an army competing with other Blockchain startups. It seems to be a very logical thing to start our own ICO at the time. The only question is — how? 5th March 2018, 1 ETH = $865, “Whoever told you doing ICO was easy simply haven’t done one.” Raising money via ICO was told to be easy or at least pre 2018. It looked like a few geeks who can write a whitepaper will be able to walk away with millions of dollars. That perhaps was the case before 2018. The gust of wind started turning from late 2017, when China took the shot on ICO and banned it completely on Sep 4th 2017. The ICO market reacted rapidly and converted from public sale driven in 2017 to private sale driven in early 2018. This resulted in an influx of crypto-funds — a new sector who benchmarks themselves as investment bank of the crypto-world. Meanwhile, a counter-servicing consulting industry was born — ICO advisory. In essence, the ICO advisory firms provide service over four different phases. — essentially develop a set of documentation supporting your ICO campaign. i.e. 1. Due diligence phase a. The Whitepaper that highlights your solution, Token economy that underpinned your project, ICO plan, your team etc. b. An Investor deck for private sale c. Legal opinion d. Sales & purchase agreement 2. PR & Marketing phase a. Online channels i.e. ICO website b. Social media marketing i.e. Linkedin, facebook c. ICO listings, KOL review d. Press coverage i.e. Forbes, medium e. Roadshows 3. Fundraising phase a. private sale stage 1 — typical 5%- 10% of your hard cap b. Private sale stage 2–80% — 85% of your hard cap c. Public sale — 10% of your hard cap 4. Post ICO phase a. Public listing on an Crypto exchange b. Market making c. OTC (over-the-counter) trading 5th April 2018, 1 ETH = $381, “Personas of Crypto world.” ETH hit the bottom early April 2018, but Crypto world continued to evolve, and a few personas emerged, and some of them made buck loads, i.e. Crypto exchange, lots of them eventually pulled out of the crypto world. — they are your typical startups but with a mixture of intents. Very few of them stuck to the calling of setting up a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) and kept on developing and growing the platform and business in 2018. The way I see it — if you had no real collateral and equity invested in a business but managed to raise $30M to develop a platform, but all of a sudden your company value declined 70% as ETH priced dropped down to $381 from $1,384 in less than three month, what are you going to do? Mind you, most of ICO Company’s valuation based on ETH or BTC, and most of them kept Crypto tokens instead of converting them to Fiat-currency. So most of them panicked and started selling ETH, the snowball started to roll in June 2018. ICO companies — they are early bitcoin / ETH miners and investors, some family offices. They are typically investing in ICO companies during the private sale phase. Depends on which stage that they invested in, it is common to get somewhere around 20–50% discount of the listed public sale price. The offer comes with a lock-down period, i.e. 3–6 month when these token will be unlocked and open for sale. Considering most of ICO listed in exchange were getting 2x to 10x of growth in the first 3 months of ICO public listing, this is definitely a lucrative business to invest in. Crypto investors (professional crypto funds) — they are an individual, i.e. crypto enthusiast, speculators and ordinary individuals who have no clue of what ICO/Cryptocurrency is but sold with the belief that they are buying the next Bitcoin. Lowest trophic level of the food chain and many of them lost a fortune in investing in the cryptocurrency in 2018. Crypto investors (public individuals) — these are the most chaotic yet sophistic persona of them all. They are early ICO practitioners, marketing companies, legal and law firms, financial companies and play a role throughout the ICO phase. Many of them are well equipped with content knowledge and expertise in their corresponding areas, i.e. in trading, digital marketing, legal and regulatory practice but remarkably few of them had actual ICO experience. Considering there were less than 1,000 ICO launched by the end of 2017 globally (909 to be exact according to ), there are just not enough experts with the end-to-end experience. Despite all that, in the age of gold rush, you will take whatever tools you can get to succeed in the competition. Who made most of the money in California gold rush (1848–1855), I won’t know for sure, but I am certain Levi Strauss — founder of Levi Jeans definitely made the most successful business out of the gold rush by selling a pair of blue jeans to the working man — “For men who toil.” ICO advisory firms icodata 5th May 2018, 1 ETH = $806, “how much it costs to run an ICO.” Media likes to report on how much money startups fundraised via an ICO, but you rarely see anyone talk about the cost of doing ICO. So how much does it cost from planning to the closure of an ICO? It is a rather large amount, which also depends on many factors, i.e. your project and solution maturity, country of your ICO, the advisors you are working with, timing. Our ICO were conducted mostly in Hong Kong, if I decouple direct cost, i.e. cost of staff with the indirect cost of doing ICO, i.e. money that you need to pay to external service providers, the indirectly cost alone is in the range of and $500K $3M. What the heck! Yup, that was the cold hard reality, which is why most of the startups just can’t afford it. · The single biggest cost item is to pay for listing on a Crypto exchange. Large exchanges, i.e. Huobi, Bittrex can charge you a million dollar to be listed. · Advisory service during the due-diligence phase can be in between $30K to $300K · Legal fee is another small fortune, i.e. $50K — $80K to get a legal opinion to certify and vouch that the ICO token is not a security token. · Cost of running a marketing campaign can burn $100K per month subjects to the media platform and scale of your campaign. Many successful ICO fundraised somewhere of $15M to $50M in 2017 and Q1 2018. 55% of ICO failed to complete in Q2 of 2018, i.e. reaching the soft cap. Ones who completed ICO are only getting a fraction of what’s in 2017, i.e. $1 ~ $5M. That’s one of the fundamental reason of why the majority of ICO cease to exist towards to the end of 2018, as the cost of doing ICO is almost level up to the amount that the company can fundraise. 5th Sep 2018, 1 ETH = $264, “Scams and gags.” ETH rose up to its last peak in May 2018, i.e. $806 and it has since been experiencing a steady decline. By Q3 of 2018, the cost of doing ICO was no longer economical for most companies who are still in ICO. The party had finally come to an end. No one wants to talk about it; blockchain companies no longer want to associate themselves with ICO as this whole thing was a scam and gags. But was it? ICO started well as it offered an alternative path to startups to raise sizable funding without substantial business at an early stage, which was not possible before it. The issue has been germinating since people had a false expectation on the underlying technology, as Blockchain is not the panacea for everything; “Greed and speculation” spoiled young startups like giving excessive amount cash to a 10-year-old before he knows what to do with it. 5th Feb 2019, 1 ETH = $107, “Party is over, what then now?” I am not a cryptocurrency investor, and I don’t know enough about this market to see where it will go. However, I am a believer in history always holds signs to the future if you know where to look. Behind any ICO and any crypto token, there is a common ground — someone like to call it Blockchain, industry experts like to call it Distributed Ledger Technology. Regardless of its name, you need to understand the that technology resolves that others cannot, and know to a DApp powered by a viable use case to make an informed investment decision. fundamental problem how to identify Where you will likely find the successful use cases, we are yet to see a killer DApp in the B2C world, and I think it will continue to be the case. Is Bitcoin the one? I don’t think so, it is not user-friendly, same goes with most of the common Cryptocurrency. I am sceptical about B2C Blockchain Apps and ICO companies as I see they are trapped in the paradox between being efficient and user-friendly with being is autonomous and trustless. Can you imagine if Uber will work as efficiently and user-centric as it is now if it was built on the decentralized and autonomous model? Who is going to pay the developers that work towards a unified goal? On the same token, Linux is an open source OS which hasn’t been widely accepted like windows, not because of the technology but its design principles. I am in favour of Blockchain companies who focus on the B2B space as well as on the protocol level, where they gaze on enterprise problems and interests underpinned by 6 intrinsic features of blockchain with long term potential for disruption and transformation. 1. Distributed shared data over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks reduce single points of failure; 2. Consensus-driven trust cuts out the intermediaries; 3. Immutable transactions ensure trust 4. Hashing-based data ensures integrity and security 5. Automated smart contracts promote touchless interactions across process and value chains 6. Permissioned and permissionless flavours give enterprise users flexibility These six blockchain features are changing the way we think about business transactions, data storage, and even industry value chains and associated revenue models. If you found this article useful and would like to view my other work please be sure to clap and follow me on Medium and LinkedIn!

A true story of an ICO project — my experience of launching an ICO and insights worth telling.

from broad strokes to the lore to the stories to the tangents to the UNIX, these are must reads for every hacker. The tech industry has a bad case of memory loss these days. Luckily, previous generations of the industry (along with journalists and academics) have done a pretty good job of cataloguing and contextualizing our history for us. If you have any interest in engaging in or interacting with the tech industry, knowing the history gives you the upper hand. With that in mind, here are my picks for the minimum set of volumes you should read, in order to get a general idea of the important bits of computer history. The broad strokes , by Thomas Rid Rise of the Machines , by James Gleick The Information The lore , by Karla Jennings The Devouring Fungus , by Eric S. Raymond The New Hacker’s Dictionary , by Kevin Kelly Out of Control , by Douglas Rushkoff Microserfs , by Neal Stephenson In the Beginning… Was the Command Line , by M. Mitchell Waldrop Man-Made Minds Stories , by George Dyson Turing’s Cathedral , by Steven Levy Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution , by John Markoff What the Dormouse Said , by Michael Swaine and Paul Freiberger Fire in the Valley , by Theodor Holm Nelson Possiplex , by Tim Berners-Lee Weaving the Web Tangents , by Jon Gertner The Idea Factory , by Stephen Johnson Interface Culture UNIX , by Eric S. Raymond The Art of Unix Programming , by Simson Garfinkel, Daniel Weise, and Steven Strassman The Unix Haters Handbook is how hackers start their afternoons. We’re a part of the family. We are now and happy to opportunities. Hacker Noon @AMI accepting submissions discuss advertising &sponsorship To learn more, , , or simply, read our about page like/message us on Facebook tweet/DM @HackerNoon. If you enjoyed this story, we recommend reading our and . Until next time, don’t take the realities of the world for granted! latest tech stories trending tech stories

LEVI STRAUSS

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LEVI STRAUSS

levistrauss.com

10K+ employees

Since 1853

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LEVI STRAUSS

EVERGREEN INDEX #6542

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