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There are only two games on offer for October’s…

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

Xbox Games with Gold for October is here, but with a twist, we’re only getting two free games this month, Bomber Crew and Windbound.

As previously mentioned, Xbox Games with Gold will no longer include Xbox 360 titles starting in October, to the despair of many nostalgic gamers who liked the style and storytelling of older games. Although these games are still available on the store, there’s nothing quite like getting a nice game for free.

We remind you that Games with Gold is included in Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions, which cost £6.99 and £10.99 a month respectively (or £1 for new users).

Bomber Crew Deluxe Edition ($24.99 ERP)

Available from October 16th to November 15th, Bomber Crew is a WWII strategy game in which you take control of a Royal Air Force crew aboard an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber or the well-known B-17 Flying Fortress in the USAAF DLC Taxes. You have to manage your crew and your plane. Enemies won’t give you a chance, so keep an eye on fires and crew health. The Deluxe Edition includes the original game plus Secret Weapons and USAAF DLCs.

Don’t be fooled, this game isn’t easy, especially when you’re advancing and facing cannon-armed jet planes. For example if a crew member dies there is no going back and you have to recruit a new one and level them up again. If you lose all your four engines in a fire your bomber will crash, so better have enough parachutes for your entire crew or else you’ll have to sacrifice some of them or worse (like me) all of them.

If I may give you some advice. Don’t be greedy at first, seems obvious, but as you discover new secondary targets you’ll be tempted to take them down, if your bomber is in bad shape or out of gear just don’t do it. Second, always keep an eye on the radar, the last thing you want is a fighter in pursuit when your gunner is out hunting for ammo. And finally (not sure if it still works but) if you lose one of your training wheels, hide the remaining ones and try a belly flop.

One of the most difficult missions, in my opinion, was the one that required you to climb to great heights and drop a bunker-busting bomb onto the top of a fortified tower. At this altitude, the temperature is too cold for your crew to get frostbite, meaning your time is limited. Add to that the fact that you’re being pursued by fighters with anti-aircraft guns that shoot non-stop, and you get fun yet challenging gameplay. Honestly, a fantastic game that I recommend.

If you still want more after playing and finishing then you should check out the next installment called Space Crew which is set in outer space.

Windbound ($19.99 ERP)

Available from October 1st to October 31st, Windbound is a survival game that takes place in an open world full of islands. Like Bomber Crew, if you die you lose everything. However, there is an easier difficulty setting that will allow you to keep your inventory before heading back to the beginning of the chapter.

Here you play as Kara, a warrior lost on a deserted island after a mysterious storm. You can hunt for food, travel around different islands on a handcrafted raft and discover many mysteries such as: B. the existence of an ancient civilization.

You start with a simple raft made of grass reeds tied together and a paddle to row and steer. As you progress, you’ll gain access to more materials, learn new crafting recipes, and build more impressive boats with multiple decks, sails, etc.

But that’s not all, there is a stamina meter that you have to constantly feed yourself, you have to search for food and berries or hunt animals to cook them for meat. Just remember that any food you bring with you will decompose over time.

Insurance

Surveys predict that Hurricane Ian will cost the re/insurance…

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

A recent survey of over 1,050 insurance and reinsurance market observers and participants suggests that Hurricane Ian is likely to result in more than $50 billion in industry losses, although a surprising number of respondents believe the ultimate impact on re/insurance interests will be less than $40 billion.

Source: Nasa Earth Observatory/AFP

As Hurricane Ian neared its third landfall and second in the US with hurricane-force winds, Reinsurance News asked readers how much industry damage could be caused by one of the strongest storms to ever hit the state of Florida.

More than 1,050 people from across the insurance and reinsurance industry took part in the survey.

Of these, 33% said they expect the paid/insured damage from the effects of wind, flooding and flooding (excluding NFIP) from Hurricane Ian to exceed $50 billion, making it one of the costliest Catastrophe loss events of all time for insurers would make reinsurers.

The $40-$50 billion Hurricane Ian industry damage range received 23% of the vote. Interestingly, the industry’s even lower $30 billion to $40 billion loss range got 30% of the vote, which is surprising given recent loss estimates from modelers and analysts. The lowest range of our poll, up to $30 billion, received just 14% of the vote.

Tremor - The modern way of placing reinsurance

It’s interesting how mixed the response is, and reflects the complexity of understanding the industry’s loss from this type of event, especially so soon after the fact.

Some very early damage estimates were released shortly after Ian caused significant damage to Florida property and infrastructure, and as the storm continued and approached the South Carolina coast.

The most recent of these estimates comes from Karen Clark & Company (KCC), which puts the privately insured loss at around $63 billion, the majority of which was due to U.S. Hurricane Ian’s first landfall in Cuba, which although is devastating to the region, but only minimal insured losses are expected, in part due to lower insurance penetration compared to Florida and the Carolinas.

Other estimates range from $30 billion to $50 billion. It is important to note that these estimates exclude NFIP losses and also exclude offshore losses, suggesting that the final toll will be higher than any of these early estimates.

Peel Hunt’s analysis notes that average insured losses are approaching $50 billion once casualty and economic loss data become available, “and may well exceed that.”

For comparison, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 resulted in an estimated US$82 billion (in 2017 US dollars) in repatriated/insured losses, while the combined effects of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Mariah in 2017 are estimated to have increased have resulted in insured losses of around US$92 billion (in 2017 dollars).

Economically, Hurricane Ian is expected to cause well over $100 billion in damage.

After making initial landfall in Cuba, Hurricane Ian was strengthening over warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico, achieving Category 4 status with winds of 150 mph (250 km/h) as it made landfall along the Florida coast. After wreaking havoc on its way through the state, the storm weakened before reaching the Atlantic, where it regained hurricane strength ahead of a Category 1 landfall near Georgetown on Friday night.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is now dissipating over southern Virginia.

So far it has been confirmed that at least 87 people have died after Hurricane Ian battered the US

TV Talk: Subscribe to ABC’s Alaska Daily, a newspaper…

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

Trib Total Media’s TV Writer Rob Owen shares a TV tip for the coming week.

Comparisons between TV series are difficult.

It’s unfair to burden a new show with high expectations by comparing it to a past critical hit. But saying, “If you like X, you might like Y” is also a way to clear up the clutter and get viewers to pay attention to a program in a universe with over 500 series.

Watching ABC’s Alaska Daily (Thursday 10 p.m., WTAE-TV) I couldn’t help but think of NBC’s The West Wing. Just as West Wing was a love letter to public officials, Alaska Daily aims to cast a positive light on journalists and local journalism. That may seem like a silly errand in an environment where 30% of the country can’t agree on truth and reality, but Alaska Daily has enough potential to easily become fall air’s best drama pilot for the it’s worth supporting this series that’s serious without being cloying, sincere without being corny.

And it’s accurate.

Alaska Daily nails the details when it comes to modern newspapers, from downsized offices to analytics displayed on screens around the newsroom, showcasing the day’s most popular stories.

Hilary Swank plays Eileen Fitzgerald, a hard-headed New York reporter who publishes a big story and then finds herself ostracized over allegations of inaccuracies in the article. Also, her gruff demeanor doesn’t sit well with her peers, especially younger women on the editorial board.

While “Alaska Daily” isn’t as confident and fleshed out as “West Wing” in its pilot episode, the dialogue sizzles in places.

“This is a newsroom, not a daycare,” Eileen says in response to allegations of her harsh treatment of a young co-worker when factual inaccuracies surface in her story. “That’s how you learn. That’s how I learned. We can choose not to give in. We can choose to fight and stop acting like a bunch of bright wimps more interested in eating their own than reporting the news.”

Credit Swank’s scathing dialogue to series creator and writer Tom McCarthy, who previously wrote the Oscar-winning Spotlight, the 2015 film about the true story of the Boston Globe’s coverage of a child abuse scandal and the Roman- Catholic Church.

Months later, Eileen’s former boss from earlier in her career, Stanley Cornik (Jeff Perry, “Scandal”), recruits her to write for The Daily Alaskan in Anchorage. Eileen immediately rubs some of her new colleagues the wrong way, including acting news editor Bob Young (Matt Malloy) and reporter Roz Friendly (Grace Dove).

Stanley enlists Eileen and Roz to investigate the murder of an Indigenous woman, one of many that will be an ongoing, serialized arc through the show’s first season.

As much as “Alaska Daily” is a series about newspaper journalism, it has the mysterious element of the reporters’ investigations that serves as the backbone of the series.

The show benefits from a supporting cast of mostly fresh faces who don’t carry the baggage of past roles. While the pilot focuses almost exclusively on Swank’s character, there is potential for the rest of the ensemble to do more and develop and grow their characters.

Swank settles into her role better after following an early scene full of anger that’s pretty over the top even for a character as brave as Eileen.

Towards the end of the premiere, “Alaska Daily” puts Eileen in the role of wisdom giver when a young colleague worries about writing a story that could potentially ruin a corrupt businessman’s family life.

“This job isn’t easy and we don’t do it to be liked. We do it because it’s important,” Eileen tells young reporter Jieun Park (Ami Park). “He did something illegal and he did it with money that belongs to every single person in this state. Do you think the New York Times will cover it? The post? no That’s exactly why local journalism matters, why this very small, underfunded paper matters in this crappy mall. Alaskans deserve to know. They will decide, not you.”

During ABC’s portion of the Television Critics Association’s virtual press tour in the summer of 2022 with the feature film Spotlight, McCarthy said he didn’t have much time to delve into the reporters’ characters and what drives them, which Alaska Daily allows him to do do.

“Why is her work so important, not just to our communities and our country, but to the entire world, especially at a time when we have seen recurring violence against reporters who, after years and years, are being subjected to really targeted and systematic demonization and dehumanization are these people appearing in an attempt to seize power?” he said. “For the most part, journalists are hardworking, overworked, and underpaid and well-meaning members of their community. They just want to get the facts out there so people can make their own decisions. They are not there to force decisions, they are there to deliver information in the most artful and direct way possible.”

McCarthy noted that other than the fifth season of HBO’s The Wire, there hasn’t been a successful newspaper series since Lou Grant (1977-82).

“I trust the writers to tell these stories, and … I think audiences are drawn to it [these characters’] Life,” he said, noting that examining the value of local journalists is especially important at a time when newspapers are closing and some consumers are turning to social media, which can be rife with misinformation.

“We felt we had to reach a real audience, a broad American audience, that we could make an intelligent show that was both entertaining and really valuable,” he said. “It’s a gamble. You never know what will work, what will connect. But we felt it was the right platform for the show, and we’re thrilled that ABC chose us.”

While McCarthy will continue his stint on Alaska Daily, showrunner is Peter Elkoff (“The Resident”).

“We’re trying to reach people who may or may not have lost their respect for journalists, and we’re trying to help them regain it and show them humanity,” Elkoff said. “Good journalists are seekers of truth, and everyone should care about the truth.”

You can reach television writer Rob Owen at [email protected] or 412-380-8559. Keep following Rob Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please enter your first name and location.

Tech

Tech helps make farming an exact science

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

Scientists agree that climate change is leading to more severe and frequent extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, threatening global food supplies and the agricultural industries that produce them.

These farmers are also struggling with seed and fertilizer shortages caused by war and weather.

Many, like the Chase family, are turning to technology to help manage these costs and labor shortages and make the most of limited resources.

Donald Chase poses for a portrait with his hand on his hip. He is standing in a large field and is wearing sunglasses. — Farmer Donald Chase at his family farm in Oglethorpe, Georgia, where he says technology now touches almost every part of his work. (Emil Moffatt/WABE)

The Chase family has been growing peanuts and corn and raising chickens on land in Oglethorpe, Georgia for seven decades. Donald Chase kneels to inspect this year’s peanut crop.

“We had some challenges early on with the Heat and everything, but they held up very well,” Chase said.

A few years ago, his now 85-year-old father came back from a farm convention with the idea of donating $50,000 for two GPS-tracked tractors.

“And I was like, ‘How are we going to pay for this, Daddy?'” Chase recalled asking him.

But this skepticism was short-lived.

“I was wrong about not being able to pay myself, OK,” Chase said. “It actually has a pretty quick return on investment.”

Technology is one way for farmers to cope with rising seed and fertilizer costs and labor shortages. “Precision ag” as it is called, is used to get the most out of limited resources.

And Chase said it’s been especially helpful this year, as inflation is driving up costs. He said technology now touches almost every part of his operations, including planting seeds in just the right spot and applying fertilizer and water in just the right amounts.

“We needed to know, well, are we going to get our return on spending X units of nitrogen?” Chase said.

After harvest, yield monitors let Chase know what work worked and what didn’t.

“These are the kinds of technologies that I really like,” Chase said. “Something that will save me money, save a resource, and actually increase yields. This is a win-win situation. You don’t get many of those.”

Precision ag is on display on the University of Georgia campus in Tifton. There Professor Simer Virk overlooks the fields in his truck.

“You know, it’s not like we can just throw some seeds in a planter, fertilizer and a spreader and spread the same amount over the whole [field]’ Virk said. “That’s very inefficient today when you think about it.”

Both Virk and Chase said that without reliable access to broadband Internet, it would not be possible to harness the full power of technology and agriculture. Chase said he used cell phone technology to operate his devices

“I have a cell phone contract for this monitor, I have one across the street, I had them in the cornfields too; I’ve got two for the chicken house,” Chase said. “You can get the idea.”

But he said the technology isn’t always reliable. Chase said he’s excited for his electric utility company to install fiber optic cable and expects to do so next fall. He said technology is now a necessity to engage future generations in farming.

“If we don’t do anything, I don’t know who’s going to run the farm,” Chase said. “I really don’t.”

apps

Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 do not support…

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

Fitbit is one of the most popular smart wearable product companies dedicated to physical activity tracking and health monitoring.

Recently, the company launched its latest smart wearables Sense 2 and Versa 4 with a battery life of up to 6 days. The new smartwatches will also be able to track blood oxygen levels, sleep patterns and stress responses.

However, a major problem that many users face is that these two devices are not compatible with third-party apps.

Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 do not support third-party apps

Many Fitbit users (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) are disappointed because the Sense 2 and Versa 4 currently lack support for third-party apps.

fitbit sense 2 and versa 4 are missing 3rd party app support — source

PSA: The new Sense 2 & Versa 4 DO NOT support 3rd party apps (Fitbit App Gallery is NOT supported; at least for now)
source

I’m very disappointed that the new Versa 4 I just received doesn’t have music apps like my Versa 2. Will you update this so I can use Pandora and Spotify on my Versa 4. Unless …. I will return and get an Apple Watch. I would never have upgraded if I knew music apps wouldn’t work
source

Just got my Sense 2nd upgrade from the original Sense. Why is there no Google Assistant support? I used to use this to mind control my YouTube music all the time. Alexa can’t do that.
source

Various apps like Spotify, Pandora, Google Maps and Google Assistant are reportedly no longer available for download after upgrading to Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4.

There isn’t even a report of the SDK being updated to support the new watches. So it is obvious that the third-party developers are unable to run any app or watchfaces.

Not only that, but a user mentions on YouTube that Fitbit’s plans to support third-party apps in the future are not on the horizon. This was also confirmed by a community moderator.

There are also a number of other downgraded features. Below is a list of all features that are not currently supported:

Fitbit sense2 versa 4 missing 3rd party app support — Source (click/tap to view)

Unfortunately, Fitbit is yet to officially acknowledge the issue where the Sense 2 and Versa 4 are missing third-party app support. Therefore, users may have to wait for the developers to come up with a permanent solution.

We’ll keep an eye on the issue and update this story to reflect any notable developments.

note: You can find more such content in our dedicated Fitbit section.

Selected image source: Fitbit

PiunikaWeb started out as a purely investigative tech journalism website with a focus on “breaking” or “exclusive” news. In no time, our stories were picked up by Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many more. Would you like to know more about us? Go here.

Insurance

Verisk estimates onshore insured losses across the industry

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

BOSTON, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) estimates that insured losses to onshore real estate from Hurricane Ian will range between $42 billion and $57 billion. Verisk Extreme Event Solutions’ industry loss estimate includes estimated wind, storm surge and inland flooding losses resulting from Ian’s landfalls in Florida and South Carolina. The loss estimate excludes certain elements, such as losses to the National Flood Insurance Program and the potential impact of litigation or social inflation, which could cause the industry’s total insured loss to exceed $60 billion.

Wind damage ranging from $38 billion to $51 billion accounts for the bulk of the damage estimate. Storm surges (excluding damage from the NFIP) account for $3 billion to $5.5 billion of the damage estimate and inland flooding less than $1 billion. About 1 percent of the total industry loss is caused by the impact of Ian’s landing in South Carolina.

Overview of the damage

Wind damage of varying degrees was observed in all areas affected by Hurricane Ian’s wind field. Damage was more severe in and around the areas where Ian landed in Southwest Florida. It has ranged from significant roof cover losses in residential homes to ruptured roof membranes in commercial buildings. Extensive damage is also found on components and panels.

The storm surge also caused massive destruction in communities along Florida’s west coast, where Ian landed. Housing construction in these areas is predominantly founded on slabs that do not provide much elevation above the local ground surface. Surge damage caused several rows of beachfront homes to collapse. In some cases houses were torn from their foundations.

Manufactured homes make up a significant portion of the housing stock in Southwest Florida when Ian landed. Several prefab parks in these areas suffered extensive damage, including loss of roofs, damage to siding, and near-total destruction.

what is included in Verisk’s estimate

Included in the estimate are residential, commercial, and industrial real estate and motor vehicle losses on land for their building, content, and time element coverage. The estimate reflects the impact of inflation on labor and materials over the past two years, as well as the impact of the surge in demand when a large number of homeowners seek to rebuild at the same time.

Verisk’s modeled insured loss estimates do not contain:

Losses due to inland shipping, seagoing cargo and hulls, and pleasure craft
claims settlement costs
Losses exacerbated by litigation, fraudulent allocation of benefits, or social inflation
Losses paid out by the National Flood Insurance Program
Storm surge leakage damage paid for wind-only policies due to government intervention
Damage to uninsured property
infrastructure losses
Losses from non-contractual obligations
Losses from hazardous waste disposal, vandalism, or civil commotion, whether caused directly or indirectly by the event
Losses resulting from the deterioration of existing defenses (e.g. natural and artificial dams)
Other unmodeled losses, including those caused by tornadoes generated by the storm
Losses for US offshore assets and non-US real estate

How the hurricane unfolded and broke records

Heavy rain, storm surge and tropical storm conditions began late Tuesday afternoon in parts of southwest Florida. Overnight Ian glided past the Florida Keys. Despite a fleeting swipe from Ian, Key West recorded its third-highest storm surge since 1913, with just over 3 feet and peak wind gusts into the upper 60s mph.

Conditions in West Florida deteriorated rapidly throughout Wednesday morning, with heavy rain spreading north and major hurricane-force winds making landfall from Ian’s eyewall late in the morning near Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island. To the south, in Naples and the surrounding area, Ian’s strong winds were perpendicular to the coast, exacerbating water inundation caused by storm surges as water from the Gulf was effectively blown inland. As a result, Naples experienced a catastrophic storm surge of over 6 feet, breaking the previous record.

Ian officially made landfall in Cayo Costa, Fla. at 3:05 p.m. local time as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. Around this time, a 124 mph wind gust was observed in Punta Gorda before the station went down. Ian then slowly moved inland, following a northeasterly track that took the storm’s massive 30-mile-wide eye (wider than the east-west extent of Lake Okeechobee) across Gasparilla Sound and Punta Gorda.

Due to the storm’s slow motion, areas such as Port Charlotte and Englewood remained in Ian’s eyewall for several hours; This resulted in 18 to 20 inches of rain, in addition to prolonged exposure to the strong wind gusts in Ian’s northwestern eyewall. Ian managed to stay about 65 miles southwest of Tampa, which due to Ian’s large wind field was still close enough to bring wind gusts into the upper 70s mph and 2 to 5 inches of precipitation; Before that, Tampa Bay was temporarily drained of water due to a reverse storm surge from Ian.

On Thursday morning, Ian set off off the Atlantic coast near Cape Canaveral – a little further south than originally expected. When Ian returned across the ocean on Thursday, conditions were favorable enough for additional strengthening and Ian was upgraded to a hurricane on Thursday evening.

Ian made landfall near Georgetown, SC as a medium-range Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph Friday afternoon at 2:05 pm EDT near Georgetown, SC. Heavy rain and strong gusty winds exceeding 80 km/h battered parts of the Carolinas . Given this ongoing impact, Ian was officially declared posttropical at 5 p.m. when the center was moved to northeast South Carolina.

Hurricane Ian caused significant storm surge damage to both residential and commercial areas in Southwest Florida. However, flood insurance uptake for residential risks in Florida is low.

About Extreme Event Solutions at Verisk

Extreme Event Solutions at Verisk provides risk modeling solutions that help individuals, businesses and society become more resilient to extreme events. Verisk founded the disaster modeling industry in 1987 and today models the risk of natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, terrorism, pandemics and accidental disasters. Insurance, reinsurance, financial, corporate, and government clients rely on Verisk’s advanced science, software, and consulting services for catastrophe risk management, insurance-linked securities, longevity modeling, site-specific engineering analysis, and agricultural risk management. Verisk’s extreme event solutions team is headquartered in Boston with additional offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.air-worldwide.com. For more information about Verisk, a leading provider of data analytics to clients in insurance, energy, specialty and financial services markets, visit www.verisk.com.

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Tech

Buy this unremarkable tech stock before it continues to…

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

It’s been a tough year for the broader market, but even worse for tech stocks. While S&P500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) maintains a 24% loss in 2022, the S&P 500 Information Technology The index is at 30%. Ouch!

But not all tech names have been caught in these fierce headwinds. Stock quotes from software outfit Aspen technology (NASDAQ:AZPN) are up more than 50% so far this year after hitting new record highs in late September.

Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future results. On the other hand, a tech stock ticker showing this highly unlikely bull market deserves a closer look.

What is Aspen Technology?

It’s not exactly a household name. Aside from the fact that the company makes obscure software to help companies optimize a variety of assets (like supply chain structures, manufacturing facilities, and even artificial intelligence initiatives, to name a few), Aspen’s market cap is a modest $15 billion U.S. dollar. That keeps it off the radar of many investors.

However, don’t let its small size fool you. As the old saying goes, good things come in small packages.

In this case, the good is growth. Aspen produces a lot of it. Revenue for the current fiscal year is expected to grow nearly 60%, reaching nearly $1.2 billion. That’s hard to follow, and Aspen Technology isn’t expected to grow nearly as much in the following fiscal year (which ends in June). In fact, the analyst community is calling for just over 10% revenue growth for fiscal 2023. Still, earnings per share are on track to climb from $5.78 last year to $6.75 this time and an impressive $7.64 a share next year.

Data source: Thomson Reuters. Chart by Author. Sales figures are in millions of dollars.

Given the shaky state of the global economy, this upbeat outlook is a breath of fresh air for investors looking for compelling opportunities.

And this particular opportunity may have a lot better reasoning than most investors realize.

Aspen is in the right place at the right time

The general assumption is that when the economy is weak, companies pull back, cutting spending as much as possible to offset a drop in sales. And that assumption often holds water.

But it is not universally applicable. That’s especially true when the expense in question feeds into the value offered by companies like Aspen Technology.

College professors Vijay Govindarajan and Anup Srivastava arguably explained it in an article in earlier this year Harvard Business Review. Commenting on how companies should prepare for what was then a serious economic slowdown, the pair write:

It is not the time to slow down digital transformation. On the contrary, it’s time to speed it up. … The digital transformation may not solve all problems, but it can defuse them.

The article goes on to point out several examples of how digital transformation has already proven itself by enabling businesses to do things like “understand buying behavior, customize promotions and special offers, personalize product recommendations, optimize pricing on the fly, and offer to balance rapidly changing demand and customer preferences.”

That’s largely what Aspen Technology does, although Aspen’s software isn’t quite as consumer-centric.

And Srivastava and Govindarajan aren’t the only pundits to suggest economic weakness is a time to lean on digitization to improve profitability through increased efficiencies. International Business MachinesLiz Davis, Senior Consultant in the Enterprise Strategy practice, and Mimi Bulfin, Associate Partner, wrote in a blog post last month, “Even in times of stagflation, companies can use technology to drive rapid and sustainable business growth.” The key is ” finding a careful balance between cost optimization and growth”, which in turn ultimately requires the use of digital technologies.

Jonathan Wright, managing partner of IBM Consulting, separately reiterated the idea in September, saying: “To effectively combat unprecedented supply chain stressors such as inflation, it is imperative that CSCOs [Chief Supply Chain Officers] Focus on using analytics, AI and automation initiatives to build intelligent, resilient and sustainable supply chains.” A similar IBM survey shows that those companies that have done the most to enable data-driven evolution are on average Annual revenue growth is 11% stronger than the organizations that haven’t done as much.

That head start can mean the difference between thriving in a weak economy or just surviving; This certainly explains why Aspen Technology is expected to fare so well over the next fiscal year despite fears of a recession looming.

And make no mistake – Aspen Technology is among the best at what it does. Just last month, research and consulting firm Verdantix ranked Aspen as a “Leader” in asset performance management, citing the company’s “market-leading capabilities in asset health monitoring and failure prediction.”

A hidden gem worth owning

A perfect, bulletproof investment? That does not exist. A steadily rising stock doesn’t necessarily make Aspen Technology worth buying, even for newcomers, because stocks in a funny way mean that you run out of fuel, just when you get into it.

However, there’s a good reason why this particular off-the-radar ticker has defied the larger downtrend. That means the underlying business is built to work in almost any environment, good or bad. A few investors have already found it, but at a price of just 31 times next fiscal year’s expected earnings, there’s still room for more.

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apps

Best DJ Apps for Android in 2022

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

The widespread accessibility of amazing Android tablets and smartphones ensures content creation for the masses. Anyone can express their originality by making videos for YouTube, creating blog content or posting their own music on different platforms.

Luckily, the Google Play Store is full of apps that let you create your own music and remix existing tracks. It also has a variety of music players that allow you to listen to these tracks in their full glory. However, in this round-up, we’ve compiled apps that focus on creating music. This one is for all the aspiring DJs out there.

ANDROID POLICE VIDEO OF THE DAY

1. Groove pad

best-dj-apps-groovepad-make-music-and-beats

best-dj-apps-groovepad-sound-effects-apply

Groovepad lets you create tracks from scratch by combining different beats, effects, and vocals. However, there is a wide variety of music genres to choose from, including hip-hop, house, and other varied electronica. It even teaches you by suggesting which beats to combine and when to incorporate them into the composition.

Groovepad is ad-supported and will show ads between lessons, but any ads can be skipped easily. If you want an ad-free experience, there’s an optional monthly or yearly subscription pack that gives access to weekly sound packs that also remove ads. There’s also a 7-day free trial so you can see what the premium experience is like.

2. Virtual DJ Mixer

best dj apps virtual dj mixer beat maker

Virtual DJ Mixer gives you multiple options to experiment. Similar to Groovepad, this app offers multiple styles of music: house, dubstep, chill, trap and more. Virtual DJ Mixer gives you the ability to create simple tracks using a combination of beats, bass and vocal effects.

The app doesn’t teach you how to create tracks like Groovepad does, but it offers a more beginner-friendly atmosphere so you can easily learn even if you’re new to creating music.

3. DJ mixer

DJ Mixer puts you in control of a digital turntable. You can add up to two tracks from your phone and customize the audio to your liking. You can play around with multiple switches and adjust each one to get a different effect in your tracks. DJ Mixer is ad-supported but unfortunately doesn’t offer an ad-free plan. However, once you watch a few ads and get to the actual turntable, it’s mostly an ad-free experience that isn’t overly interrupting.

4. Flick

Easy Beat offers multiple music styles to choose from, including hip-hop, phonk, EDM, and synthwave. It gives you no-fuss tools like leads and bass to create your perfect track. The app also guides you through creating your first piece so you can get a good feel for the workflow. Better yet, no matter what combination of sounds you choose, the resulting tracks will sound harmonious, meaning anyone can create with Easy Beat.

5. Drum Pad Machine

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best-dj-apps-drum-pad-machine-train-your-skills

Drum Pad Machine was developed by Easybrain, the same company that makes Groovepad. Both apps have a similar intro and interface. Although Drum Pad Machine also introduces you to the basics of using the pad, the learning curve here is much steeper. That’s because the drum pad machine encourages you to use multiple fingers to create a track and gives fewer cues for the timing of each beat. As a result, this app may be more aimed at users who are already somewhat familiar with creating music.

Just like Groovepad, Drum Pad Machine offers a paid ad-free plan and a 7-day free trial of premium features.

6. Edjing MIX

Another turntable simulator, Edjing Mix might be the most feature-packed app on today’s list. The app walks you through the necessary steps to using a turntable and teaches you how to turn the wealth of sample tracks provided into something of your own.

Edjing Mix is free to use but offers a paid PRO version. Best of all, you can try the PRO features for three days and then switch to the free version.

7. Beat Maker Pro

best dj apps beat maker pro craft new skills

best dj apps beat maker pro master popular songs

Manufactured by the same company as Edjing MIX, Beat Maker Pro offers a rewarding and visually pleasing experience. Not only does it teach you how to use the app’s many features, but it gives you feedback on what you’ve entered and showers you with achievements when you succeed.

Completing lessons and doing well will unlock new tracks for you to experiment with. So there is a gamification here that encourages learning to use the app. Beat Maker Pro offers a paid Pro version, but similar to Edjing MIX, you can try the Pro version for three days and see if it’s a worthwhile investment.

8. Remixes live

Remixlive is another drum pad looping app that offers a plethora of options for creating music tracks, whatever your taste. Add bass, synths, vocals and various effects to your tracks with a simple button press. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t offer a training mode like some other titles, so Remixlive will definitely appeal to the more experienced users out there who are familiar with music production.

Music at your fingertips

While most of the apps on this list offer comparable features, the fact that they appeal to potential musicians of all skill levels makes them our top pick. Essentially, there’s something for everyone no matter which app you choose, be it Edjing MIX for digital DJing or Groovepad for all the drumpad enthusiasts out there. What are your favorite apps to create your music? Let us know in the comments below.

Insurance

Meet the Pittsburgh startup preparing to insure driverless cars

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

While self-driving car companies continue to develop the fledgling technology, a local startup is already selling insurance to the industry. North Side-based Koop says it has cracked the code for underwriting the autonomous vehicle sector, despite its short track record.

Driverless technology still have to go through years of research and development before they reach consumers. Locally based Argo AI started it test Robotaxis in Miami in December and started a second pilot last week in Austin. Aurora Innovation, also headquartered in Pittsburgh, runs Self-driving trucks in Texas.

Koop uses data from such test fleets to price coverage. It is preparing for a future of increasing automation could shift Accident liability from human drivers to manufacturers.

Jim Duan, Koop’s co-founder and operations director, said the startup is helping to fill a critical gap.

“Right now, many commercial operators typically turn to traditional carriers to get a quote. But the process is actually pretty cruel,” he said. “Besides filling out very long applications, you actually have to wait quite a long time for the underwriters to … make you an offer. And more than likely the deal you get is probably not the best in terms of monetary value.”

Koop, on the other hand, willingly covers a range of liabilities, including technical errors, product defects and cyber hacks. Koop’s policies extend beyond autonomous vehicles to robotics used in manufacturing, defense, healthcare and other industries.

Three of the company’s four founders graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. They founded Koop in 2020 and closed a $2.5 million seed funding round about a year ago. Duan said the company continues to grow steadily. He didn’t say if it turned a profit, noting that it remains focused on research and development.

“We’ve definitely seen a huge uptick in interest [and] not just in the United States,” he said. “In the past week we have received emails from Europe and also from Asia asking about ways to cover their operations as well.”

Unlike Koop, Duan emphasizes that conventional auto insurance emphasizes man-made risks.

For example, he said: “Nowadays when we go shopping [auto] Insurance for ourselves in which we only need to fill in our demographics [an insurance company’s] app and the vehicle information.”

Based on decades of data, insurers assign risk ratings based on such characteristics, allowing insurers to quote immediately. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration accused Drivers account for 94% of car accidents in a 2015 study. But by relying less on humans, self-driving cars are said to reduce the risk of accidents.

cop says its software accounts for this difference by using data from the vehicles themselves. Therefore, the company says it offers more competitive rates than other insurance providers. Duan said it has received very few claims so far.

Companies testing fully autonomous vehicles reported 130 crashes over an 11 month period ending in May, according to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration. Only one resulted in serious injuries, and airbags deployed in only two of them. All collisions occurred at low speeds.

Even the automated safety features found in many cars today are bound to drive down traditional insurers’ premium costs, according to consultancy McKinsey and Co. It predicted in a report last month that the trend could shrink the premium pool for the US personal auto insurance market by as much as 10% by 2030.

Duan said that as a startup, Koop was able to develop a model for drawing fully autonomous systems faster than traditional companies. He hopes that by setting up its insurance platform, Koop will help consumers rely on the new technology.

“When it comes to commercializing the whole thing [driverless vehicle] industry,” he said, “insurance will definitely be a big enabler.”

Tech

Save time and automate! Freshdesk is a tech tool…

October 3, 2022
by Vaseline

In this highly competitive market, a modern real estate agent needs innovative technologies to thrive. An automated communication system is key to save time, grow your business and provide the most effective service to your customers.

Today’s customers want timely, personalized communication through the channels of their choice – some prefer email, some prefer text messaging, and still others via apps or other means. With so many options, it can be difficult for us agents to keep up. The solution is to digitize your customer engagement.

Check out Freshdesk, an intuitive omnichannel customer support platform that does just that.

What is Freshdesk?

Freshdesk is cloud-based customer support software that is feature-rich and easy-to-use. With a variety of support channels available such as live chat, phone, email, and social media, it helps you support consumers in the way they choose to communicate. In short, it is a cloud-based online customer service software that offers assistance with all intelligent automation systems to get the job done more efficiently and quickly.

How does Freshdesk work?

Freshdesk enables real estate agents to:

1. Keep all data in one place

Maintain and track customer information, eliminate disparate systems, emails, spreadsheets, etc. Instead, use a single, easily accessible system of record to manage all your business operations in one place.

2. Respond effortlessly to customer needs

Deliver tailored experiences every time a customer contacts you via phone, email, social media, WhatsApp, live chat, or Apple Business Chat. One of the keys to maintaining a positive customer relationship is personalization.

3. Increase performance

Automate repetitive, time-consuming activities to speed up your service and free up resources quickly. Quick replies and problem solving show your sincere respect for your client’s time.

4. Work as a team with customers

Give your internal and customer-facing team members the tools they need to easily collaborate and communicate to meet customer needs and facilitate a seamless transaction.

Some of the pros and cons of FreshDesk

The advantages:

• Easy to use

• Cheap

• Stylish and practical design

• Provides a comprehensive customer support platform

• Automates advanced workflows

• Numerous integrations with other Freshworks products are easy
Mobile applications are available for both iOS and Android devices

Disadvantages

• SMS and Instagram integration are not available

• Limited rules and automation

• Can be difficult to set up

• Poor dashboard (Please note that Freshdesk Analytics is still in beta. The current dashboard only offers essential functions)

• Support for all essential functions is not particularly resourceful compared to alternatives

• Not all plans offer dashboards and analytics

Freshdesk pricing

Freshdesk offers four pricing plans:

1. Free plan

Provides access to up to 10 real estate agents for the basics.

2. Growth Plan: $18/month or $180/year

Intuitive, industry-leading support for business development. Includes all the features of the free plan, including agent collision detection, plus automation, business hours, SLA management, and more.

3. Pro plan: $59/month

High performance through advanced automation. Includes all Growth Plan features, custom apps, time tracking, performance reports, CSAT survey and a multilingual knowledge base.

4. Enterprise plan: $95/month

Fully functional with bots for business level support.

Additionally, you can purchase additional add-ons if the listed plans don’t meet your needs.

bottom line

Freshdesk offers the most comprehensive and easy-to-use, cross-channel support from a single, unified platform to quickly respond to customer concerns with workforce automation. It’s a great way to keep things clear and automated, allowing you to reduce repetitive tasks and save time. A system like this will maintain customer satisfaction and provide better customer service. Who wouldn’t want that? Happier customers mean a happier bottom line for your business.

Anne Ewasko is a seasoned realtor in the Chicago area and a longtime techie. Visit her at anne.luxhomechicago.com.