Daily Archives: March 25, 2021

Cyberpunk 2077 New Mod Improves Screen Space Reflections – Wccftech

Posted: March 25, 2021 at 3:03 am

A new Cyberpunk 2077 mod that has been released online today introduces some welcome improvements to screen space reflections.

The Grainy SSR Begone mod, which requires ReShade, attempts to fix the screen space reflection grain that is most noticeable when using low settings. This mod is not particularly demanding as well, so performance shouldn't be impacted in any major way.

Cyberpunk 2077 1.2 Update To Improve Vehicle Handling, Nerf Cops, and More

This mod attempts to fix the crappy screen space reflection grain (or noise) when using lower quality SSR settings because not everyone has an RTX GPU with DLSS and neither afford the pshyco settings because it tanks the FPS. This mod is performance friendly and costs 1 FPS on most PCs.The denoise fx works fine with Low quality SSR as well.

Included an optional Recolor mod based on an 80s Cyberpunk-ish color scheme while keeping the vanilla feel. Recommended to turn the in-game gamma down to 1.05. Negligible performance impact.

While modders are continuing to improve Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt RED is hard at work on a new update. According to a fresh report, the 1.2 update will introduce improvements to vehicle handling, police behavior, and more.

Analyzing feedback on our driving model suggested a lot of players were having issues with the speed of the steering. We have added a Steering Sensitivity slider to the Options menu. This allows the steering speed for all vehicles and all input devices to be slowed down, without affecting the maximum turn radius.

When experiencing lower frame rates, our cars were harder to control. We traced this to some code that wasn't handling extreme changes in frame rate properly. The steering speed is now very consistent from 20 to 60+ FPS. Last, we looked at a bunch of tweaks to individual cars and adjusted some of them that were too twitchy in low frame rates, including the player's Archer Hella.

Cyberpunk 2077 is now available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Google Stadia worldwide.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Has Now Been Absent From The PS Store For 3 Months – PlayStation Universe

Posted: at 3:03 am

CD Projekt REDs Cyberpunk 2077 has been absent from the PlayStation Store for exactly three months, having been removed from Sonys digital distribution outlet on December 18, 2020. Yes, its really been that long.

While theres no date in sight for when Cyberpunk 2077 will be added back to the PS Store, CDPR has said that it is still working with Sony to solve the problem. The game was removed in the first place after Sony was forced to revise its refund policy as a result of the widespread technical issues with the epic sci-fi title, which basically ran like a dog on PS4 hardware.

CDPR hasnt had an easy ride the past few months either, having been the victim of a cyber attack in February that compromised a range of data.

Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December 2020 for PS4, PC and Xbox One after a lengthy development cycle, and will be receiving a native PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version at a later date. Hopefully that will iron out the performance issues too, eh?

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What’s on the March 20 ballot? Baton Rouge residents will vote on these congressional, local races – The Advocate

Posted: at 3:02 am

The March 20 election is here.

Baton Rouge area residents will head to the polls to vote on a number of local elections and a pair of special elections for seats in the U.S. House.

Polling places will be open from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Anyone who is in line at 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Voters are asked to bring an ID with them to vote. Voters without an ID will be allowed to vote after filling out an affidavit.

Voters are assigned to a specific voting precinct. You can look up your location at the Secretary of State's website byclicking here.

Once you enter your information, click 'My Election Day Voting Location.'

Visit geauxvote.com for more information on candidates.

Party abbreviations: D-Democrat, R-Republican, I-Independent; L-Libertarian; NP-No Party.

(Portions of Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, St. James and West Baton Rouge parishes, plus the New Orleans area)

Chelsea Ardoin, R

Belden Noonie Man Batiste, I

Claston Bernard, R

Troy A. Carter, D

Karen Carter Peterson, D

Gary Chambers Jr., D

Harold John, D

J. Christopher Johnson, D

Brandon Jolicoeur, NP

Lloyd M. Kelly, D

Greg Lirette, R

Mindy McConnell, Libertarian

Desiree Ontiveros, D

Jenette M. Porter, D

Sheldon C. Vincent Sr., R

(Portions of East Feliciana, St. Helena, Tangipahoa and West Feliciana parishes, plus northeastern Louisiana)

Sandra Candy Christophe, D

Chad Conerly, R

Jim Davis, NP

Allen Guillory, R

Robert Lansden, R

Julia Letlow, R

Jaycee Magnuson, R

Horace Melton III, R

M.V. Vinny Mendoza, I

Richard H. Pannell, R

Sancha Smith, R

Errol Victor Sr., R

(5 to be elected)

Randy Anny, D

Wanda LeBlanc Bourgeois, R

Chad Domingue, R

Darnell Gilbert Sr., D

Duane Humphrey, D

Patti Melancon Poche, D

Tim Lazaroe, R

Wayne Messina, R

(5 to be elected)

Tracy Bryson, R

James Jimmy Fabre, NP

Gregory Hill, NP

Roy Miller, R

Ronald Marty Starkey, R

Hunter Stoetzner, R

(2 to be elected)

Elda Hootie Carter, NP

Kolby Frederick, R

Carlton Haycook, R

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What's on the March 20 ballot? Baton Rouge residents will vote on these congressional, local races - The Advocate

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Transhuman

Posted: at 3:01 am

First to market since 2014.

Transhuman Inc. is a global technology research and development lab at forefront of existing and emerging technologies.

We create proprietary technologies in the space of both mobile apps and Artificial Intelligence to enhance the Internet of Bodies (IoB), human emotion and its relationship with the Internet of Things (IoT). We have partnered with global leaders in tactile and sensory experience, bring a new dimension to how we experience and participate in the world, to ensure everyone can transcend the human condition.

Our global technology research and development team is at the forefront of existing and emerging technologies, with a focus on cognitive and emotional communication for evolution of human language. We have company track record with the deployment of mental health app 'Be a Looper' which focuses on peer-support for mental health and suicide prevention and operates in 87 countries.

Our team have professional backgrounds including Apple, NASA, GE, Intel, IBM, Wamar Technologies, Ramsay Health and Google. Our founding partners with our EmotionAI are the leading content company, providing the largest catalogue of entertainment in the world, and the other a supplier of C4ISR (Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, + Reconnaissance) for the U.S. Government, NATO, U.S. Army, TACOM, United States Marshal Service, Qualcomm Inc, Amtrak, Sempra Energy, Joint Contracting Command Iraq Afghanistan and multiple international governments.

We are committed to improving wellness and mental health outcomes in communities, organisations and in the workplace. Enhancing relationships between humans and their technology is also another focus point of ours.

Our programs and technologies are created by leading academics, doctors, designers, professionals and non-profit organisations in the world. Our collaborative and global approach, ensures our programs are at the forefront of initiatives.

Our research-based approach, married alongside innovative design and future focused outcomes for employee wellness, engagement and retention has captured the attention of major organisations and publications.

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Watch Dogs: Legion is Hosting a Free Weekend From March 25-29 – Attack of the Fanboy

Posted: at 3:00 am

While not always seen as the greatest game series, the Watch Dogs titles have all brought out something special. Sure, they havent gotten the strongest critical reception, but they all are quite fun in their own respects. If you havent had a chance to jump into the series, you really should. Given the news regarding this upcoming weekend, now would be the perfect chance. Ubisoft has announced that Watch Dogs: Legion is hosting a free weekend, allowing anyone to take back the streets of London from March 25 to March 29. The free offering will be available on PC (Epic Games Store/UPlay), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. You can even begin pre-loading the game starting tomorrow!

For those unaware of Watch Dogs: Legion, this third-person open-world title has you dropping in as a member of the hacker group DedSec following their framing of bombings all across London. Throughout your adventures, youll look to recruit new members to your cause, gather new equipment, and discover the dirty secrets of all the shady corporations controlling the citys underworld. Best of all? You can play as anyone you find across the street. Recruit them to your cause, and they may bring strong skills you can use on the games various missions.

If you fall in love with London this weekend, Watch Dogs: Legion is hosting several promotions based on your platform. You can find the full details on each platform below.

Thats not all though! Theres a host of new things coming to Watch Dogs: Legion over the course of the today and this Spring/Summer. Today, players have access to a new tactical op that will challenge you and your friends in Online Mode. You can expect another one, along with new PvP modes in late-May. As for full content drops though, April will bring a new operator in Mina, a subject of transhuman experiments whos looking to fight back against the adversaries that captured her. Late June, on the other hand, will bring the Watch Dogs: Legion Bloodline expansion, bringing back the iconic Aiden Pearce for a brand new mission alongside fan-favorite Wrench. And finally, August will bring Darcy, a member of the Assassin Order looking to take down a new operation hosted by the Templar.

Nows an excellent time to both be and become a Watch Dogs fan. Will you be jumping into the free weekend? Are you excited for all this upcoming content? Let us know in the comments below.

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The big picture is ignored in COVID-19 debate – newagebd.net

Posted: at 3:00 am

People walk through the streets of Chinatown on March 23 in New York City. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images/Spencer Platt

WHAT is the big picture of COVID-19, alias SARS-CoV-2? Is it what we could also call the end game, or what Aldous Huxley called the brave new world in his science-fiction novel of the same name gradually turning into reality in the form of the UN Agenda 2030 with the implementing tool the Agenda ID2020 created by Bill Gates?

We are at the beginning of the end game. We are in what the 2010 Rockefeller Report calls The Lockstep scenario. This is the first one of four scenarios, prompted by an invisible enemy, a virus, a coronavirus, akin to the one that was at the origin of the SARS outbreak in China in 2002 to 2004. This virus is to be propagated as a huge deadly danger. Its a brainwashing fear campaign. The decision for the launch was taken during Event 201, in New York City on October 18, 2019, a few weeks before the actual SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. And it was confirmed by the World Economic Forums conference in January 2020 in Davos, Switzerland.

Event 201, hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (funded and created by the Rockefeller Foundation) and the WEF, was chiefly a computer simulation of a SARS-like pandemic, killing some 65 million people in 18 months and destroying the worlds economy as we know it.

What was foreseen was a bio-warfare against humanity. The virus was called SARS-CoV-2, later it was renamed by the World Health Organisation to COVID-19. The close companion of the virus was fear weaponised fear.

Together, with a huge propaganda and brainwashing effort, the entire world 193 UN member countries were called a COVID-19 risk and the WHO declared a pandemic as we later found out, it was a plandemic on March 11, 2020. Imagine! With only about 4,600 cases worldwide, the WHO called it a pandemic. The world fell in shock. When people are in shock, they are gullible to accept anything.

A worldwide lockdown was ordered by an invisible globalist cabal to all 193 UN member governments at once, by mid-March 2020. Governments were bought, corrupted, co-opted or threatened into behaving as ordered by a worldwide common must-narrative. The entire UN system was, and is as of today, part and parcel of this worldwide fraud. Indeed, those government leaders, who did not follow the narrative, who defied the plandemic, risked severe punishment.

The president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, died unexpectedly on June 8, 2020, shortly before the official end of his term. He was the longest-ruling president in Burundian history. His death was diagnosed as a heart attack. He was known for defying the official narrative of COVID-19, and of kicking the WHO out of his country shortly before his death.

Tanzanias popular president John Magufuli, died on March 17, 2021, from heart complications, in a hospital in Dar es Salaam. Magufuli was one of Africas most prominent coronavirus sceptics. He called for prayers and herbal-infused steam therapy to counter the virus. Shortly before his death, he said that he had PCR tests carried out on a papaya and a goat and the tests came back positive, implying that the notorious PCR test kits were pre-tainted with the virus.

People at large are being kept in the dark about what the deep state, the corporate, banking and high-tech communication oligarchs, or simply the globalist cabals real plan is behind the COVID-19 fraud.

The so far almost invisible big picture, also called the great reset, or in the UN Agenda 2030 jargon, Build Back Better consists of a threefold objective:

Taking over total control of humanity, as in a One World Order, by electromagnetic manipulation (thats where 5G, later 6G come in), by digitising everything, including all money, and by converting humans into transhumans. Klaus Schwab, the co-author of the great reset, and his cabal, call it the 4th Industrial Revolution;

Shifting assets and resources from the middle and the bottom of society to the top few; and,

Drastically reducing the world population, via a massive eugenist depopulation agenda. Eventually, a small globalist elite all those associated with managing and governing the tyranny plus a relatively small world population of serfs or what Aldous Huxley called the Epsilon people (the lowest cast working people) in todays world, transhumans, would survive. The serfs or Epsilon people would all be electronically controlled and manipulated, so they would not transgress into seeking their erstwhile freedom lost.

The Rockefeller-led Bilderberg Society and Rockefellers protg Henry Kissinger, have been propagating a reduced world population for decades. Remember Henry Kissingers infamous saying: Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.

Bill Gates is todays chief proponent of a reduced world population. He has also recently become the largest private farmland owner in the United States. He reportedly owns 242,000 acres of farmland across 18 states. What does he intend to do with this farmland? Well, who controls the food, controls the people. Gates is also a significant shareholder and partner in (Bayer-)Monsantos genetically modified seeds and pesticides branch.

At this point we can only speculate. But some of the not so far-fetched speculations would indicate that Bill Gates, under the guise of environmental protection (ie, the good old climate change agenda) and the New Green Deal, may want to produce synthetic food, laboratory produced meat and genetically modified grains and vegetables. This synthetic and modified food, spiked with toxic pesticides, will then compete with real food which under the neoliberal market forces will become ever rarer affordable only by the elite.

Synthetic food may include all kinds of health and disease agents to regulate the population. The Epsilon people will, of course, have no clue. As the great reset concludes, they will own nothing and be happy.

While this is going on in the shadows, invisible for most people, the media make sure that the debate official by governments, and unofficial by anti-COVID-19 protesters is entirely focused on COVID-19, the infection, the invisible atrocious enemy, the fear-mongering, plus all the repressive COVID-19-measures, masking, social distancing, semi- and/or full lockdowns, travel restrictions, vaxxing or not vaxxing, and the so-called obligatory electronic vaccination passports, akin to the Agenda ID2020.

All are concentrating on the COVID-19 virus. Almost nothing lets you suspect that there is a big picture. A much larger, much deadlier agenda behind all this that the virus and the atrocious fear promote, and it is but an instrument to reach the larger objectives, those listed above.

Hardly does any public or unofficial debate, even massive anti-COVID-19 measure protests, like the Wake up the World demo by the World Freedom Alliance in Copenhagen on February 4, 2021, touch the big picture, what awaits us at the end of the UN Agenda 2030: you own nothing and are happy.

We are at war. Not just against an invisible enemy, the coronavirus and the weaponised factor of fear, but also against our own ignorance and unconsciousness. Plus, against the global cabal the WEF and its great reset with its treacherous, fake New Green Deal, a new ultra-neoliberal capitalism, painted green intent on swallowing us all.

The British prime minister Boris Johnson on October 8, 2020 addressed via video his conservative Tory Party with these words:

We have lost too much, mourned too long and life cannot continue like before. History shows us that events of this dimension wars, pandemics dont just come and go. Most often they are triggers for social and economic changes. We see these instances as a period to learn and to become better. Hence, this government wants to build back better.

Lets compare this with the words of Klaus Schwab in his COVID-19 The Great Reset:

Many of us ask when will we return to normality? The short answer is NEVER. Nothing will return to the rotten feeling of normality that existed before the crisis, because the corona-pandemic marks a fundamental change in our global development. Many analysts call it a crossroads, others a crisis of biblical dimensions, but in essence this shows us that the world we still knew in the first months of 2020 doesnt exist anymore. It dissolved in the context of the pandemic.

Wow! This is strong and quite insensitive language for the many people who died of COVID-19 and especially for those hundreds of millions, if not billions, who have lost everything their jobs, their homes, their income, their families and friends, those who suffer from famine, who now live in misery, at the edge of sheer existence, those who are driven to commit suicide.

The grandiose WEF, the Rockefellers, Gates, prince Charles, the director general of the WHO, the chief of the International Monetary Fund, the UN secretary general, and all those who participated in the planning of this pandemic during Event 201, never mention these people. In other words, for the small elite, for the planners and organisers of the great reset, these dumped-into-poverty Epsilon people are dispensable.

If we cannot master the COVID-19 fraud, put an end to it, even unseating and bringing to justice the 193 lying, cheating and eventually murderous UN member governments, how can we come to grips with, and escape the fangs of, the big picture, the great reset, that eventually will deprive us of our daily nutrition, rendering us infertile and sterile with toxic artificial food with the forced vaccines, and bring about a mass genocide through genome-altering mRNA-type vaccines, pesticides, and genetically modified synthetic food with a soulless, masked life in solitude?

DissidentVoice.org, March 23. Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a research associate of the Centre for Research on Globalisation.

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MRNA: The New Four-Letter Word Thats Revolutionizing Healthcare – Futurism

Posted: at 2:59 am

There is a new four-lettered word taking over everyones vocabulary this past year: mRNA. Messenger RNA (mRNA) has graced the front pages of all media outlets in the last year in the race to the development of mRNA-based vaccines against COVID-19. This technology is so revolutionary that it accelerated vaccine development by more than tenfold. While most of the world had been focused on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) over the last several decades, mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) is emerging as a far more informative and useful molecule.

While DNA contains our genes, they are only a static blueprint and cant perform any action unless they are transcribed. When a gene is turned on, it is copied into an mRNA molecule that starts the process of converting the gene sequence into a protein that performs a function. Proteins help us digest food, protect us from pathogens, maintain our blood sugar, produce energy for our muscles, produce neurotransmitters, and so much more.Most people have been misled with the belief that our genes are our destiny when in fact, a vast majority of all chronic diseases have no direct connection to our genetics.

Some important viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 (that causes COVID-19), Ebola, Influenza, Zika, and Hepatitis B do not contain any DNA at all; their genes are made up of purely RNA. And as we now know, the fastest COVID-19 vaccines to market (Moderna and Pfizer) use mRNA to produce viral proteins in our cells and train our immune system to defend us against the real virus.

Viome is no stranger to mRNA. In fact, the company was founded 5 years ago on a technology platform built from a database of mRNAs found in the human body. This includes human and microbial mRNAs that include identifying and quantifying all viruses (including RNA viruses), bacteria, archaea, fungi, bacteriophages, and parasites. Viomes at-home tests are the first and only mRNA based health and wellness tests that are clinically licensed and available to consumers(Hatch et al., 2019; Toma et al., 2020)without a doctors prescription. This is because Viome is empowering every person to take control of their own health and wellness by understanding whats happening inside their body.

Viome harnesses the power of mRNA to analyze the human body as a human-microbial ecosystem in order to understand what happens inside of your body on a molecular level. They translate this knowledge into health insights partnered with food recommendations and supplements that can help modulate human and microbial mRNA levels, with the goal of maintaining a healthy balance of all gene expressions. One example of this is their ability to use machine-learning algorithms that can translate data from an individuals sample into food and supplement recommendations that can help minimize a users blood sugar levels by recommending a user avoid foods that could elicit a high glycemic response.(Tily et al., 2020).

Viome believes that there is no such thing as universally healthy food or nutrients. By now, the research is pretty clear that one persons food can be another persons poison. Viomes Health Intelligence Test scores (based on an mRNA analysis of microbial, human, and mitochondrial gene expressions) reveal unparalleled insights including Gut Microbiome Health, Cellular Health, Immune System Health, Stress Response Health, Mitochondrial Health, and even Biological Age. Viome uses AI to analyze these and 400+ other health subscores and pathway scores in order to recommend foods a user should avoid or eat more of, and they explain the reason behind them.

Additionally, Viome recommends every user the supplemental nutrition ingredients in the precise dosages that can improve these health scores. Viome built a massive robotics precision supplement manufacturing of the future to become the first and only company that can manufacture these tailor-made precision supplements on demand for every user.This has been the holy grail of precision nutrition that has only become possible now with massive robotics, digital health insights and powerful Artificial Intelligence. Imagine receiving all of your food extracts, vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, probiotics, and prebiotics that your body needs without all of the extra stuff that could actually be harming you.Viomes Precision Supplements formulas can be adjusted with every test to ensure continued precision as your body changes.

It is a common misconception that the more supplements you take (or the more of a supplement you take), the healthier you are. We now have data that tells us that this isnt true. For example, Niacin (Vitamin B3) can be good for some people, but cause harm in others who may have high uric acid production.Another popular supplement, NAD+, can be good for longevity for some people, but harm others who have high cellular senescence or high inflammatory activity.

What comes next?

Viome has performed in-depth analysis of mRNA molecules on the worlds largest collection of human clinical samples, including stool, blood and saliva. This massive amount of data has enabled us to develop a good understanding of health and chronic diseases. They have built machine-learnt models that can not only detect the presence of an illness, but predict the onset of chronic conditions prior to any symptoms. Our research team has even developed a novel diagnostic test for early and treatable stages of oral cancer, by, you guessed it, quantifying human and microbial mRNA molecules in saliva(Banavar et al., 2020). This work culminated in a device trial application to the FDA in the USA, and CE Mark in the European Union.

Viome is also making headway in understanding more about what happens inside of our body as we age. We know this is a key area for many reasons, especially because age has become synonymous with the development of chronic diseases. Viome recently published a scientific paper that describes the best aging models based on human and microbial mRNAs(Gopu et al., 2020).

Viome is reinventing the health care system and every day Viome is getting one step closer toward their primary goal: eliminating chronic disease from our vocabulary.

Futurism readers: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with Viome, who is offering Futurism readers $20 off with code FUTURISM. They help us keep the lights on, and Futurism may receive a commission from sales. This post does not reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff, and none of its claims have been independently verified by Futurism. Furthermore, Viomes founder is a boardmember of Singularity University, Futurisms parent company.

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

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Ranked: The World’s 20 Biggest Tech Giants, by Brand Value

Posted: at 2:58 am

The pandemic has businesses everywhere on the ropes, with many firms filing for bankruptcy since lockdowns began. Despite the uncertainty, tech giants and major digital retail brands are still thrivingand some are running circles around those that are less pandemic-proof.

Using data from Kantar and Bloomberg, a recent brand report released by BrandZ shows which tech companies are proving their worth to consumers during COVID-19 chaos. With data covering almost 4 million consumers, BrandZ also reveals that the tech sector leads the worlds 100 most valued brands in terms of financial power and consumer sentiment.

Heres how the top 20 tech brands from the report stack up:

Out of the top five tech brands, Microsoft made the biggest moves with 30% brand value growth. Other big movers in the top 20 were Instagram (owned by Facebook), Adobe, and LinkedIn (owned by Microsoft), rising 47%, 29%, and 31%, respectively.

Broken down by nation, U.S. brands are dominating techs heavy hitters, claiming 14 of the worlds top 20 tech brands. Chinese brands round out much of the remaining top 20, including tech entertainment and social media giant Tencent, which rose 15% in brand value since 2019.

Techs top brands are raking in billions of dollars, capturing consumer mindshare, captivating people, and comforting them during volatile months. Apple, Microsoft, Google, Tencent, and Facebooktechs leading contingenthave made those moves look easy during what are rough times for many world brands.

While most tech brands in the upper half of the top 20 saw significant increases in brand value, only Facebook and IBM were in decline from 2019, at -7% and -3% respectively. The biggest loss in techs top 20 came from Chinas Baidu, which fell by -29% in 2020.

Waning consumer trust, thanks in part to the perceived misuse of personal data, is a gap that techs popularity alone wont fill forever. (Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, nearly 25% of Facebook account holders reported being extremely or very concerned about their personal data.)

Coming in at eighth place, Facebook-owned Instagram gained 47% in brand valuea huge percentage, but less than the whopping 95% growth it had in 2019.

On the whole, digital apps have been faring well during the pandemic, especially those built for entertainment, shopping, social connection, and delivery.

These brands had anticipated, even invented, the online-offline dynamics of modern life that became indispensable for survival during the lockdown homebound weeks of avoiding the contagion.

BrandZ 2020 Global Top 100 Report

While the brand value growth rates of tech giants arent entirely immune to the effects of COVID-19, the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Google are growing steadily, surpassed only by e-commerce leader Amazon.

With data collected into April 2020, BrandZs report on the worlds top 100 brands reflects multiple shifting needs and consumer concerns at a categorical scale.

While consumer affinity for e-commerce and social media brands has increased, fast food and beer brands took a hit, despite reports of increased alcohol consumption and food delivery during lockdown. It would seem then, that consumers have been valuing their tools and means of consumption.

Of the reports 14 brand categories, only six increased in value, mostly by less than 5%. Of the top risers, six were tech brands and six were mainly e-commerce.

Other upwardly mobile brands were those in the apparel and personal care categories. Much like retail, those categories had an increasing reliance on technology to deliver their products.

The above chart shows overall categorical changes for 2020 led by retail, tech, and insurance. In the opposite corner, energy, and bank brands took the biggest hits.

The economic impacts of COVID-19 are undeniable. Even still, BrandZs top 100 brands marked a steady increase of 6% in value in 2020, compared to 7% the previous year.

This pandemic has offered up era-defining change, with tech and e-commerce seizing the day. But in a climate where nothing can be taken for granted, brands large and small are still taking their knocks.

For now, the brands that are embraced by consumers will be those that can apply a salve to the blows that 2020 keeps delivering.

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The Ambitions of the World’s 5 Most Powerful Tech Giants …

Posted: at 2:58 am

Power and Influence by the Numbers

Five tech giants have broken many records, from having the highest number of downloads and market valuation to boasting an astronomical number of active users.

Facebooks market value is $600 billion, and its advertising revenue is $28.17 billion. As of 2017, it laid claim to 2 billion users, and three of its products are used by 1 billion monthly users.

Google boasts a market value of $830 billion. Its search engine has 86.87% of the worlds market share as of October 2017. Some 19 billion downloads occur on Google Play, and its YouTube service has 1.5 billion monthly active users as of June 2017.

The computer giant has a $1 trillion market valuation. Its Mac Business software has a $25 billion run rate. Americans like the company 64% of Apple product owners come from the U.S. As of 2017, there were 100 million active Mac users.

The other computer juggernaut has an estimated $800 billion market valuation. As of March 2018, it boasts $7.9 billion in cloud sales. Their Microsoft Office 365 product is used by 120 million business users as of October 2017. 2017 also saw some 400 million users actively using Windows 10.

Amazon also has a market valuation marked at $1 trillion. 76% of online consumers shop on the site, and 57% of Amazon searchers buy on the platform. 19% of Amazon Pro merchants also make around $1 million in annual sales.

The view from the top may be grander, but the responsibilities and struggles these companies may face are also magnified.

Facebook is reeling from data breach scandals. Cambridge Analytica collected personally identifiable info on almost 90 million Facebook users. While they launched an ad campaign saying it will do more to keep you safe and protect your privacy, they quickly lost $80 billion in market value

Apple is seeing user passion wane. Less than 40% of users would care very much if Apple ceased to exist. Their recent innovation of removing the headphone jack was roundly criticized, and it cost them potential business. 70% of Android users surveyed cited the lack of headphone jack as the main reason why they wont switch to iOS.

Google is not immune to struggles, as theyre paying fines left and right. The European Commission fined the giant for $5 billion in July 2018 for unfairly pushing its apps on smartphone users and thwarting competitors. They were also fined $2.8 billion for giving its shopping service search priority over competitors.

Amazon is also struggling with its fresh grocery service. While its known for having excellent customer service, its not been able to maintain this reputation through grocery deliveries. This inconsistency is causing Amazon Prime member to question the companys service promises.

Compared to the other fours issues, Microsoft is soaring high. The company isnt dealing with any major fines, data privacy snafus, or customer loyalty struggles.

Despite their struggles, the ambitions of the worlds five most powerful tech giants are aiming higher and exploring uncharted territory.

Facebooks AR platform will turn an ordinary building into a virtual street art installation. High-powered graphics will also turn everyday objects into otherworldly experiences. The platform is set to deliver accessibility to experiences normally too expensive in the real world.

Googles AI efforts are driven by the realization that computers should adapt to how people live their lives. Googles automated Gmail responses have seen usage rates reach beyond 12 percent, while YouTubes machine-learning-powered recommendation engine serves users with videos based on prior viewing habits, which increases viewership by an average of 60 minutes per day per year.

Apples inviting customers to visit its retail locations to partake in Today at Apple sessions, which not only teaches customers to use its tech but also encourages art, music, photography, and design exploration. Customers are also encouraged to visit town square-like Genius Groves, which are designed to be a community-building gathering space.

Amazons partnering with Bank of America for its merchant lending program. It already offers several financial services including Amazon Pay, Amazon Lending, and Amazon Cash. Because the companys been named the most trusted tech company and boasts over 100 million Prime customers its in a unique position to start offering checking accounts.

In May 2018, Microsoft announced the Azure Blockchain Workbench, a set of tools for developers to create blockchain applications within days instead of months. Rather than designing its own blockchain platform, the company is realizing opportunities that exist in assisting developers. The company is currently open to partnerships with organizations to advance the Workbenchs capabilities.

Five companies are shaping the future of tech and its role in consumers lives, innovating and growing despite serious stumbles and missteps. These five companies are Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.

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List of largest technology companies by revenue – Wikipedia

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This is a global list of largest technology companies by revenue, according to the Fortune Global 500. It shows companies identified by Fortune as being in the technology sector, ranked by total annual revenue. Other metrics not shown here, in particular market capitalization, are often used alternatively to define the size of a company.

The list includes companies whose primary business activities are associated with technology industry which includes computer hardware, software, electronics, semiconductor, internet, telecom equipment, e-commerce and computer services. Note: This list shows only companies with annual revenues exceeding 50 billion USD.

Companies are ranked by total revenues for their respective fiscal years ended on or before March 31, 2020.[1] All data in the table is taken from the Fortune Global 500 list of technology sector companies for 2020[2] unless otherwise specified.

As of 2020, Fortune lists Amazon (revenue of $280.522 billion) in the retailing sector rather than the technology sector.[3]

Companies are ranked by total revenues for their respective fiscal years ended on or before March 31, 2019.[5] All data in the table is taken from the Fortune Global 500 list of technology sector companies for 2019[6] unless otherwise specified.

As of 2019, Fortune lists Amazon (revenue of $232.887 billion) in the retailing sector rather than the technology sector.[7]

Ranked by total revenues for respective fiscal years ended on or before March 31, 2018.[8]

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List of largest technology companies by revenue - Wikipedia

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