Every brick-and-mortar business must have a way for customers to pay for goods and services in person. While a cashier stationed at a point-of-sale (POS) system terminal is still the most common method, more and more businesses are implementing self-service POS kiosks, also known as self-checkout stations. With self-service kiosks, customers can ring up their purchases themselves and pay without a cashier’s assistance.
Category: News and Views
India’s coal demand is rising—even as it pushes hard for solar | Fast Company
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS 4 MINUTE READ India Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the midst of a months-long reelection campaign this April when he took to social media to trumpet a “remarkable feat!” and a “historic milestone” for his country: crossing 1 billion metric tons of coal and lignite production. It was proof, Modi said, of India’s “commitment to ensuring a vibrant coal sector.”
A month later, for the third year in a row, his government ordered some coal plants to run at full capacity to meet high electricity demand during the increasingly hot summer months.
Even though India has been significantly increasing its renewable energy capacity in recent years, when demand for electricity surges, it still goes back to its most trusted source of power: coal.
United Airlines kicks off labor contract negotiations with Teamsters union | Fast Company
United Airlines has begun negotiations with the Teamsters union, which is pushing for a new contract covering 10,000 aviation maintenance and related workers in the United States, the labor union said on Tuesday.
The Teamsters National Negotiating Committee is seeking industry-leading wages, a faster timeline for reaching the top pay rate, improved healthcare benefits and higher safety standards.
The negotiations — which have begun four months before the current contract is set to become amendable — come at a time when thousands of maintenance staff members and flight attendants across airlines are demanding higher wages and more benefits after carriers posted record profits helped by a rebound in travel demand post-pandemic.
Meta Launches AI Studio for Custom AI Creation |Small Business Trends
Meta has announced the rollout of AI Studio, a new platform that allows users to create, share, and discover AI characters without the need for technical skills. AI Studio, built with Llama 3.1, offers users the opportunity to design AI characters that can entertain, provide advice, generate memes, and much more.
Create AI Characters Based on Your Interests
With AI Studio, anyone can create AI characters at ai.meta.com/ai-studio or within the Instagram app. Users can utilize a variety of prompt templates or start from scratch to design AIs tailored to their interests, whether it’s cooking, generating Instagram captions, or making friends laugh with memes. These AI characters can be kept private or shared with followers and friends, and can also be made available for discovery and interaction on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and the web.
Snapchat+ Reaches 11 Million Subscribers | Small Business Trends
Snapchat’s subscription service, Snapchat+, has surpassed 11 million subscribers, according to an announcement made today. Launched in 2022 with just six features, Snapchat+ quickly grew, reaching 1 million members within weeks. Now, it offers over 40 exclusive features, including Chat Wallpapers, Custom App Icons, and AI Bitmoji Pets.
The rapid growth and success of Snapchat+ highlight the increasing demand for premium social media experiences. This milestone reflects Snapchat’s ability to continually innovate and attract a dedicated user base willing to pay for enhanced features.
Everything leaving Netflix in August 2024 | Digital Trends
Sometimes, there are months when Netflix barely loses anything of note. Unfortunately, August is not one of those months. Everything Everywhere All At Once, the first five Spider-Man live-action films, Paddington, The Woman King, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, and more will be heading out the door by the time August 31 rolls around.
Most of these films have been on loan to Netflix by Sony as part of a larger agreement between the streamer and the movie studio. But even acclaimed indie movies like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On are running out of time on Netflix this month. As a subscriber, there’s only one thing to do if you want to catch these films before they depart: Make your viewing plans now. August is one of the longest months of the year, so use that extra day to your advantage. In the meantime, check out our roundup of everything leaving Netflix in August 2024. As always, our picks for the month are in bold.
Fed Decision: Officials Hold Rates Steady, Signal First Cut Is Nearer | Bloomberg
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said an interest-rate cut could come as soon as September after the US central bank voted to leave its benchmark at the highest level in more than two decades.
“The question will be whether the totality of the data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks are consistent with rising confidence on inflation and maintaining a solid labor market,”
Powell told reporters Wednesday. “If that test is met, a reduction in our policy rate could be on the table as soon as the next meeting in September.”
His comments followed a Federal Open Market Committee decision to leave the federal funds rate in a range of 5.25% to 5.5%, a level they have maintained since last July.
Amazon responsible for product recalls, says US | BBC News
US regulators have ruled that Amazon is responsible for handling recalls of unsafe products sold on its site and must improve its process.
They said Amazon’s alerts were not sufficient to convince its customers to stop using such products and ordered the company to submit a new plan for how it will respond.
The decision by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) came after the agency sued the e-commerce giant in 2021 for distributing more than 400,000 hazardous items, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors.
Amazon said it planned to appeal the finding while defending its practices.
Simone Biles leads USA to Olympic gymnastics team gold as GB finish fourth | BBC Sport
Simone Biles inspired the United States to victory in the women’s team gymnastics event as the first leg of a “redemption tour” began with a fifth Olympic gold.
For the world’s most decorated gymnast, it is the first Olympic gold since Rio 2016 after she pulled out of several events in Tokyo three years ago with the ‘twisties’ – a disorientating mental block.
Fellow sporting greats like Serena Williams and Michael Phelps were on their feet in the packed Bercy Arena as Biles’ stunning Taylor Swift-inspired floor routine sealed gold for her and team-mates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.
Apple Maps finally comes to the web | Mashable
More than a decade after it launched on phones, Apple Maps is now also available in your preferred computer’s web browser window.
Touted as a beta release, this version of Apple Maps can be found at https://beta.maps.apple.com/ (removing the “beta” part will land you at Apple’s landing page for the mobile version of Maps)
Dispatches From The Front 