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Grand Croupier Roulette: The Newest Gaming Obsession in New Zealand – European Gaming Industry News

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Online gambling is a huge industry in New Zealand. The online gaming market in New Zealand is worth more than $1 billion and is growing rapidly. The average citizen spends $13 per month on online gambling, more than what they spend on groceries and household items combined. And while some people may be tempted to call this amount small, its quite impressive for a country with such a small population.

Since New Zealanders are playing more games than ever before, the industry has responded to that demand with innovative new products and services. The most popular game for Kiwis, as outlined by almost everyguide in New Zealand, is Grand Croupier Roulette, which has been around since 2009.

Its a bit like traditional gambling, but with a modern twist; players can bet on the outcome of spins rather than just the number on the wheel. So, what is the Grand Croupier all about?

Lets find out!

Grand Croupier is a fun, fast-paced, and exciting roulette game that brings together the best of both worlds. It is a kind of roulette, and it is very similar to its offline counterpart. The main difference between them is that this game has an element of realism and excitement not common in other popular online games.

According to reviewers from the most popularRoulette Casino Sites in the UK, among the nations with the most online gamers globally, the traditional roulette game has been enhanced by adding a live dealer to render Grand Croupier a fascinating option for many online gamers.

This means that players can spin the wheel and place their bets in real-time, but they also have access to the dealers advice throughout the game to help them make the right decisions.

The Grand Croupier Roulette has three main features:

It is a multiplayer online gambling game that uses real-life dealers to play the game and is powered by NetPlay TV. This game features multiple betting options, which makes it more interesting to play with different stakes amounting from $0.01 to $1,000 per spin on all types of bets, including:

Each game affords you a unique experience and allows you to enjoy yourself. It is available on both desktop and mobile devices, so you can enjoy this exciting game wherever and whenever you like!

The main difference between the Grand Croustillant Roulette and its classic counterpart is that you can play with up to 10 players! Thats right: the more people join the table, the more fun there is!

Grand Croupier Roulette follows a similar approach as theAmerican Roulette rulesbut with some important differences. For example, players will find that instead of having one zero pocketon their table and thirty-seven pockets numbered from one to thirty-six, Grand Croupier Roulette has three zeros and thirty-nine pockets numbered from one to forty.

The additional zero pocket makes it easier for players to win when placing bets on single or double numbers because theres always an equal number of losing numbers compared with winning numbers on each spin of the wheel.

Ideally, theGrand Croupier Rouletteoffers players more strategy than standard roulette games because you can use your cards to create multiple winning hands instead of just betting on random numbers, as most other variants allow for.

Grand Croupier Roulette is played with two tables; one for the players (the player table) and another for the dealers (the croupier table). The player table has 36 numbers divided into three groups 0, 1 and 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The croupier table has 37 numbers divided into three groups 00, 01-2-3-4-5-6. In addition to these numbers, you will find some bet areas like pair, street, column, or odd/even.

You can place your bets on these areas and individual numbers, but they will not be counted until you win them during your spin.

The game starts when all participant players place their chips in the center of the table. After this, the ball is spun, and the players place bets on which numbers they think it will land on. Once the bets are placed, the live dealer deals cards to each player face down.

Note:Each card has an assigned value which you can use to make your roulette bet. If you get two matching cards, they cancel each other out and are removed from your hand (you can only use one card with any given number).

When all players have had their turn with the deck, players reveal one at a time who has won the round, and their prize is rewarded accordingly. The dealer then spins the ball again, and play continues until there are no more rounds left in the game (this ensures that everyone gets an equal share of wins).

Grand Croupier Roulette is an excellent choice for a game of chance and chances with a roguish theme and compelling gameplay.

With exciting features and impressive looks, its no wonder why this roulette simulator has been featured in several top-reviewed casino software reviews. The only thing that matters is an internet connection to play this game. So, wash down your stress with the rush of risk and the thrill of winning.

Grand Croupier Roulette: The Newest Gaming Obsession in New Zealand - European Gaming Industry News

Parents forced to play ‘Russian roulette’ due to Shanaway Rd conditions – The Clare Echo

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

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PARENTS ARE FORCED to play Russian roulette on the school run due to the dangers posed by a busy Ennis junction.

Residents on the Shanaway Rd in Ennis are growing increasingly frustrated with their ongoing wait for some form of alterations to improve road safety as they approach the junction leading to the Lahinch Rd.

Clare County Councils road design office have recently completed a topographical survey of the N85 from Claureen roundabout to the start of the speed limit zone. Executive engineer, Michael OGrady stated, conceptual design options for Active Travel Measures are being developed for this area, the Shanaway Rd junction is being incorporated into these designs.

An update had been sought by Cllr Mark Nestor (FF) on the back of queries from local residents. He commended the cohort of Ennis councillors for continuing to keep the item high on the Councils agenda. A survey and conceptual design are all well and good but what I want to hear and what residents want to hear is a timeframe to get approval from TII and start work on the ground.

Councillors are like scratched records when youre getting nowhere with issues, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) felt. She was fearful it was going to take a death for TII to pay attention. She recalled that there were three accidents in quick succession last year, in a matter of inches a person could have been seriously injured. The former Mayor of Clare said with a couple of thousands residents living in the vicinity, using the golf club, Hotel Woodstock and Banner GAA club that traffic levels are consistently high.

It is Russian roulette for some parents going to Inch, Cllr Howard flagged. She detailed that in order to avoid the junction to the Lahinch Rd, parents are travelling on a road which is nothing more than a lane for a horse and a cart. She maintained it was time to get tough with TII, it is a nightmare in the morning and it is frightening to watch.

Safety measures are needed, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said while sympathising with residents on the dreadful impact to their quality of life. It is a public safety issue, road design must be pulling their hair out with the intransigence of TII. Residents are getting very impatient, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) acknowledged, it is the same junction for the last forty years and now thousands are living there, there is no reason what happened at Corrovorrin shouldnt happen here. A briefing from John Gannon of the roads design office was sought by Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF).

Director of Physical Development, Carmel Kirby confirmed that the road design office are trying to make progress with the Shanaway Rd junction as an Active Travel project. Adjustments have been made to try get TIIs responsibility back into the equation, executive engineer Eamon ODea explained while adding that the road design office were on their third version of a potential solution.

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Parents forced to play 'Russian roulette' due to Shanaway Rd conditions - The Clare Echo

How to Play at the Casino with Little Money – Varsity Online

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

If youve never gambled before, then most likely youd like to figure how much you can afford to bet on each round of the game. Make sure you can afford at least a casino minimum, which is never less than $5 on the Vegas Strip. But there is always an option to play at a 1 euro deposit casino.

Good gambling habits mean you should define the amount you can lose painlessly. Apart from setting limits on the money used to gamble, you can create the budget. For instance, you should divide your money. If you intend to spend $100, split this amount into 5 bills of $20. Also determine how many casino chips you would like to buy pre-game.

If you start with a small wager, you can increase it in case you win. Otherwise, you can minimize your losses and start another game.

Whether youre playing slots, blackjack or roulette at one of these casinos, it is always tempting to hit-it-big with the large cash out offers. Please, keep in mind that the payoff money comes from the players. Hence, getting the reward is not so easy.

If you chose to play slots, avoid the game that pays 10,000 max credits. Better opt for the one that offers 4,000 max credits. The chances of getting a payoff there are higher.

Chances are high youll lose more money when opting for large bets. On the contrary, if you make small bets, youll be able to cut your losses quicker, and ultimately go home with some payoff.

The only reason to bet more is if the chance of winning is higher than losing. Otherwise, dont take risks! If the payout remains the same, regardless of the bet, then there is no need to put more at stake.

It is possible to cash out $1000 with betting $5. It is also possible to place a $1 bet and win $200. Just focus on the possibilities of making more wagers with the current win youve gotten. If you proceed with this current betting strategy, youll take more money.

Winning $10 might seem not that successful in comparison to $100. But we are talking about gambling where surprises happen along the way. If youre not an experienced player, its better to stick to the conservative betting approach. This approach is applicable to slot machines and table games. There are more interesting facts here.

You see, casinos have a built-in advantage on their games thats called the house edge. Casinos dont beat players because they get lucky. But they beat players because the odds are stacked in their favor. Literally, the house edge is a percentage of the players bet that the casino keeps as profit. In roulette, for example, the house edge is around 5%. It means for every dollar bet, the casino has 5 as profit, and returns the other 95 to the players as winnings, on average.

Of course if you bet one dollar just once, you wont get exactly 95 back. You either lose one dollar or win more than that. But thats not the point! The point of the house edge is to estimate the average loss. Simply put, if all the roulette players bet $1,000,000 on a Friday night, the payback will be around $950,000 as winnings and a casino will get around $50,000 as profit.

We all know that casinos always win. The house edge tells us how much a casino wins on the average. The longer you play, the closer your losses will get to the house edge.

Before you start betting your money in a casino, practice first. Try out the games where it doesnt cost you anything if you lose. Seriously!

Please gamble responsibly.

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How to Play at the Casino with Little Money - Varsity Online

What Are The Most Popular Games in Online Casinos? – Techiexpert.com – TechiExpert.com

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

If you want tostart playing onlinecasino games and wonder where you should start, the most popular games wont come as much of a shock. The most played games at online casinos include blackjack, roulette, and slots. Lets look more at some of these popular games and why people like them.

When you enter a physical casino, you will see rows and rows of slots. You will often see more slot machines than card tables.Slot machinesare great for beginners or more conscious gamblers as you can place the smallest bets. Luckily, if you are a fan of a casino slot machine, you have hundreds of available options at online casinos as well. Some of these options include classic three-reel slot games as well as 3D five-reel games.

Poker is just as popular online as it is at a regular casino. There are variations of Poker such as Texas holdem. The basic rules of this variation is to participate in several rounds with each player getting two private cards and five community ones. The highest Poker hand wins.

Roulette is a fun game that allows you to spin a wheel. There are different types of roulette games, including French roulette, American roulette, and European roulette. If you have ever watched the popular game showWheel of Fortune, it will give you an idea of how the game operates.

The main rule for this game involves betting on a number. The dealer spins the wheel. During this time, a ball spins on the edge until it falls into a numbered slot. If the slot it falls into corresponds to your bet number, you win. If it does not, then you lose.

Blackjack is one of the easier card games to learn. There are different strategies you can use. The simplest rule to understand in blackjack is to beat the dealers hand without going over 21. You and the dealer will both draw two cards. Remember that a Jack, Queen, and King are always worth 10. The other cards have a face value. However, you will have either a 1 or an 11 if you pull an Ace.

You will use terms like hit and stand. Tell the dealer hit if you want a different card or stand to keep the ones you have.

Dont fret if you dont have a preference for the above games. The typical online gamingcasinoshave tons of games at your disposal sometimes more than at a physical casino.

Some other games you can consider include:

And much more

This list is just a sample of the games you can play at an online casino. Each game also has different variations to try, so you will never get bored. The assortment of games and variations will help you develop different strategies while having fun and potentially winning some money. If you are ready to start testing your Poker strategy, go online atlive casino card games.

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What Are The Most Popular Games in Online Casinos? - Techiexpert.com - TechiExpert.com

What Online Casino Games Offer the Best Odds of Winning? – Trending News Buzz

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

If youre looking to keep an eye on the amount youre wagering online, it makes sense to decide on a budget before you play. Although monitoring your spending may seem like youre sapping the fun out of online gaming, modest wagers can still secure you big returns and jackpot wins. To increase your chances of winning big at online gambling TopAsia casinos, youll need a clear understanding of which games boast the best odds. Read on for a snapshot guide to casino game odds so you can make smarter bets, every time.

Before we delve deep into the odds of specific games, its worth remembering that the house always wins. No matter whether youre playing in a live casino or wagering online, every game inherently favors the operator. This rule applies in every possible scenario. Different games have different odds, but its the player who is always taking the biggest risk.

If youre searching for casino staples with the highest odds of winning, keep it simple with table game classics. New players often turn to video slots because of their user-friendly mechanics, but the return-to-player rate of such games leaves a lot to be desired. While trying your luck at a virtual blackjack table may seem daunting, you stand to win significantly more if youre prepared to deploy a little strategy.

As with conventional casino play, online blackjack comes with a house advantage. However, the odds are more favorable than you might think. On average, players have around a 49% chance of securing a win when playing this table game online. To increase your chances of winning, youll need to be familiar with the rules of the game. In the case of blackjack, the aim of the game is to build a hand that totals as close to 21 as possible. Unlike other card games, youre not actually competing against other players. Its only the dealer you have to best. The outcome of a standard blackjack game relies almost purely on blind luck. However, being able to count cards confidently will help you avoid going bust.

Roulette is another sure bet if youre looking for favorable odds. The stripped-back premise of roulette makes it very attractive to new players, with a straightforward approach to betting. Many people assume that roulette is the only game that offers a 50/50 outcome. However, because the wheel includes at least one green tile, the house always maintains a slight advantage. For the best odds, keep it simple by betting on red or black. While the odds are favorable here, the payout will be marginal. For bigger prizes, target specific numbers.

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What Online Casino Games Offer the Best Odds of Winning? - Trending News Buzz

Exclusive-Boeing clashes with key supplier ahead of Starliner spacecraft launch – WHBL

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) Boeing Co is feuding with Aerojet Rocketdyne, a key supplier for its Starliner spacecraft, as the U.S. aerospace giant races to test launch the uncrewed astronaut capsule and mend its reputation in the space sector, people familiar with the matter said.

The CST-100 Starliner is scheduled for a May 19 Florida launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket to the International Space Station, with Boeing aiming to show NASA that the spacecraft is safe to ferry astronauts to and from the orbiting outpost. Software failures cut short a similar 2019 uncrewed test flight.

The mission is a crucial step toward re-establishing Boeing as a viable rival to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musks SpaceX, a drive complicated by Boeings disagreement with propulsion system supplier Aerojet, according to three people who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Chicago-based Boeing and El Segundo, California-based Aerojet are at odds over the cause of a problem involving fuel valves in the Starliner propulsion system that forced a postponement of a test flight last July, with the two companies faulting one another, the sources said.

The disagreement, which has not been reported before, comes at time when Boeing already is scrambling to emerge from successive crises that have hobbled its jetliner business and drained cash.

The Aerojet dispute is the latest illustration of Boeings struggles with Starliner, a program costing the company $595 million in charges since 2019. Facing fixed-price NASA contracts that leave Boeing with little wiggle room financially, the company has pressed forward with the Starliner test.

Boeing in a statement provided by a spokesperson to Reuters acknowledged for the first time that it ultimately intends to redesign Starliners valve system to prevent a repeat of the issue that forced last years test-flight postponement. The Boeing statement said that we are working on short- and long-term design changes to the valves.

Thirteen fuel valves that are part of a propulsion system that helps steer Starliner in space were discovered stuck and unresponsive in the closed position, prompting last years postponement.

The various technical setbacks have pushed Starliners first flight with people aboard into an unknown future, placing it far behind Musks SpaceX, whose Crew Dragon capsule, developed under the same NASA program as Starliner, has already flown five astronaut crews for the U.S. space agency.

NASA hopes Boeing can provide additional options to carry astronauts to the space station. NASA in March awarded SpaceX three more missions to make up for Boeings delays.

A team of Boeing and NASA engineers is in general agreement that the cause of the stuck valves involves a chemical reaction between propellant, aluminum materials and the intrusion of moisture from Starliners humid Florida launch site.

Aerojet engineers and lawyers see it differently, blaming a cleaning chemical that Boeing has used in ground tests, two of the sources said.

An Aerojet representative declined to comment.

ROOT CAUSE

Testing to determine root cause of the valve issue is complete, Boeing said in its statement, and the work did not find the problems described by Aerojet.

NASA shares that view, Steve Stich, who oversees the Boeing and SpaceX crew programs for the space agency, told Reuters.

Boeing also said Aerojet did not meet its contractual requirements to make the propulsion system resilient enough to resist the problems caused by the chemical reactions.

Boeing last week wheeled Starliner back to the launch pad for a third time ahead of the upcoming launch, having swapped out the propulsion system for a new one with a temporary fix that prevents moisture from seeping into the valve section.

Boeing and NASA said they did not recreate any fully stuck valves during nine months of testing, instead measuring the degree to which valves struggled to open.

This approach was used in order to get Starliner back to the launchpad quickly, two of the sources said.

NASA, Boeing, Aerojet and independent safety advisers are set to meet this week to reach a final determination on the cause of the valve problems and decide whether the temporary fix will work.

Boeing officials privately regard Aerojets explanation for the faulty valves as a bid to deflect responsibility for the costly delay for Starliner and to avoid paying for a redesigned valve system, two of the sources said.

Its laughable, one person involved in the joint Boeing-NASA investigation of the value issue said of Aerojets claim, speaking anonymously to discuss confidential supplier relations. Getting a valve maker or propulsion system provider to write down, Yeah, I screwed that up thats never gonna happen.

After testing and software issues caused Starliners 2019 failure to dock at the space station, NASA officials acknowledged they had trusted Boeing too much when they decided to devote more engineering oversight to the newer SpaceX than the aerospace giant.

The feud with Aerojet is not Boeings first Starliner subcontractor quarrel. In 2017, Starliner had an accident during a ground test that forced the president of a different subcontractor to have his leg medically amputated. The subcontractor sued, and Boeing subsequently settled the case.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Will Dunham and Ben Klayman)

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Exclusive-Boeing clashes with key supplier ahead of Starliner spacecraft launch - WHBL

Tilting Point partners with Polygon on Web3 games – VentureBeat

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

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Tilting Point and Polygon Studios announced a multi-year partnership on Web3 games. Tilting Point will publish its games it has 10 games in the works using the Polygon Network to integrate Web3 features.

Out of the 10 games that grow from the partnership, three are existing titles. These include Astrokings, from Tilting Points recently acquired developer AN Games, The Walking Dead: Casino Slots, and Chess Universe.

Polygons Ryan Wyatt said in a statement, Tilting Point is set to bring a new level of quality to Web3 gaming, accumulated from a decade of building and publishing mobile games. This partnership will help solidify Web3s place in the gaming industry, and were excited to start developing games that champion user ownership and immersive gameplay.

According to Tilting Point CEO Samir Agili, the partnership will make Tilting Point the ideal developer for both native Web3 developers and those looking to bridge their games from Web2. As he told GamesBeat in an interview, Tilting Points strength has been in having fantastic developers over the years, working with some of the best independent developers on the market, bringing fantastic, big IPs Spongebob, Walking Dead, Star Trek to existing engines and making them better.

In addition to Polygon, Tilting Point also partnered with Stardust, a platform that helps developers integrate NFTs into their titles. It announced this partnership earlier this year.

GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Learn more about membership.

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Tilting Point partners with Polygon on Web3 games - VentureBeat

Tourism Seychelles on the Road and Charming South African Partners – eTurboNews | TravelWireNews

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

The Tourism Seychelles team takes the road to South Africa for a plethora of activities to reconnect with partners from the region.

The team headed by the Tourism Seychelles representative in South Africa Mr. Germain also included the Director for the South African market Ms. Christine Vel.

Visiting the Indaba Tourism fair, one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar, which took place from May 2 to May 5, 2022, Durban, Mr. Germain and Ms. Vel had several fruitful meetings with a few key local partners in South Africa.

The team also met with the South African Tourism representatives to discuss areas of tourism corporation between the two countries. The meeting was also attended by the Seychelles Honorary Consul in Durban, Mr. Abul Fahl Moshin Ebrahim.

As part of their visibility take-over on the South African soil, the Tourism Seychelles team also hosted a group of journalists from Cape Town for a breakfast presentation where they were able to learn more about the destination and get the latest travel updates.

Speaking of the marketing initiative in the South African market, Mr. Germain mentioned that the team has been encouraged by the interest received from the partners.

There is an increasing interest from our partners, especially for future projects focusing on sustainability and active lifestyle.

We are currently keeping the momentum, engaging in meetings, presentations, and other networking activities to reconnect with our partners and discuss areas of collaboration, said Mr. Germain.

The team is currently hosting the Seychelles Tourism Roadshow, which include a series of workshops in the South African cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.

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Tourism Seychelles on the Road and Charming South African Partners - eTurboNews | TravelWireNews

Seychelles dahl: The Creole recipe that is a family favourite – SBS

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

I grew up listening to stories about my mum's childhood in the Seychelles Islands. I loved hearing about the gardens filled with mango trees, gigantic tortoises and fish caught from the verandah, just as much as I loved listening to the loud and joyful creole language that flowed through the house when family came to stay. But most of all, I loved sitting down to the big pot of red-lentil dahl that my mum cooked for us every week.

My granddad moved his family to the Seychelles in the late 1960s after learning about the African archipelago from one of his taxi passengers back in Perth. A childhood on the islands ensured that my mum left with some essential Seychelles skills: the local Creole language, the ability to crack open coconuts on rocks and the perfect recipe for Seychellois dahl.

In the Seychelles, red-lentil dahl, orlantiy,usually accompanies a spread of grilled fish, rice and salad. The dish is prepared by cooking red split lentils down until they almost resemble a puree. The flavour is enhanced with garlic, ginger and a generous pinch of salt. Sometimes, a bit of fresh coconut is grated on top. Like most Seychellois dishes, the dahl is born of the island's colourful heritage, being an amalgamation of French, East African and Indian cuisines.

For my mum, red-lentil dahl brings up memories of weeknight dinners in the Seychelles that involved buying packets of fish strung together with palm leaves from the local fishermen on the beach. The fish, usuallykarang(trevally),bourzwa(red-emperor snapper) ormakro(mackerel), were stuffed with garlic, chilli and ginger, and grilled whole. A green-mango salad dressed with lime juice, some rice and a helping of dahl completed the spread.

"Most of all, I loved sitting down to the big pot of red lentil dahl that my mum cooked for us every week."

In Perth, we ate red-lentil dahl with fish caught by my dad on the other side of the same ocean. I eagerly mixed heaped spoonfuls of dahl into my rice and forgot about the freshly caught whiting on the table. Years later, I learnt how to cook the dahl myself and slowly began varying the dish.

For my mum, the best version of the dahl is the simplest, but I enjoy adding a few extra ingredients to the meal: chopped-up potatoes, a handful of cherry tomatoes, lots of spinach, coriander and a dollop of Greek yoghurt on top turns the dish into something more than just a side dish. This version of the dahl travelled with me to France where, with my last few euros, I made pots of it in tiny hostel kitchens and served it with thick slices of bread from the boulangerie. When I moved out of home and began hosting dinner parties, my friends quickly came to expect a big pot of dahl to be waiting for their arrival.

My mum's family fled the Seychelles Islands during the 1979 coup d'etat, and while her father and brother eventually returned to make a life there, she did not. Our family has visited the islands over the years, but I know that she would've liked my brother and me to experience more of her childhood home than we did. However, her weekly pot of dahl has been enough to transport us all back to the Seychelles.

These days, I make the dahl more than my mum does, but it's become a meal that means a lot to us both.

Love the story? Follow the author here:@tenealzuvelawriter

Photographs by Teneal Zuvela

This red-lentil dahl is a traditional Seychellois side dish that's served with fish, rice and salad. Every family will make their red-lentil dahl slightly differently, and this is the way that my family makes theirs.

Serves4-5

Ingredients

Method

Note

‘I want to leave it all out there:’ Ned Azemia finding form again for UTEP track – El Paso Times

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

Seychelles native Ned Azemia gets back in the groove for UTEP track

Wochit

Not everything that went away during COVID is coming back.

For a time, Ned Azemia's speed, his ability to clear hurdles as quickly as almost any collegian in America, looked to be one of those things that simply vanished.

Turns out, UTEP's senior 400-meter hurdler from Victoria, Seychelles, just needed a little time to get all that back in order.

More: C-USA track and field championships

Three years after a silver medal for Western Texas College at the NJCAA championships, two years after having to leave the University of Miami for his African home because of the COVID shutdown, one year after a transfer to UTEP and initially coming up short of his goals and standards, Azemia is starting to feel the lightning returning to his legs.

Azemia heads to the Conference USA Championships this week in San Antonio with a season-best time of 51.31 seconds, a second and a half slower than what he ran in 2018, but it's also more than a second faster than anyone else in C-USA.

More than that, his best time this year came last week and gave one more indication the two-time Olympian is finding his form.

"This is the season I feel like my freshman year when I ran 49," Azemia said. "I want to leave it all out there for my senior season. My first season didn't go as planned, but coach (Davian) Clarke kept the faith, he still believed in me. I've worked very had to get back to running well this season."

Clarke added: "This year he's coming into his own. We had a little setback in indoor, he was injured and missed the conference championships, but he's coming back. Even though he has his fastest time so far this year, we fully expect that he's going to run much faster.

More: History-making Indian thrower Jayasankar makes quick mark for UTEP

"He's had a long journey, coming all the way from Seychelles. Last year was tough for him, working on a few things that were different from what he was doing at his previous school."

This is all part of a process that began more than a year ago when Clarke coaxed Azemia to make his way to El Paso from Seychelles, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, about 1,500 miles east of Eldoret, Kenya where so many of his teammates are from.

After a distinguished career at Western Texas in Snyder, that included a third-place finish at nationals and a silver as a sophomore, Azemia transferred to Miami, but that ended in March 2020 with the lockdown that sent him back home. From there he lost his conditioning, had a child and considered never making his way back to America.

Clarke "saw me in the transfer portal and asked me what was going on," Azemia said. "I was hesitant at first, but he convinced me. I saw the bigger picture. With a daughter, I saw that I needed to finish my degree and continue my athletic career. That was convincing, that made sense, so I came back."

He wasn't ready to run fast times right away.

More: 'I feel very strong': Eastwood alum Bernal makes way home to run for UTEP

"My race pattern, my weight change when COVID was here, the lockdown and stuff, I had a baby when I went back home after two years of college," Azemia said. "That's been my journey, that's why I haven't been able to compete at the highest level, but the journey to get back, I trust in coach Clark, trust in coach Lacena (Golding-Clarke, his technical coach) and just listen to what they tell me."

Interestingly, though he is more than 10,000 miles from home, the cultural adjustment has not been as challenging. He learned at Western Texas that he shares much in common with teammates from literally the opposite side of the world in the Caribbean.

Seychelles, Jamaica and the Bahamas are all British Commonwealth countries with English as an official language.

"Western Texas had a lot of island kids, Caribbean kids Jamaica, Bahamas I could get along with everyone," Azemia said. "We were all islanders, me from the other end of the world, but all islanders. It's basically the same, the same food, so we got along well.

"UTEP also has people from the Bahamas, Jamaica, that's been a great bonding atmosphere. We have people from all over the world, different cultures. That's what I like, the diversity. I can learn from everyone, everyone can learn from me. We learn from each other."

What Seychelles offers is an attainable bar to make the national team, which Azemia has done on many occasions. He ran in the previous two Olympics and plans on running in the Commonwealth Games and African Championships this summer. If he can run a 48.9 between now and July, he will be able to run in the World Championships in Eugene, Ore.

That's going to take a lot of improving, but Azemia senses that after two years of searching for his form, he's finding it.

"I'm planning on coming back stronger, win conference, go to regionals, go to nationals, go all the way," he said.

That starts this weekend in San Antonio.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

When, where: Thursday-Sunday, Park West Athletics Complex, San Antonio

Online schedule

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'I want to leave it all out there:' Ned Azemia finding form again for UTEP track - El Paso Times

EU Accepts COVID Certificates of 3 More Third Countries as Equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate – SchengenVisaInfo.com -…

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

The Commission of the European Union has recognized the digital COVID-19 certificates of Indonesia, Seychelles and Vietnam as equivalent to the EU COVID Certificates issued by authorities in EU countries.

Such a decision has been confirmed through a statement published by the Commission of the European Union and comes in an effort to ease the travel process further, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The new changes mean that passengers from these three countries mentioned above will be permitted to enter the bloc under the same rules as those who hold EU Digital COVID-19 certificates.

With the accession of Indonesia, Seychelles and Vietnam, the number of countries and territories connected to the EU system has increased to 67. Moreover, in view of the summer, the EU certificate will facilitate the movement of Europeans within the EU and beyond. Therefore, while we are happy to see that the situation is improving, the certificate remains a useful tool for many destinations, for example, in case of testing requirements, the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, pointed out in this regard.

According to the announcement published by the European Commission, the decision will take effect starting tomorrow, May 11.

Last month, the Commission of the European Union announced that it decided to accept the COVID-19 certificates issued by authorities in Colombia and Malaysia as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

As a result, these two countries are now being connected to the EUs system, and the EU will accept their COVID certificates under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate. This also means that holders of certificates issued by Colombia and Malaysia will be able to use them under the same conditions as holders of an EU Digital COVID Certificate do, the Commission notes in a statement.

Previously, in two separate decisions, the Commission of the EU announced that it decided to recognize the COVID-19 certificates issued by Benin and Jordan as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate, permitting holders of such documents to enter the EU Member States under the same rules as those who hold the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

Authorities in the EU countries created the EU Digital COVID certificate in order to facilitate the travel process amid the COVID-19 situation in order to ease the travel process for holders of such documents.

Previously, it has been confirmed that over 1.7 million EU COVID Certificates have been issued by EU countries since June 2021.

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EU Accepts COVID Certificates of 3 More Third Countries as Equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate - SchengenVisaInfo.com -...

The Spirit of BirdLife – BirdLife International

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

By Shaun HurrellHeader image: With its pole-to pole migration, the Arctic Tern is a symbol of BirdLifes international collaboration Agami/Shutterstock

Every organisation has milestone moments that mark when its ideas first took flight, and BirdLife is no exception. Some may live on as golden anecdotes in the memories of long-term staff who have seen action on the frontline of conservation, but others may now only be documented in old newspapers and history books but even the foreword of the Handbook of the Birds of the World, a full 62 pages that narrate the growth of BirdLife from a council of experts to everybodys global partnership, doesnt quite capture all of BirdLifes history.

Last issue we told the story of how BirdLife was born exactly one century ago. Back then, the visionary conservationists that came together to found the International Committee for Bird Preservation (ICBP) may not have quite imagined the international movement BirdLife would become and what it would achieve for birds, habitats and people. BirdLifes conservation work today can be split into four pillars: species, sites, systems and society key approaches to preserving nature that have been the heart and soul of our conservation work since 1922.

Underlying these are the principles that conservation action must be informed by scientific insight, and that birds see no borders thus international collaboration is key to their protection. And so over the years BirdLife has perfected the art of local-to-global impact with a suite of extraordinary projects and programmes that work towards a vision of a world in harmony with nature.

Some flagship achievements stand out in this ever-evolving story, including BirdLifes first land acquisition in Seychelles, the formation of the European Unions Natura 2000 network (which was in significant part based on BirdLifes inventories of Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas, or IBAs), the launch of the Preventing Extinctions Programme and its pivotal projects to save species, the creation of the Albatross Task Force as a response to seabirds drowning in fishing gear, and the establishment of completely new NGOs such as Asity Madagascar, Burung Indonesia, SAVE Brasil and NatureLife Cambodia, thanks to our capacity building work. It would be impossible to mention all of BirdLifes top moments, so here are just a few that really capture the aforementioned principles, or the spirit of the organisation.

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The Spirit of BirdLife - BirdLife International

Twin Cyclones Asani and Karim Form Over Indian Ocean; Satellite Images Capture Twins on Opposite Sides of Equator | The Weather Channel – Articles…

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

Satellite images capture twin Cyclonic Storm over the Indian Ocean

Monday, May 09: Last week, as a cyclonic circulation started to take shape near the Andaman Sea, meteorologists began to warn the potential impacts on the eastern coast of India. On Sunday, the system intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm! Still, the threat to the coast appears minimal as it is expected to weaken into a deep depression by Wednesday while recurving along and off the Odisha coast.

Meanwhile, its twin has emerged over the southern parts of the Indian Ocean over the weekend. The storm has been named Cyclone Karim, based on the suggestion from the East African country Seychelles. The cyclone is currently a category two hurricane with a wind speed of 112 kmph gusting at nearly 140 kmph.

On the other hand, Cyclone Asani has remained a Severe Cyclonic Storm on Monday with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). It lies roughly 500 km southeast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and is expected to move towards the Odisha coast by Tuesday. By Wednesday, it will recurve and move along the Odisha coast while weakening into a cyclonic storm.

Twin tropical cyclones spinning in opposite directions north and south of the equator are not new!

Cyclone Fani formed over the Bay of Bengal in April 2019 along with Tropical Cyclone Lorna over the southern Indian Ocean. While Fani turned into an extremely severe cyclonic storm with a maximum wind speed of 250 kmph, Lorna was a Category 1 hurricane and could attain a maximum of 70 kmph.

Such twin tropical cyclones resemble mirror images of each other, spinning at roughly the same longitude but in opposite directions, as seen in the satellite images. Such events are also common in the western Pacific Ocean. They don't happen in the eastern Pacific or Atlantic Basins because tropical cyclones do not occur in lower latitudes south of the equator there.

Winds around low-pressure systems spin clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere but counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere due to the Coriolis effect a force caused by Earth's rotation that deflects winds to the left in the Southern Hemisphere and to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.

Similar to 2019, the instigator of this pair of cyclones was the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a disturbance near the tropics that moves east around the globe every 30 to 50 days. Westerly winds over the equator line on the Indian Ocean have been strong past several days, likely due to MJO. Such strong westerly winds over the equator line can sometimes induce cyclonic circulations and lead to the simultaneous formation of cyclones over the Northern hemisphere and Southern hemisphere, called Twin Cyclones.

"We usually see the twin cyclones develop following the passage of the convectively-active phase of the MJO," explains Dr Michael Ventrice, an atmospheric scientist at The Weather Company, an IBM Business. Ventrice said the MJO primes the environment for tropical cyclone development thanks to large gyres of low-pressure left behind from enhanced thunderstorms near the equator and enhanced areas of spin north and south of the equator from low-level westerly winds.

When these twin storms are close to each other, i.e., within 1000 km, they even interact with each other. However, Asani and Karim are unlikely to interact because the distance between them is more than 2800 km.

The Indian Ocean has a year-round Cyclone Season. The tropical cyclone season in the northern Indian Ocean, which includes the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, is quite unusual, with two peaks one from April to June and the second from September to December. However, the cyclone season over the southwest Indian Ocean basin peaks between November and April, making Karim quite an exception.

For weather, science, and COVID-19 updates on the go, download The Weather Channel App (on Android and iOS store). It's free!

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Twin Cyclones Asani and Karim Form Over Indian Ocean; Satellite Images Capture Twins on Opposite Sides of Equator | The Weather Channel - Articles...

This is how cloud computing advances, a valuable resource for companies – Entrepreneur

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

Cloud computing has become a key part of the IT strategy of companies that seek to be at the forefront and advance in their development.

This infrastructure is not exactly something new , but it is now essential in many sectors, especially those in which digital transformation is not an option, since due to its rapid growth it is always necessary to expand computing and data storage capabilities.

In an increasingly digital world, the vast demand for the cloud is expected to continue to expand rapidly during 2022. However, the world of cloud computing continues to evolve year after year in an agile dynamic to adapt to new needs, so Events such as the Cloud Summit 2022 , which will take place from May 17 to 19, are designed to annually chart a new path and guide companies in the future of cloud computing to drive business.

Although the adoption of the cloud had been increasing for some time, the arrival of the pandemic has accelerated the process, so now with the reactivation and the new normal we are seeing various use cases for the cloud. Here is a review of the concepts about cloud computing that you should know due to its growing adoption:

According to Equinix , 93% of enterprises have expressed interest in or have already committed to hybrid cloud, showing how important it is today to be able to have access to a convenient combination of the strengths of the public and private cloud. .

Previously, the most common thing was to choose between a public or a private cloud, each of these has advantages, so for some time it has become normal to implement a combination of both that allows having all their benefits together, reaching the so-called hybrid cloud.

Using a hybrid cloud as a resource allows companies to have the best of both worlds at their fingertips. On the one hand, data that requires frequent and rapid access can be stored on public servers, while confidential information can continue on private servers with greater access control.

Due to its size, when we talk about multicloud, we refer to the possibility of having multiple clouds, that is, using solutions from different providers, which also allows you to take advantage of the best features that each provider offers.

If before it was almost impossible to integrate information from different providers, today this has become easier and more convenient for large companies that handle a large amount of data and applications.

The use of the hybrid cloud and multiple clouds can be summed up in the possibility of having a personalized technological environment tailored to each organization and the technological needs of the company.

In recent years, there has been talk of a type of decentralized IT infrastructure designed to reduce latency problems while increasing the performance of cloud applications.

Edge Computing, translated as the edge of computing, refers to an infrastructure that is not centralized directly in the core of a server. For many it is a threat to cloud computing, but the truth is that it came with the aim of bringing applications and data closer to edge devices, that is, those that are closer to end users.

Features are comparable to cloud computing, but because edge computing brings the cloud closer to the end user, speed is increased, latency is reduced, and possibilities are expanded. Of course, by having the data and resources closer to the end user, in most cases it ends up being a better option to process them locally.

This type of solution will undoubtedly be a high-impact boost for companies that need to increase operational efficiency, but at the same time, end users will be favored by enjoying a better experience.

More and more large companies are joining this trend of taking games to the cloud. Google (Stadia), Microsoft (Xbox Cloud Gaming), Amazon (Luna), are some of the cloud gaming services available today.

Thanks to the power of the cloud, cloud gaming makes it possible to play video games at any time without having to have a powerful computer (PC, console, mobile). In this case, the main demand is a good internet because the transmission of the game is done through streaming.

A good way to take advantage of the cloud to take the experience in this industry of great growth in recent years to another level, which thanks to different innovations has made significant progress. In this way, instead of processing the graphics of the video game in the PC, smartphone or console processor, this process is carried out directly in huge and powerful servers in the cloud, from where the resulting image is simply sent via streaming to the user's device. Username.

Of course, latency times must be minimal to guarantee a good experience when playing video games in the cloud, and this is where Edge Computing plays a very important role, avoiding delays at the time of actions such as pressing buttons, since that all the information travels through the network, so having it as close as possible to the end user can be decisive.

Currently, the benefits of blockchain technology, which is a fundamental part of cryptocurrencies and the different transfer models of digital assets such as NFTs, smart contracts, among others, are widely known.

With the advent of Web3, many companies are looking to integrate blockchain technology into their operations, something that Kubernetes came to facilitate. This open source solution was created to easily achieve the integration of that technology by automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

Originally designed by Google and later donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Kubernetes has become an efficient and productive option when it comes to configuring, installing, and managing either a public or private blockchain environment.

Undoubtedly, the implementation of blockchain through Kubernetes provides a series of benefits, among which are simpler technological deployments, various types of storage, interoperability, surveillance, security, among others.

(About the author: Sergio Ramos Montoya is editor of the Social Geek site)

This is how cloud computing advances, a valuable resource for companies - Entrepreneur

Are Blockchain and Decentralized Cloud Making Much Headway? – InformationWeek

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

There is some debate about potential benefits of hosting cloud computing on a centralized or decentralized network, and whether the blockchain might pose some relevance on such a front. The answer seems to be a definite maybe -- under certain circumstances.

Avivah Litan, vice president and analyst with Gartner, says blockchain enables decentralized cloud computing, which can stir up some hype of new approaches to compute and Web 3.0. In that sense, it is disruptive to the centralized guys, she says. Its not going to disrupt the industry overnight; I dont see it happening that quickly.

Decentralized cloud computing may be an alternative that might even make sense for some non-blockchain applications, Litan says. Still there can be reluctance within organizations to move workloads fast in this direction, she says. However, with certain applications, such a move can be a way to save money.

Dipping into this arena means accepting a nebulous, almost amorphous form of cloud computing. Blockchains decentralized architecture typically means never running in just one environment, Litan says. If you look at a blockchain of 10,000 nodes, you can run your nodes anywhere you want. With Bitcoin or Ethereum miners who are mining, she says, they can set up their nodes on-prem or any on cloud they choose. In that sense, it is not centrally controlled by any one player, Litan says.

In terms of how much of the datasphere and cloud is tied to Web 3.0 activities -- it seems to still be very early days. For example, she says, cryptocurrency trades might not represent a lot of data, but once NFT commerce includes big objects, it can require distributed-style storage. Options for such storage include IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), Litan says, which is a peer-to-peer network data storage in a distributed system, as well as value-added systems such as Arweave, whichmake IPFS more reliable, secure, and persistent.

There are still some functional concerns that might hold developers or organizations back from leveraging distributed systems. The reason why youd want to use decentralized computing is if youre setting up your own node or if youre writing applications that need compute power, Litan says.

Some benefits of turning to a decentralized cloud include it can be a way to cut costs, she says, rather than be at the whims of a centralized party that can increase rates, own the users data, and keep them locked in place. Its very hard to move workloads from one cloud provider to another, Litan says. Its certainly a nice innovation. Yet such innovation has been talked about for years, she says, with uncertain progress being made.

Basically, the value of decentralized cloud in its current form boils down to the circumstances and needs of the users. If youre setting up a mining node and need some cloud power, why would you want to pay AWS? Litan asks. A decentralized cloud might be cheaper to run in such cases, she says, which appeals to miners who want cheap computing in order to make money on the margins.

At the moment, when many developers write applications, they look to the most readily available cloud service, Litan says, and then wind up deploying on the main blockchain where there is no control over where Ethereum or Bitcoin run. Its like saying, Wheres the internet running?

There is some possibility for blockchain and decentralized cloud to gain more momentum down the road, but for now their impact on the entirety of cloud computing remains rather niche. It may become more important as people start writing compute-intensive workloads and they want to keep the cost down, Litan says. Decentralized cloud computing may also be useful for organizations running non-blockchain applications, she says. Then they control their environments, where they deploy, and how much they spend. Theyre in control of the whole stack.

Fintech, Cloud, and Finding Ways to Bridge the Skills Gap

Where Developers Fit in the Metaverse and Crypto Landscape

Crypto and NFTs: A New Digital Footprint for Enterprises?

2022 Cloud Computing Cybersecurity Threats and Trends – RTInsights

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

Cybersecurity must become as flexible as the architecture itself to help companies pivot quickly and respond even faster. Continuous intelligence can help.

Cloud computing offers enterprises the flexibility and proficiency to not only gather vast amounts of data but put it in motion for real-time insights. The downside to moving to the cloud is that new cybersecurity challenges arise. These are some of the most pervasive cloud computing threats for the coming years and what some enterprises are doing now to mitigate the risk.

The cloud offers an attractive place for threat actors to focus their efforts. Enterprises are layered with systems, creating loopholes that allow cybersecurity threats to work their way into systems far from where the original source of weakness was located. Add in the millions, even billions of data assets IT teams manage, and you have a massive potential to overwhelm during monitoring alone.

According to a report from Checkpoint Security, cyberattacks were on the rise last year. This is also worrying because we often see an increase in certain types of attacks as they prove lucrative, but its rarer to see a general increase. Better automation and tools that allow companies to run their businesses have also created better tools for cyberattacks. Companies will have to approach their security strategies with the same thoughtful automation.

Cloud services are also a primary target because of pandemic-related activities. The pandemic caused an acceleration in cloud adoption as companies tried to adjust to lockdown and other changes in how we work.

Now its been two years. Companies and their third-party service providers have had the opportunity to close many of those early security loopholes caused by rapid movement and have largely been successful. However, vulnerability still exists within cloud infrastructure, providing opportunities despite greater security measures.

See also: Why Continuous Intelligence is Essential for Modern Security Operations

Remote work caused an uptick in employees working from their personal devicesconvenient for the enterprise during a pandemic and convenient for threat actors. Although it facilitates productivity from a work-from-home space, it decreases visibility for IT teams stretched to the limits.

Different phishing scams, including smishing or malicious links sent through SMS, can be difficult to track or spot until its too late to alleviate the damage. Personal devices may offer far less security than company devices or those hardwired to a network, so companies must adapt their approaches to employees accessing the company cloud from home.

Mobile devices create insecure access points across the network. Application programming interfaces allow users to access cloud-based products no matter where they are, but they can be ports of entry for malicious actors. Even with authentication, some hackers can exploit these vulnerabilities due to a lack of visibility or phishing.

See also: What Makes Cloud Observability Critical and Different?

Companies will continue to fight for crucial IT talent to implement security measures for increasing cloud attack surfaces. However, they wont be able to solve all their problems through hiring. Instead, theyll need to take other innovative measures and adopt the tools and processes to increase visibility and automate responses.

Automation helps support IT teams by identifying and then prioritizing flags for monitoring. Human teams can step in to verify if potential attacks are occurring and plug holes. In addition, machine automation can help outline complex relationships between devices, entitlements, and the network.

Gartner identified cybersecurity mesh as a key security feature in its list of top strategic tech trends for 2022. Cybersecurity mesh mimics the move towards flexible, composable architecture by allowing companies to reconfigure their cybersecurity protocols to match needs in real-time. It helps companies integrate distributed security services. The mesh would allow IT professionals and administration to verify identities, provide context, and ensure policy adherence across the entire system.

Experts identify cybersecurity mesh as a process that allows companies to integrate cloud services into their zero trust architecture as a whole. End-point detection and response, as well as multi-factor authentication, also fit into the security process here.

Cloud-native platforms and tools also have a place in the overall security strategy. These products and tools make security easier because they make the most of what the cloud offers and then protect those assets the way cloud products need. Most importantly, it helps enterprises maintain visibility where they need it.

Reducing the cloud attack surface is also required. Quick response times will also reduce the amount of damage hackers are able to do. Either way, cloud attacks will become more commonplace, and companies should be ready.

Companies still in the early stages of their cloud migration will be more vulnerable than those with a more mature cloud strategy. Those companies understand their attack surface and cloud landscape, giving them a better opportunity to handle the basics.

And thats what many of these security attacks are. While truly complex threats exist, many of the most pervasive phishing and ransomware are still simple. That means that less mature companies arent doing the foundational work of creating a secure cloud architecture and training their people to be on the lookout for anomalies. IT cant handle everything. Mature companies know this and work with employees to ensure that private devices are handled with proper security protocols and zero trust remains in place.

Organizations cant turn back the clock on remote work or cloud migration, but they can implement basic security protocols that help protect cloud assets. With processes such as cybersecurity mesh, companies can adapt their security infrastructure to help meet the basic requirements that cybersecurity requires today.

Thats the biggest trend moving forwardadaptability. Cybersecurity must become as flexible as the architecture itself to help companies pivot quickly and respond even faster. This is the only way companies will be able to implement an integrated, cohesive, and, most importantly, automated security infrastructure.

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2022 Cloud Computing Cybersecurity Threats and Trends - RTInsights

Fuzzy Cloud, Edge, & Headless Architectures That Impact Business – PaymentsJournal

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

Whats in a name? This security article highlights how some cloud definitions, such as edge computing, could in fact place some data, or even entire applications, on your systems, so that unbeknownst to you, they become your liability.

The term edge computing is fuzzy enough; does it mean the edge is inside my firewall or outside? Am I updating the software or is it auto-updated? Is the app running on my hardware or on the service providers hardware? On my premises or on theirs? These issues will become even more complex as advances in 5G deployment enable old architectures to be re-crafted on new platform technology that then employ new names to well-worn existing architectural definitions, such as headless architecture, to sound new and innovative:

Edge Processing vs. Cloud Computing

Say you wanted some of your AI security computation done on-premises. This could be for various reasons, but the most compelling might be latency: you might want a door to open when an employee walks up to it via facial recognition. If you have to push the video to the cloud, process it there, return a result, reach back out to the door controller and open the door, there might be a few seconds of delay during which your busy employee might smash their nose into the door.

How to fix this? Well, you could process the video onsite. Run the video through a computer onsite, frame by frame, and when the AI identifies the employee, send a command to the door controller. This could save a few seconds of upload/processing/download time. Welcome to edge processing.

We are assuming that the solution provider is providing this local computer: they manage this computer remotely, and they are still responsible for making sure everything works. It sounds like the cloud, except the processing is performed at the customers site at the edge. Its cloud-based on our definition above, except something is running on-premises. This edge processing is still legitimately part of a cloud-based offering because your provider handles all the hardware and support.

All that Glitters is not Cloud

Now lets turn our attention to the term Fake Cloud. Fake cloud is when a surveillance security provider slaps a DNS/DDNS entry on a computer that your company owns and operates in order to achieve the same goal. You might be logging into something like:

http://www.legacyprovider.com/yourcompany

http://www.yourcompany.com/legacyprovider

https://yourcompany.legacyprovider.com

But you might still be logging into a computer at your offices. So what just happened? Suddenly your company owns that computer and is responsible for its care and feeding, and its your problem if the data is lost, patches arent done, or the computer is hacked.

The article also includes a graphic that clarifies cloud versus edge versus fake cloud across several attributes.

Overview byTim Sloane,VP, Payments Innovation at Mercator Advisory Group

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Fuzzy Cloud, Edge, & Headless Architectures That Impact Business - PaymentsJournal

Cloud computing and machine learning rule the roost in this weeks MaddyMoney! – Maddyness

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

SaaScada secures 2.5M with revolutionary cloud native core banking platform

SaaScada, the cloud native core banking platform provider, today announced it has raised 2.5M in seed funding from over ten investors including leading figures from the banking and private investment sectors. The SaaScada cloud native platform allows fintechs and challenger banks to launch new features and products in minutes, rather than months, at a much lower cost than traditional modular core banking platforms.

Powering the next generation of challenger banks with the next generation of cloud technology, SaaScada are well-placed in a market that is redefining how financial services operate.

Cloud computing technology is challenging legacy banking systems by allowing digital banks to launch inexpensively, scale quickly, and operate at speed.

SaaScada achieved 85% year-on-year growth in FY22, securing a strong roster of clients and partners that includes two of the UKs top 20 fintechs. Following its success with fintech challengers, SaaScada is building strong momentum with banks, offering lending, deposit taking, and current account products to both retail and SME customers.

The SaaScada platform provides a central hub that is fully interoperable through open APIs. This enables new banking entrants to launch services and new features, and empowers existing banks to deliver innovative agile solutions to their customers.

Re-Leased is the cloud-based property management platform that allows commercial property managers and landlords complete oversight of their businesses operations. Through a simplified central platform real estate firms can manage property portfolios, in an innovative challenge to out-dated legacy systems.

Re-Leased have raised 11.9M in a funding round led by JLL Spark, using the round to cement [their] place as a global leader in this technological shift, said CEO and founder Tom Wallace.

It was a frustration with desktop software, spreadsheets, and email that led Tom Wallace to start Re-Leased. He founded the company in New Zealand in 2012, having researched the revolutionary potential of cloud computing.

The strategic investment will be used to drive Re-Leaseds growth in key international markets, invest in its core software platform, and launch a series of new products and partnerships that will further solidify the companys position as a leader in commercial property software.

Managing a company payroll has long been a tiresome and complicated administrative task that can become a barrier to expansion and growth. Thankfully, Symmetrical have devised an ai-powered solution!

Symmetrical helps companies to hire and pay employees at scale through smart and fast headless payroll technology. The automated solution removes the need for endless spreadsheets and manual input and is designed for use by mid-to-large size workforce companies with high levels of payroll complexity.

Symmetricals technology is embedded into a company platform and runs in the background of daily business operations.

To facilitate their expansion into new European and US markets, Symmetrical.ai has raised 14.7M in finance by top venture capital firms in a round led by Target Global, who have previously invested in Revolut and other European success stories. The proceeds will also be used to grow the team and to further bolster its single layer global API technology.

Symmetrical was founded in 2019 in Warsaw, Poland and has multiplied revenues by 23x in the last 9 months, processing tens of thousands of pay checks and serving 47 customers across the UK, Spain, Poland.

Piotr Smolen, CEO and co-founder of symmetrical.ai. said: Our bold ambition is to make payroll invisible. We believe that 10 years from now, payroll software will be eliminated from the dictionaries. Invisible payroll will be a crucial element across broader platforms and thanks to our vision, we will be at the forefront of this new trend.

RideTandem, the company that turns local transport providers into smart shuttles for work, education and more, has just raised 1.75M in a seed round led by 1818 Venture Capital.

The capital injection will aid the company that provides commuter services for employers whose staff would otherwise be unable to work because of the cost or inconvenience of transport.

Mobilising the ubiquity of ride-hailing apps, workers can book commuter-rides using an Uber-style mobile app and the employer then subsidies the cost of the ride.

Commuting distance can be a barrier to talent acquisition, with a quarter of UK working-age people living in areas with poor public transport connectivity. Since launching in Q4 2019, RideTandem has generated more than 10M in new earnings for its passengers, as well as achieving two consecutive years of 10x year-on-year growth.

Quin AI is an AI-as-a-service startup on a mission to provide easy, accessible, and privacy safe machine learning to predict online user behaviour in real time.

Founded by sisters Gonca Gulser and Gulsah Gulser, the company has just raised 582K in a funding round led by SFC Capital, with participation from NCA, Logo VC, and StartersHub. The money will be invested into the companys UK and German expansion alongside further innovation in AI for creating intelligent applications.

Quin AI aims to understand an online user in real time, predicting their behaviour in under 70ms through native pop-up or API integrations. Easy to integrate into a companys platform, Quin AI has been found to increase a companys revenue by 30% in 15 days.

Gulsah, CEO of Quin AI said: We are very excited to close this round with an amazing team and group of investors in making easy, accessible, and privacy-safe ML applications to predict user behavior. We already started our journey with the e-commerce industry where there are massive amounts of untapped user data and increasing privacy concerns.

Ruth Health secures $2.4M seed round led by Giant Ventures to reimagine comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care for American women

Ruth Health are ruthless in their pursuit of a better way to conduct womens healthcare; one that addresses and enhances womens lives.

Ruth Health are comprehensive care platform built for women by women, using an evidence-based method to provide a suite of remote patient services, including pelvic floor training, lactation counselling, C-section recovery resources, and intimacy and sexual support.

They have recently closed a $2.4M seed funding round led by Giant Ventures, and supported by a wide number of VCs and angel investors. This collective investment a rarity for ventures in the female healthcare sector is a testament to the demand for accessible, inclusive, and comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care for American women, bringing Ruth Healths total funding to $3.1M (2.49M).

Pregnancy care outside of the hospital or clinic setting is critical to the wellbeing of womankind, but its currently fractured, variable in quality, and filled with hurtful, alienating, and misinformed stigmas, said Alison Greenberg, Ruth Healths Co-Founder & CEO. Our mission is to make womens healthcare an accessible, superior quality, and even joyful experience for everyone.

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Cloud computing and machine learning rule the roost in this weeks MaddyMoney! - Maddyness

Mobile Edge Computing and Its Impact On VR – XR Today

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the most talked-about technologies over the last few years, and many believe it will revolutionize how we interact with digital content. However, some significant challenges need to be overcome before VR can become mainstream.

One of the biggest challenges is latency, or the delay between signals that are sent and received across distances, which can cause motion sickness in some users of VR technologies. In response, engineers are tapping mobile edge computing to provide a solution to this problem.

Mobile edge computing (MEC) can also be referred to as Multi-Access Edge Computing. It distributes computational resources across networks and expands cloud computings capabilities by bringing them to the networks edge.

Multi-access edge computing is a cloud computing evolution that employs cloud technologies, mobility, and edge computing to move application hosts from a centralized data center to the networks edge, resulting in process that are closer to end users and computing services that are closer to data generated by applications.

Todays service providers are ideally positioned to supply intelligent traffic routing from the mobile network to the best location of the enterprise application and have people on the ground and professional knowledge of network efficiency, network topology, device management, and more.

Network service providers and others can manage or host the edge infrastructure, and the transition to cloud-native network operations and distributed cloud computing allows service providers to expand beyond traditional connectivity-based models.

Edge computing places computational functionality closer to the data user to improve scalability, lower network stress, and speed up data transmission rates. Rather than being centralized in data centers, edge computing spreads computation resources throughout networks.

Similarly, MEC reduces congestion on host networks, lowers latency, and opens up new 5G business options for carriers and businesses by physically shifting those resources closer to the user.

MEC enables operators to deliver 5G apps with low latency and high bandwidth, and employs a system based on Virtual Network Functions managed by a Virtualization Infrastructure Manager (VIM).

The host, platform manager, and orchestrator are the three primary components of the MEC architecture:

VR is a computer-generated recreation of a real or imagined world, employed in entertainment, games, training, education, and science, allowing users to interact with and explore virtual environments alongside their physical ones. All of these factors make VR a resource and bandwidth-intensive application.

A mobile device can use the computational and storage resources of powerful remote, centralized clouds in LTE networks, available via a mobile operators Enhanced Packet Core (EPC) network and the Internet.

For wireless virtual VR experiences to be immersive, image rendering efficiency is critical, but due to their limited computing power and battery life, image rendering in cordless VR headsets is inefficient. Mobile edge computing offers higher computing capabilities near wireless VR players for real-time and resource-intensive tasks.

MEC could provide immersive experiences with better user experience for wireless VR players:

Under the new MEC paradigm, network resources and computations are located very close to end-users, which shares space with a private LTE site. The VR server application is located close to the MEC, and VR application programs receive LTE packets routed to it.

The MECs co-location with the LTE site provides a distinct advantage over cloud servers located in other distant areas, such as streaming live content up to 8K resolution over 4G/LTE networks while saving more than 80 percent of the bandwidth.

Ultimately, VR hinges on low-latency internet connections of 20 milliseconds or less to realize its full capacity and mitigate motion sickness issues, which is not always the case on todays networks. Mobile edge computings power and speed are critical in achieving this to ensure safer and more profitable adoption of VR.

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Mobile Edge Computing and Its Impact On VR - XR Today

How Web3 and Cloud3 will power collaborative problem-solving and a stronger workforce – VentureBeat

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Danzig

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The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic propelled cloud adoption at an unprecedented rate. The benefits of cloud computing combined with the promises Web3 holds for such things as blockchain-backed decentralization, scalability and increased ownership for everyday users became clearer when the world shut down in March 2020.

Now, Web3s lesser-known but important counterpart, Cloud3, is also beginning to gain traction. Executives like Salesforce CEO Marc Bennioff are already mapping how their companies will adopt the new iteration of cloud computing the core of which is built around working from anywhere further supporting the workforce shift.

Were in a new world. This is a huge opportunity to create and extend and complement our platform. We realized for each and every one of our clouds, it was time to transform to become a work-from-anywhere environment. We ultimately are focused on delivering the operating system for Cloud3, Bennioff said in a company press release earlier this year.

Cloud3 and Web3 may sound like the latest tech buzzwords, but according to industry experts, the two are on the rise, and enterprise executives and community leaders need to pay attention or risk getting left behind.

Before there was a third iteration of anything, there had to, of course, be a first and second to lay the foundation.

The original iteration of the World Wide Web created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. It focused on HTML, specification of URLs and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) commands. While Web 2.0 is complex, it can be simplistically defined as what we know the internet to be today, including access to the web via Wi-Fi, smartphones and the rise of social media usage.

Web3s features ensure more democratization over the web. With blockchain-backed decentralization and scalability, there will be less oversight, which may, of course, lead to bad actors, but could also pave the way for underrepresented people, communities and companies to gain more control.

It always seems that POC [people of color] create the culture of communities or companies, but end up benefiting last from it. And with this kind of new paradigm of power Web3 can provide, were able to finally take ownership of our communities, said Cheryl Campos, head of venture growth and partnerships at Republic.

We can use Web3 to more easily and equally share the wealth with others and make sure we are sharing the profits with others. What is so exciting is that Web3 allows for that through non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)and even with new DeFi (decentralized finance) products coming out that focus on supporting communities or loaning to others. That is not just the wealth gap, but also the ownership gap, that Web3 helps bring back to the hands of communities and the people within in them in a meaningful way, Campos added.

Founder and partner of the Open Web Collective, Mildred Mimi Idada, agrees: The Web3 ethos can bring in more diversity, not just in terms of race, nationality or gender, but also diversity in backgrounds, skills and perspectives.

Diverse skill sets and perspectives are also necessary for innovation in the Web3 space. We need not only technical talent, such as developers, but also creatives, lawyers, bankers and community builders, Idada said.

That said, innovation and benefits Web3 can provide to communities, businesses and investors alike wont happen overnight.

According to Greg Isenberg, cofounder and CEO of Late Checkout, a company that designs, creates and acquires Web3 and community-based technology businesses, Web3 still has a ways to go until the full breadth of its benefits is visible, but its important for executives and community leaders to pay attention now.

Web3 doesnt, and cant, work unless the UX [user experience] is very simple so much so that your grandmother could buy a digital asset like an NFT to have ownership in Web3. But to do that, we need a lot of infrastructure in place, Isenberg said.

Isenberg said he has seen several companies make great strides in UX with a proactive eye toward the rise of Web3 like Rainbow, the Ethereum wallet that allows you to manage many digital assets in one place. Isenberg said he expects other companies across industries to soon follow suit. He also echoes Campos and Idadas excitement and predictions regarding Web3, citing the impressive outpouring of cryptocurrency donations made to Ukraine totaling around $55 million in just days. Its the Web3 infrastructure that these platforms and currencies like crypto are beginning to build that creates the scalability of donations like this.

What gets me excited about Web3 in general is the coordination it brings to capital to address important things. That [was possible] because of the web infrastructure that was built on top of it, Isenberg said. I expect social causes to be a huge part of popular Web3 projects going forward. Now Im thinking, What else can this help change? Its interesting because theres a perception that Web3 is bad for the environment, for example, but I actually think that a large part of solving the worlds problems will stem from coordinating people and capital and Web3 has already proven to be really good at that.

Part of the needed infrastructure to support Web3s promise to coordinate and help solve community and world problems efficiently and at scale will require Cloud3s advanced capabilities which assure secure access to collaborative tools from anywhere.

The evolution of cloud technology began with large IT operations that were disrupted by the software-as-a-service boom. Next came infrastructure-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service technologies, further relieving pressures placed on IT teams and developers alike. Now, the demand for everything the prior cloud iterations provide is just as fierce as the demand from companies and the public alike to access these tools from wherever, whenever while simultaneously having strong IT security as a backbone from wherever, whenever.

Cloud3 will empower businesses to leverage cloud-based experience platforms as a toolkit to seamlessly compose personalized communication experiences, said Steve Forcum Cloud3 expert and director and chief evangelist for marketing at Avaya.

A report from the health information technology and clinical research company, Iqvia, underscores that emerging Cloud3 technologies will disrupt application development in organizations across all industries. Companies in the life sciences and financial industries, in particular, are well-positioned to leverage Cloud3 to differentiate themselves by applying artificial intelligence to big data.

Cloud3s emergence will also transform how businesses are run and how tools and information are supported and accessed to match the pace and style of life that the world has shifted to post-pandemic.

Rather than businesses focusing on moving to the cloud, [with Cloud3] theyll be forced to think of ways to transform within the cloud. With this comes innovation and new, cloud-based technologies. Disruptive technology should not require disruption to your business, Forcum said. A converged platform approach with composability at its core is malleable in nature, adjusting to the organizations business processes, versus forcing processes to compromise around the limitations of a cloud platform or app.

Though intriguing promises and benefits stem from both the emergence of Web3 and Cloud3, there are concerns where they overlap.

A drawback we do see with [the overlap of the] decentralized web [Web3] and Cloud3, is more the industry recognizing that while there are similarities, these are also two very different spaces with very different mechanisms and tools to achieve their goals, said Idada. Nonetheless, hardware, computation power and cloud computing will be key pieces to the next phase of the web. Improved and enhanced capabilities will change how everyday apps operate and what is possible to meet our changing faster pace and on the go lifestyles.

As for what the future holds as innovation increases and cloud adoption accelerates, pay attention or risk getting left behind is the consensus from experts.

Isenberg predicts that moving closer to the fully fleshed out iterations of both Web3 and Cloud3 that we may see more legacy companies begin to adopt them and make moves in the space, but that along with it, particularly for Web3, we may also see many of those companies fail.

Well likely see legacy companies embrace Web3 and its probably not going to go very well for many of them, he said. I think youre going to see a small percentage, maybe 1% to 5%, embrace it really, really well and become category leaders among crypto data brands while others struggle to find their place.

The future of work is remote. So, you have to make sure that there is infrastructure that will allow for this, or otherwise, you will not retain or get the best talent right for your operations. And more than ever, it has been clear that companies that embrace this Web3 space are more likely to attract younger talent and folks that are bullish on the space, Campos added.

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