Virgin Media O2 Launches its First Official Product That Improve Data Speed

Virgin Media O2, a recently-formed telecoms giant, in a recent press meet has announced that it has launched a brand-new product. The official product is called ‘Volt’. It is exclusively meant for both Virgin Media broadband and O2 mobile customers. Anyone who chooses Volt, Virgin Media O2 will boost their home broadband speed and mobile data allowance by as much as 100 percent.

Virgin media O2 has also stated that users will get double the amount of mobile data with Volt. That means if the user is using Virgin's M100 broadband connection with a 5GB O2 contract, and they opt for Volt service, the data speed will be doubled to 200Mbps and mobile data allowance to 10GB, without any additional cost. The same will apply to those who are already using the O2 mobile service.

Customers will get a free Virgin Media Wi-Fi pod with a Volt connection. The new Volt service will provide a robust wireless broadband connection without any interruption throughout the home. These pods will eliminate Wi-Fi ‘blackspots’ if placed in the right spot. With Volt, users can get a reliable internet connection in every room of their house.

 

Trends in the industry for the cannabis enthusiast to know

In recent years, cannabis has become very high in demand. The popularity of this product is constantly growing each day with more and more people learning about the benefits of using cannabis in their everyday lives. There are many cannabis strains available for users to choose from and it can be difficult for someone who has never consumed cannabis before to know exactly what they are looking for. If you are one of these individuals, this blog will help you get started on your cannabis journey and provide some insight into the different trends that are occurring in the cannabis industry.

More legalization

For the longest time, cannabis use and possession were illegal and people who were caught with this substance were criminalized. The FDA classed cannabis as a schedule 1 drug which put it in the same category as deadly and highly addictive drugs such as heroin and crack. Society, influenced by the mass media, started stigmatizing marijuana and the substance developed a nasty reputation. Today, we see a completely different reality and finally, that negative stigma attached to cannabis is being shed and people are starting to wake up to the truth about this drug. We now see the legalization of cannabis spread around the US and many other countries around the world. A lot of research is also being done on the health benefits which is further pushing for more legalization, especially for medical use. Cannabis is no longer criminalized in the US and many places around the world have legalized cannabis for medical use but not recreational use.

More sales

Cannabis has always been in demand before legalization, however, now that people can legally consume, there is more innovation in the industry. People are buying cannabis for recreational use as well as for medical use which has made cannabis sales skyrocket in recent years. On July 4^th of this year alone, more than $400 million worth of cannabis was sold and experts are predicting that the cannabis industry has the potential to grow as much as $130 million per year in the near future. More sales results in more investments and more innovation in this industry which will create a better experience for the consumer.

More consumption methods

Traditionally, people consumed cannabis via joints, blunts, bongs, and “space” cookies however in recent years, there has been massive innovation in the industry and many new consumption methods have hit the market. Now there are even online stores like Grasscity that sell products such as vaporizers like the terp pen, tinctures, topicals, pills, cannabis oil, dab rigs, and a wider variety of edibles that even includes alcoholic beverages. This is wonderful for the consumer who is now afforded more choices and can now experiment and find the right method of consumption to meet their needs and requirements.

Variety of pricing

The newly legal cannabis market has introduced a variety of prices as well as potency. The price of cannabis depends on the strain and particular grade however, cannabis has always managed to remain affordable. Once legalization started to become more widespread, we have seen the price of recreational cannabis decrease and medical cannabis, although still affordable, is more costly because of the processing that the cannabis undergoes to make a certain consumption product such as tinctures of CBD oil. The affordable price means that users are not negatively impacted by legalization and can afford to consume cannabis recreationally as well as medically to treat certain health conditions.

More medical marijuana products

The spotlight shines bright on medical marijuana and the positive results of research and studies have created a demand for medical marijuana among people who suffer from various health conditions that range from minor to more severe. There are so many medical marijuana products on the market including topicals, tinctures, tampons, gum, teas, coffee, and even cannabis skincare. This gives consumers options and freedom to choose a product that best suits them.

The future of cannabis in our world looks bright. The truth about this amazingly versatile plant is being exposed and people in society are embracing this substance for many reasons. The industry will continue to grow and as growth develops, so will technology and innovation in the industry.

 

If We Automate Trucks Who is Responsible When They Crash?

In 2018, the universal road accidents reports concluded that trucks remain responsible for 6.5% of total accidents because of their giant bodies, which are not easy to navigate. You can easily imagine the condition of a car after it has been struck by a truck weighing more than six thousand pounds. Now the talk is to put full-automated/self-driving 18 wheelers on the road. Its an 80,000 pound robot before you add the load.

Value of No Driver

There are some huge benefits to a company to have self-driving trucks.  No driver means that he cannot due grossly negligent things like drink and drive or use drugs and drive an 18-wheeler. A self-driving vehicle never gets fatigue. It doesn’t require off-duty hours to rest so it can run 24/7. Self-driving trucks are also cheaper for the company because they require no wages, no overtime and no benefits. The downside made be determining who is responsible when the crash.

Traditional Truck Accident Liability

Traditionally, the potentially responsible parties of accidents involving semi-trucks (when the truck was the cause) have included the driver, the truck owner or owner, the company responsible for shipping the load and sometimes a company that was responsible for maintenance. The driver and the trucking company were usually the primary liable parties that a truck accident lawyer would aim for.  First, you prove that the driver was negligent, then you hold the employer liable as the principal. This is because many states require that you prove negligence in an auto collision to hold a party liable. But what happens when there is no driver to be negligent?

Liability With No Driver

When a truck has no driver, obviously you cannot prove negligence on the part of the driver. This is problematic because negligence is the triggering factor for liability in most States. The error is likely a computer malfunction or programming oversight. This is effectively now a product-liability case that the vehicle manufacturer is responsible for. If they company has a maintenance company that maintains the truck and its software, then that company too may be liable. 

Ramifications

In liability insurance states, negligence of a driver triggers liability and coverage.  Your policy promises to defend the driver if sued and pay any judgment for which the driver is determined liable.  If there is no driver, do they have to pay?  Do you, the victim get stuck with the bill?  The reality is, we simply do not know how this is going to play out.  One thing is for sure though, insurance policies are going to have to be modified to cover a driverless situation. Laws may even have to be changed so that companies who operate these vehicles are held strictly liable for crashes. 

 

CRED's Valuation Jumps to $4 billion after Series E

India-based fintech has announced that it has raised $251 million in its latest round of funding. The round was co-led by Tiger Global and Falcon Edge. Rest of the investment came from Marshall Wace, Steadfast, DST Global, Insight Partners, Coatue, Sofina, RTP, and Dragoneer. The company is now valued at $4.01 billion.

The company had been valued at $2.2 billion after its previous round in April this year. The company is expected to use the funds to expand its range of existing products.

CRED is not looking to raise any more funds in recent future. “Cred is fortunate to have consistent inbound interest owing to the value created for investors and team. However, the information that Cred is looking to raise another round is wrong,” said the company to Mint.

The Kunal Shah-led company has closed three high-profile funding rounds within a year. Cred ‘Cash’ provides members an instant line of credit, with interest rates ranging from 12% to 15%, and partners with non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to fund these loans.

A members-only credit card bill payment platform, CRED, has been growing at a fast pace. The company has over 1,300 brand partners and has a customer base of 7.5 million in India.

 

Guardforce AI Announces Launch of its Intelligent Cloud Platform

The Asian provider of integrated security solutions has launched its Intelligent Cloud Platform (ICP). The ICP is an intelligent robotics management platform, which will enable the company to remotely manage and monitor robots deployed with clients.

The new ICP from Guardforce AI will help the company integrate other solutions to further enhance its features and services. This will also help the company to work in collaboration with other AI tech providers.

The Guardcore AI's ICP will be improved to include advertising management, remote access control management and CCTV security surveillance.

"We launched the ICP to support cooperation and partnerships with other technology providers, especially AI specialists, to maintain our best-in-class solution for clients. It's part of our broader strategy to transform our business into a technologically integrated security service provider," said Terence Yap, Chairman of Guardforce AI. "The launch of the ICP raises our value proposition and service offerings to clients, while also positioning us as a leading RaaS provider in the region."

The new ICP services is being made available in Hong Kong and Thailand for now.

 How to Get a Power of Attorney in Georgia

A POA, or power of attorney, is an important document related to estate planning, and it appoints an agent or attorney the legal right to make a limited set of decisions on your behalf.

A power of attorney is usually used and created when the principal is suffering from a permanent or temporary disability, illness, or another type of medical condition and is unable to make decisions on their own.

Power of Attorney Requirements

If you are wondering how to get power of attorney in Georgia, the process is pretty straightforward. You have to contact an estate planning lawyer, and they will guide you through every step. The basic power of attorney requirements is pretty much the same in all the states. This includes requirements such as:

●     The POA document must be signed by the principal of the contract. If the principal     is unable to sign, it must be signed by someone in the presence and at the direction    of the principal.

●     It must be signed in the presence of one or multiple witnesses.

●     It must be signed by someone authorized to administer oaths, like a notary public.

●     The principal, the witness, the person who signs, and the notary must be present during the signing.

Aside from these basic requirements, some states may have a few other requirements or criteria. Let’s take a look at the POA requirements in Georgia.

Requirements Related to Execution

You have to follow Georgia's laws when setting up a POA form. If it does not, banks, financial institutions, law firms, and credit unions will not accept the form or acknowledge the attorney's authorization.

In Georgia, all POA forms created after July 1 2017, must follow the format established under the Georgia Code § 10-6B-70 (2017), or it must contain the same language as the statutory form.

Requirements Related to Granting Authority

A power of attorney is a powerful document, and in the right hands, it can be extremely beneficial. But in the wrong hands, it could have severe repercussions for both you and your family.

In total, there are 5 types of POA, and each gives the agent different types of authority. For instance, if you set up a financial POA, the agent can only make decisions related to your financial matters. They will not have any authority over your health care. If you want someone to take care of your health, you will have to set up a medical POA or advance directive for healthcare under Georgia Law.

Incapacitation Under Georgia Law

Under the laws of Georgia, a person is referred to as incapacitated if a person loses the ability to evaluate, analyze, and receive information and communicate to make an informed decision. The impairment has to be determined and recognized by a licensed psychologist or physician.

The principal may also be incapacitated if they are detained, incarcerated, or is unable to return to the United States for an uncertain period. This has to be determined and acknowledged by a judge, lawyer, or another government official.

Banks and POAs

Most of the banks were reluctant to accept the newly established format of POA created in 2017. However, the UPOAA, or the Uniform Power of Attorney Act, compelled banks to accept it.

Still, there are plenty of banks in Georgia that have their financial POA. The best way to deal with this would be to contact the banks or other financial institutions and ask whether they have their own POAs. If they do, complete their forms and submit them.

Social Security Administration and POAs

The social security administration and the veteran’s administration in Georgia do not recognize POAs. This is extremely frustrating, but their policies do not accept it yet. To receive transactions from the SSA, you have to apply and become a representative payee.

As for the VA or veterans administration, the VA has its way of selecting a financial agent on behalf of the principal to manage their finances. The VA will call for and appoint a financial fiduciary. But this process is often time-consuming since the VA runs background checks on potential fiduciaries and appoints the right one.

Types of Power of Attorney

There are five types of power of attorneys, and all of them appoint an agent and give them a limited set of rights to make decisions. However, each type has a specific purpose.

1. General Power of Attorney

This allows an agent or attorney to make decisions regarding your financials, health, business, and legal matters. It gives the agent authority on all situations under the local laws and regulations. However, a general POA has limitations regarding setting up wills and testaments.

2. Durable Power of Attorney

A durable power of attorney allows the agent to make a broader set of decisions, compared to a general POA, and it does not get terminated even if the principal becomes incapacitated.

3. Financial Power of Attorney

A financial POA gives the agent the right to make decisions only related to financial matters such as property and money. It allows your agent to pay your bills, manage your investments, make bank deposits, file your taxes, etc.

4. Medical Power of Attorney

A medical POA or a healthcare POA is also subject to a limited set of decisions. In this case, the agent can only make decisions related to your healthcare. Your agent can make decisions about your treatment, medication, surgery, end-of-life care, etc.

5. Springing Power of Attorney

A traditional POA is effective immediately. Meaning, the agent can start making decisions right away after being appointed, but a springing power of attorney is only activated when a specific condition is met. For instance, if you become incapacitated, only then will a springing POA become activated.

Final Thoughts

Power of attorneys can make important decisions on your behalf. It is extremely important to appoint the right attorney for you and your family’s physical, mental, and financial well-being.

Depending on the type of POA, their limitations vary. However, most of them become ineffective after the death of the principal.

 

6 Tips for Scaling Your Startup

If you’re a startup founder, it's important to look for opportunities for growing your enterprise in the long term. Scalability is a crucial factor for success. It indicates progress not just in revenue, but also in other factors like risk tolerance, productivity, and innovation.

Still, the challenge can be daunting. According to an article from Investopedia, startups had a failure rate of 90% in 2019. As a matter of fact, only a handful of startups can make it past their 10^th year of operation before going bust. 

From a lack of research to limited capital, there are various ways your startup can fail. This shouldn't discourage you from making the journey towards startup success. By focusing more on scalability, your startup is guaranteed to thrive past the 10-year mark. Here are a few tips you should keep in mind:

1. Review your business model

Before launching your startup, it's important that you spend time analyzing your business model and checking if it has the potential to support the sustained growth of your startup. The best way to approach this is to use a business model canvas or BMC. This allows you to visualize your startup's potential to scale and develop a unique identity.

Through a BMC, you get to identify key partnerships, revenue streams, cost structures, activities, resources, and other factors that will fuel future growth. Once you have completed your BMC, you can determine what works, plan for the long term, and minimize the risk of failure.

2. Find your key strengths

What does your startup have that other startups lack? Determining key strengths is crucial to know how your startup can compete against other enterprises in your market.

For this, don't just focus on filling up the gap between you and your competitors. Instead, concentrate on enhancing core products and activities. If there's anything you are doing right, look for ways to improve it. Don't rush into new projects just yet. Take time to build on the things that are gaining ground.

Understanding what makes your startup unique can help you focus on concepts that matter in terms of long-term growth. 

3. Make the most out of your workforce

Hiring more people doesn't necessarily accelerate the growth of your startup. It only makes core processes more complicated in addition to eating into the bottom line.

When recruiting people to your startup, don't focus too much on filling up empty seats and creating unnecessary positions. During the first months of launching your startup, you need to build a pioneering team that provides the skills and experience that coincide with your business's core activities.

You can reach out to business owners you know and ask for referrals. Also, consider posting job ads on social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. In any case, it's important that you provide a clear description of the kind of employees you will want to hire.

The future of your startup depends heavily on the quality of your human capital. Consider coming up with a detailed profile of an ideal employee for your startup. That way, you won't have to waste time and resources on candidates who won't deliver long-term value.

4. Consider outsourcing

In case you lack the resources to recruit an in-house team, outsourcing would be the best option. Especially if you are operating as a sole proprietorship, hiring a remote worker is a cost-effective way to support your business's growth during the first few months of launching.

You can find freelancers who can handle a range of tasks that in-house employees can handle but at a cheaper cost. If you want to build a marketing campaign, for instance, you can hire independent contractors that have the creative and technical skills you need. Another option is to partner with a marketing agency. There are a number of outsourcing firms that provide teams for a flat rate.

Whether it's a freelancer or an offshore company, outsourcing provides your startup with an affordable way to access skills that are locally unavailable. This also allows you to offload repetitive tasks so you can focus on finding other growth opportunities. Plus, you get to save more money from hiring costs. You can use these savings to strengthen other aspects of your startup and open up new income streams.

5. Channel your resources towards innovation

Your startup has a better chance of success if it's able to provide new concepts to the market. After all, the whole point of building a startup is to drive innovation. Spending less time, money, and effort on research and development will only make it difficult for your startup to scale amid a tech-driven landscape that's constantly changing.

Take the time to learn the issues and problems that are prevalent in your market. How will your startup solve these problems? How can you align your products or services with current trends?

One thing's for sure, you wouldn't want to rely too much on your core activities. As the bottomline grows, you should set aside a portion of your earnings for fueling innovation.

In case you are not sure  about starting an innovation program, consider getting a partner who can help you develop an innovation strategy and unlock your startup's potential as a leader for transformative disruption.

6. Forge strategic partnerships

In some cases, startup founders overlook one essential part in scaling their organizations: The need to form partnerships.

While you can relish in the idea that your startup is the product of your own toil, you will still need to find business partners who can be instrumental in helping you find growth opportunities in other areas and locations.

You just need to develop a desire to build alliances with potential growth partners. Look for mentors and industry leaders to connect with and find out how your business can fit into their agenda. From there, introduce your startup and what it is developing recently.

Once you have forged partnerships with important industry figures, you will be able to discover new growth opportunities to leverage.

The need to scale is becoming more important as more startups enter the arena. so put these tips to the test and let your startup thrive for more than a decade!