Snapchat is investing in licensing agreements to provide its users with real-time sports and weather information, which enables them to provide more context with their social posts, such as virtual scoreboards. The move has also been picked up by advertisers such as Gatorade, which incorporated its branding into high-school football team scoreboards on the platform.
General Motors increased productivity tenfold by transitioning IT operations from 35 vendors to an in-house operation starting in 2012, according to Randy Mott, GM's global chief information officer. The changes mean GM has deep visibility into product profitability, is shipping more IT projects and is able to focus on innovation.
While 66% of college students call hazing "a serious problem," 52% of them say they don't believe it can be eliminated from campuses, according to a new survey by NBC News and SurveyMonkey. Federal lawmakers are working to advance the REACH Act, which would require colleges and universities to report hazing and implement programs to educate students.
⋅ CNBC
The Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates in December, according to 76% of respondents to a recent CNBC Fed Survey. The Fed is currently facing challenges caused by low inflation rates, as asset prices are growing quickly while goods and services prices are sluggish, according to Point Loma Nazarene University Chief Economist Lynn Reaser.
Kroger banner Harris Teeter has teamed with omnichannel platform provider Myxx to roll out a website that allows customers to look for recipes and populate shopping lists from the recipes they find. The new site also lets shoppers send the recipe-based grocery lists to Harris Teeter's ExpressLane e-commerce service and place orders for in-store pickup or delivery.
A Trend Micro report shows the health care sector is one of the biggest targets of a ransomware campaign that combines the Locky ransomware and the malware variant FakeGlobe to double the payload, affecting users in more than 70 countries, with 7% in the US. The campaign allows hackers to infect victims by sending emails that contain a malicious .zip file and luring victims with fake invoices and a FakeGlobe support page that helps users pay the ransom.
Snapchat has added 14 firms to its Creative Partners program, giving advertisers a choice of 21 companies to help them create ads designed specifically for its platform. Examples of expert help include interactive video and games, sensory ads, mobile lead generation forms and mobile coupons.
Ford is temporarily shutting production lines at five plants in North America, including three in the US, in response to a slowdown in auto sales and an increase in inventory. Tens of thousands of workers will be laid off for one to three weeks.
⋅ Mashable
BlackBerry has entered a deal that will bring its QNX operating system to Delphi's Centralized Sensing Localization and Planning platform for connected cars. The operating system's features, such as anomaly detection and file encryption, will be paired with Delphi's middleware and algorithms to bolster security.
⋅ Reuters
The FDA granted orphan drug status to Amylyx Pharmaceuticals' AMX0035, which is being developed as a treatment for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Altice's low-cost Economy Internet program has now been extended to hundreds of thousands of Suddenlink and Optimum customers across the US. The company is also working with libraries and community centers to provide free high-speed broadband service to the public.
⋅ CNBC
Homebuilder confidence scores fell three points in September according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Members remain concerned about the industry labor shortage and increased material costs after two hurricanes.
General Motors has signed two 100-megawatt power purchase agreements, one with Starwood Energy's Northwest Ohio project in Ohio, and another with Swift Current Energy's HillTopper wind farm in Illinois, according to the company. GM said that once the projects become operational, 20% of its global electricity needs will be sourced from renewables.
The Transportation Security Administration has installed automated security screening lanes at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's main terminal. The airport is the nation's seventh to receive the technology, which speeds up passenger screening.
If travelers are going to gamble while on a cruise, they should always enroll in the cruise line's gambling loyalty program because they will earn points for perks, advises Dori Saltzman of CruiseCritic.com. Carnival Cruise Line's Players Club rewards members with free drinks, and Norwegian Cruise Line's Casinos at Sea offers such benefits as early boarding.