Samsung Banner sticky Advertisement
  • Home
  • Articles
  • IBM to pay $24.25 million to resolve FCC probes

IBM to pay $24.25 million to resolve FCC probes

24th December 2020
"IBM agreed to return $24.25 million to the Universal Service Fund that funds the E-Rate program but did not admit wrongdoing."

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is an American multinational technology and consulting company headquartered in New York. The  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a settlement with IBM for alleged violations of the FCC's E-Rate program rules in connection with the New York City and El Paso school districts. IBM agreed to return $24.25 million (roughly Rs. 180 crores) to the Universal Service Fund.

IBM’s payment will resolve two FCC investigations that have spanned nearly 15 years over its alleged violations of “E-Rate” program rules in connection with New York City and El Paso school districts. Under the agreement, IBM agreed to return $24.25 million to the Universal Service Fund that funds the E-Rate program but did not admit wrongdoing.

The FCC said its investigations found IBM had not satisfied the competitive bidding rules in New York for 2005-2008 and provided ineligible equipment and services in El Paso for 2001.

IBM said in a statement it believed it “acted appropriately in its support of the E-rate program, but in the interest of amicably resolving a longstanding matter we are pleased to have reached this settlement”.

IBM added it had provided internet connectivity to thousands of U.S. schools and libraries and millions of American students through the E-rate program.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the commission “must protect the Universal Service Fund from waste, fraud, and abuse and ensure that funding is distributed in the most cost-effective manner”.

Source: Reuters

Also Read:

BEST AUTOMATIC CARS AVAILABLE IN NEPAL WITH PRICES

VIVO V20 SE- SPECIFICATION AND PRICE IN NEPAL    

TOP 5 CARS IN NEPAL UNDER 30 LAKHS

BEST TIME TO BUY BS6 COMPLIANT FORD 2020 MAKE VEHICLES

HOW TO FIX SLOW INTERNET CONNECTION?

EMINENT AMONG US IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE NINTENDO SWITCH

Compiled by : Kusum Parajuli Kusum Parajuli

Coca Cola and the story behind how the modern Santa Claus came into being

21st December 2020
"What many do not know is that the modern-day Santa Claus is a very recent invention by one of the largest conglomerates in the world."

During the month of December, a white-bearded man dressed in a red coat with a white fur collar and cuffs carrying a bag over his shoulders has been quite a common sight to see in Nepal, especially since the past decade. They seem to be almost everywhere this time of the year, from the malls, the superstores, and the roads of New Road.  It’s always good to see these men jolly in the red and white costumes, singing songs, waving their hands to pedestrians, and wishing a wonderful Christmas to everyone they see. 

Prior to 1931, Santa Claus had a very different look to what we know and love now. Back then, Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf. A Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus Harper's Weekly in 1862 as a small elf-like figure who supported the union. Nast, later on, continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he’s known for today.

coca-cola and santa

89 years ago, thanks to one man's imagination and artistic touch, the contemporary vision of Santa Claus as a jolly-looking gentleman with a white beard was born. Created by Swedish-American artist Haddon Sundblom for a long-running series of holiday advertisements for Coca-Cola, today's cherished version of Santa Claus is at once recognizable around the world as an emblem of the holiday season.

The Coca-Cola version of Santa was first introduced in 1931, created by a Swedish-American artist Haddon Sundblom, appearing in a series of print ads in - The Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, and other U.S. publications. The captivating images struck a chord with the public, which almost instantly adopted the lovable personification as an enduring symbol of Christmas. Over the next few decades, the artist's depictions of Saint Nicholas evolved into the picture-perfect look of "Father Christmas" - the man in the red and white suit with the big brass belt buckle.

From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola advertising showed Santa delivering toys (and playing with them!), pausing to read a letter and enjoy a Coke, visiting with the children who stayed up to greet him, and raiding the refrigerators at a number of homes. 
Another fun fact is that the Coca-Cola Santa was based on a salesman. Sundblom initially modeled Santa's smiling face after the cheerful, somewhat wrinkled features of a friendly retired salesman Lou Prentiss. When Prentiss passed away, Sundblom used himself as a model, painting while looking into a mirror. Finally, he began relying on photographs to create the image of St. Nick.

The Coca-Cola Santa image was so loved by people that they started paying very close attention to details of him and when anything changed, they sent letters to The Coca-Cola Company. Once when Santa’s belt was backward and the other when Santa Claus appeared without a wedding ring, causing fans to write asking what happened to Mrs. Claus.

Santa Claus got a new friend in 1942 named “Sprite Boy," a character who appeared with Santa Claus in Coca-Cola advertising throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Sprite Boy, who was also created by Sundblom, got his name due to the fact that he was a sprite or an elf. (It wasn’t until the 1960s that Coca-Cola introduced the popular beverage Sprite.)

Sundblom created his final version of Santa Claus in 1964, but for several decades to follow, Coca-Cola advertising featured images of Santa based on Sundblom’s original works. These paintings are some of the most prized pieces in the art collection in the company’s archives department and have been on exhibit around the world, infamous locales including the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Isetan Department Store in Tokyo, and the NK Department Store in Stockholm. Many of the original paintings can be seen on display at World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Ga.

In 2001, the artwork from Sundblom's 1963 painting was the basis for an animated TV commercial starring the Coca-Cola Santa. The ad was created by Academy Award-winning animator Alexandre Petrov.Coca-Cola definitely did not create the legend of Santa Claus. But Coca-Cola advertising did play a big role in shaping the jolly character that we know of today.

Also read:

EASY TRACKING OF MOBILE SETS STOLEN OR LOST

5 BEST DIGITAL WALLETS IN NEPAL

WHY DOES ONE NEED LIFE INSURANCE?

NEW DRIVING LICENSE TEST MAY RESUME ONLY AFTER TWO MONTHS

GOOGLE MAKES IT EASIER TO SYNC INFO ACROSS DEVICES

GO SMS PRO IS LEAKING CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGES, DATA OF MILLIONS OF USERS EXPOSED    

Compiled by : Reviewer Team Reviews

Intel Evo mobile computing platform upgraded by Intel

22nd December 2020
"The latest upgrade to noticeably improve laptop power efficiency and lengthen battery life."

Recently, Intel launched its latest upgrade to its Intel Evo mobile computing platform. An AI-powered coprocessor by Intel is said to noticeably improve laptop power efficiency and lengthen battery life. 

Intel calls the new chip, 'The Intel Visual Sensing Controller'. Also, the code Clover falls calls it "a secure companion chip that helps make PCs more smart and secure through the power of Intel artificial intelligence". 

Initially, the chip is said to ship in commercial laptops as an enhancement to the Intel Evo mobility platform - which is a partnership between Intel and manufacturers to streamline a laptop's entire hardware platform, not just the CPU, to be more energy-efficient - and will presumably ship in consumer-market laptops sometime after that.

"The co-engineering effort involves Intel’s dedication to tackling unique product challenges together and taking the entirety of the system into consideration – all so we can deliver amazing new platform features to business users," said Dell Latitude and Mobility Products' vice president, Meghana Patwardhan.

This new chip senses the presence of a user in front of the screen and adjusts the screen brightness accordingly.

A laptop display definitely has one of the biggest appetites of any component of the machine, so reducing power to the screen by reducing brightness when you're not actually looking at it would be a huge battery saver. 

Intel is said to add security in its new chip that points to security features like facial recognition and similar tasks that can be well in line with an AI coprocessor.

Source: TechRadar

Also Read:

CES 2020: INTEL WORKING FOR FACEBOOK'S AI CHIP

GERMAN INTEL WARNS AGAINST GIVING DATA TO CHINESE TECH FIRMS

HOW TO FREE UP YOUR IPHONE AND ANDROID PHONE FULL SPACE

WHICH MATERIAL WOULD YOU PREFER FOR YOUR COFFEE TABLE

TYPES OF MOTORCYCLES 2020

NEW UPCOMING ELECTRIC CARS IN NEPAL 2020

Compiled by : Kusum Parajuli Kusum Parajuli