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Since 2011, Ikea has tied their annual catalog to a mobile app with the hopes that it will make the shopping process easier and more fun, which one can assume will ultimately lead to more purchases and revenue for the store. Every year, the product team assesses how the app was previously used and how it could be impro... |
Last year, Ikea introduced an augmented reality function that allowed customers to scan the page for added content like videos, full-room views, and decorating tips. This year’s version was a bigger tech push, requiring the company to fine-tune their 3-D imaging. "It’s not the easiest thing to make material look and fe... |
>More than 70 percent of people don’t know how big their homes really are. |
Ikea worked with their 3-D specialists to nail the texture of organic textiles, and for the most part, the images are passably realistic. At least to the point where you could imagine if that green sofa you’ve been eyeing looks as good in your living room as it does on page. "One of the challenges was to find the right... |
When I used the app to place a sofa near the window in the WIRED New York office, it took me a while to figure out how to position my iPad so that the piece of furniture didn’t appear as though it was sitting on top of my coworker. The augmented reality function is cool, and it really is handy, but at least for me it t... |
The app's other features, particularly the time-lapse images that allow you to watch a room being decorated piece-by-piece, are gorgeous and a great way to get some inspiration for your own home. Which, Sjöberg says, is the whole point. "I think this application should always try to enrich the catalog and enrich the ex... |
ALMOST 10,000 people flocked to Mudeford quay for the annual Lifeboat Funday to raise funds for Mudeford's RNLI station. |
The free event was greeted with sunshine and big crowds as a wide range of attractions took place on Sunday - raising vital money for the voluntary service. |
The popular raft race was filled with sixteen entries competing in two heats and a final. |
HM's Coastguard helicopter teamed up with a lifeboat crew to perform a demonstration in the water just off Avon Beach. |
Mudeford RNLI chairman Simon Wyatt-Budd said the event thrived on the support of a great community. |
"The raft race was brilliant with the fire crew and local businesses. It's all in a safe environment, but everyone has great fun," Mr Wyatt-Budd said. |
"It feels like people have been really generous in coming here to support the event today and we probably have up to 10,000 people here. |
"On Saturday night our team were setting up in the rain and we thought it wasn't going to work, but the community has come out and got on our side. |
"We've got a team of 20 to 30 people who volunteer to do this because they live down by the coast, they understand the great work the RNLI do." |
Away from the events on the water, there was stalls and rides on the green as well as a wide range of food on offer. |
The importance of the lifeboat service was highlighted on Saturday as the crew in Lymington were dispatched to help a man who fell into the water, whilst the Swanage service helped a 32ft yacht which suffered an engine failure. |
Mr Wyatt-Budd said the funds raised from events like the Funday and the Autumn Ball are extremely important. |
"The money raised today will go towards the local station so it's the community supporting the community. Last year we raised £33,000 from fundraising over the 12 months and it's fantastic to be able to help them out," Mr Wyatt-Budd added. |
"The station only get a certain amount of funding so the extra money we raise allows them to make sure their equipment is in top condition for this area, to do training and recruit new staff. |
"People who work the RNLI are doing a part-time voluntary job so they give a lot and put themselves in dangerous situations for the community." |
The Mudeford RNLI's Autumn Ball takes place at the Captains Club and tickets are on sale for the event. |
Colonial Grand at Canyon Pointe is an elegant gated community perfectly located near Lake Travis and Highway 183 where everything you will need is nearby, including downtown Austin and Concordia University as well as shopping, dining and entertainment. Our spacious one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes offer ma... |
AOL became the latest company to blame Obamacare for cutting back on employee benefits. |
The tech firm will now pay its 401(k) company match only to employees who are active on Dec. 31 of that year, as opposed to in their paychecks throughout the year. So those who leave the company before the end of the year will forfeit the match. |
AOL (AOL) CEO Tim Armstrong blamed $7.1 million in additional Obamacare costs the company is facing this year. Had the company not made the change in its 401(k) payments, employees would have seen their health insurance costs increase, he told CNN Thursday. |
Armstrong did not provide a lot of specifics about what aspects of Obamacare were pushing up the company's health care costs, but said it was one factor affecting the 401(k) restructuring. |
"The Obamacare Act and some of the changes that happened there had increases in our health care costs," Armstrong told CNN. "We had to make a choice whether we pass those on or whether we took other benefits and reduce them." |
Some employees will still see their premiums rise, depending on the plan they picked, though AOL "ate a huge piece of the increase." |
The news came on a day when AOL announced 2013 was "its most successful year in the last decade," reporting revenues of $2.3 billion. |
Share your story: Have you begun using your Obamacare benefits? |
AOL's move makes it the latest in a string of companies to change their benefits because of Obamacare. A few weeks ago, Target (TGT) said it will stop offering health insurance to part-timers and instead help them buy coverage on the state and federal exchanges. Last year, United Parcel Service (UPS) and University of ... |
Transitional reinsurance fee: This fee will be imposed on employers for the next three years and will go toward helping the state-based insurance exchanges pay for large claims. The fee will be $63 per insured member in 2014, but is expected to decrease in the latter two years. |
Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute fee: This charge will go to pay for a new agency tasked with giving patients a better understanding of the prevention, treatment and care options available, and the science that supports those options. Employers were charged $1 per insured person in 2013 and will pay $2 in 2... |
Health insurer fee: This annual fee is aimed at helping pay for the implementation of ACA. It will be about 2.5% of total premiums in 2014 and is expected to go up to 4% by 2017. Beyond that, it will rise with the growth in premiums. Insurers are expected to pass this fee through to employers. |
'Cadillac' tax: Starting in 2018, employers who offer rich benefit plans -- where the total premium will cost more than $10,200 for an individual plan or $27,500 for family coverage -- will have to pay the so-called Cadillac tax, a 40% tax on the amount over the threshold. This tax is prompting companies to shift more ... |
Individual mandate: Also adding to employer costs is the Obamacare requirement that Americans obtain insurance or face a penalty starting in this year. That will prompt many employees who had opted out of their company's coverage to sign up. |
Aside from new Obamacare fees and taxes, the growth of health care costs has been at record low levels for several years. Annual premiums -- including both employers' and employees' shares -- rose only 4% in 2013, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) 2013 Employer Health ... |
Not least there’s a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash on Saturday at St Annes, whose former captain Matt Grindley returns to his old stomping ground with leaders Blackpool. |
Blackpool and second-placed St Annes are the last unbeaten sides in the first division of the Northern Premier League. |
And Nathan Armstrong, who replaced Grindley as skipper at Vernon Road last season, is looking forward to welcoming his old team-mate back. |
Grindley has hit the ground running at Stanley Park, with 16 wickets in his first 100 league overs. |
There is no animosity, though, with Armstrong unsurprised by Grindey’s good start up the coast. |
He told The Gazette: “It should be a close and entertaining game. Both teams are unbeaten in the league and I’m looking forward to it. |
“It should be a good game with a decent crowd on, with the sun and the Beer and Gin Festival (which continues at the club until Monday). |
“I know a few of the Blackpool lads and obviously it is the return of Matt Grindley. |
Armstrong is keeping his feet on the ground about a potential title push as the top two go head to head. |
The teams have already met this month in the Readers T20 at Stanley Park and Armstrong’s side will be looking to avenge their 15-run defeat that day. |
The second round of T20 group games takes place this Sunday at Fleetwood, who face Blackpool and St Annes. |
Armstrong added: “We had a bit of a gutting result in the first T20 game. We lost to Blackpool but we did not feel like we deserved to. |
Like the Northern League clubs, Lytham also play on successive days this weekend, welcoming Liverpool Competition leaders Formby to Church Road tomorrow before visiting Crosby club Northern for their opening Ray Digman knockout trophy tie. |
Moore and Smalley Palace Shield premier division: Eccleston v Kendal, New Longton v Great Eccleston, Penwortham v Lancaster, South Shore v Croston, Thornton Cleveleys v Torrisholme, Vernon Carus v Longridge. |
DAKAR (Reuters) - Deliveries of Russian weapons to Central African Republic’s security forces this year have pushed rebel groups to bolster their own stockpiles as they consolidate control over large parts of the country, a U.N. panel of experts said on Friday. |
Central African Republic has been battered by violence since 2013 when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted then president Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias. |
Despite Faustin-Archange Touadera’s election as president in 2016 and the deployment of thousands of U.N. peacekeepers, most of the country remains beyond the control of the Bangui government. |
The U.N. Security Council granted Russia an exemption to Central African Republic’s arms embargo in December to allow it to provide light arms to government forces and send military and civilian instructors to train them. |
“The recent acquisition of weaponry by the Government has created an incentive for the active rearmament of ex-Selaka factions,” a report by U.N. sanctions monitors said. |
The militia’s new stocks of high-powered assault weapons are believed to mostly come from neighbouring Sudan, the report said. |
A spokesman for Central African Republic’s government said he had no immediate comment. Russia’s U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. |
Overall, the report said, security has deteriorated this year in parts of the country where improvements had previously been reported, including the capital Bangui and the town of Bambari, about 250 km (155 miles) to the northeast. |
A joint operation by U.N. peacekeepers and national security forces in early April to flush out armed groups in Bangui helped spark violence that killed 70 people and wounded 330 more, the worst one-month period in the capital since 2014, it said. |
The U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSCA, did not respond immediately to a request for comment. |
Why Amazon and Angie's List made headlines on Wednesday. |
Stocks took a breather on Wednesday following record-setting days in each of the prior two trading sessions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) edged up to another fresh high by gaining 25 points, or 0.1%, while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) finished the day unchanged, at a record 2,152 points. |
In economic news, the Federal Reserve's latest data showed modest, steady growth across the economy over the last month. Job-market conditions are stable, inflation is low, and consumer spending has been generally positive, according to this month's beige-book report. |
Meanwhile, individual stocks making headlines on Wednesday included Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Angie's List (NASDAQ:ANGI). |
Amazon's customer orders rose 60% over the prior year's sale to make it the busiest day on record – even better than the most-recent Cyber Monday that produced 23 million item orders in the heat of the holiday shopping season. That Amazon could beat those holiday results in traditionally slow July is yet another reason... |
Besides ringing the register, Amazon succeeded in extending its ecosystem with Prime Day. It sold a record number of its branded devices like the Echo and Fire TV, convinced many more casual shoppers to sign up for its Prime membership, and deepened ties with third-party sellers, who are accounting for a larger percent... |
The Prime Day totals won't go into the quarterly results that Amazon posts later this month as they occurred a few days after the end of the quarter, but consensus estimates still target a 27% Q2 revenue boost, to nearly $30 billion. |
Angie's List, which specializes in providing consumer reviews for home services, jumped 6% after it announced a faster-than-expected revamping of its business model. The company dropped its paywall for customers seeking access to its collection of 10-million service reviews, while adding two premium membership tiers – ... |
Durchslag and his executive team are hoping the change will revitalize the business. Angie's posted zero overall sales growth last quarter, and generated a net loss, as membership revenue sank 6% lower. However, it noted back in April that the few small markets it was using to test the freemium model were seeing improv... |
With the migration running ahead of schedule, all of its markets are now benefiting from that open business approach. The key question for investors is whether the move can produce substantial market share gains in a niche that's attracting well-capitalized competitors, such as Amazon. |
EATON — The annual Walk to Remember, Walk for Hope Suicide Prevention Walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 6-8 p.m., at Seven Mile Park in Eaton. |
T-shirts will come with registration (while supplies last) and remembrance luminaries can be purchased. Register for the walk at http://www.pcmhrb.org/suicide-awareness.html or at the Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board office, 225 N. Barron St in Eaton. |
For more information on the walk, call 937-456-6827. |
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates rose in all but one state between 1999 and 2016, with increases seen across all demographics. |
In more than half of all deaths in 27 states, the people had no known mental health condition when they ended their lives. |
Increasingly, suicide is being viewed not only as a mental health problem, but a public health one, according to officials. Nearly 45,000 suicides occurred in the United States in 2016 — more than twice the number of homicides — making it the 10th-leading cause of death. Among people ages 15 to 34, suicide is the secon... |
Seven Mile Park is located on Park Avenue between Washington Jackson Road and Lexington Road. |
The mental health resources after a school shooting range from therapy dogs and grief counselors at school to support groups, art therapy and in-home counseling. But there is no blueprint for dealing with the trauma because each tragedy, survivor and community is different. |
Research published in the medical journal JAMA concluded that sugar does not affect behavior or cognitive performance in children, but a small effect of sugar on subsets of children can’t be completely ruled out either. |
Twenty years after Columbine, the effects of trauma experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings are still largely unknown. Experts say agencies are reluctant to let researchers interview officers and dredge up painful memories. And many officers view seeking psychiatric help as a sign of ... |
A third case of measles has been confirmed in a Maryland resident. People in three public places in Baltimore County may have been exposed, the Maryland Department of Health said Wednesday. |
Fantastic HD impact, wonderful experience, entertainment anytime anywhere, just with it, Earth Bluray To MP4 Converter! It decrypts blu-ray tech successfully, and converts blu-ray to MP4-MPEG4, MP4-H.264, etc. with different resolutions. Earth Bluray To MP4 Converter supports previewing the movie before converting, cli... |
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Seven Soldiers and two Marines injured during combat operations traveled to several locations in Afghanistan, including Kandahar Airfield and Camp Nathan Smith, to see the progress being made in the country that changed many of their lives forever. |
Prosthetics and scars are physical reminders of the sacrifices service members make nearly every day in the ongoing overseas contingency operations. What can't be seen, are the mental and emotional scars endured by the brutal lessons of combat that can be as debilitating as a missing limb. |
Through Operation Proper Exit, an initiative of Feherty's Troops First Foundation which provides support for wounded warriors injured and medically evacuated out of theater, service members who are capable of returning are afforded the opportunity to see the progress first hand and exit the country again on their own t... |
Of the nine service members visiting with OPE II, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Glen Silva is the only one on his second trip with the organization. Silva suffered an above-knee amputation of his left leg, along with several other injuries, Oct. 12, 2010, when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Helmand Province,... |
Silva describes the event as frustrating, "I started yelling at my men to set up a perimeter as I tried to get up. I remember getting mad at myself because I couldn't get to my feet and I didn't know why." |
That's when one of his Marines jumped on top of him to keep him from moving, and the reality of the event started to set in. |
"I started to assess myself and as I looked around I could see my leg about 20 feet away," he said. "I closed my eyes for a moment and told myself to remain calm. I opened my eyes and calmly told my Marine to start applying tourniquets." |
Silva's recovery at Bethesda National Military Medical Center wasn't certain at first. His heart stopped on one occasion, and he recounts the episode by saying, "Kill me or let me live, I don't want to put my daughter through this." |
The faded silhouette of his daughter at his bedside set his mind to live. |
After numerous surgeries, physical therapy and being fitted for a prosthetic leg, Silva is doing everything he can to get the most out of life. |
"I live life to the fullest and I make the most of what I have," he said. "I still ride my Harley and I still jump out of airplanes. Every day is a new challenge and I wake up happy every day." |
For retired Army Sgt. Brian Flemming, Kandahar Airfield is a mere 7km from where a vehicle borne improvised explosive device detonated three feet from him. |
"When I awoke in a ditch on the side of the road in Kandahar, Afghanistan -- burned and bloody -- and thought my life was at its end, I asked myself two questions," Flemming says on his website. "'What did I do for others? Did my life matter?'" |
"That suicide bomber was the best thing to happen to me," he continued. |
The blast left Flemming with 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his hands, neck and face. He spent 14 months at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, recovering from his physical, emotional and mental wounds. What he discovered while there is that there is no such thing as a mass produced solution. |
What he has concluded is that, "Post-traumatic stress is an individual event. Everyone deals with it differently. Familiarity breeds contentment. Help someone get to a place where they can discover their own answers." |
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