• Home/
• Autonomies

David Fuller and Eoin Treacy's Comment of the Day
Category - Autonomies

NSA, Apple Chiefs Decode Encryption Views

This discussion highlighted by the Wall Street Journal may be of interest to subscribers. In particular, the second comment by Nathan LaFrance is in my view a good representation of how many consumers feel about the issue. Here is a section: 

Mr. Cook, appearing later, disagreed on the latter point. “I don’t know a way to protect people without encrypting,” he said. “You can’t have a backdoor that’s only for the good guys.”

Apple and federal officials have been at odds for more than a year, since Apple issued a new version of its mobile-operating system that it said safeguards user information, even from law enforcement. But the White House signaled recently that it won’t seek new laws to force tech companies to make products that allow law enforcement to eavesdrop.

 



Read entire article

Toyota Maps Out Decline of Conventionally Fueled Cars

This article by Yoko Kubota for the Wall Street Journal may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section: 

Yet for now, Toyota is still highly reliant on gasoline- and diesel-powered cars. Last year, around 14% of Toyota’s global sales were hybrid vehicles, including plug-ins. Most of the remaining sales were vehicles powered by gasoline and some diesel, though a detailed breakdown wasn’t available.

Toyota has posted record profits in recent years, partly thanks to growing sales of profitable but gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks in the U.S., backed by lower fuel prices.

The vision to eliminate gasoline- and diesel-powered cars was a part of Toyota’s wider green car strategy unveiled Wednesday.

By 2020, Toyota aims to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from new vehicles by more than 22% compared with its 2010 global average. It ultimately hopes to take that to a 90% reduction by 2050, the auto maker said.

To do so, Toyota plans to sell roughly 7 million gas-electric hybrid vehicles world-wide over the next five years, it said. Toyota has sold around 8 million hybrids since it started selling them 18 years ago.

Toyota also plans to sell at least 30,000 fuel-cell vehicles a year world-wide by around 2020, it said.

 



Read entire article

3D-printed Adidas running shoe should fit like a glove

This article by Stu Robarts for GizMag may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

The Futurecraft 3D midsole was developed in partnership with 3D printing specialist Materialise. It is designed to provide the cushioning needs of the wearer, matching contours and pressure points of each individual foot. Adidas describes it as a "flexible, fully breathable carbon-copy of the athlete’s own footprint."

Gizmag has requested some additional info from Adidas on the specific materials and processes used to create the Futurecraft 3D, but has yet to receive a response. The sportswear manufacturer does say in a press release, however, that its ultimate aim for the technology is for customers to be able to walk into a store, spend a short time running on a treadmill, then leave the store with a 3D-printed running shoe. 



Read entire article

DuPont Breaking In Two After CEO Exit Seen Raising Value 31%

This article by Jack Kaskey for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section: 

DuPont shares surged Tuesday by the most in six years in anticipation that more value will be unlocked. The Wilmington, Delaware-based company said Kullman will be replaced later this month as both CEO and chairman on an interim basis by board member Edward Breen, who oversaw the dismantlement of Tyco International Plc.

Earlier on Monday, Trian Fund Management, the activist investor that argues DuPont would be worth more as two companies, announced it had added to its stake in the company.

In May, Trian co-founder Nelson Peltz led the firm in its proxy fight in a doomed attempt to get three board seats.

"It’s kind of bittersweet, because Trian is vindicated in some respects," said Hank Smith, who helps manage $6.5 billion as chief investment officer at Haverford Financial Services Inc.

in Radnor, Pennsylvania. "If DuPont had embraced Trian earlier on and welcomed Peltz on the board, Ellen Kullman would still be CEO."

 



Read entire article

VW Chief Winterkorn Steps Down After Emissions Scandal

This article by Chad Thomas for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section: 

The new CEO’s top priority will be getting to the bottom of a scheme intended to dupe regulators and consumers about emissions of diesel engines installed in 11 million cars worldwide -- more vehicles than VW sells in a year. The automaker set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) on Tuesday to cover potential costs.

VW’s Achilles heel remains the American market. Even before the revelations of the last week, the VW marque was struggling in the U.S., despite investing $1 billion on a new factory in Tennessee to build a stripped-down, cheaper version of the Passat sedan. The brand’s U.S. sales have dropped, in contrast to growth in the overall market, as VW delayed decisions on building sport utility vehicles that would appeal to American consumers. The automaker is also grappling with a slowdown in China, the company’s biggest national market.

Working in the new CEO’s favor is an automaker that for the moment is financially sound. Volkswagen’s automotive division had net liquidity of 21.5 billion euros at the end of June, and posted record profit of 12.7 billion euros in 2014, helped by its strong presence in China and the expansion of the Audi and Porsche nameplates in the lucrative luxury-car segment. VW surpassed Toyota Motor Corp. in the first half to take the top spot in worldwide vehicle sales -- a goal that Winterkorn set early in his tenure to reach in 2018.

 



Read entire article

How Warner Bros. Battled Its Way to No. 1 in Video Games

This article by Christopher Palmeri for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section: 

Burton has another advantage, a base of fans who have snapped up more than 150 million copies of his Lego-themed titles since Lego Stars Wars: The Video Game came out in 2005.
Burton sold U.K.-based TT Games, which he co-founded, to Warner Bros. in 2007. He said 75 percent of Lego video games are purchased by 12-year-olds and up. By including characters from “Ghostbusters” and “Scooby-Doo,” Warner Bros. aims to make Dimensions appeal to older customers.

Warner Bros. Interactive is betting on another common theme in Burton’s Lego games universe, a sense of humor. In Lego Dimensions, Batman whines, “Why do these things always have to be so bright,” as he falls through a portal to another land. A whimpering Homer Simpson, meanwhile, pops up tied to a wrecking ball that players use to knock open a treasure chest.

“For years, you had movie video-game makers trying to copy what was on screen,” said Scott Steinberg, an industry consultant. “That began to work less and less. Consumers are more demanding with their experiences.”

 



Read entire article

Volkswagen Drops 23% After Admitting Diesel Emissions Cheat

This article by Richard Weiss Naomi Kresge for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section

Diesel and VW’s reputation for German engineering were cornerstones of Winterkorn’s effort to catch up in the U.S. market. The violations, which affect nearly half a million vehicles, could result in as much as $18 billion in fines, based on the cost per violation and the number of cars. Criminal prosecution is also possible.

“If this ends up having been structural fraud, the top management in Wolfsburg may have to bear the consequences,” said Sascha Gommel, a Frankfurt-based analyst for Commerzbank AG, whose share rating is under review.

The Wolfsburg, Germany-based company admitted to fitting some of its U.S. diesel vehicles with software that turns on full pollution controls only when the car is undergoing official emissions testing, the EPA said Friday. Affected are diesel versions of the VW Jetta, Golf, Beetle and Passat and the Audi A3.

 



Read entire article

AB InBev Approaches SABMiller in Record Industry Combination

This article by Paul Jarvis for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section: 

The two largest brewers have been seen as the end game for global beer mergers. An acquisition of SABMiller, led by CEO Alan Clark, would give AB InBev access to more than $7 billion of revenue in Africa with brands including Castle lager and almost $4 billion of sales in Asia, reducing AB InBev’s dependence on the Americas and Brazil.

With Latin America representing SABMiller’s biggest market, a deal would also broaden AB InBev’s presence in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Its Latin American brands include Cristal and Aguila.

AB InBev’s growth has been based largely around acquisitions since it was formed through a series of purchases by a group of Brazilian businessmen led by Jorge Paulo Lemann. Some analysts have speculated that Lemann’s 3G Capital could help orchestrate a takeover of SABMiller, just as it did when InBev NV bought Anheuser-Busch in 2008.

 



Read entire article

As the World Gets Fatter, This Pharma Giant Gets Richer

This article by Makiko Kitamura Albertina Torsoli for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

After the Tresiba setback, Novo quickly began a heart safety trial demanded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company submitted a revised application in the U.S. this March -- almost a year ahead of plan. It will know around Oct. 1 whether interim trial results point toward the introduction of Tresiba in the U.S. next year.

Even without that, Soerensen insists Novo has enough products in the pipeline to sustain sales for years. The company in August said it would proceed with late-stage testing of an oral version of a GLP-1 -- until now only available as an injection. And it’s working on an oral insulin, a formidable challenge given the difficulty of regulating absorption through the gut and managing swings in blood glucose. Though even many of Novo’s top researchers doubted the idea of pills to treat diabetes, “I said: ‘Do it anyway! Try it!”’ Soerensen said. 

 



Read entire article

Email of the day on Fanuc and robotics

“I would like to read your comments, if possible, about Fanuc, this leader Japanese company that, although its brilliant prospects it took a dive in the last weeks. Thank you.”



Read entire article