Mediaboss Marketing

Google once considered its own digital money system called Google Bucks, but scrapped it because of regulatory concerns.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is delivering a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. A questioner asked him if he'd like to take a look at an alternate currency system he'd devised.

Schimdt answered by noting that most alternate currency systems are illegal, but other than that they're a great idea.

Regulators are most often concerned that alternate currency systems can be used for money laundering and trading in illegal goods. For instance, last summer New York Senator Charles Schumer called on authorities to shut down Silk Road, an online trading marketplace that accepted the alternative digital currency Bitcoin.

In his talk, Schmidt also said that he expects $70 smartphones to emerge next year, that people will want to move to Kansas City to take advantage of the super-fast fiber network Google is building there, and that self-driving cars are "a lot closer than you think."

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Google Once Considered Making Its Own Currency

Vinpower developed the SDShark series and offers independent slots for both SD and Micro SD cards, as well as true asynchronous duplication, and a secure erase feature.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 28, 2012

Vinpower Digital offers an entire array of flash media duplication products, including the SDShark, which offers the ability to copy SD and Micro SD cards. This unique duplicator sets itself apart from similar products through its unique construction, patent pending true asynchronous duplication, secure erase and many other user-friendly features.

The first noticeable difference about this product line is the fact that it offers both an SD and a Micro SD slot so the user does not have to waste time or money using a Micro SD adaptor whenever they need to copy this smaller flash card. The SDShark can easily copy from or to nearly any brand of quality SD or Micro SD card on the market.

Utilizing the only true asynchronous duplication capability, the SDShark saves significant time over similar products by copying each individual port nearly immediately after the card is inserted. Most flash duplicators can only offer asynchronous duplication for sizes below the buffer memory used on the system (which is typically no larger than 256MB). If the data content is greater than 256MB, there will be either a significant speed reduction or the job will fail. The SDShark is not affected by the limitations of the buffer memory. Nor will it suffer any drop in duplication speed or performance regardless of the size of the content being duplicated.

In addition, the SDShark provides a full secure erase feature that will remove all content stored on the SD card(s) for secure protection against data theft or corruption. Calvin Chang, C.E.O. of Vinpower Digital, declares, “Since flash cards, like SD card, can be rewritten over and over again, the previously stored material should always be erased before attempting to rerecord something new on that same card.” This is especially true for government institutions and similar organizations that require complete anonymity and cannot leave information cashed on the flash memory, either in a subfolder or in the main data folder.

About Vinpower Digital

Vinpower Digital is the leading manufacturer of digital duplication equipment ranging from optical discs to flash memory. With our corporate office in Los Angeles, California, USA and production offices in Taipei, Taiwan, we have the ability to deliver the most advanced and reliable digital duplication controllers, manual towers, and robotic autoloaders anywhere in the world. As a true manufacturer, Vinpower Digital has the ability to OEM/ODM customized applications and equipment for qualified vendors on a number of levels. Never satisfied with good enough, Vinpower Digital constantly pushes the envelope to develop new features and enhance their existing products to stay in tune with the customers’ needs and expectations.

For further information on any or all of Vinpower Digital’s line of duplicators, please visit our website at http://www.vinpowerdigital.com.

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Ryan Swerdloff
Vinpower Digital Inc
626-282-3300 120
Email Information

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Vinpower Digital’s SD / Micro SD Duplicator is the First to Offer Seperate SD and Micro SD ports for Ease of Duplication

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -02/28/12)- The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) today announced the finalists for the 2012 National Magazine Awards for Digital Media. Known as the Digital Ellies (for the Alexander Calder stabile "Elephant," which is given to each winner), the awards will be presented on March 20, 2012, in New York City. Topping the list of finalists are four magazine brands -- The Atlantic, Golf Digest, National Geographic and New York -- that are each nominated for three awards including General Excellence.

Sponsored by ASME in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, the 2012 National Magazine Awards for Digital Media will be presented at lunch on Tuesday, March 20, at the Grand Hyatt New York. The lunch will be co-hosted by Larry Hackett, managing editor of People and ASME president, and Lucy Danziger, editor-in-chief of SELF and ASME secretary. The Digital Ellies are presented in conjunction with "MPA Digital: Swipe," the premier conference for magazine editors and publishers focusing on tablets, e-readers, smartphones and apps.

To register to attend the National Magazine Awards for Digital Media and "MPA Digital: Swipe," click here.

This year more than 270 publications entered the National Magazine Awards, and 90 industry leaders served as Digital Ellies judges. In addition to The Atlantic, Golf Digest, National Geographic and New York, magazines nominated for three awards include The Daily Beast, The New Yorker and Slate. Titles nominated for two awards include The Atavist, EW.com, Foreign Policy, GQ, Men's Health, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone and Wired.

Media companies with multiple nominations include Condé Nast (10 for Golf Digest, GQ, The New Yorker and Wired); Hearst Magazines (2 for Popular Mechanics and Redbook); National Geographic Society (3 for National Geographic), The New York Times Company (2 for The New York Times Magazine), The Newsweek Daily Beast Company (3 for The Daily Beast), Rodale (2 for Men's Health), Time Inc. (6 for Cooking Light, EW.com, People, Sports Illustrated and Time), The Washington Post Company (4 for Foreign Policy and Slate) and Wenner Media (2 for Rolling Stone).

NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS FOR DIGITAL MEDIA 2012 FINALISTS

General Excellence, Digital Media
Honors the best magazines published on digital platforms

The Atlantic
EW.com
Golf Digest
National Geographic
New York

Website
Honors the best magazine websites

The Atlantic
New York
People
Saveur
Slate

Tablet Edition
Honors magazine editions published on tablets and e-readers

Golf Digest
GQ
National Geographic
The New Yorker
Spin

Design, Digital Media
Honors magazine websites, tablet and e-reader editions and utility apps for visual and functional excellence

The Daily Beast (Website)
Everyday Food (iPad App, March)
National Geographic (iPad App, "7 Billion: How the World Will Change")
The New Yorker (iPad App, Summer Reading Issue, June 13 & 20)
Wired (iPad App, Underworld Issue, February)

Website Department
Honors a department, channel or microsite

The Atlantic (In Focus)
The Daily Beast (Book Beast)
Discover Magazine (Blogs)
Foreign Policy (Middle East Channel)
Sports Illustrated (NFL Section)

Utility App
Honors single-purpose apps distributed on mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones

Cooking Light (The Healthy Menu Maker)
EW.com (viEWer)
New York (The Cut on the Runway)
Poetry (iPad App)
Time (PopuList)

Personal Service, Digital Media
Honors service journalism on digital platforms

AARP.org (5 Weeks to a New Life)
Kiplinger (State-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees)
Men's Health (Guy Gourmet)
Men's Health (The Skin Cancer Center)
Redbook (The Truth About Trying)

Reporting, Digital Media
Honors excellence in reporting for digital media

The Atavist (The Instigators)
IEEE Spectrum (24 Hours at Fukushima)
Mother Jones (Occupy Wall Street Coverage)
Rolling Stone (The Kill Team)
Wired (FBI Teaches Agents: "Mainstream" Muslims Are "Violent, Radical")

Commentary, Digital Media
Honors excellence in opinion journalism on digital platforms

The American Scholar ("Zinsser on Friday," by William Zinsser)
CNET ("Molly Rants," by Molly Wood)
The Daily Beast (Commentary by Michelle Goldberg)
The New Yorker ("New Yorker" Writers on Osama bin Laden)
Rolling Stone ("Taibblog," by Matt Taibbi)

Multimedia
Honors the use of interactivity and multimedia in the coverage of an event or subject

The Atavist (Lifted)
Foreign Policy (The Qaddafi Files)
Golf Digest (Masters Coverage)
Popular Mechanics (Touchdown)
Slate (The Presidential Horse Race)

Video
Honors the outstanding use of video by magazines

5280 (The Saddlemaker)
GQ (Tell)
The New York Times Magazine (My Family's Experiment in Extreme Schooling)
The New York Times Magazine (13 Villains)
Slate (Why Gold, Why Not Argon?)

The American Society of Magazine Editors is the principal organization for magazine journalists in the United States. ASME members include the editorial leaders of most major consumer and business magazines published in print and online. Founded in 1963, ASME works to defend the First Amendment, protect editorial independence and support the development of journalism. ASME sponsors the National Magazine Awards in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The first National Magazine Award was presented in 1966 to Look; the first award for digital journalism was presented in 1997 to Money.

Adobe is the sponsor of the 2012 presentation of the National Magazine Awards for Digital Media.

To register to attend the National Magazine Awards for Digital Media and "MPA Digital: Swipe," click here.

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The Atlantic, Golf Digest, National Geographic, New York Lead Finalists for Digital Ellies

ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vericom Corporation has partnered with Froedtert Health, named one of the Milwaukee area's top employers by The Milwaukee Business Journal to provide ChannelCare healthcare digital signage at six hospital and clinic locations, with plans to implement Vericom's SoundCare on-hold messaging soon in 16 facilities.

In their quest for the optimal digital signage solution, Froedtert Health looked to Vericom's experience with digital signage and their intuitive understanding of the complexities of internal healthcare communications. Vericom was able to offer a sustainable and reliable communications solution that transcends technology, where dynamic visual messaging provides crucial healthcare information that gives patients tips and strategies to better manage their health. The messaging also greatly influences internal audiences' perception of the quality of care, leadership, services, and the workplace.

Via ChannelCare digital signage, Froedtert aims to convey messaging that reflects important cultural considerations like excellence in care and service, and compassion and respect in every patient encounter. "Vericom has been the right cultural fit for us from the start, and we are absolutely pleased with Vericom's extraordinary service," says Chris Sadler, director, creative services and e-business for Froedtert Health. "We feel comfortable and right at home with Vericom, knowing we are embarking on a long-term partner relationship with them."

Patient education and informing patients and consumers about additional service lines are Froedtert's primary objectives. Froedtert Health is using Vericom's content library to meet their communications goals and ensure messaging remains fresh. The ability to use premade content as well as custom content is integral to sustaining a successful long-term digital signage platform. Froedtert Health also aims to use this new form of communication to elevate branding and differentiate its hospitals and clinics. Whether Froedtert is using messages from the ChannelCare library or creating custom messages, ChannelCare content impresses viewers with stunning graphics. "The ChannelCare graphics look great. The high-definition messages surpass our expectations. They are spectacular," comments Sadler.

As Froedtert Health evolves with their new communications efforts, SoundCare will play an important role in meeting their objectives. In a competitive marketplace, healthcare organizations spend tremendous amounts of money, time, and resources to get consumers to call their facilities. SoundCare on-hold messaging engages and educates callers who are placed on hold or in queue. SoundCare's current, timely, and clinically accurate content vastly improves the waiting experience for calling audiences, potentially leading to higher patient and employee satisfaction.

"Our goal in partnering with our clients is to exceed their expectations every day. When your business is first and foremost delivering exceptional patient care, you need exceptional and sustainable communications and a partner who can deliver on that promise," says Robert J. Loeb, Vericom CEO. "We are committed to helping Froedtert Health achieve the results they seek today and tomorrow."

Froedtert Health is a regional health care organization made up of Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee; Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls; St. Joseph's Hospital, West Bend; and Froedtert Health Clinics. Joining the capabilities of an academic medical center affiliated with The Medical College of Wisconsin, two community hospitals and primary and multi-specialty clinics, Froedtert Health delivers highly coordinated, cost-effective health care to residents of southeastern Wisconsin and beyond. For more information, visit froedterthealth.org.

Vericom's ChannelCare(TM) digital signage and SoundCare(R) on-hold messaging enable hospitals, health systems, and physician practices to better promote their service lines, improve patient safety, support branding efforts, recruit employees, and increase patient and employee satisfaction. Vericom has been exclusively serving healthcare providers with turnkey, comprehensive communications solutions for more than 23 years. Call 800-800-1090, email marketing@vericom.net or visit http://www.vericom.net. Click here for more information about healthcare digital signage.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com
http://www.cisionwire.com/vericom-corporation/r/froedtert-health-engages-stakeholders-with-channelcare--healthcare-digital-signage,c9225700

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Froedtert Health Engages Stakeholders With ChannelCare(TM) Healthcare Digital Signage

I’m normally reluctant to mention my own investments in my blog, because one’s motive can be easily misconstrued. But as some readers will already be aware, I have a fair degree of exposure in my portfolio to tangible assets, particularly rare coins.

While most of this is via my own coin collection, I also have exposure to this particular collectables market through a long-standing shareholding in Avarae Global Coins. (AVR)

Avarae is a listed investment company that invests in high end coins of a quality that, if I wanted to buy them physically, would be way beyond my fiscal reach.

I mention this only because, in the last two trading days, Avarae’s shares have risen 15%, although even at the current price of 11.75p they are still at a discount of 17% to the last published NAV. It is entirely possibly that published NAV will increase again before too many months elapse.

The company’s year-end is at the end of March and a new set of accounts should be published in the summer.

The strength in this little company is not an isolated instance, however.

Shares in Noble Investments (NBL), the listed coin dealer that manages Avarae’s portfolio and in which it has a percentage stake in the ‘teens, are up by 14.5% in the last month and 65.9% since the beginning of last year. Stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons' (SGI) shares are up by 9.2% and 18.8% respectively over the same period.

I don’t think this can be coincidence. There is a dynamic underlying recent movements like this which is nothing to do with bullion prices or a flight to physical assets. Bullion prices represent a small fraction of the value of rare gold coins, for example.

The message is basically coming loud and clear from auction results that high-value rarities, whether stamps or coins, attract substantial investment from affluent collectors in the USA, Russia, China, India and the Middle East.

Noble’s auction of the stunning Prospero Collection of more than 600 rare ancient coins in New York on January 4 2012, for example, saw the marathon eight-hour sale produce a total of over $25m, more than pre-sale estimates.

This pattern has been repeated in stamps and in some sections of the art market. Stanley Gibbons index of rare Chinese stamps shows prices tripling in five years. Its index of GB Rarities has taken 14 years to register the same gain, but that’s still a compound annual gain of nearly 11%.

It might be a bit late in the day to chase prices too much higher in either category. Stamps underwent a major bubble in the late 1970s, and contemporary art prices and wine have proved pretty cyclical in times of financial crisis.

There are also hefty transaction costs involved in buying and selling physical investments like this. Conventional shares may do better from now on.

But as long as auction results continue to reflect the enthusiasm of wealthy collectors in the way they have in the last couple of years, shares like Stanley Gibbons, Noble and Avarae will continue to prosper. 

For more from The Colonel and others, take a look at Interactive Investor's share trading blogs.

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Tangible assets – a double-sided coin?